Halcyon

Hi

I did a partial PPI ( stopped before leakdown/compression because I thought the problems enough as "deal breaker" )
But after reading even more information on here.... Is it really that major?
The three things the mechanic said was oil leak at both chain boxes , oil leak at rear main seal, and bad transmission mount
So, from reading on here, it sounds like those two oil leak are just minor nuisances and doesn't really matter if you don't care about adding just a bit more oil , and dont care about the garage floor...
But, if I were to repair it, it would mean engine out. And "while in there" , it seems like a lot of you would do something else too right.
the car is a tiptronic with 9xxxx miles . so a rebuild could be imminent .

theres couple route that I'm thinking I could go if i buy it
1) repair the oil leaks ( which if i remember right, he said $4-5k to drop the engine , does that sound right? ) but will still have to face rebuild EVENTUALLY ( or not, assuming it doesn't need one now or anytime soon)
*and bargain the seller with repair cost
2) repair oil leaks ( reseal? ) and rebuild/overhaul " while in there" I have no idea how much that is going to cost ( any idea?) and have no worry in the future . * and bargain the seller with this point..
3) buy it, drive it , dont care about oil leakage, fill it up with oil and make the car happy , and hope it doesnt break down . and THEN fix it up WHEN that happens... ( sounds pretty irresponsible eh? xD )

I dont know what to do now. It seems like I can't get his price lower without any evidence of repair cost. And since I already made him bring it to ppi once, would be sorta silly to bring it back for a leakdown/compression . I'm hoping to get a oil usage number from him and hopefully that'll tell me something about the valves worn out level ( should be 1500-2000miles / qt right? and if anything below 700-800miles /qt would be in the need-rebuild range, right?)

let me know what you guys think. help me out thanks

axl911

Chain boxes oil leak can be very expensive to repair depending on where the leak it. Worst case is the chain housing to the block which involve removing engine/cam/etc and having to do cam retiming.

Rear main shield (not at the flywheel right?) can be repaired without dropping engine, but it requires taking out virtually the entire exhaust system and engine carrier. Again, lots of labor and can be expensive.

Of course, if the leak is minimal, you can choose to let it be. Don't think these leak would drop down on the heat exchanger which would make your heated/hot air smell like oil.

Halcyon

I just got a quote for repairing the chain covers AND rms AND rebuilt done all at the same time for about 13-16k .... sounds $$$$ o.O Does that seem right?

vjd3

It would seem that the right thing to do would be to find another car, frankly ...

95 C4 993

+1. Unless your getting it for $13,500 less than the asking price

PNogC2S

You'd have to be getting this car at a really low price to make it worthwhile.
You gotta figure the value of a 90K+mile tiptronic with a rebuild, then subtract the $13,500 to get to a reasonable purchase price. A number that will likely shock the current owner.
So unless the rest of the car is special (something that makes it the only car you want) then you are going to have a tough time justifying the numbers.
My bet is that this car will go for a discounted price (but not $13.5K discount) to someone who can do the repairs DIY and then the numbers can be made to work.
Just my 2 cents.

NC TRACKRAT

Concur w/all the above. Need to take the emotion out of the equation. Look at just the dollars and what makes sense. So many really nice cars available on your side of the continent.

axl911

You really have to determine the condition of the leak and overall condition of the car to determine its value.

A car with some seeping out of those two locations wouldn't automatically equate to a $13K required work and therefore $13K reduction in price.

Halcyon

good news. we found out the car uses about 2500miles/qt . thats a really good number. so I guess the leak isn't as serious as it sounded on the PPI.

but thanks for all your advice though

ilko

Not to be cynical, but how did you find that number?

Halcyon

ummm ..... from the owner. And I do understanding what you are trying to hint at. But the owner seems like straight honest guy that loves car and have a collection of other classics, and he's in no hurry to sell so he got no reason to tell me something false. : ) we'll see how that turns out in the end.

MarkD

$13-16K for what?

No need to rebuild anything to fix chain box leaks. It is just silly to even quote someone a price for what I assume (based on price quoted) is a top end rebuild just because the chain covers are leaking... silly and/or irresponsible

original post you said $4-5K just to drop the engine? Wow. Sign me up.

vjd3

Assuming the owner is being truthful, you really can't judge the seriousness of engine oil leaks by oil consumption. A few drips on the garage floor is negligible relative to the amount of oil in a 911 engine. If the rear main seal is leaking, that needs to be attended to, because the oil will foul the clutch on a manual transmission car, and presumably on a Tiptronic as well (possibly with far more expensive consequences), so one way or another, sounds like the motor's coming out sometime in the near future.

Likewise, it's a pretty sure bet the exhaust guides are toast at that mileage. Whether or not the car may be running fine (and may continue to do so for years to come) is harder to gauge. I would be concerned about its emissions history, especially if you're taking the car to California ... has it always passed? Were the readiness codes set at the PPI? Was the check engine light working?

If the mechanic is good (and I'm skeptical, because he's asking for a pile of money unless you asked him "what would it take to make this car PERFECT?"), and he's saying you're looking at a 5-figure repair bill to put the car in good order, that's a good car to stay away from. But how he can make that assessment without even having performed a leakdown and compression check is beyond my understanding. Like I say, if you asked him how much to do everything, including rebuild the engine, that's one thing. But if he's saying you need to rebuild this engine to make it a serviceable vehicle, find another car.

MarkD

good points Vic... Not enough info. The recommendations really depend on the context

FWIW, on a tip the RMS leak is less of a concern than on a M/T car. Nothing but a leak...

Halcyon

the quote was a general quote rather than having the car right in front of him, rms and chain boxes were 4-5k , I thought that was reasonable considering how you need to drop the engine to get to the chain boxes? Mark, you dont think so? (btw, I've heard great stories about you before when you were up in bay area )

and i thought i might as well ask how much a rebuild is "while in there" since rebuild might be a sooner or later thing that I might just get it over with first, hence that ridiculous 5 figure number . so I was the one who is just curious, not the mechanics trying to get $$$$ that says that i NEED a rebuild. the mechanic is actually a decent one that many of you guys have recommended

thanks Mark, I didn't know RMS is that major on a m/t nor did know that rms is less of a concern on tip

and Vic , its a 95' no CEL ! carfax shows it always had been a CA car and always passed emission and seller will get it smogged this week anyway not quite sure about the readiness code, but he'll have to get that set before smogging and before selling it to me. I am aware that even though its a 95' , no CEL doesn't mean carbon doesn't build up, so I'll look into that , and perhaps do a sai flush

thanks guys ^_^