944teen

I bought a 1984 porsche 944 on the 19th and i really like the car. When i bought it the guy said that he thinks it needs a new radiator. But now everytime i drivie it it pukes out all of its water. What im asking is is there something that could be fixed besides the radiator that could stop the coolant from leaking? Ive considered a thermostat and new hoses. Im really trying to get out of buying a $280 radiator off ebay

John_AZ

Go to the local auto parts store and rent (usually free with deposit) a cooling system pressure tester.

Put in 8 pounds of pressure and watch for where the water leaks.

Next pull the spark plugs and check each tip. Does it look like it has been steam cleaned by coolant?

If the plugs look steam cleaned you also have a bad head gasket. Another test is to watch your exhaust a couple of minutes after you leave the driveway. Do you see a puff of white smoke in your mirror?? Again a bad head gasket.

GL
J_AZ

thomasmryan

And check your cap with the tester.

odurandina

or - if coolant is leaking from the lower passenger side of the timing belt cover,

then you have a blown H20 pump.

John_AZ

Right. Make sure you have the correct cap on your '84

The early cars used a 100 kpa cap or 14.5 pounds psi/pressure.

The late cars used a 150 kpa cap or 21.5 pounds psi/pressure

J_AZ

fiily

Teen + 944 w/deferred maintenance + no money = Not going to end well for the 944

thomasmryan

test it and take it from there...it would be wise to park it until you can keep the temps down.

educate yourself on how to bleed the system.


Read all of this

jackkthemackk

This. If you don't know a lot about cars already, you're going to learn a lot with a 944. Be ready to spend some money & fix the coolant issue. Is the car over heating at all? Are the fans turning on?

Tiger03447

check with Retro Automotive Products .com..I bought a used BRASS radiator that had been cleaned and pressure tested for my '83. I thought their price was reasonable.I think that they had a few left. Hope this helps some..but I don't think it's a radiator problem that you have..unless it's plugged...

944teen

The car doesnt overheat at all and the fans spin but i feel like they come on later than they should. Would a new thermostat fix that? Ive worked on cars before so thats not an issue, And i have the money i just dont want to throw it at it if it doesnt need it. Btw i also need new struts, opinions on KYB excels?

Dan87951

I bought my first 944 Turbo when I was 18 back in 99' and my ownership ended well.

To the OP these cars are expensive so get ready to open your wallet if you want a reliable driver grade car. Definitely start with pressure testing the cooling system. I would also concentrate my search on the water pump. If you feel the fans are coming on soon enough get a lower temp fan switch.

http://www.paragon-products.com/Radi...959.481.75.htm



Good luck!

944teen

@dan Instead of that switch could i just wire a manual switch on the console to turn the fans on? Btw to answer the previous question my radiator cap is 13lbs

John_AZ

Pass

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...-any-good.html

J_AZ

944teen

So the kybs arent the best especially if i want to try autocross. Im considering boge, maybe kyb, and sachs at this point. Mainly due to my inability to justify the price of the bilsteins. Btw thanks forum members you're all extremely helpful

JacRyann

Where's the water coming from when it leaks? Do you see puddles of water on the ground?

Let the engine cool and really clean it and wipe off all water and oil. Then start it up and trace the path of the water from the ground back up.

The location where the water is coming out will tell you a lot about what you need to do to fix it. Could be as simple as a radiator hose-clamp that's loose.

I've owned my TurboS since 1988 and these cars aren't really that expensive to maintain. Certainly less maintenance needed than my wife's Corolla, although the parts are more expensive. Just get used to measuring and testing parts to verify they are bad before replacing. People get way too swap-happy and will replace entire systems when it's not working, when only a single part of that system is really the bad piece.