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was on the way to reviving my 86 944 and that has sat for roughly two years. Had a fuel leak, that I hopefully resolved by replacing the fuel pump and associated hoses. Got a new set of cookie cutters and new rubber all around. New battery. Started right up. Next issue is coolant seems very low and checking the oil, here is what I found on the dipstick. Also, I can see some white globs looking down the oil tube. Is this the dreaded coolant in the oil? I’ve searched numerous threaded but I’m not 100% sure. Maybe I am just hoping it’s not the case.
Stout, wow, sorry to see this. I've not experienced it but searched the internet. If it were me (since you've already started the engine), I'd drain it immediately, refill, start and let it run, drain the oil again, refill and drain it again and hopefully it will at least get some of the coolant out of your system. Hopefully you don't have internal engine damage from the coolant mixing with your oil and starting corrosion. If you didn't see a cloud of white smoke, it might lead you to your oil cooler. Good luck with this.
The “white globs looking down the oil tube” is not unusual and normally just condensation mixed with oil vapor. The milkshake on your dipstick is unmistakably water in your oil. I presume you put fresh oil in before you started it?
Let the engine run up to temperature (quick short drive, let it get hot), then shut down and re-check the dipstick.
Water/fuel etc that is suspended in the cold oil can make it look weird, but getting up to temp helps evaporate/burn off those undesirables.
I wouldn't even blink. Go straight to changing out the oil cooler seals. It's not expensive and something any owner should do when they first get one of these cars. When done, perform a leak-down test to make sure the head gasket is intact. If you're like me you'll change that out and get the head looked at as well, just for peace of mind. I could go on, but I don't want to start sounding obnoxious! The thing is, everything that makes up these cars is WAY beyond it's intended service life, and when they became cheap, they got beat-down by uncaring/idiot owners.
Don't run the engine with that severely watered down oil, doing so will surely cause further damage. Never owned a 944 but the only time I have seen oil that milky is a blown head gasket (can be validated by bubbles in the coolant when warm).
I second the don’t start it up until ,at the minimum, you install fresh oil and filter.
better to reseal their oil cooler ( mine cooler seals blew while in line for an autocross run).
Not to add stress but to explain a bit. Water in the oil can spin a bearing quickly.
imho, error on the side of caution to save bigger repair.
Best of luck. Let us know what the repair turns out to entail.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
i had the coolant milkshake on my S2 back in 01-03. Replaced the seals two or three times. Turns out the PO had the head done (and had the bolts put in so there was no trace of work), and as meticulous as the shop was at covering up their work is how screwy they were at the job. They used a roloc on the head and one of the passages was off a bit. head gasket fixed the leak. while we were in their the rod bearings were replaced. since the motor was now see through, the rings were done. Then it was stolen 3,000 miles later.
Thank you all for the advice. I agree that not starting or running it at this point is the plan. I’m weighing replacing both the seals and the head gasket. I have a small shop I love nearby which I will consult and see if they have a ballpark quote. If that happens, the timing belt & waterpump makes sense as well.
I suppose that’s the thing about these cars. Too pretty and well performing when running not to want keep it that way despite the labor and/or expense.
I have a similar story. These old components don't like to sit! My '86 sat for about a year while some preventive maintenance was taken care of (timing belt, rollers, front engine seals, water pump, vacuum lines, exhaust manifold gaskets, etc.) and after a no-start issue was diagnosed and fixed, that's when it was obvious something was amiss. The oil was checked and yup, dreaded milkshake! It looks just like yours. The oil cooler seals were not done but I'm going to do those and the head gasket, and a bunch of other "while i'm in there" things. I haven't pulled the head or cooler yet so I don't know the exact cause, but they're both due for replacing. My guess is the head gasket. I'm currently just sourcing all the parts (while it sits some more haha) and hope to start working on it soon.
Found a small local shop that I got a good feeling about that was both familiar with Porsche’s & 944s and willing to work on it. Just got the call that it’s the head gasket. Leaking coolant into #3. Posting as learning tool for the next guy. Yikes. Not great news, but I suppose diagnosis is is the first step.
Ok, well now you know. Don’t know if you like to work on your 944, but I maintain my turbo S.
If it were me, I’d pull the head, send it out for a refresh. I would also pull the oil pan (especially if yours is original) on your NA which should be pretty easy and replace rod bearings. Not nearly as complicated as a turbo. Also do a front end reseal (easy) and replace belts, rollers. All in all you’ll save yourself a good amount and if your 944 has over a 100,000 miles on these components you’ll be due for replacement soon anyway. My guess is that your shop might recommend the same since they need to remove the head anyway.
05-23-2020, 07:48 PM
Milky oil?
