964russ

Not yet but requires top end rebuild soon.
Never been worked on, but is leaking oil and sumtimes sum smoke, still runs and drives bob on!
80,000 miles.

jack.pe

Just out of interest... how does the 964 compare to the Maserati?

Johnny G Pipe

You mean it requires some sort of re-seal? I know, I already got onto Paul W about this ....but this is what I'd hoped this thread would reveal, and is this not how 964's get a reputation for needing top end rebuilds prematurely??

Actually reading the posts the commonest mechanical reason seems to be head stud failure, which is not a new problem for aircooled Porsches.

Thanks for the question Jack; seeing as the Maserati is for sale, I need to be careful! I will do a post mortem thread once its gone. However in short - The maserati is rarer, more elegant and has better rear seats. Oh, and people are impressed by the word 'Maserati', and it doesnt leak oil either.

However as a car for driving quickly every day, whilst making you feel happy, the 911 is better in every single other way. Some of that is admittedly probably because it is 10 years older (so like most older cars, smaller externally, lighter, more communicative)..but bottom line is I made the decision to sell because I reach for the 911 keys every time, unless we are going to a posh 'do'!

raoul

Sold my c4 and just bought a 1990 c2 with 91,000 on it. In 2003 the top end was rebuilt by OPC and last year at about 88,000, i think, all the seals were done, new cam covers and re ground piston barrels to crank case. It was then remapped later and is up at 296bhp...........i can't wait to pick her up. It must have been someones on here, i'll post when i get her. My previous c4 had been fully rebuilt too.

Henry964

UPDATE I got the news today that I will need to open the engine because of inner noises (piston pin noise or other stuff)

168000 kms or 105000 miles in 19 years

Pesty

Full rebuild top and bottom at Approx 85k

No.6 Big end went.

boxsey911

I'll wager that leaks are indeed the main reason for many of us having a rebuild done. It certainly was in my case. While leaks don't make it necessary to have a rebuild, we as the owners make the decision to cure the leaks and have the rebuild done at the same time. Mostly to future proof the engine because after all, they've been working for 20 years now so at least deserve a spring clean inside.

Once the engine is out and opened up, I'll bet the most commonly uttered phrase by engine re-builders is , "we caught this just in time!" We'll then be shown scratched big ends, loose little ends, scored cams and rockers, blocked oil ways, etc, etc. However, truth be told, if the engine hadn't been opened up and those things found it would probably have carried on working (and leaking) for another 5 to 10 years with no noticeable loss in performance.

So, personally I don't think we have to have a rebuild to cure leaks but at the same time, it's great to have the knowledge that after 20 years your engine has been full refreshed and is good to go for another 20.

Sboxin

An Opinion ---

I think that most owners and some technicians can not determine the engine condition based on running and listening to the engine. My case is that a reputable Porsche independent shop sold an engine from a salvage car with 115,000 miles that the technician described as good running condition but with 15% leak down numbers. This engine sounded good and drove good prior to front crash.

But, since we are rebuilding for a race car we opened the engine up and found this in the photos on the #5 rod bearing and crank. Inspection showed the #5 rod hard to move on the crankshaft.

The other wear items are the cylinders that we hoped to reuse, but can not because they were out of wear spec. Not a big deal, we had them reconditioned and bored to 102 for a 3.8L engine with JE 12.5CR pistons.

Our technician opinion is that poor maintenance and running hot on low oil caused these problems -- something you don't know without a good car history or first hand personal knowledge. A 20 year old car has certainly had a lot of history

...just one person's opinion of course...

Regards,

Porsche964FP

Bump for more feedback...



POLL & Questionnaire

As we all know 964s are often associated with engine rebuilds. It's something that we have to take into consideration when buying a 964 - do we:

A. Buy one with a rebuilt engine.
B. Buy one without a rebuild, with a view it may happen one day.

So in an attempt to document our experiences and come to some kind of conclusion, here is a poll to answer and if you have rebuilt/ are rebuilding - post your experiences by answering the following questions:

1. Reason for rebuild:
2. At what millage was the rebuild undertaken:
3. With hindsight what would you do differently:

Please do come back to this thread if you one day rebuild and answer the questions - the idea is to provide a long lasting survey, the more posts the more conclusive the findings.

Zingari

Just come across this thread as I'm investigating a noisey tappet sound from the LH bank along with some fresh oil leaks. Car now on 125k

Engine was previously rebuilt @90k in 2002 when the #6 Big End failed and damaged the crankshaft. Crank repaired, all new conrods fitted along with main and big end bearings, piston rings and timing chains

ffc

I've just bought mine and it had a "fully rebuilt engine" 8000 miles ago. The car is now at 110k. No documentation other than a note in the service book regarding the rebuild/replacement! The engine number isn't the same as the one on the VIN so it has been changed. It looks clean and dry and pulls well. I shall wait and see how long this situation lasts.

Mr Bacchus

The previous owner of my car funded a rebuild in Dec 2009 at 129,559 miles at a cost of £6207 of which £3943 was parts (list available). The milage is now 147,000, I bought it at 144,923.

Steve

Johnny G Pipe

So that rebuild has potentially lasted 35k miles (but 11 years)..who did it out of interest?

Zingari

The full one in 2002 was by Zest Performance in Aldershot (look to have gone) but this was work following the #6 big end on RH bank.

In July 2009 (mileage 120k) ProMax replaced the LH cam shaft after noisy tappet sound resulted in cam damage to one lobe and look to have been thorough. Annoyingly the interim service 3 months and 500 miles earlier by ProMax had suggested having the tappets adjusted which appears to have been overlooked resulting in this work.

I've now got the noisy tappet sound back on this LH bank. Obviously it has not ben opened up yet but my Indy cites tappet needs tightening down or oil sprinkler hole blocked casuing one to dry out. Which is obviously what I'm hoping for.

GinaP964

1. The Reason: The primary motivator was that Wolfi's motor was guzzling oil like Oliver Reed sank bottles of whisky! That, and at 20 years of age, anything as complex should get a rebuild. After Neil Bainbridge at BS Motorsport (zero affiliations!) did the build, the whole car was brought back to life... so smooth and powerful. Definitely worth the expense and effort. And I have the (smug) satisfaction of knowing I have a bullet-proof engine for the next gazillion miles!

2. The Mileage: 105,600.

3. Do Differently: It was a straightforward build, but very extensive. If money had been no object, I'd have had a 3.8 conversion, balanced/blueprinted, all exterior parts blasted and painted/powder coated etc.