mr_fizz

Car is a 1997 C4S with 35K miles and no service records. It’s had 3 owners to date and the current owner bought it from a dealer who picked it up from an auction.

A reputable and independent 993 mechanic performed the PPI. The major things from the PPI were as follows:

- the 30K mile service has been completed
- looks like the brake fluid has never been changed
- compression / leakdown test – high 8% and low 4%
- 5 driving hours ago an SAI fault code went off on 1 – 3 (mechanic did not write down the exact code); the CEL was not on while the car was being checked out / driven
- mechanic blew air across the valves and noted that air pressure seemed strong coming out the other side

There were some other various issues, but these are the pertinent ones.

I would welcome any feedback regarding the results of the PPI. I am concerned about the SAI fault code (never heard of this half-failure) and the compression results. The brake fluid seems unusual, but not sure how concerned about this I should be.

Thanks in advance for any help,
Mike

jimbo3

-30K mile service calls for a brake bleed, so entire service is suspect.
-The leakdown numbers would indicate a 100,000+ mile engine.
-No idea what "blew air across the valves and noted that air pressure seemed strong coming out the other side" means.
-SAI code is a problem. Drive it on a few 15 mile jaunts and see what shows up.
-Auction car.

Seems to me that you might don your running shoes...

TheOtherEric

My thoughts:

- The car doesn't "sort of" have an SAI issue. That's like being sorta pregnant. The CEL will be back on pretty soon I'd assume. If you're lucky enough to have a qualified shop nearby that can do a flush, it'll run you maybe $1200, otherwise if you do a full valve job you're in for $4k - $5k.

- I'm no leakdown expert but 4% to 8% sounds pretty high. Might have something to do with the SAI?

- What were the compression numbers?

- Your shop probably doesn't really know the condition of the brake fluid. When I sold my former 993, the shop told the buyer the brake fluid looked really old, and i was pissed (!!) because I had just flushed it with ATE SuperBlue, which is dark and to the casual idiot might look old & dirty. I'd have a hard time getting too worked up over the brake fluid issue anyway.

- Auction cars kinda suck since you can't get any history at all. The records get thrown out. It's really sad, but a fact of life. I'm generally reluctant to buy an auction car but you just never know.

tbil

Addressing only the SAI issue, wouldn't consider that a show stopper if the rest of the car is right. Makes a difference what state you live in, there are a variety of work arounds for this one.

NP993

Whether a car has been sold through an auction or not really has no bearing on its condition or value. Auctions are standard ways that cars, yes even Porsches, are bought and sold by dealers and brokers.

dave morris

10 years without a change can be problematic. How do the brakes and clutch feel? The fluid tends to move toward a solid state after years w/o a change. It can be difficult to flush the fluid when it is seriously clogged. You may also need to replace the master and slave cylinders.

dave morris

Huh??? As was earlier said, I have no idea what you are referring to.

mr_fizz

Thanks for the responses.

I am looking at the car remotely, so I've never seen/driven it. Apparently the car drives well (clutch, brakes, etc.), and the mechanic didnt say for sure the brake fluid hadn't been changed, so I'm less concerned about this claim.

I'm not entirely clear on the SAI fault code. I don't know if the CEL popped with the previous SAI fault code, which is why i refered to it as a half-failure. If it did pop a CEL, this would be a total non-starter for me. Is it possible to have some type of SAI fault code and not get a CEL?

Thanks for all of the responses. I agree that an auction car is not desirable for resale value, but I've hopefully worked that into the purhcase price. The SAI and leakdown #s are what will make me walk away, which it sounds like would be the prudent thing to do in this case. sigh...

AM993

Have you tried a Carfax on the car to try and see if the mileage is realistic? I have a hard time believing that a 35K miles car would have relatively poor leak down / compression tests result and a potential SAI issue. At least, try and cross check the mileage with the seat / carpet wear and tear, gear stick & handbreak leather condition, road rash,...

jimbo3

In and of itself, sure. But you sorta forgot to consider the other three strikes I pointed out BEFORE mentioning auction. Auctions are a great way to unload vehicles that have these kinds of problems. The fact that it's an auction car is just the signature on a picture that was already painted.

-Jim

mr_fizz

the carfax checked out clean, but the car has done the rounds.

the interior and exterior of the car are in very good shape (had a local RL check it out as well), so i tend to trust the mileage count. it does seem strange that such a low-mileage car would have SAI and leak down issues.

AM993

Well, if you trust the mileage and can strike a good deal on the car (below $40K ), it will be worth spending some money to address the SAI and compression issues.

jimbo3

Mike-
Just curious- what does this mean?

mr_fizz

Good question. Based on the mechanic’s description (which I probably grossly misinterpreted), it sounded like he did some type of test to see whether the SAI was actually clogged. I think he was testing to correlate the previous SAI fault code with actual clogging. He opined that the SAI would likely not be a problem, but if the CEL has been off I don’t want to bother with the car.

dcdude

Bear in mind, you can get a CEL for non-SAI reasons. Wornywheel and a loose belt come to mind. Maybe someone can elaborate?