User 040621

remember.....it's your hard earned money. insisting that the dealer do the tests and provide you with the results isn't outside of "normal".

the car is nice, and it's priced accordingly. as mentioned earlier, a PPI is important. finding out it needs $10K worth of work - after paying a premium price would sting.

good luck.....it looks to be a beauty.

groovzilla

check for oil leaks...hate to see you spend another $4000 on oil leak repairs.

kingcrowing

It is leaking a bit of oil as I mentioned but the dealer knows about it and said he would repair all of the leaks for me.

dkcaims

Yes...It did sting!
...but still glad I have the car

Goughary

Hang on - "It's leaking a bit of oil....and the dealer said he would fix the leaks" (paraphrase) - Be careful to keep your expectations in check with that one...a dealer may be ok changing an oil tube or something simple like an easy to get to gasket, but he's not about to drop the engine and rebuild it down to the crank to fix a leak for you...and "leak" is different than "weep" or "drip" with these cars - weeping and dripping are fine, to an extent...pooring oil on the floor is a hassle...

Anyway - "fixing leaks" depending on what they are, can get very very expensive...so be mindful of what he is willing to do for you and what you are willing to live with...

kingcrowing

haha, yeah dkcaims that's kind of what I'm thinking on this car, I like it a lot, and because it's just a fun car it would suck if I need to put a few thousand into it, but ultimately if there's an issue and I can't/won't spend the money asap, it's not an issue if it sits around for a bit as it's not my only means of transportation.

kingcrowing

Goughary, I saw where it had been sitting for ~45 days and the leaking was very minimal, about the size of a silver dollar, so perhaps a "weep" or "drip" would be more appropriate. Personally I don't mind this amount of leakage as long as it's running fine.

So what they'll end up doing is a bit hard to say but even if they're just replacing some tubes or whatever, that's something.

I sent the dealer an e-mail asking if they are able to do a leakdown and/or compression test on the engine, hopefully they are and the results come back good.

Goughary

Likely if it's weeping from the cylinders, btw - you will hear alot about the early head gasket issue...
if it hasnt had the head gaskets installed - this is not an issue (in and if itself) - there is no oil in the upper cylinder, so if there was an issue there, it would be a compression issue - but what happens is that after you park the car, the oil flows back from the right front fender and fills up in the motor - weeps past the rings into the upper cylindar chamber, and then due to a little warpage, usually appearing only when the engine is cold, you get drips from the cylindars - but - these, though a pain since it's messy on the floor, arent necessarily a performance issue.

other leaks, which are actual leaks, should really be addressed though - so if you go to investgate the motor, look less at the cylindar head gasket issue (which in my mind is not and issue) and more at the through bolt seals, etc and see if there are actual expensive leak issues that will require attention and money to fix...

Anyway - good luck with the car - you will enjoy it - and be sure to get a set of Michelin Alpin performance snows (or similar)- cuz it's unreal in the snow...

kingcrowing

That was really informative, thanks! When it was looked at by Jacobs in CT they didn't note any leaking at the bolts or anywhere major on the engine itself. That doesn't mean there couldn't be leaks there but it's probably a good sign.

Edit: dealer will run a leak down/compression test, I'll update when I get the results.

911Jetta

Good stuff!

dkcaims

Well... at least the needed repairs were ordinary wear & tear items and if they were not addressed now, then would have needed to be addressed in the near future.

With regard to oil weeping... When the engine was out a few weeks ago for a clutch, my mechanic said the small amount of weeping in my engine was not something to be very concerned about at this time. Has 123k miles.

kingcrowing

What kind of results should I be looking for in a leakdown & compression test? I know consistency between cylinders is really important but as far as numbers, what's ideal/acceptable for a 964?

dkcaims

Taken from 964.uk.com...

Top end rebuilds can only really be justified if cylinder compression is poor, evidenced by bad leakdown numbers.

Compressed fuel charge leaking through badly sealed valve seats or stem seals or past the piston through worn or broken piston rings are the common causes of poor leakdown performance.

Leakdown numbers can be the best clue to the condition of an engine. Typically 10 to 15% could be considered normal and 20 to 25% is bordering on the need for a top end rebuild. Much over 30% is considered a good candidate for top end work to improve valve and piston ring seals although engines will still operate well with leakage exceeding these figures albeit with some loss of efficiency (and power).

Oil leaks can often add justification for a rebuild but rarely should they be the prime mover for such action.

Other member may have differing opinions...

kingcrowing

Good to know, at least this gives me a basis for what I get as a result. Hopefully I'll get the results sooner rather than later.

vtrich

10 - 15% leakdown might be acceptable, but for a low mileage car I'd think you should expect single digits. 4 - 8% would is what I'd expect,...well,...hope for.