fiily

I currently own a 88 944 Turbo that I just did a maintenance overhaul to., ie cam tower reseal, all belts (cam, balance belt, alt, p/s), all 16 rad hoses and clamps, water pump, vacuum lines, ISV hoses, all sway bar bushing replace, rebuild power steering unit, new rollers/tensioners/front engine oil seals, oil pump gear drive, injectors rebuilt, and now being driven on nice weekends and work days.

And with that said, a 2001 996 carrera 4 convertible w/184k miles pops up for sale with a blown head gasket. My question is, its cheap---> $5k, is it worth it with a blown engine?

I don't have the option sticker available, but it has full leather, manual, triple black, no nav, aftemarket rims(victor equipment), alpine aftermarket stereo, non-sport seats, and the black hard top.

I will assume no service records, so is this a walk away 996? I am comfortable doing work on the car, I just don't need a major headache beyond swapping engine's.

Thanks guys for the advice and words of wisdom.

Ahsai

A roller with that high mileage I would say ~2-3k. Most likely it's not the head gasket but a cracked head or worse though. The head gaskets (MLS) are known to be totally robust for these cars.

dporto

Generally speaking M96 engines don't blow head "gaskets" (they actually don't have head gaskets per se' just a permatex like material or "liquid gasket") - more likely they develop cracks in the head(s)... If they're not too badly damaged, they can be fixed, but without in depth knowledge of the particular motor in question it's a crap shoot...good luck

Ahsai

I think you were thinking about the cam cover gasket instead

dporto

^Yup^ - I thought the head gaskets were the same Glad you beat me to the punch! At least I got the cracked head part right...

fiily

I am comfortable with replacing the engine and all, but I have read older threads where ppl spend 10k for a motor, is that true anymore?

Should I not even entertain an offer to the current owner?

Ahsai

Yes, a used MkI ('99-'01) motor is still like $10k used (or ~$7k + core). So the answer depends on how much you plan to spend in case the current engine is beyond repair.

fiily

So, how far down the rabbit hole do I want to go? Obviously a partial teardown would point me in the right direction, ie cracked casting, cylinder scoring, toasted bearings...etc etc.

Now I know why $2-3k for the roller, its a major crap shoot, but at least if the engine is too far gone, then I can part it and get my $$$ back.

Hopefully

Imo000

It's worth $5K. You might get lucky (like I did) and the engine is fixable but better to prepare for the worse (engine replacement). A good used engine is $7-up, then what if the transmission is gone or needs to be fixed? Sounds like you are a handy guy, go have a good look at it, see if you can at least test the transmission. Replacing just the bearings and rings is $2K in part alone (I'm doing that to mine right now). If you have the money to finance this then go for it but to get this car back on the road will cost from a few thousand to many many thousands.

Dharn55

There are no cam cover gaskets in these cars either. Just sealant used on the cam covers. And if you talk to Jake Raby I think he will tell you that he has never seen a blown head gasket on a M97/97 engine. If a seller or mechanic is saying a blown head gasket they are covering something up or don't really know what they are talking about.

Is there coolant in the oil or vice versa?

fiily

Thanks, I can give the owner my offer and see if he is willing to negotiate, or even better accept the offer. Hopefully he has service records, and as we all know, there is no such thing as a cheap porsche.

Here's to trying.

fiily

If the owner has interest in my offer, then the next step would be me checking the coolant to see if it mixed with the oil, if it is, that to me is bad news. Scored piston walls, bearings, basically the engine is a boat anchor.

His mechanic said it was a blown HG, but I call BS, he knows what he has on his hands, a bad 3.4L. We will see, i'll speak with the owner tomorrow.

Paul Waterloo

If you look long enough, you can find really cheap 996's that are running.

fiily

I agree with you Paul, my curiosity is getting the better part of me right now. A 996 c4 ragtop, that would be a nice addition for under 10k if bought right. If the engine is too far gone, then I'll part it and have the wife hate me since she is really ready for a convertible for beach and quick grocery runs.

Temping, but i know from previous 928's, it could be the biggest money pit ever.

Byprodriver

With that mileage the cylinders are out of round requiring sleeves & new pistons (bigger). I assume it's losing coolant somewhere, so cracked cylinder or head.