Water & Oil mix, put my mind at rest . . .

[Guest]

Guys, having all this technical expertise @ our finger tips is making me paranoid . . . I have read numerious posts about the oild cooler seals leaking causing oil / water mix . . . (mines a 1988 2.5NA), anyway I have not long had mine and have done much to bring it back a usable state. I have dipped the oil and let it drip onto my hand and it looks like pure oil but the rad resovoir has signs of oil contamination although by the looks of things could be due to a past failure as the marks look very dark and old. When I dip my finger in the top of the resovoir the coolant seems to be what it should be with no real sign's of oil film or contamination.I dont seem to be loosing any fluids either Oil or coolant.

My question is this - would a failure be very noticable either from the dipstick / filler or the resovoir? Example: would I see a definate change in oil colour when removing the dipstick? Would the water level in the resovoir change and would I see the brown frothy goo right up the top of the resovor near the cap . . .

Ps is it hard major job to change the seals?

Any advice would be great thanks . . .

 

[Guest]

When my new engine was put in I had this problem with a leaking seal in the oil cooler. The only sign I got was that the water level dropped very quickly, so it's possible that you have a leak from your description.

My engine builder fixed it for me, so I have no personal experience of the job, but he said that it's a real pig of a job, because it's so awkward to get to.

 

[Guest]

First thing. The overflow tank colour is not a good thing to judge by. They discolour badly with age. (and scare you into thinking you have mayonaise in the tank), although if the level is high enough you can see though the neck and check the colour.You can't really tell by the dipstick, unless it is really milkshaky (and then it's obviously light brown). Have you already done an oil change (if you're bringing it back to life)? That should show any problems. If you haven't done one, then now might be the time to check for sure, and do a coolant flush while you're at it. Remember to use proper ally specced antifreeze though as the other stuff is lethal to cylinder heads!

If you have to change the seals, the job's not that bad. It's just messy! Make sure the oil and water are drained, and prepare anyway with a catch tank under the housing. There are about 6-8 bolts holding it on. A bit of a contortion, but if you have the manual, there's some good pictures of where they are. They are usually covered in crud from drips off the PAS tank, and road grime from below.

The seal kits are reasonably priced, and a again, there's a good write up on how to check the spacing of the shims in the manual. Once it's clean, install the new seal, and "loosly" tighten. You have to get the oil pressure valve in just right. If you can, lay your hands on a proper alignment tool. (infact, I think I may have one for an after-86 car knocking around.) Once it's aligned, tighten it to spec, refill the oil, bleed the coolant system, and you're done! (Sounds simple eh?) []

Also check www.clarks-garage.com . There's a very detailed write up to see if you fancy it or not.

 

[Guest]

When I say bring it back to life the car has had one owner from new, and has been stood for the last 7 years hence the 85,000 miles then a trader had it as a 'toy' for 18 months but it was never registered to him . . . he changed the belts and the oil and filter but from the looks of it nothing else. So the oil and filter is new from May this year, I have been checking the header tank frequently and am not seeing any additional brown mayo in the neck of the tank and or any film on the coolant. I am wondering if it is worth whipping the resovoir off and flushing it out with a pressure washer and some sort of mild soapy liquid then fitting it all back up and see what occurs . . . what does anyone else think - is this a worth while plan of action?

If anyone else has experienced this failure, was the 'mayo' evidence really noticable in the resovoir filler neck? My thinking is if I clean the resovoir and fit it all back up then if there is a failure then evidence of the 'mayo' should steadily return over a short period of time, should it not?

 

[PRJ]

ORIGINAL: pikey7

Remember to use proper ally specced antifreeze though as the other stuff is lethal to cylinder heads!

Mike - that throw-away comment has now given me the jitters! I literally just topped up with a few mills of 'quality' antifreeze (the expensive, rather than cheapo Halfords stuff!) this afternoon and have now just checked the label looking for 'ally friendly' references. There aren't any and it just says that this is the recommended manufacturers spec antifreeze for cars these days, with 5 years durability and then list VAG, SAAB, etc on the approvers list. Can you elaborate?

Sometimes these threads cause more stress than reassurance!

 

[Hilux]

use proper ally specced antifreeze though as the other stuff is lethal to cylinder heads

I used Halfrauds top range (says it suits porsches on the carton) and when it was in for a service at JZ Machtech they said it was fine.

They changed thermostat but I didnt ask them what they used as antifreeze/coolant [&:]

 

[Fen]

Scott, you gan get a shiny (you know what I mean), new header tank for about £40 - I realise that isn't buttons, but it isn't the end of the world either and it looks far better than you'll ever get the dark yellow one to clean up to (they are actually supposed to be opaque white).

 

[Guest]

First, PRJ and Hilux, don't panic. the wrong antifreeze *should* only do long term damage. You should look for non-phosphorate stuff to put in ally engines. (although let me check that tomorrow, I have had a couple of bottle of red wine!). I can't imagine stuff that JZM being the wrong stuff, nor stuff sold in a shop that is approved by Porsche/VAG currently, although check for that non-phosphorate comment on the bottle.

Siddus, you won't ever clean that tank. many have tried with all sorts of chemical concoctions and failed. the only solution is to get a new one! I dunno what plastic Porsche used for that tank, but it is really really unsuitable. By all means empty the tank. mak esure you just verify that the system is still bled properly before you go on a run though (the tank outlet and the head are roughly the same height, so you *may* get an air pocket, although the likelyhood is that you wont. take it on a 20 mile run to get it warmed up, and you'll either see mayo return or not. if you do, the oil cooler seals are the most likely to have gone. Also, if a dealer used it as a "toy", and then changed oil and filter, personally i'd have trailered it home and done a change myself. you never know what cheap-a$$ chemicals he put in. Get a new filter, some good quality oil (do a search to see preferences. me, I like Mobil1 0w40), empty the coolant system and give it a bleed. Check the manual for liquid capacities.

remember 944's are like posh wives. they only like the proper food and drink, or they throw a strop, and and up end up costing you more than you could have aver imagined! A little attention here and there goes a long way! []

Oh, and MERRY CHRISTMAS! [][][][][][][]

 

[Guest]

Thanks Pikey, the Trader changed the oil & filter and belts back in May this year when he first got hold of it, I have the receipts for the parts and he used fully synthetic Durablend? . . . So he used it from May - November, thats when I bought it as he was emigrating to Oz.

I am going to order a *new header tank and do the 20 mile test and take it from there . . . If all seems good I am going to run it throught the winter checking it weekly - then in the summer drop the belly pan steam clean it and change the seal anyway I think . . . Any one live local to Nottingham that fancys giving me a hand? I will gladly part with some cash for some expert assistance?

Thanks all for your advice and seasonal greeting to you all . . .

 

[Guest]

Good news, I have just had word that the car has had a replacement headgasket in it's life! So there is a possibility that the slight goo in the header tank is the reminense of that . . . . fingers crossed eh? I think that I will change the header tank anyway . . . The trader I purchased it from said that when he dropped the oil in May that it looked ok and that there was no evidence of contamination . . .