jimhsu

Hi all:

I got this from a friend of mine looking for a Porsche:

My thoughts:

1. how much oil does he have to add every 1500 miles?

2. White smoke: too much oil? Or indeed not driven enough?

3. I guess things like checking for signs of impact, whether color matches code, etc. would be in order.

Any 996 turbo experts here: please chime in. Thank you!

My friend has been looking for a while and this is not a quick whim. If you have any things else he should ask, more than I with my 993 turbo and limited knowledge base...thanks!

raineycd

I have heard some people have to add oil every so often, seems to vary. I usually don't have to add any between oil changes...

Not sure about the smoke on start. Is somewhat common to get a puff every once in a while if you don't let the engine run for a little while before you shut it off. I haven't had this happen for a very long time if I let the engine idle for a minute or two before I turn it off.

Definitely get a PPI done by a reputable P-car shop.

Things to look for - 2nd gear popout, the spoiler hydraulics (listed as fixed, but check again), clutch slave/accumulator.

Macster

Oil consumption could be rather high. Assuming worst case the oil level is at max and in 1500 miles it is at the min mark that's IIRC around 1.5 quarts of oil in 1500 miles. That's close to the high end of oil consumption.

Not a show stopper but I think your friend should press the owner for specifics as to just how much oil he has to add every 1500 miles and then decide -- I hate to say this but it needs saying -- whether to believe him or not.

Same goes for the white smoke upon startup. A puff or even a bit more smoke upon cold start is not unknown. The smoking should be brief and during the test drive there should be no smoke at all from the engine/exhaust.


Anyhow, mainly the layout of the engine contributes to this but other factors play a role: how fresh the oil is; what brand/type of oil; viscosity; how much the car was driven before the engine was shut off; how long the engine was idled after stopping but before shutting off the car.

I seldom do a short trip in my 03 Turbo and I keep the oil level below full and change the oil/filter every 5K miles and let the engine idle some before shutting it off and I seldom see any oil smoke upon startup.

If the oil smoke shows up *every* cold start... I'd look elsewhere. Unless your friend wants to have the cause of this diagnosed by a dealer and get an estimate of the cost to put it right and factor this cost into his offer. 'course, he is betting heavily on the dealer knowing the cause. If he is fed the "they all do that" line he might dismiss the smoking as normal but it could be something more serious, for instance a turbo seal going out. A new turbo ain't cheap.

The Turbo is just a used car. Your friend should apply to it a thorough used car check out/inspection. Looking for signs of poor accident repair, body/paint work is of course quite important.

Tech told me to test the clutch system with the engine off press and release the clutch pedal and count the times. You should be able to get to 25 before the action becomes heavy.

Then start the engine and let it run 15 seconds. Shut off the engine. Try the pedal again. It should have regained its light feel.

Check radiators, A/C condensors, front end for fluid leaks. Check transmission for leaks and pay close attention to where the shifter shafts enter the transmission housing.

Of course the engine comes in for close inspection.

A compression test is unneccessary. Your friend should arrange for a test ride of say 15 or so miles. Before the ride he wants to hear the engine start from cold -- be sure the A/C is off -- and listen to the engine as it warms up. Engine should quickly settle into a fast idle that should slow down and smooth out a bit as the engine gains heat. Shortly after starting the engine should be at normal idle speed and smooth.

Continue to let engine idle while he walks around the car.

Then go out for test ride. As a passenger he can better focus on how the engine sounds, responses.

Once the engine is fully up to operating temperature have the driver accelerate up through the cars. Ideally this wants to be through at least 2 gears from a rather low rpm to near redline, upshift and continue on again up to redline. The engine should pull smooothly, strongly, throughout the rev range.

Back at the starting point continue to let the engine idle. If all sounds ok then take the car on a test *drive* and follow the same route, drive the same way.

Pay attention to how the car takes off from a stop, brakes, steers and of course accelerates.

The test ride and drive give your friend a good chance to get a feel for how the car runs, behaves, but it also gives a chance for the engine controller to detect and flag a problem like a weak converter or a misfire condition.

The engine controller constantly measures the acceleration imparted to the flywheel by each cylinder's power stroke and if the acceleration is too little (or too much) over a span of time one or more misfire codes will be recorded and the check engine light will be turned on.

'course, your friend must observe the dash lights before starting the engine to ensure all come on -- no burned out or missing bulbs! -- and then of course go off as the engine starts and begins running.

Once back from the test drive then park the car and check out the other systems, like A/C, etc.

There is more but for the most part checking out a Turbo is like checking out any used car.

If your friend can find no reason to reject the car and believes he can buy the car for what he believes is an acceptable (both to him and the seller) price then your friend needs to arrange to have the car PPI'd. This PPI should include the pulling of the overrev counts. You can search for past posts on how to interpret these or post the results here for comment.

Sincerely,

Macster.

adam_

I think the limit is one liter per 1000km or a quart per 600 miles. So about 2.5 times 'worst' than they quoted number of a quart per 1500 miles.

HOWEVER, don't assume that "oh a quart every 1500 or so" is an accurate number!

PPI is a must

No HTwo O

Not "worse"...but rather better. Right?

1 qt. per 1,500 miles is better than 1 qt. per 600 miles.

Mikelly

#1 - my 2001 doesn't use ANY oil between fills and I change the oil 2-3 times per year.

#2 - What Macster said

#3 - Check all the suspension, check wear on the tires, check the compression, check the records for repairs from the previous owner.

This car has been no more expensive to own than my wife's 97 E36. However, it's like any other European car. They can have expensive failures and you can get easily taken my shops that prey on unsuspecting consumers... Buyer be educated.

Mike

adam_

Yes it is.

But if you read what I said it that the Porsche spec of 1/600 IS about 2.5times WORSE than the number the seller quoted (1/1500)

akfalar

BTW I bought this car, and as it Turns out all the car needed was a thorough driving. i make it go like a scalded ape at least once a day and It hasn't been burning oil. It did the smoking thing one time after driving a short distance and hasn't since. That was like the second time I drove it. The car is literally like new. I'm having to pinch myself in the morning when I open the garage door.