As a proud new owner of a 1974-1.8 I decided I would take my new car in to get the valves adjusted,and Petronic electronic point replacement and timing done.

I am handy but really didnt want to mess this up so off to a Porche specialty shop in Calgary.

I picked the car up 2 days later and drove it home.
On the way home it was smoking pretty bad but I thought with the valves being adjusted there might be oil on the heat exchangers.
About 2 blocks from home a bright green light came on,got home and shut it off.

This is what I saw behind my car:Picture 1.Click to view attachment .
There was a drop of oil on the dipstick when I first checked it,but a minute later there was none.

Igot it towed back to the shop and the next day he said the problem was the caused by the oil filler gasket not being the correct one and it caused to much pressure in the crankcase which caused the valve cover gasket to blow out.
I told him I had been driving with the gasket for several hundred miles and the previous owner had been driving with it for a couple years and no problem,but he would not take credit for this.

He they went on to say I had picked up my car before it was ready and thats why things like distribitor vacum advance hose was not hooked up etc,I then told him I had the call on my cell phone from his shop saying the car was ready to pick up(he said nothing).

Anyway drove the car home sounded much quieter and smoother.
But each day I ent for a drive it got harder and harder to start,it also went from going through a quart of oil every 400-500 miles to a quart every 50 miles.
I cant drive around the block without burning oil.

I decided to pull a plug last night at 9:00 PM because i was sick to my stomach and the plug was covered in a dry sooty film.
These are brand new plugs,the previous plugs looked tired but had no carbon build up at all.Click to view attachment

did you have them do an oil change too?

Find him on the WEB (Facebook, Google, Yelp etc.) and blast the shit out of him. If he has a good rating he will come to his senses. If he doesn't then at least you will have warned the unsuspecting. Either way it eats away at his bottom line.

So where can i start.

I assume with the vacuum hose to the distributor unhooked the timing is probably all wrong????,thus the fouled plugs.
But what about the amount of oil it is going through????.
I dont see clouds of smoke or anything,but it is being used so quickly something cant be right.
Really could use some suggestions.

I have the car going into another shop on Thursday to have the alternator replaced,but I am burning through cash and my wife is flipping out.
The last shop charged me $1200:00 dollars for this mess I am in.

Thanks for any advice,still hoping the motor is not toast cause the car will be sitting for a long time before a rebuild can happen.

I would definitely go see him again and give him one last chance to address the problems they apparently created. If he does not do the right thing, then post the account of what happened and name names. Look for sites like Yelp (not sure if you have that in Calgary) and rate him accordingly. Post on Pelican, here, any other Porsche club sites too. Sorry and hope it all works out.

Just saw the new post about the alternator. I would not let anyone else touch that car until you have resolved the first problem. If the motor is toast, don't worry about the alternator now.

They did a oil change after it was towed back to them.

I told them since I needed so much new oil might as well do a complete change.
I am using Bradd Penn 20/50 thus the color.

That doesn't sound like a shop you can trust.

The picture looks like a valve cover gasket. You'll have oil burning on the HE for a long time unless you clean it up. Not sure if you have oil coming out of the exhaust or not, but that would be another issue.

How long and far did you drive it with low oil? How low?

I would document the existing situation in pictures, or better yet another mechanic, and then clean up the oil, change the oil, and see what you have from there.

get under the car and see if you can find where the oil is coming from.

1.chances are they didn't change the valve cover gaskets or when they did the gasket(s) or the cover are askew. if new gaskets are they the cork variety?

2. the cover is on upside down or not seated correctly?

3. i use Gasgacinch on the cover side of the gasket. if they put some kind of sealant on the head side of the gasket it's wrong.

slide a large piece of cardboard under the engine. the leak point should directly above the drip on the cardboard and feel around the top of the heat exchanger for a puddle of oil. the "wrong oil FILLER gasket"? bullshit! (if that's what he actually said) or did you mean to write 'FILTER'? what did they do? change JUST the gasket? you paid WAY to much money for the worked performed! even if everything was done correctly. better let things cool down at home before spending any more loonies. time to start getting your hands dirty.

I was only 2 blocks from home when I saw the engine light come on.

The motor was not abnormally hot when I shut it off at my house.
It took me less than a minute to shut it down after I saw the green light come on.

car runs like shit now,I know its the fouled plugs not firing right,but must be timing as well.
I am going to go down to the shop right now with the fouled plug and see what they have to say.
Ill ask them why the motor is using so much oil now as well.

I will not be taking the car back to the shop,I have a feeling its done for,unless there is a vacuum line or something that could be causing the car to burn so much oil.
Pretty choked.

My comment would have been - "SO you are saying that the CORRECT oil filler gasket is supposed to LEAK thus relieveing overpressure in the crankcase???"

They Clearly did not put the cover gasket back on correctly.
There are entire threads about how even experienced teeners can get this wrong.

You likely have a puddle of oil sitting on top of the HE that needs to be cleaned out.

Got to give them kudos for originality on that excuse.

What he should have said was, "I'm sorry, obviously we did not get the valve cover gasket situated correctly when we closed it up after performing the valve adjustment. That is an easy fix. We'll take care of it immediately."

