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Hello RL! Been lurking for a couple of years, finally going public.
Close to pulling the trigger on a 951. Does anyone see anything in this engine bay that worries you?
I see a few obvious minor upgrades but nothing to indicate that it's been seriously molested/abused/tracked... but I'm no expert.
What's with the foil wrap on the fuel lines (I think)? Is that good or bad?
It looks like the FPR in the back has been replaced and is facing the wrong way (?)
I'm not sure what to make of this
TIA!
P.S. - those puddle-looking things are water after a hard rain
Last edited by neunfünfeins; 09-03-2016 at 09:41 PM.
Reason: Corrected myself on fuel lines & FPR
Looks like Larts lines routed to the back to avoid the heat from the headers that's alright and LR boost enhancer very minimal mods and a weltmeister strut bar.
I see the map sensor that comes with an MTune which is good. I see a forge blow off valve, also good. Bellows in the exhaust header, good. New radiator overflow tank, good.
I see the map sensor that comes with an MTune which is good. I see a forge blow off valve, also good. Bellows in the exhaust header, good. New radiator overflow tank, good.
that could be a A-tune, no a M-tune, also the BOV looks like a regular not the forge which usually has the brand name engraved on top
Your input makes me feel better about the deal... Seller is clueless about any of this, all I have is some secondhand information from a PO that states it had "mild performance" DME & KLR chips, but I suppose further forensics are required to figure out exactly what's been done. It seems it had complete records and parts to return to stock as recent as 5 years and 10K miles ago, and it's all been lost. It claims to have had belts & WP at that point. Otherwise I'm having to go off what I'm able to see, feel, hear for myself and my gut.
I would prefer that it had a few less mods, I don't really want a car that has been spanked hard. Car otherwise looks stock, no racer-boy gauges or other nonsense added. I've googled the VIN but got few hits, which could be good or bad.
Weltmeister strut bar, correct. I'm not seeing the Forge BOV either, looks like a stock upgrade I don't know what to make of the FPR, it doesn't look like any of the 3.0 bar units I've seen... need to get a better look and see if it's stamped with anything. Great suggestion to check the battery tray!
No, (sadly for California's sake, drought-wise, but good for me) it's not a CA car.
Looks pretty tidy to me. Looks like someone made small "upgrades" here and there, or at least was trying to. The silicon couplers are aftermarket. I actually think the factory pieces fit better, but it shows someone was looking after the motor anyway. Clamps are new, so that's good. MAP sensor and chips are likely A-tune, though you'd have to check in the DME to know for sure. Looks like a Lindsey boost enhancer. Lart's fuel lines are a good sign (they leak and catch fire otherwise). Looks like a replacement connector on the air-flow meter, another indication someone was attentive to the motor. There are a few signs of rust and corrosion here and there, so heed Divil's advice for sure. Magnecor wires are another sign someone was trying to upgrade, though again debatable whether actually better than Porsche parts. Aftermarket oil filter wouldn't be my choice, but no big deal. I'm guessing they did the venturi delete based on the shiny clamps and hose on the firewall. The coolant reservoir has been replaced -- more evidence of attentive care -- though can't see any coolant in it? That may just be the pictures, but if it isn't holding a normal coolant level that's worth looking into -- could be a simple leak or something worse like a bad head gasket.
Looks ok - not sure what brand the white oil filter is. Looks like a-tune, but as Tom said need to look at DME for sure. BOV looks like oem replacement.
Very good, KVDR. It is indeed an '89. Block: M44.52 / 47K15-something
[Incidentally, isn't venturi delete only 86-87 and Porsche essentially "factory-deleted" it on the later cars?]
As far as that aftermarket oil filter... yeah it recently had an oil change at a NAPA Xpress Lube with god-knows-what oil. That is something I would have remedied immediately. Coolant tank was full... for whatever reason the coolant is very clear, not green, blue, pink, orange etc. At first I thought it was water, but it definitely had that glycol viscosity/feel/smell to it.
So I just got back from my all-day trip to inspect/drive the car. I essentially performed my own 'PPI', as I spent 2.5 hours crawling all over and under it (on a lift). Sadly, the engine bay turned out to be one of the nicer parts of the car, aesthetically-speaking. Fairly clean and tidy, a lot of what looked like rust in the pics was actually just dirt.
The rest of the car... yet another case of "they always look better in the pics". . For the asking price, I could have even looked past/dealt with the numerous cosmetic issues (too many to list), but here's why I ultimately walked away:
The Big Issues:
A small bit of oil smoke... wasn't terrible, but tends to not cure itself ($$). At cold startup, when revving, AND on decel. Probably tired rings AND valve guides/seals.
