Makis

I changed my FPR too and still did not speed the starting. I am fairly convinced that the M198 (1.7KW starter) option will help in speeding up starting. Anybody has this one on their S2. And I definetelly heard that standard 944, 944S and 944T can start quick so this is definetelly a S2 trade mark.

tinklybear

My take: More volume + more compression + same starter = slower start

How many times around does an engine (porsche or otherwise) typically go before it starts?

JakeS2

+1. S2 DME wants to get couple times the TDC position before it fires up the engine. My engine started on third or fourth... But there is always the way-way-way-way-<ignition>-wrum!! effect.

23tml? Congrats on your new baby!

Relaxed90

I've had to jump mine off before and even with the starter spinning a little faster, it still takes 4-6 cranks to start, and this is in all situations: cold start and re-starts after parking for a little bit, so it isn't a starter problem.

If anything it's a fuel issue, but I personally don't mind letting the engine spin several times before it actually starts. It gets your engine oil flowing a little before it's completely running, which isn't a bad thing.

Tom R.

i gave you an example, my wife's fuel injected twin turbo XC90. On more than one occasion I had to try to start the car twice because i let go prematurely.

i have premature let go syndrome in spite of being trained to keep my hand grasping the key longer than usual because of my S2 ownership.

maybe i need KeyVitra to stop me from letting go prematurely.

wake up guys, the OP posted a legit question, it was answered, now you are digging around for answers.

By the way, did you know that in a fuel injected rotary motor, namely the GSL-SE of 84-85 you are supposed to step on the gas twice to prime the motor. imagine that, a fuel injected motor and you prime it with a pump on the gas pedal before turning the key. says so in the owners manual.

DarylJ

I just put an early starter in my late (85.5) and it starts much faster. 2nd or third crank. The old starter was not in good shape, so I'm sure it contribute to this, but the early starters are certainly larger so I suspect they may be higher powered and get the engine up to speed faster.

Makis

Another factor that could make the starter lethargic is that in my S2 the battery is in the boot. The wire to the starter will be longer then when the battery is in the engine compartment. The longer wire will contribute to less energy getting to the starter.

Catfood

new battery and new starter will make the car start faster. I changed both on my old 8v NA and it felt like a newer car just because it was faster cranking.

Relaxed90

A new battery helps, but I'm telling you, it's still going to take at least 4 cranks. I've experimented with this! I attached a jumper cable to the car (battery was not dead, it was reading 12.7volts no load), and with the jumper cable from a running car, the voltage read 14.2volts. The starter spins probably 30% faster and it's the fastest I've heard it spin....but it still takes 4-6 cranks.

and you're right about the wire. Here's a tip to battery movers....look at a wire rating chart for the wire ratings. If you're increasing the length, you're increasing resistance therefore you're going to need a bigger wire. I know things as such is common sense to a lot of folks in here, but by reading some of the responses in this forum, I'm sure a few don't have a clue.

Bri Bro

Voltage drop lost in the wire running from the batttery in the boot to the starter is about 0.24 volts, In a 12 volt system that is a 2% loss... not much at all.

Why? 4 awg wire has a resistance of 0.000815 ohms per meter. Putting the battery in the boot will add lets say 2 meter or 0.00163 ohms A starter will draw between 100-150 amps.

Voltage drop in wire = 150 amps * 0.00163 ohm
=0.2445 volts

Makis

Agree with this calculation. Well 2% loss is hardly anything to worry about.
So M198 option (1.7KW starter) may be the only way to speed up starting without having to modify the DME internal program. Noticed that the 968 which has basically the same engine as S2 only comes with a 1.7KW starter. I wonder why? Also agree that the engine will still have to crank 4 times or so but with a faster speed the starting will feel more normal.

S4ordie

Will the 1.7kw starter bolt into the S2 engine without interference? Does the larger starter require a larger/higher cranking amp battery than what is recommended for the S2? I have noticed the S2 has a very small area for the battery (I replaced it and cleaned all terminals while to improve starting time).

Interesting item to note: as my car is a low mileage S2 the PO had a trickle charge bypass clamped on the negative terminal to keep the battery topped up when not being driven. Good idea but when you turned the trickle charger switch off (integrated on the clamp) it had significant parasitic impedance. When the car was running the voltmeter on the dash read only 12.25-12.5V even when running down the freeway. I removed the trickle charge bypass and the voltage jumped up to 13-13.5V while running. Lesson learned here; remove that trickle charge bypass clamp, if you use one, whenever you plan on driving the car.

Makis

The M198 option starter should bolt witout problem on S2. The 968 1.7KW starter may not as it has a different part number then the M198 option. Don't know about the battery but my boot install can accomodate quite large battery.

ClassJ

My NA has always taken 4 to 5 revolutions to start. If the car is hot, and you run into the house or the store for a second, sometimes it will start on the second revolution.

On a cold day (under 32F) it still takes 4-5 revolutions, but it is slower. It has always been that way since new. The HD megatron plus interstate batteries always helped and worked better.