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I would also suggest that you pull the spark plugs and spray your favorite solvent down onto the tops of the pistons. Being an alloy based engine, there isn't really anything in there that would rust in the traditional sense but it can't hurt. I like PBBlaster as a good product that is readily available.
Here's a link to an article about fuel lines. Take a good look at the burning 928 photo.
Have we verified why the car has been sitting for 20 years? Before I did anything, I would make sure the current timing belt is intact before thinking about a belt change. A timing belt failure is quite a common reason to park these cars for long periods of time and if that's the case, it's not going to be as simple as just slapping on a new belt and going for a drive.
You make a good point. I think Scott was gently suggesting confirmation of an intact timing belt when he suggested an inspection of the belt while rotating the engine. Good advice.
More advice from the school of hard knocks. My first 944 had been sitting for a while. I found that the fuel pump does not tolerate small particulates. It will jam. You mentioned draining the gas tank. Good. In addition, after you drain the tank, there is a large fitting on the tank that when screwed out will reveal a mesh filter. That can and should be replaced. Furthermore, I would purchase several inline filters commensurate with the size of the fuel hose and add one between the tank and the fuel pump for the first few weeks of highway operation, until you are sure that you have shook loose any debris in the tank. Its just a low pressure gravity feed at that point so lawn mower style filters and hose clamps will be fine.You may go through several filters before you get things entirely cleaned up. At some point swing back around and pull the mesh filter to see what may have collected in it. It can be cleaned, as long as it does not tear. Much cheaper than trashing your fuel pump!
You will of course want to replace the fuel filter just past the pump but that should stay pretty clean if you do the above steps.
I would advise flushing the hard lines between the fuel filter and the inlet to the fuel rail with your chemical of choice that will dissolve dried fuel residue. Same for the fuel rail. Same for the return line. You'll probably need to send your injectors out for cleaning. Witchhunter is very good for this. At some point near the end of this process, I would hot wire the pump and put the system in it's normal recirculation mode. Add a strong dose of Techron to the fuel tank and recirc the fuel through the supply/return path. You can do all of this without cranking the engine.
Have we verified why the car has been sitting for 20 years? Before I did anything, I would make sure the current timing belt is intact before thinking about a belt change. A timing belt failure is quite a common reason to park these cars for long periods of time and if that's the case, it's not going to be as simple as just slapping on a new belt and going for a drive.
The owner had multiple sclerosis for 30 years an was simply too ill to drive it, especially a standard shift car. The car was last inspected in 1998 but I think he basically took it off the road later than that, just never renewed the registration and the executor of the estate told me the car was occasionally used by the owner's son I believe, and has been stored for the past 8 years in the garage where I picked her up from. From the many responses I've gotten on this, I think I'm going to listen to those with way more knowledge than I have and take her to a Porsche specialist that was recommended by another member on here that lives in my general area (Thanks Plum!)
My gut says I could probably start this car right now with fresh fuel and filters just to see if it runs, but the fear of blowing the belt and potentially valve stems, etc, etc overruled the gut! LOL
I would encourage you to consider doing work on this car yourself. They are not technically complex (at least compared to modern cars), you will have plenty of support and a knowledge base here on Rennlist, you will save some bucks, and you will have the satisfaction of doing it yourself. It's clearly not meant to get you to work in the morning so you have time to learn while doing.
Good decision. I paid to have my first one done soon after purchasing the car. I now do my own. It's really not that difficult, you just have to do it right.
The owner had multiple sclerosis for 30 years an was simply too ill to drive it, especially a standard shift car. The car was last inspected in 1998 but I think he basically took it off the road later than that, just never renewed the registration and the executor of the estate told me the car was occasionally used by the owner's son I believe, and has been stored for the past 8 years in the garage where I picked her up from. From the many responses I've gotten on this, I think I'm going to listen to those with way more knowledge than I have and take her to a Porsche specialist that was recommended by another member on here that lives in my general area (Thanks Plum!)
My gut says I could probably start this car right now with fresh fuel and filters just to see if it runs, but the fear of blowing the belt and potentially valve stems, etc, etc overruled the gut! LOL
These guys are 100% correct. If it does start and the old timing belt breaks, you will hurt the engine bad. Not just valve seal, but valves, pistons and the entire valvetrain.
On another note, that car will be absolutely gorgeous when cleaned up and buffed properly! I'm a bit jealous.
And if you are patient, and a bit mechanically inclined, you can do the work yourself. I got a 944 for my son to learn about cars with.
Congratulations on your find. When it comes to the belts, and not starting the car, I would follow the advise of all of the above. This spring I acquired a 84' 944 that had sat in a garage since Aug of 2001, with a last "reported" start of 2011 (+ or -). I aired-up the tires and brought it home on a flatbed so I could work on it. Eventually, you get to the point where you just want to here it run. Resist the temptation. Last week mine fired-up and that God I didn't have any issues. If I would have ruined the engine, I would have been beside myself. Since then, knowing that it starts, I have put a "DO NOT USE" tag on the key and the steering wheel. I will start the belt change this weekend.
Hey Alex. Here's a pic of the tag in the rear by the spare, and the tag with the build date by the driver side strut tower. Let me know what you can decipher!
I have a screen shot of the options decoded, except for f21. I've never seen that one before. obviously, this is a Canadian car, probably explains the rear fog light. The build day on the sticker in the front indicates. Sep 82 build, which is either a late 82 or early 83. this is the territory of mrgreenjeans so I'm just gonna stop before i give you bad information.
I haven't been able to find out what that f21 is either. I have all of the original owners manuals, etc, even the window stickers (with the tape still intact... they were never applied!) that shows all the options so I'll look at that again and see if it will say what it might be. The manuals all say 1983. Also the gauges are metric - in km/h no mph at all, so I just had an 'AHAAAAA!' moment... the mileage on the odometer is in km, so 75981 kilometers = 47212.4 miles!! Woo hoo!!!
Last edited by Western_PA 944; 09-13-2017 at 10:45 AM.
09-12-2017, 09:54 AM