A fairly significant engine oil leak from the front. Coating the belly pan and blowing back onto the DP. Since the belly pan was in place I couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from, and I was on borrowed lift time in a shop I wasn't insured to be in, so I wasn't going to start disassembling stuff.
Tappets sounding more "tap-tap-tappety" than I think they should.
Advertised with "A/C", but dead (compressor doesn't engage). Belt OK, so could be R12 leaked, could be worse ($$)
Sunroof dead. Switch/motor no worky. Could be a simple fuse, could be worse ($$)
2-3" crack in windshield spreading from rock chip. Also doesn't cure itself...quite the opposite ($).
What sounded like a wheel bearing growl on the test drive. Definitely wheel speed/independent of gear, so not torque tube at least. Couldn't duplicate it on lift though (wheels unloaded though).
Non-existent service history other than what I've mentioned. Clean Carfax but otherwise no documentation, no manuals, no nothing.
The Dubious, and Not So Big Issues
"Dubious" because ambiguous/unproven and I could also be really wrong.
Didn't seem to be boosting correctly: (1) didn't really come on until 3500-4000... and especially with the LRBE I thought it should come on a lot sooner (2) Stock boost gauge was doing funny things. Like reading 0.4 bar or below most of the time (not just during vacuum) including when I expected it to be around 1... except when really on boost and then it jumps to ~2 bar.
Lots of alternator whine, or maybe belts too tight. Noisy whine either way. Coupled with this though, the Volts gauge always read between 11-12 volts, but then the charging light wasn't on. I didn't think to bring a voltmeter to measure for myself and they didn't have one either, so who knows. [I didn't want to be on my road trip home and find out.]
At times (e.g., partial throttle) just seemed not as smooth as it should be, and a few tiny stumbles. Maybe just needs a simple tuneup.
Headlights get stuck halfway up and "need help" getting the rest of the way. Mechanism needs lube & adjust... how that poor motor must be suffering.
Took the battery out... notable surface rust in the tray but no perforations, and I couldn't find any evidence of stains or dampness in the R footwell (especially after Hermine) so that's good. Should be addressed before it gets worse.
I could not hear the after-run coolant pump for the turbo... there was a lot of ambient noise however so inconclusive.
Front panel fit was a little suspect. Might have had an "oops" along the way that didn't make it onto the Carfax.
Car has spent a lot of time outside as evidenced by faded carpets, dry seals, etc. Grungy inside and out and needs a good scrubbing top to bottom.
Original paint (far as I can tell) but some significant chips & dings..
Missing "PORSCHE" decal across rear panel but I went deep in trunk and could find no evidence of prior damage/repair/repaint so not sure the story there.
Some Notable Good Things:
When it was on boost, it was freaking incredible... I pulled a ~30 - 70 mph rip in 2nd that caught me by surprise before I could manage to peel myself out of the back seat. Not a shred of complaint or protest from the motor either... it even seemed to beg for more.
Rest of under car looked great... dry trans, no boots ripped anywhere, tight tie rods/ball joints, newer exhaust, newer pads & rotors, no damage.
No evidence of coolant in oil, nor oil in coolant.
No evidence of leaks in hatch/trunk (pulled carpet/pads out)
Complete toolkit/jack/spare/etc.
Brake fluid was blue and super clean, reservoir was full. Obviously looked after. Brakes felt awesome.
Great dash. A few tiny cracks and warping around defr holes but that's it. Carpet pad was initial bad sign, but it was obviously put on some time ago to protect rather than to hide.
No rust except as noted under battery.
Final take: A hardcore individual with more experience & resources than me might desire to bring this one back to its former glory. Or it might make a great track car. It was below par of what I'm looking for however, and we couldn't work out a deal that made $$ sense for me to undertake that much effort.
If anyone is interested in more info about the car please PM me... I feel kinda funny airing any dirty laundry to then publicly identify which car that I'm referring to.
Last edited by neunfünfeins; 09-05-2016 at 11:30 PM.
09-03-2016, 09:12 PM
Does this raise any red flags?
It claims to have had belts & WP at that point. Otherwise I'm having to go off what I'm able to see, feel, hear for myself and my gut.
I don't know what to make of the FPR, it doesn't look like any of the 3.0 bar units I've seen... need to get a better look and see if it's stamped with anything. Great suggestion to check the battery tray!
. For the asking price, I could have even looked past/dealt with the numerous cosmetic issues (too many to list), but here's why I ultimately walked away:
Not a shred of complaint or protest from the motor either... it even seemed to beg for more.