Found a high miler 2001 996tt (87000m) in good condition. High mileage but $24000. Does this sound like a good idea or is she gonna be tired. PPI was done and found white smoke from right bank on start up as well as tip gearbox seal leak. I know its pretty vague but help!

 

white smoke = water

 

Thats an awesome deal if everything works. Wonder what caused the smoke. Could just be condensation in the exhaust pipe if it hasnt been run. Get it checked out

 

Heck of a deal. I bought mine at 54K miles and now have 72K. Only needed oil changes

 

Correct, probably a head gasket or the turbo (very rare). Pricey repair.

 

Or condensation. Was the smoke constant or did it go away after running it awhile?

 

Found during the inspection. Mech says it went away and doesn't occur when hot. Saw this though when I was taking some pics for reference:





Like the exhaust, don't like the oil sweat from the right union as well as on the cross-brace behind the bottom engine mount. (Gearbox?)

His opinion is turbo seal or oil breather or OUCH.

 

Good luck. My 996TT had a turbo seal leak at PPI and it was next to nothing to fix by an independent shop. However, I'd make sure because that $24k car can become a $35k car very quickly if its not sorted out.

 

Take off the airbox and see what's under there?

Leaking tip is no big deal as there's a quick fix for it if it's the nose. My indy has done 3-4 and it just needs some sealant. (Famous Last Words) Mine goes in next week for the repair.

Did you do a compression check?

 

I can make a bet the middle rear leak is a rear main seal...

 

That right union as you call it ( Circled) is not an oil pipe its a coolant pipe. If the seal has gone it would be wet with coolant/antifreeze. Even if it has a leak its a simple and very cheep repair to do. The most time consuming part will be bleeding the system afterwards.

The Square box, what is it you are trying to show us. I have a 996tt and to be honest yours looks from the picture to be quite clean. Perhaps my computer screen resolution isn't showing what you want to highlight.

Check a sample of oil, is it milky.
Get the coolant checked for combustibles. It is possible to add a chemical to a sample that will tell you if exhaust gasses have been getting into the coolant.
Does it use water.
Smell in the expansion tank, does it smell of exhaust/fresh fuel.
Smell the " white Smoke" Does it have a sweet antifreeze smell.
If the engine is burning lots of oil it will produce smoke that has a bluish haze.
Unburnt oil from a turbo will be whitish/ dark haze but will smell like fresh engine oil, a bit like the smell of the oil in the container.
Frank
Edit,
Just put your photo into my computer photo shop and I still cant see what the problem in the square box. It looks tidy for some one living in Scotland.lol
Please tell what you can see.

 

Excellent, I mistook this for part of the exhaust system (in hindsight I see the part is alloy...duh) This is good news as the leak is then higher up in the engine, any ideas?

Inside the box is the sweat from the gearbox, the darker black looking area vs the lighter non oiled metal outboard of this area and inboard of the lower suspension arm bolts. Difficult to see, I know.

No salt laden roads here, just dust, sand and heat, Lots of all 3!! But the car is very clean considering it's age and in comparison to the others (some newer) that I have looked at.

Thanks for the tips, it's shedding light on the subject for me

 

Good luck! What do you mean by "if it's the nose"? I am struggling with what bit you are referring to.

It's getting closer to being mine!!

 

There have been a lot of discussion on a lot of forums about what constitutes a bad oil leak. If it drips and leaves a mark on the drive I would be worried. If not check the fluid levels. There are a lot of members who must have the car perfect and there is nothing wrong with that. But if like me its going to take 4 years to pay the car off I have to put up with a few things that might no be perfect. Nobody can say how bad a leak or damp oily patch is over the net. Go with your gut instinct. Have a 3rd party take a look, some body who knows his onions from Shallots to give you some advice.
Remember dont just look in the area that you think the leak is. A bad leak doesn't just drop vertically its going to leave a " Jet Stream " all the way backward due to the air movement of the car. The longer the leak has been and the severity will leave a greater patch behind the original leak point. Check that area as well. And remember 1 drop of blood can be made to look like a murder scene. You would be surprised just how a very small oil leak can look like a major problem. It is normally over a very long time and holds dirt and looks worse than it is.

 

Well said sir. We think alike.