fltechpilot

Hi everyone!

First of all, I'm new to Porsches, but I've been looking at a U.S. 1984 automatic 928 with 87,000 miles on it that is for sale. I've taken it for two test drives. The car is tight and drives great, no creaks and I'm really impressed at how it feels. Transmission is smooth, engine idles smooth and seems fine at all RPM's. Accelerates well, brakes well, just really drives and runs nicely.

Now for the inevitable negatives. The car is without records. I'm reasonably experienced at working on cars, so I was anticipating changing the timing belt, rebuilding the tensioner, installing a new water pump, cam seals, valve cover gaskets, cap, rotor, plugs, plug wires, fuel lines, all the accessory belts, etc.

The car does have a rattle at idle that can be heard standing in front of the car with the hood open coming from the front of the engine compartment. It sounds like it is coming from either the accessory belt/pulleys area or the TB area. It also seems to be coming from the passenger side of the car. I put my hand on the top of the passenger side timing belt cover and i could feel some vibrations through the cover. Any suggestions that you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

Here's a youtube link to a video I took of the car at idle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBX3s...ature=youtu.be

WICruiser

Welcome

The good news is that assuming it is a US '84 that is not an interference engine. Best guess is there is a problem with one of the parts in the timing belt system which you already plan to do the requisite R&R (not just the belt, but rollers, tensioner, etc.).

fltechpilot

Ok thanks. That's along the lines of what I was thinking. I think I'll bring a stethoscope along with me next time and put it up to the TB covers.

danglerb

Unless the price is crazy cheap, its a REAL good idea to have someone expert in the 928 look it over before making any offers. No records and I would always run both Carfax and AutoCheck since the 928 has a very unreliable odometer.

Anything special drawing you to this particular 928?

A clean 84 automatic is the model year I think can be the cheapest to own. AT is generally very reliable, 84 US is non interference, but it is the 4.7L S and usually has the speaker grill interior. OTOH I don't care much for the AT, kinda boring compared to a 5 spd, and newer models are more than a bit faster.

Podguy

There are heat shields around the cat that can come loose and make a lot of noise.

Here is a PPI you can do yourself that will help you zone in on various critical aspects of the car.
http://www.kondratyev.com/porsche/ppi/ppi.htm

A carfax is worth looking at but they also miss alot. I would not worry about the lack of records. They just tell you what happened in the past. The value of the car is in what is is now.

Personally I would look for a five speed.

WallyP

Put the stethoscope on the air pump...

You can also take a squirt gun full of water with you. As the engine idles, squirt the crank pulley so that the insides of the accessory belts get wet. If the noise changes, it is likely to be a loose or worn belt. The belts can make some strange noises.

fltechpilot

Okay. Great suggestions. Thank you!

Cosmo Kramer

Congrats on getting into a 928! If the paint/interior is in good shape it sounds like it could be a good car. I didn't have records with mine and I was a bit naive about Porsches at time of purchase but it turned out OK. The maintenance you speak of is par for the course on a purchase of a 928, some require a lot more then that. Judging by your explanation on how it runs and drives it sounds like it isn't too bad in that department.

The 84 AT, while not the most powerful is certainly reliable and can make an excellent driver. Perhaps post some pics and the asking price and we can give you more insight as to whether it is in the ballpark of what it should be worth. You will get people here that will say you are getting ripped off unless you are paying next to nothing so take some comments with a grain of salt.

fltechpilot

Thanks again for the help. The seller is a small gas station/repair shop/ used car dealer with a good reputation and is actually an acquaintance/friend of one of my family members. However, I'm pretty sure I know more about the car than he does after reading the great threads in this forum. He's looking to get rid of the car and is negotiable on the price. He actually didn't even give me a price, just told me to make an offer. I'm fairly certain I could get the car for between $3,500 and $4,500.

Here's some pics taken with my phone (not the best quality). Paint is slightly peeling at the bottoms of both doors and has a bit of an issue on the passenger side front quarter panel. I do paint and bodywork, so that's not even a concern for me.
Attachment 640227

Attachment 640228

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Schocki

Let it run with all the accessory belts removed, if the noise is still there I would look at the torque converter bearings.

Charley B

One possible culprit that is common, yet easily checked, is the AC compressor clutch. Just have someone cycle it while your standing in front listening.

If that's not it, remove the drive belts one at a time and check for the rattle each time in order to isolate the issue.

fltechpilot

Thanks again for the invaluable advice guys. What do you think of the price range for the car? Im fairly certain I could get it for somewhere between $3500 and $4500. I didn't include any interior pics, but the interior is in really nice shape. The dash is slightly cracked, but that's really the only fault.

Shawn Stanford

Nice! Is it in Connecticut?

Jerry Feather

As to the noise, I bought an 88 S4 on eBay one time that was listed as having a "knock in the motor." Of course it sold pretty cheaply. When I got it here, after replacing the LH computer because they had trashed the original trying to jump start it I think, I got it started and discovered that it did not have a knock in the motor but it had a rattle at the front of the engine much like yours sounds. I think it had had the timing belt changed not too long before, but I took that all apart and found that the pully and shaft of the water pump was flopping around very badly. My first clue should also have been that the coolant was about half gone also.

I think that the previous owner, not the eBay seller, had the timing belt changed but they did not replace the water pump, so shortly after that the noise started. It appeared that they had traded the car in for something else at a car lot and the 928 was put on the back lot and sold to my buyer for cheap who then listed it. It has decent paint, decent interior and fairly low miles, around 75,000, as I recall. I paid about $4,000 for it and another $900 to ship it, and I suppose it is worth over $10,000 now as it sits.

As to the price or "value" of your particular proslpect car--it needs paint and who knows about what the motor needs--so I would offer the nice guy about $1500. I think he should be glad to get rid of it for even that much. A fairly decent "driver" paint job will run you $3,000 to $5,000 and you can tell him that if he will guaranty the motor you will give him a little more, say about $2,500 total, because when you paint it is will still be worth only about $6,000.

Jerry Feather

Podguy

I think Jerry is closer on the price. Even $1500 is high based on probably what it needs. I have bought running cars in the year range for as little as $700. I would definately stay below $2000. There are a lot of these around and having the automatic is just a burden. Prices of parts are just not Chevy prices and in many cases you need 84 only parts to fix the thing. A timing belt alone in just parts will run you $500 and that is if nothing is wrong. If the cam pulleys are worn then it will be a bit more.

I do have a complete 84 five speed for a conversion if anyone is interested.

Good luck