ljd-924SE

i just purchased a 88 924S with 63k miles with less than 20k on the waterpump. (from a terrific rennlister lee zook - thanks lee) after a spirited run in 65 degree F weather, the engine was running at the 3/4 on the temp guage. is this normal? or should i be concerned?

i understand it is common to upgrade to the 951 waterpump which i will eventually do, but for now i just plan on adding some water wetter and seeing what happens.

thanks for any input concerning hard driving engine temps.

jabbadeznuts

No, that is not normal. Even when I drive REALLY hard, my temp guage only shows about 1/2 way. I would do a radiator and coolant system flush and refill with new coolant and see if that helps. Otherwise, you have some sort of problem with you cooling system.

I-Wana-951

I wouldnt let it run like that agian.. risking blowing ur head.. deffenitaly dont let it get up to the third mark agian

Andre

why not? the third mark is not in the red, right?
My 944 used to run between the 2nd and 3rd mark, the third mark is where the fans turn on...as long as your fans work you wont overheat.

What temps do the all the marks represent?

with the new motor i put in a autometer temp gauge cuz the stock one didn't work great....so i only know what the actual temps it runs at now.

Mike951

3rd mark is OK, thats where teh fans should turn on around.

Mike

ACG

I blew the water pump recently, and had to get it replaced. The original normal reading on the old thermostat was around the 1/2 mark on the gauge. The new thermostat reads typically in the 3/4 mark.

I recollect reading somewhere that a "higher temp" and a "lower temp" thermostat is available for our 944s.

Can someone confirm this?

Tom M'Guinn

This is a topic that re-appears over and over on rennlist. Search the archives for tons of info/experiences, etc. If if is not in the red, you can drive it in my opinion, but I agree that is not right. When everything is working as new, there is no reason for the car to sit at the 3/4 mark in 65 degree whether. Check out Clark's 944 Garage for a complete checklist diagnostic for tracking down hot-running conditions. There are many possible reasons for running hot, including, in rough order of likelihood: fans not running due to bad thermostwitch or fan relay; air trapped in system; thermostat bad or going bad; radiator all gunked up; slipping belt or tight bearings; head gasket or other "mixing" problems.

led

FWIW, my car usually runs at the 2nd line, at most between the 2nd and 3rd and we get 90º+ weather around here.

ELLSSUU

First job should be to bleed the system over and over and over again. Then bleed it again.

ahofam123

Try to borrow an infrared thermometer to take the temperature of the engine. The 944/924's are notorious for having grounding issues. Due to a bad ground in my instrument cluster, my temp guage is in the red before the thermostat even opens.

ljd-924SE

thanks for all the tips and suggestions, guys. i'll have some time later this week to get under the hood and start the detective work.

Lee Zook

James,
I did not see your post here until today. Did you get the email I sent you on your heating question/concern. If you notice many of the above posts are from people with late models that have a different temp guage with different reference marks. Even on my turbo, the temp can range from 1/2 to 3/4 depending upon many factors. I hope my email info helps. As mentined above, reperforming the bleeding step can't hurt.
Lee

roy_josef

One more thing to consider, I have seen in the past people putting in new thermostats without the proper number of washers behind it. If it rides to loose in the waterpump, it can spin around and the bleed hole will not be where it should, and possibly cause irregular control of coolant flow, and minor overheating like your car seems to do.