Will all post '95 993's eventually suffer valve giude issues? I was set on buying a '98 targa but am really thinking twice now after reading about the eventual nightmare of the valve guides going bad at 60-70K miles. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

It varies ... all 911s eventually wear out their valve guides, some earlier than others, particularly from the 3.2 Carreras through the 993. Not sure about the 996 but it's probably the same deal. Some people have well over 100k on their 993's and have not done the guides. Some 993's use almost no oil, others that are perfectly healthy use a quart every 1k miles, there are many variables, from how the engine was originally broken in, how the rings have seated on the pistons, oil temperatures, climate ... the 96-98 cars will clog the SAI passages long before the valve guides go, that's the main concern, I think.

 

Vic.....tell me about the SAI and what should I ask for in my PPI???

 

Wow ... do a search it will tell you all about it ... many, many posts on that topic.

Basically, the secondary air injection passages are little tiny passages in the cylinder heads, they are active for 30 seconds or so on cold start, it adds air to the mixture to reduce emissions but has zero affect on how the car runs. After the 30 seconds, the pump shuts down and those passages are inactive. They have a tendency to get clogged with carbon, which will throw an error code on the 96-98 cars, which have the OBD2 system. This causes the car to fail emissions, although the car runs perfectly. On the 95 car, which is OBD1, clogged SAI passages will not cause the car to fail. Again, either way the car runs correctly, it's just the 95 doesn't fail itself.

If you catch this problem early enough, when it's just starting, the passages can be cleaned out with the engine in the car, several hours of labor. If you're too late, and they're really clogged solid, the fix is essentially a top-end rebuild; the motor comes apart and that's the time to do the valve guides, but it's costly ... $6k seems to be the going rate depending on what else you might need to have done.

Your PPI mechanic should read the error codes from the OBD2 system and make sure there have been no check engine lights related to those passages. And it's also a good idea to make sure the check engine light itself on the dashboard is operating, as unscrupulous sellers/dealers have been known to remove the bulb.

 

yeah, sooner or later, i think it is.

 

Thanks alot for the response Vic....

 

My feeling is all cars break down and have weaknesses. So buy the car you like best with some excessive preventive maintenance, a good reputable PPI, and enjoy it. It is less painful if and when it breaks down. Many 993's have over 100K miles without any engine rebuilds, and are great cars. Good luck with your future purchase.

 

I agree mo.....what do you suggest I stress in the PPI? Sorry if these are newbe questions.

 

Be sure to take a real look at the number of people who DON'T take the time to write that they have no problems with either SAI or valve guides. When you visit the complaint department, you will hear/read complaints!

 

Make sure that someone didn't "clear all the codes" prior to you taking it for a ride or for the ppi. The CEL (check engine light) or MIL as it's sometimes called (Malfunction Indicator Light) will go 'off' when someone clears the codes / yanks the battery cable, whatever. (Giving u the 'false fuzzy feeling' that everything is OK.)

Point being -- if someone 'did' clear the codes then the car needs to be driven for MILES and MILES and MILES and needs to undergo several 'complete drive cycles' before the 'readiness monitors' are set.

If the 'readiness monitors' are NOT 'set' -- the car will fail state OBD-ii inspection.

Before you buy, have someone hook up a code scanner and SEE if the readiness-monitors are all 'set'. There should be 8 of them. The really important ones are the *emissions* monitors; catalytic converter, oxygen-heater/sensors, evap. etc. etc.

(Ask me how I know!)

G.

 

Good advice.....thanks G

 

g_murray gives EXCELLENT advice! If you do buy the car tell the seller to have the SMOG cert IN-HAND before you arrive with the $$$. I didn't .. and I think the PO and his mechanic acted surreptitiously. I've dealt with it ..love the car and that's all that matters. Besides .. the little old thing called karma has a way of working itself out overtime.

 

Have the smog certificate in hand...in Cali, if you live in a lightly smog impacted area such as where I live, we don't have to do the dyno run. Be certain the car gets the "real deal" smoh test, up on the dyno.....if you have a Carrera 4, regardless of where you live, no dyno could be administered...I believe

 

I agree with Mo, These cars are amazingly reliable.... but every car is different. I am always amazed by how few problems are posted on the 993 board. When I visit other car boards (bmw etc) I am surprised by all of the "different problems". The problems with the 993 seem to be common but very few of them compared to other cars. I realize the search function may catch many problems that dont get posted. Dont be scared off by future problems that might never occur.

 

so add $5k to your budget and you have just covered the price of valve guide wear....