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Hi all, I went to see a 1987 S4 today and have fallen for the car despite some issues it has. I don't know much about these cars and I am looking for some guidance. This will be my first Porsche. I have owned many old Mercedes from the 70s, 80s and 90s and early 2000s. I am not new to old car problems but I just want to make sure I'm not getting into something that is going to cost a fortune to fix. I am getting the car for 8k as is
I noticed while looking online at other cars that some of the S4's have a body molding along the door and fender, this car doesn't. Was this an option or standard?
The owner said he hasn't had it insured in 5 years. Carfax shows 1 service record since new and not much else other than license plate sticker renewals (last one in 2018 and nothing showing since).
I'm in the northeast so there was some snow on the ground. The owner was kind enough to let me go for a short spin. I maybe got it up to 45-50mph max for a few seconds and mainly drove it slow in the neighborhood. Steering felt tight. Didn't hear any noise during turns from the pump. Suspension felt good overall. He said the car was sitting inside his garage for the last 5 years only getting driven around the block every few months. The only recent maintenance is a new battery. No records. Engine Oil looked clean and level was good. Car sounded good overall but its missing the muffler so its loud and exhaust smells.
Issues:
Ticking noise - do you guys think its just lifters?
AC doesn't work
Lots of constant white smoke from exhaust (maybe from old gas and not having been driven regularly?)
Owner says car might have been repainted by previous owner - it looks pretty clean
Power steering fluid is leaking - he showed me how much had leaked on cardboard in his garage over the years (See picture)
Front wiper blades don't work
Odometer stopped working when he pressed the trip reset button - it shows 85k miles roughly so I assume its likely a 90/100k miles now
Rear wiper blade works but doesn't return to home position and seems loose
Aftermarket items
Audio system
Shark tuned, including exhaust (was there a tune for cars this old?)
Steering wheel
Side mirrors
Rims
Is there anything major these cars need given the higher mileage and the fact that it sat this long?
I don't work on cars myself so I would be paying a mechanic and I assume a Porsche Mechanic will not be friendly on my wallet
I have committed to buying the car because like old quirky German cars especially with V8s and I've always wanted a Porsche but can't afford the older gen 911s
I will be picking it up tomorrow unless someone here can talk me about of it?
Should I check anything in particular before paying for it? I can only check in his driveway with limited tools I own
I have read the steering rack / pump work is usually needed on these cars. How expensive is it given the picture below:
Last edited by carsRlife; 02-20-2024 at 01:37 AM.
Reason: adding
One thing I would certainly do before buying something like this, is to check the thrust bearing! If it's worn beyond factory maximum specification (0.4 mm), you're in a world of hurt.
The engine doesn't sound too bad for something that was not driven a lot in five years. The ticking sounds like lifters.
The smoke from the exhaust is not smoke, it's water vapor from a cold engine. Smoke doesn't vaporize. The smell is normal for a cold engine, smells like rotten eggs, right?
The guards on some fenders are typical for Japanese cars. This car looks like a standard US spec due to the sidemarkers.
Sharktuning is possible on these old cars. The LH- and EZK-ECUs are pretty advanced for their time.
You really should take the time now, before you buy it, and read the FAQ sticky thread at the top of this forum all the way through. The car will need a timing belt and water pump job, fuel lines, steering rack or at least the lines, a tune up and fixes for the other things you mentioned. Probably tires too. Budget about $10k to $15k to get started with these jobs at a reputable Indy shop that knows these cars. Otherwise add another $10k on top of that for a dealer.
Looks to be in decent shape other than the duct taped air tubes and missing speaker grilles. Engine sounds like lifters and will probably correct itself or can be coaxed to with with SeaFoam in the motor oil.
Rub strips are what run the middle of the doors and the cars look much better without them.
Check the exhaust. Given the price point it’s probably not going to sway your purchase but if this car has been started and just driven around the block for years , the cats may be rotten. Condensation build up without driving it long enough to reach operating temp and evaporate all the moisture will rot the inside of the cats. Seen it many times on ‘stored’ cars.
One thing I would certainly do before buying something like this, is to check the thrust bearing! If it's worn beyond factory maximum specification (0.4 mm), you're in a world of hurt.
