jgj

Thank you to all the posters. The prognosis is not great, but mainly because I do not think the OPC in Northern Spain where the car ended up is very familiar with 964. They seem to have limited their enquiries to swapping the oil pressure sender for a new one, and slowly filling the oil tank until the instrument needle moves off the bottom (it did not require much apparently). They have not cranked the engine with the DME out. They have not checked cam chain tensioners for hydraulic pressure when running the engine ( as suggested by my technician in the UK). The have not attached a master mechanical oil pressure reader to see whether the problem is electrical or mechanical. At this stage I am thinking to just ship the car home to the UK and have it checked over at the specialist that services the car. Otherwise I can see that they are going to split the case before really exhausting all other options. Once they've done that I'm all in, and at their mercy (with OPC prices to boot). Thank you for the offer from Barcelona Nautilus. And yes Earlydays, of course you are right, I should have checked the oil more frequently since the last service. It's just that consumption has been so low these last 15,000m that I've become lazy.

JohnK964

Sorry misread the last post

John McM

The oil level on the gauge only works when the car is idling on a flat surface at working temperature. I can't see how they could measure this if the car isn't running. I think you are much better getting it back to the UK and sorting it out from there.

JohnK964

abarthguy

Yes, they don't know much about your car and it is most certainly over filled !!!! Drain some oil before you crank it or the intake will get oil in it and there will be many leaks !

jgj

Abarth, Johnk i agree with you both. I need to get that car out of there and back to England, before they summon up the courage to crank the engine. Unfortunately that needs to be negotiated with the breakdown recovery insurance. Could take a while.

MaKSiNG

Hi jgj,

Any updates? How did you get on?

Regards,

jgj

Yes, the insurance got the car back to the UK (in a truck trailer with 2 McLarens returning from a launch in Spain!)

Back at my regular shop they diagnosed a broken oil pump drive shaft. Of course at 120,000m the "whilst you're in there" bill was substantial:
crankshaft main and big end bearings,
intermediate shaft bearings
I overhauled cylinder heads inc.replace valve guides, piston rings, camshaft chains and chain guides
I replaced cylinder head stud with dilavars.

I dismantled and regasket exhaust system joint flanges
Complete valve spring set.
Replaced both camshafts with high quality 2nd hand ones and 6 new rocker arms.
Replaced inlet manifold assembly to cylinder head manifolds
Replaced clutch assembly
Replaced engine cooling fan hub bearing and fan & alternator drive belt.

Let's face it. I basically rebuilt the engine more or less.

Very expensive (£12,000) but she's running so beautifully now that I've forgotten the financial pain.

Why do we suspend reality and all rational thought processes when it comes to keeping these machines on the road? I guess if we could answer that we would never do it. And the magic would be lost. I'd be lost without my car.

misterbeverlyhills

Where did you take the car in London for the work?

jgj

My regular workshop is GT-One in Chertsey, s few miles from Heathrow airport. Expensive, high quality. In Central London I also use RGA Porsche in Vauxhall, sometimes slower but also high quality work

cobalt

Did the pump fail or the shaft that connects the intermediate shaft to the pump or the splines? Not a common problem in any case.

If you shut down the engine that quickly why did you need to replace the camshafts and rocker arms? Did you go with new factory valve springs or stronger springs with Ti retainers?

The pic shows the three parts if you can explain which part failed I would appreciate it. I am begining my build this week if all goes to plan.

jgj

Definitely the shaft that sheared, not the splines. i saw it. My shop said it's the first and only time they'd seen that fail.
Valve springs I'm 99% sure are factory, but will double check.
On the rocker arms and camshaft, forgive me I'm no expert but what I saw and was explained to me was clear damage on 6 of the rockers (the others all tested fine). These had also damaged the camshafts. As to why? I am certain I shut off that engine immediately and rolled no further than 100m. My guy suggested that the Spanish OPC may have tried to run it or start it, perhaps did start it. I had some trouble communicating with them . But there was a suggestion from the sales guy who spoke English that they just drove it into the workshop the day after I parked it outside. I'll never know

cobalt

That makes sense. Big mistake on their part but prove it,

Glad it is fixed.