Hawk36

I read in another post the 16V engines have reliability problems. Is this true? My plan is to find a 16V 944. Or should I go with a Turbo. Which has the better reliability a 16V or a Turbo? Or is there an issue with ether one?

Jonas Goldsmith

16V, you should buy mine!!!

Z-man

I have a 944S2 that I regularly flog on the track. 138k miles. Two seasons ago, the H2O pump broke while I was on the track. (Impeller spun off the rod) I drove the car home the 4 hours without overheating or causing any damage to my engine.

The secret to the 16v being a reliably engine is to properly (read: religously) maintain it. There are more things that can go wrong or break (twice the valves, dual overhead cam; cam chain guide/tensioner) but if one keeps on top of the maintenance, the 16v motor can be a very reliable and enjoyable motor to play with!

Of course, YMMV,
-Z-man.

Fishey

There are certain concerns... I wouldnt consider a s2 16v any worse then a 8v or turbo.

hacker-pschorr

Is it just me or does this EXACT topic show up every 2-3 months?

mossy

Just take the cars history into account before you buy. Any high performance car of this age has to be meticulously maintained. As Z-man says, twice as many cams and valves just means more to go wrong. I wouldn't hold that against the S or S2 though....

jonnybgood

Properly maintanted the S engine is fine. If you want to keep Turbos within range go with the S2 though.

mossy

Or put a 968 motor in it........

ljd-924SE

the timing belt has more inertia to deal with on the 16V, but as with any turbocharged car, there's a lot of heat and more things that could go wrong. that being said, i'd gladly own either car.

jonnybgood

944S and S2 belts are 3 or 5mm wider than 8V belts due to the extra cam they are driving.

RedlineMan

Hey;

In normal driving, the S and S2 are virtually no different than any other NA in terms of reliability, with the exception of paying some attention to the valve drive mechanism.

If you run an S/S2 hard (TRACK), there are more issues with valve drive and head. The valve drive is not fragile, but you must be extra vigilant. The worst thing is these cars have been known to crack their heads. It is not what I would call "common," but it does happen. It can usually be solved by having the head welded.

Tom R.

the heads grenade themselves when the belt breaks. this happens on all three models. maintenance, and getting replacement parts that are not defective is the secret. you are getting a lot of power out of a small motor so you have to keep on top of things.

try a search on cam chain tensioner pad for a lot of discussions on this.

Dal Heger

Weld it, eh? Good luck!

Been there, done that, didn't hold. You CAN'T weld these heads, they WILL NOT HOLD.
If you want to prove me wrong, I have a cracked head here for you to try.... like I said. Good Luck!

Result - new porsche head.

There are three generations of heads, the first and second generations had problems with cracking and porosity, the third generation they finally get it right.

Dal.

odie

I think they are all pretty much equal if you take care of them.

Ignore the maintenance and then yes, the 16V will cost you more. But that your own damn fault, not the car's fault.

mpw

Were these replacement heads, or were they available on cars from the factory? That is, if I buy a late model '91 S2, will I get the third generation head? Is there any way to tell what you've got? Thanks.