The engine doesn't sound too bad for something that was not driven a lot in five years. The ticking sounds like lifters.
The smoke from the exhaust is not smoke, it's water vapor from a cold engine. Smoke doesn't vaporize. The smell is normal for a cold engine, smells like rotten eggs, right?
The guards on some fenders are typical for Japanese cars. This car looks like a standard US spec due to the sidemarkers.
Sharktuning is possible on these old cars. The LH- and EZK-ECUs are pretty advanced for their time.
The thrust bearing sounds like a big issue on automatic cars. Based on the minimal research I've done - its inventible unless its been looked into when servicing and kept within spec
From my conversation with the owner, it sounds like he just did oil changes and not much else. He's got no receipts of anything and Carfax has no records except one oil change
I am reading there are some signs that can indicate a bad thrust bearing. Is one of these a sure sign or do all of them have to happen together?
I assume the easiest way to tell is to pull the oil drain plug in his driveway but I doubt he would allow that... So this will truly be a gamble which I am now on the fence about after reading up online
Internet says:
The symptoms of TBF can include deep knocking sounds coming from the engine while it's idling, fluctuating oil pressure readings while running on the road, hard start or no start of the engine after it was run up to operating temperature, dark grey sludge on the oil drain plug and aluminum particles found in a cut open oil filter.
You really should take the time now, before you buy it, and read the FAQ sticky thread at the top of this forum all the way through. The car will need a timing belt and water pump job, fuel lines, steering rack or at least the lines, a tune up and fixes for the other things you mentioned. Probably tires too. Budget about $10k to $15k to get started with these jobs at a reputable Indy shop that knows these cars. Otherwise add another $10k on top of that for a dealer.
The more I look into it, the more it seems like there are some big costs associated with keeping these cars in good health... thrust bearing being the big one. Everything else that's wrong with it will be secondary if that issue exists.. and its got me 2nd guessing. I barely slept, kept thinking about buying this car. But I don't want to end up buying it and finding out I now have to spend more than the car is worth to make it okay to drive without engine failure
you will spend more than it's worth-that is a given
don't do it if you think your going to make money, or if you can't do a lot of work yourself.
don't do it if you do not enjoy working on old cars-
parts are available, new and used.
some parts expensive some reasonable-
plenty of on-line support and guidance for all repairs-
painting and interior restoration very expensive
great community all over
Maybe the ticking sound is just the injectors? .. I say maybe! .. to check the TBF possibility you need to at least get under the car and remove the flywheel cover then use a large screw driver/prybar to push/pull the flywheel back and forth and notice if it has excessive play, better if you do some sore of PPI and take it to a specialist who can run that test for you.
add in an intake refresh 8K,
the smoke should be investigated IE drive the car for 5 miles see if the smoke stops.
the ticking sounds like injectors.
for an oil check pull the dipstick a few times,
drip the oil onto a black piece of cardboard,
look at the oil in the sun ,
if you see lots of small flakes,
then you must get a Flex plate check done before you pay any money.
The car looks like it is in good shape for a restoration ,
figure 20K to 22K ,that includes the intake refresh.
READ the FAQ at the top of the page first it takes about 4 days.
19psi how many S4 intake refreshes have you completed?
this job should include a rebuilt LH Computer, and MAF, replace the dampers and the fuel pressure regulator, fuel lines, ignition wires, spark plugs, powder, coating, cam covers, and intake, new fuel injectors. All the vent tubes, MAF boot , crank position sensor, hall sensor, knock sensors, flappy pod, new throttle shaft bearings for the flappy and the throttle, TPS, ICV, Cam block off pins, PS hi press hose and tank, new Upper/ Lower coolant hoses and T stat and seals,
oil fill block off plate, maybe a new FOE engine harness , fresh coolant and Di water,I might have forgotten a few things
Note usually this is the point when an owner will sell the S4 you can see many S4
GT, GTS cars on BaT that need this service.
The GTS is the worst for this job usually you swap in an S4 intake with fresh powder.
02-20-2024, 01:29 AM
Buying a 1987 928S4 Auto with Ticking noise?
