garrett1021

Thank you for this advice!

garrett1021

this is also random, but where can you find replacement buttons for sale?


when test driving the car yesterday i noticed that some of the buttons were fairly worn out and i was wondering where you can purchase repacements?

im talking things like the little exclamation point button, windshield wiper button, etc.

tv90C4

The biggest issue with '89 C4s will be oil leaks at the cylinder heads. When you check over the bills you have for engine work, ensure that there is documentation for a head gasket repair. An '89 with this many miles mostly likely would need this work or would have had one at some point (hopefully recently).

BTW, $15K for an '89 C4 with this many miles might actually be a bit high. When I was looking for a 964, I found a number of '89s on the market for quite some time (3-6 months plus) with half the mileage and with documented head gasket repairs. Find out how long the car has been on the market - if the owner has had the car on the market for awhile and you can't get documentation on the specific engine repair done, you might be able to get $3-5k off the current price.

FWIW, an '89 C4 sold in my neck of the woods late last summer for under $19K with 98K miles. The car was navy blue/linen and was impeccable cosmetically. Based on what I could feel on the engine pan when I went to see the car, it was probably looking at head gasket repair.

Livefreeandrive

I just sold my 1989 C4 and I was under the impression that the oil leaks happened at the base of the cylinders, not the head gaskets. If I hit a hard bump my diff light would turn on accompanied with a beep. I was told that the brake fluid level sensor moved and set it off?

dlpalumbo

I had the PDAS/Brake lights shortly after purchasing my '90 C4. A reading of the codes came back with a failed lateral accel. New accels were $4,000!!! Could this be reason for sale??

I got a used accel ($400) and replaced the lateral accel. Lights were still on (I was sick). I then replaced the longitudinal accel. Lights went out. Car's been fine since (5 yrs).

I popped open the failed accel and noticed the filings that many have reported (search forum on this). The accel can be cleaned and replaced.

It makes sense that the long. accel would go as it responds to all starting and stopping. Don't no why the codes reported lateral accel. Either bad readout or wiring is swapped (long. vs lat.). Haven't tested this.

One other thing. When swapping accels, I noticed one looked newer than the other. So I think PO had already replaced the lateral accel with a new one and freaked when the lights came back on, then sold the car.

FeralComprehension

1. You need a copy of Adrian Streather's book, the 964 Enthusiast's Manual. It will help you sort the PDAS lamps.

2. Regarding the low-rpm rattle. Best case is exhaust heat shield; there are a lot of them. Worse (not worst!) case is fan bearing; DIY, but $100 for the part not including fan belts and the obligatory alternator rebuild.

3. With respect to the accelerometers,
a) often a cleaning will restore function
b) there are now solid-state alternatives available for less money than dealership prices. There's a recent thread on this.

garrett1021

I bought it!!! Took it to a mechanic and he said it drove awesome. Lifted it up and found two small oil leaks he said would be easy fixes, the mechanic seemed VERY knowledgeable, he noticed the fender was repainted from a little ding indicating a dent had been fixed, it was pretty incredible. Drove the car 3 hours home and it gave me no problem (other than the blistering heat coming through the vents) pulled into the drive way, stared for 30 minutes... and now I'm going to bed.

Thanks for everyone's help!!

vagluv

congrats!