My father-in-law gave me his 1985.5 944 after not driving it for about 5 years. (I guess it was my constant pleading that got to him.) After owning a Fiat Spider many years ago, I know that every sports car has its own quirks. I've noticed a couple of quirks with my 944 that have raised questions.

1. The brake pad light comes on occasionally (ie, after about 30 mins of driving and sometimes not even then) and goes off with the car being restarted. My father in law replaced the pads only 10K - 15K ago. Is this long enough to need new brakes or is this something that could be a sensor problem due to the length of time the car sat up?

2. The factory radio/cassette player stops working after about 30- 45 mins. of driving. Is this a common problem with the Blaupunkt's of that era?

Thanks for the help.

 

#2 strange- do you lose clock/ memory functions as well? bad ground or power possibly, check for oxidation/ corrosion on the plugs and grounds.

#1 try and search the archives, I remember seeing this somewhere, but I have never experienced this problem so I cant recall the fix firsthand, I'll leave that for someone else to chime in on.

Ahhh. another Rennlister to look up during Mardi Gras... Welcome to the board! Take some pics and post them on P-caronline as well!

 

On #2, REPLACE THAT ANTIQUE!!

Welcome!

 

I think BOTH of those problems could be related to bad grounds, find the ground locations and clean them. Congrats on the new car, but you're scarin' me, please tell me you replaced the belts when you got it. After sitting for 5 years they would be pretty crunchy even if they were new when he parked it. If you didn't, get it done before you drive it any more, belts are alot cheaper than a new head...or worse!

 

Yup, do a search on the timing belt and hoses in general, particularly the main fuel hoses going over the engine. Bent valves and fires, respectively.

 

Ditto on the belt change warning. I was religious about changing mine and got 270K miles before the head gasket blew.

Good to have another 85.5 owner here! Welcome

 

ditto- I re-read the post and if its been sitting for 5 years expect a mishap. a PPI could be cheap insurance to verify this, but belts are a necessity. Maybe Michelle could help me do mine (with water pump of course) one day!!! <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

 

i don't know about the brake warning light, but grounds really are bad in this car. my wipers do a single pass whenever the headlights come up and a rennlister showed me how to diagnose for a bad ground. Ernie at Mantis racing when told the car had sat for two years told me not to start it but to flat bed it to his shop. Changed belts, tested compression, new plugs, various bulbs, new shocks, bushings, urggh $$$, but it was worth it i think.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by jim 7:
<strong>found in barn last year</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Wow - and to think I consider myself lucky when I find a penny heads up! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

 

Wow! I am impressed and thank you all for the quick responses.

Yes, I had the belts, hoses, plugs, oil, tires and other items repaired or replaced before I drove it. I then drove it from Monroe, LA to New Orleans (about 270 miles), all the while realizing that my pleading had been worth it (especially on those two lane roads through the Mississippi back woods).

I'll take a look at the grounds and replace the radio.

I guess I'm safe to assume the oil drops on the driveway are to be expected.

 

not really.. dont ever ignore fluids on the ground. I drop a little ATF from my PS. but I know why that is on mine. It is (hopefully) a bad gasket somewhere - track it down. fluids seek the lowest point to drip.
On the radio- sometimes disengaging and re-plugging the sockets a few times can clear any oxidation on the contacts- Best of luck!