Simbad

Hi everyone. I just got an 86 944 T. bought it on BAT a couple of weeks back and it arrived last night. Was psyched. It's pouring with rain here in Seattle so not been much fun but still took her for a drive last night and to work today. she's fun to drive. weird to be back in a 30 year old car and some simple things stood out to me, like.. how dark it is inside at night without the now ubiquitous LED down lighters on the center console. How when you break hard in rain, you lock up and slide :-) how I have to turn a key to lock my doors :-) all good memories of when I first started driving.

Anyway- first impressions all good, I bought it without viewing it and shipped her from FL to WA. but I have a couple of early questions and observations.

Handling- it is a little scary in the rain. I have a rather steep hill to my house, it was very wet. accelerating in 2nd and the wheels spin, first sharpish corner, not super quick and the back end steps out, next corner stepping out again. I was very surprised at how easy it was letting go. when I got home I checked the tires, expecting them to be almost bald or summer tires that were hard in the colder weather, but they were Faulkner all seasons and look nearly new. checked online, reviews for them are 'ok' but I would expect them to hold better than they did. it makes me very nervous in the rain. same this morning, curving bend onto the highway, slight incline, I am doing about 30mph and the back starts to let go. now if I hold it and counter steer it's a little fun, but unnerving on day 1 ! if I back off she steps right back in. but I am really not going quick.
Is this normal for a 944? maybe it's not great in the wet, but my RWD Jag, My wifes Denali, all handle better than this. Could it be something with the geometry on the suspension, or alignment? she seems to track very well though. any thoughts here?

Pop up lights- first drive, switched the lights on, they came on, but did not raise. 20 seconds into my drive the popped up. got home and played around, seems like if I tap the motor behind the right headlight, they suddenly raise, and they drop every time just fine. today they did raise but took a few seconds. I suspect just needs a good lube- any tips here?

I can smell oil, just a little through the vents, hoping it's a bit of spillage at last change getting hot, don't see any spots on the floor, but any known areas to check?

Gave her a bath today after 2 weeks on the delivery truck (long story as to why 2 weeks) will post some pics when I have daylight.

Thanks in advance for any advice on above

Tom M'Guinn

Congrats on the new car! Hard to say over the internet, but that doesn't sound normal to slide so easily. I'd start by checking the date on the tires. Old tires can look new and have plenty of tread but get hard and lose their grip. (Ask me how I know...!) The CHP said that 9 year old tires may have contributed to Paul Walker's fatal Carrera GT crash. Google for pictures showing how to find the week and year of the tire's production. If they are more than 6-8 years old, then they are probably losing their grip.

I'd work the light up and down over a few days to see if they just got sticky from inactivity. You can see the linkage moving, so a little white llithium grease in the joints can't hurt.

Oil smell in the cabin could mean an oil leak onto the exhaust -- most commonly onto the cross over pipe that runs under the motor. Get it on a lift or jack stands and look for signs of char on the exhaust. Fix the leak if so, as it can be a fire hazard. The recirc button helps in the meantime...

Speaking of fire hazards, if the fuel lines to the rail have not been replaced, you should
replace them. After 30 years they all start to leak right above the hot headers, causing fires. Lots of kits out there to make it easy. And while I'm preaching, don't forget the training belt too.

Simbad

thanks Tom.
Just checked and tires are 2015 so should be no problem there. Hey have really good tread left. A little thinner at the center but still healthy. I’ll have to do some speed checks and compare with other Cars I have maybe I am going quicker than I think. It was the handling reports that attracted me to these cars so trying to make sure nothing is amiss here.

Thought the same on lights. Maybe a bit of frequent use is going to free them up.

Anyone else for any ideas on what to check on the rear end to see if anything would affect cornering.raining like a waterfall here in Seattle so she’s staying in doors for now anyway.


Not the best shot but all I have for now...

nkgosselin

Date check the tires. Not just tread.

Then check the alignment.

Also, if it has an adjustable rear sway bar, maybe someone has it adjusted to induce the oversteer.

KVDR

Welcome to the club! Looks like you got a good one!

Maybe the tires are REALLY new and still greasy with mold release. TireRack recommends 500 miles of cautious driving.
https://blog.tirerack.com/blog/tire-...hose-new-tires

I recently had trouble with my lights not popping up. While inspecting the wires at the motor, I noticed that one of the pins had backed out of the plug. I pushed it back in and secured it with hot glue and this solved my issue.

Tom M'Guinn

Your car looks great, if not oddly familiar....

Simbad

Thanks for the replies. seems like my headlights fixed themselves. must have just been a little seized from lack of use i'm guessing, they pop up and down as asked now. good.
it also seems like the tires might have just needed a little bedding in.the car came from Florida and its cold here in Seattle. In the dry they are fine and now in wet seem much improved, so that's good news too.

I have found a little oil under the front end, I feel like there is a little vibration from the drivetrain at speed, and I drove to work the other day and it would not start, turned over and over, was about to give up and then one last try and she fired right up. no idea where to even start looking for that. I think as its new to me, and i'm no mechanic, I might drop it into a local Porsche speciailsit and have it fully checked out, kind of like a Post purchase PPI, then hoping I know the list of things I need to start on, if any.
will post a separate thread to look for the right place to take her but..

If anyone has any recommendation for a good Porsche specialist in SEATTLE/ EASTSIDE (preference is on the eastside) that would be good to spend an hour or two going through her i'd appreciate the recco.
thanks