sml

Just found out some new information this morning from the mechanic ...

a) when they recently replaced the distributor caps (about 2 mths ago), apparently it is pretty obvious to see the belts, so the mechanic inspected them & he said they are fine.

b) one of the previous owners talked about chipping the car, so the car could have a non-standard chip. How can I check the chip to see if it is OEM?

wellcraft290

Ok so what does 2 months ago have to do with now?? did you do any tests on your dist belt? You have many knowledgable people here all saying the same thing and quite honestly at this point you keep getting the same answer and ignoring us.

darth

Are there any oil leaks at the head/cylinder interface which may indicate a compromised head gasket?

wellcraft290

but darth 2 months ago the mechanic didn't notice that so can't be that either lol

sml

Fair point ... I will try the distributor belt test tonight .. so I have 3 options to check the belt:

a) Pull the primary lead .. but on which distributor cap? whilst the car is idling?

b) Pull the lower distributor cap off and see if the rotor turns freely ... Sounds easy but if I dont keep the rotor aligned correctly will I cause problems?

c) Do a visual inspection following the steps on eg porsche 964.co.uk .. looks most complicated option!

sml

Nothing was found during the PPI that was carried out 1 month ago! The motor was rebuilt about 2 years ago.

sml

How do I check the chip?

darth

"Ok so what does 2 months ago have to do with now??" Exactly ! I havn't read any mention of oil leaks or not in the area I mentioned. I had a similar situation (i.e. although I would better describe it as a popping sound and thought it was a leaky exhaust) during acceleration and discovered a broken head gasket when I tore apart the engine.

wellcraft290

ok go off the two dist and you will see a lead go all the way up and mounted to the left side of the engine bay. you will see them plugged in to two blocks. This is where you want to pull one out at a time while idling. easier then pulling the cap off the dist.

sml

Thanks for clarifying .. will do the test tonight when I get home!

EDIT .. in talking with my mechanic, he suggested you can over-voltage the other distributor so it is not the best idea!? He had some other idea of pulling a switch or relay or something which is apparently safer!?

darth

What was done during the PPI? Was a compression/leakdown performed? An easy check to see how the engine is running is to pull the plugs and examine.

sml

I don't think a leakdown was performed during the PPI. There was no mention of it anyway. The only engine comments noted were just a few very minor oil leaks from the cam cover and RMS.

I think I need the expert ear & skills of a mechanic so I am going to drop past my mechanic next week .. and discreetly prompt with all your tips & ideas.

boxsey911

If the belt is OK the rotor won't move so you won't mis-align it. If it spins freely, the belt is broken, the rotor is already misaligned and there's your problem.

sml

removing the lower distributor cover doesn't sound hard ... looks like the process is to remove the screw on each side and it should pop-off .... but when I went to take a look, I can see one screw with easy acccess but the other side screw appears to be hidden away behind a large pipe. does that large pipe have to be removed?

boxsey911

Yes, the air ducting is in the way so you need to undo the hose clamps at each end and wrestle it out. Be aware of the resistor that is plugged into the left side of the hose - you can just pop that out. You should then be able to get to the screw on the dizzy cap. Since they have been recently changed it should come undone easy....when they haven't been removed for years they are siezed in.