Also, $1200 for what amounts to a Type 4 tune-up is outrageous.

With regard to the current oil loss, is it actually burning oil (smoke out tailpipe) or just still leaking oil (probably still the valve cover gasket)? The former would indicate a serious issue; the latter is a 5-10 minute fix requiring a $3 part (though it has to be done with the engine cold).

Ha! stugray types faster...

and i edit slower. what is the make of the plug and the # on it? can't read it in the picture.

If you want to keep the car, my advice is to hang out here and listen and learn all you can.

Otherwise get ready to open your wallet. Nobody if any know about or want to work on these cars. Those that do, most of the time, don.t know what they are doing and will gladly take your money.

If working on your car is not your bag....get a recommendation from someone here.

My .02 €'s

Did you pay by credit card. If so, cc companies offer a lot of protection to the consumer. Call them.

The plugs are NGK R BR6ES.

I just talked to him on the phone.
He told me the timing was done,but said he would double check it since the new plugs are all dry fouled.He also told me I need new plugs(the plugs in the car have less than 100 miles on them probably.

He said if the car is burning that much oil it needs to be rebuilt,I asked why it is now going through so much oil and he said it is not his fault.

I am not looking for a handout,i just want my car up and running properly.
I will go check the dwell on the car and see if it is anywhere close to 44-50.(what ever that is).

I wont be taking it to his shop,so he can fix fix the timing and what ever else he screwed up.

Sounds like the cars motor is gone,the plugs are fouled so quickly.
I am not going to drive around and get the valves all carboned up then have the motor blow up.
Well see how it goes from here,first thing I am going to do is check the dwell and Ill report back how that looks if I can figure it out.

you need more ammunition before the next time you speak with him. track down the oil leak. a good running, non oil using engine shouldn't need a REBUILD after what i consider routine maintenance. that shop will have your wallet lightened by about $10k if you let them. you're going to get the "while we're in there we should…" routine. then they will, or try, sell you a clutch package and anything else they can think of. be careful...

A leak down test is in order. You can buy one of these for less than $50 at Harbor Freight. An easy do it yourself test. You'll need a compressor or air tank w/ a regulator, as well. Good luck!

Yeah, do some basic tests. Compression and leakdown.

If the valve job was done wrong, you could be seeing some of the things you are seeing.

I also totally agree that the shop got the valve covers gaskets on wrong and you dumped most of your oil on the street and heat exchangers.

I dont agree that the engine is dead. Yet. I bet its just really badly tuned.

Redo the valve job yourself. It takes someone who has never done it about 2 hours the first time. Then do a compression test (you will need a $6 compression tester from Harbor Freight). Post your results here.

You engine has not scattered. Don't be so glum!!!

Zach

ah man, that experience really sucks,

I've arrived at the conclusion I rarely trust any professionals anymore. Whether it's home or auto repairs......I've seen too many screw ups, incomplete jobs, parts left out, or simply not fixing the problem. I usually do my own work now.

Good luck with your resolution

if the oil pressure light comes on, you must shut it down immediately. 30 seconds without oil pressure can be the death of an engine. driving 2 blocks with the oil light on will cause engine permanent damage.

IMHO this engine has bled to death as a result of a sucked in valve cover gasket. the oil drains out. did i read 1.8 L-jet? if the valve cover gasket is old and hard, it will fail. glueing it to the valve cover (not the head) is standard practice on L-jet motors. i dont think any of this matters now

i am sorry for your loss

There are professionals and amatures who call themselves professionals. The challenge is figuring out which is which.

Dwell is set by the Pertronix solid state points replacement module. Nothing to change there.

If I were you I wouldn't pay this guy any more money for other repairs. Try to get fixed what you can with him and run away. Find someone else who has a good reputation and knowledge of 914's to work on your car.

Or do it yourself and get your hands dirty like the rest of us.

if it is indeed the valve cover, how could they possibly driven the car out of the shop without noticing the leak? roll the car out?

Often takes a few minutes until the heads warm up for the gasket to bulge and start leaking. They obviously did not do a test drive.

I am blessed to have a good mechanic in my town that does valve adjustments. They always go for a test drive to check for leaks and problems.

I wish everyone had a mechanic like mine.

I've had it where the leak wasn't noticeable (while driving) until I got a mile or two away from the house after changing a gasket and not getting it sealed correctly. Getting the oil off and out from the inside of the exchangers is a huge PITA.

post whore. BTTT

That really sucks! You paid an asshole mechanic $1200 to ruin your engine. I would document everything and all conversations. Keep all your pictures of the oil leak and plugs. Take it to a reputable shop and have them do a compression check. If the engine is toast, get a lawyer and sue the asshole to have the engine rebuilt, but NOT by him. This is why I do all my own work. I have a few mechanics I can ask for help, and none of my cars have ever seen the inside of a dealership's garage. Next time you need your car repaired, get references from other people who have the same car. Ask the guys here if anyone is near you, what shop they use. Worst case, get a couple of dock workers who's names end in a vowel, and know how to use an aluminum bat. Best of luck.

Aluminum?? Nothin' like a nice piece of hickory.