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My son (17) and I have been looking for a project car for him on and off for the past year. He loves the look of the 944 and I already own a '99 911. Looking for something that needs some TLC but at least runs. Found one a few months back but didn't act fast enough to get it. Seen several others for sale recently that are either $1,500 - $2,000 for one that is really torn up and has not run in several years to the $5-6K examples that look great but are beyond our budget.
Looked at an '86 944 last night and bought it. 181K miles but odometer stopped working. I don't think there are many more miles on based on looking at prior carfax reports. Minimal service records - owners manuel has stamps for the first 60K miles. One receipt at 100K for timing belts and water pump. Engine starts up and idles smooth. It feels underpowered but I might just be used to the 911. Body is in decent shape but paint is faded and peeling in some spots. Seats have minor rips, dash has no cracks. I will detail a few other issues with questions below. Paid $1,200.
I know I need to replace the timing belts, water pump, plugs, distributor, etc. Plan to get on that job in a month or two. Want to get a few other things sorted out first if possible.
The shifter has a lot of slop. With it in gear I can move it left&right about 2". Is this normal or is there a documented/easy fix?
Clutch engagement seems very high. Is this a symptom of a worn clutch pad or is it normal for a 944? Can this be adjusted? I tried to make the clutch slip but it felt OK. Any way to check clutch wear?
Not a big deal but the turn signal does not automatically switch off after completing a turn. Does that mean I need a new clock spring or something else? It does have an aftermarked steering wheel, could that cause the issue?
Driver door very hard to lock/unlock (did not check passenger door). Do I just need to open the door panel and lubricate the mechanism or is there normal wear parts to look out for/replace?
The **** to set the interior temp is very hard to turn. Is this normal?
Clunk in suspension when hitting big bumps. Overall suspension feels soft.
Brakes pedal feels a bit mushy. Need to check pads and replace fluid.
Odometer does not work. Probably just ned to replace the gear. Several dash lights are out.
It looks like a simple job to replace the plugs and distributor. Should I go ahead and do that now to se if it improves performance or just wait and do it with the timing belt?
Thanks for any and all feedback! We are looking forward to diving into this. Please let me know if I should not ask so many question in a single thread. I'm sure to have many questions in the near future.
The slop in the shifter is caused by a worn shift lever portion that connects to the shift rod or the shift rod itself. There was a great writeup on how to fix the issue using a bolt and some thrust washers. I did the repair to three of my 944's and the shift feel is amazing!
There is an inspection hole for the clutch on the bellhousing. How is the free play in the pedal?
You may have something broken in the cancellation portion of the column. There is no clock spring in the 944.
For the door lock sticking, you may want to just try to put some graphite in the clock cylinder through the key hole and work the key in the cylinder, locking and unlocking. Should help free it up. I've used a little penetrating oil in the key hole as well, but the graphite is best.
The heater control may just have foreign matter or dried soda in the **** control. You can pull the **** and check
Go through the brakes, make sure you have good pads, rotors, and make sure the slide pins are free and lubricated. Then do a brake system flush.
If you lift up the shift boot, you should see the problem for the side to side play. A lot of time the "C" or "E" clip fall off and it causes the issue, but the pin also gets worn out. Below is a common piece purchased to fix the issue. Only944.com has some really good solutions for our cars. https://www.only944.com/partscatalog/only/shifter/
If your Shift lever is worn and you want to replace it with another factory unit. I have a good one I would be willing to part with.
What brand is the aftermarket Steering wheel? The piece for the cancellation is part of the hub adapter connecting the wheel to the car. If it is a "Grant" Steering wheel, the hub adapter uses roll pins that some people fail to install. It is simple to remove the steering wheel.
Was the car sitting for a while? If so, spongy brakes can be causes by rusty rotors and excessive pitting. If you pump the pedal and get a firm pedal that then goes slowly to the floor you may be looking at a new master cylinder.
If you don't think the timing belt has been replaced in over 81K miles, I would replace that and swap the cap, rotor, plugs and wires at the same time. (make sure to change the water pump, balance shaft belt, and all the rollers while you are in there. Possibly the engine seals as well)
Install a new fuel filter while freshening everything up and you will have a good baseline for further diagnostics without the worry of a broken belt.
Made some progress over the weekend.
Inspected brakes - pads look great and rotor thickness within spec. Need to flush brake fluid and bleed.
Looked at clutch inspection hole and measured. From what I read 18mm is new and 34mm requires replacement. I'm at 30mm so I have a little time left there.
Replaced battery and spark plugs. Starts much quicker now.
Confirmed odometer gear bad. Ordered new.
Have on order now - Distributor cap and rotor, odometer gear, Fuel and air filter, mirror, battery hold down and cover, shift lever. Ordered from a combination of Pelican Parts, Only944 and 944online.
Still need to figure out clunk in suspension. Looked at turn signal return and found the tab on the back of the steering wheel about to fall out. Return now works when turning back in one direction.
Biggest concern now is a loud tick noise from the engine. I have a 15sec video where it can be heard clearly. Where can I post that so others can view/hear? I would love to get some feedback from you experts!
I need to get the timing belts, accesory belts and water pump ordered. There are so many different vendors and manufacturers that I got a bit overwelmed trying to pick something. I also want to get some feedback on the engine ticking noise first before I start that project.
Did the car sit for a long time? How much have you driven the car?
If these cars sit for a while the hydraulic lifters can lose prime and cause a loud ticking that comes from the top of your engine. A lot of time running the car will take care of it. If it is real stubborn and you plan to do an oil change soon, you could run some marvel mystery oil in the crankcase to try and clean out/prime the lifters.
More description on the sound and it's location will help. Top of engine, bottom of engine, timing cover area, it could even be an exhaust leak at a cracked header.
Best I can tell the tick is coming from the back of the engine (towards firewall) near the top.
Also did compression test (cold, dry) 130,130,120,130
I know it was not used much during the past year. Don't have any details before then. I did drive it home about 80 miles the night we bought it. No major issues on the drive.
I'm with Squid, the lifters on these cars just make a lot of noise sometimes. On a car with almost 200k it's not that surprising. You could remove the valve cover and have a look, but there's probably not much you can do short of rebuilding the whole head (if it's the lifters making the noise and not something else). For the suspension clunk, check the bushings on the front sway bar, they tend to deteriorate. The upper shock mount bushings can make noise if they're bad also, but they're harder to check.
Lifter Tick will usually clear up within a little driving....80 miles should have done the trick, but if fully collapsed or gummed up, it may not clear up at all. It sure sounds like the culprit from the video. You could pick up a mechanics stethoscope from harbor freight for under $5 if you want to poke around and pinpoint the sound. Like I said I have heard of people using marvel mystery oil or seafoam in their crankcase, just a little mixed in with the oil to try and free things up (read the back of the bottle for how much to add per quart).
While changing the timing belt, or if swapping lifters, I suggest adding an offset camshaft Key for 4 degrees of advanced timing. One of the better inexpensive mods that you can do. See link below. - You can find the offset camshaft key at 928 Motorsports.
Nice project! I've got something very similar in progress. I'd encourage you to check the motor mounts. Original fluid filled, likely collapsed, replacement will make it so much like a new car you will love it!
The ticking sounds like lifter tick to me. There is whining present and that is caused by an over tightened balance shaft belt. It will need to be readjusted or replaced. Wish we were closer. I'd be happy to lend a hand where I can. Was also going to ask, what are the option codes on the car? There is an option codes sticker affixed to the body, behind the rear carpet next to the left tail light. The codes will be printed on there.
01-24-2018, 04:22 PM
Just picked up a 1986 944 project car
