Butters944

Wow, really has been quite the journey :O best of luck, don't give up!

Butters944

Speaking of acceleration, what is normal for a N/A in fifth gear? Noticed on my trip through the mountains into new mexico from phoenix, I had trouble getting around, even on the slightest hills I couldn't keep up my 75 mph, had to downshift.

PeteL

From what I have experienced, and from talking to some others with these cars, 5th is truly a cruising gear. There is not much room for acceleration there. So yes, I have had my car in hills where I have had to downshift to maintain speed. But there are days when the air is cooler, where I can accelerate in 5th to pass.
For me it is getting off the line, and having a hard time speeding up that has me frustrated.

75ohm

Pete... you need to drive mine in 5th...

Did you get the DME temp sensor yet?

PeteL

It should be here Monday.
Not sure I should drive yours in fifth. I will know how much my car sucks.

xschop

I have the opposite problem.... my car runs great, looks like crap LOL

On a serious note, The NA engine is lethargic 1.5k ft. above sea level and gets worse the higher you climb. I've always wondered if the DME programming was inadequate for high altitude. My 2000 Honda 1.5L performs much better when I go the same high altitude trips that I used to take my 944's....Maybe someone can chime into shed some light about the factory programming.

944Ross

I've never driven mine except at high altitude (5000+) and it's no rocket, but it runs fine. There is an altitude compensator on the DME that could be bad. I wouldn't expect it to even notice a change to 1500 ft tho. 3000+ is usually when compensation is needed.

PeteL

Well - to add to the dilema, drove the car to work today, mid-80s outside.
Ran like a scalded cat. Good power, good off the line.
Sometimes, it feels as if it just changes from running poorly to running fine.
I am going to do the vacuum lines this weekend and change the DME temp sensor. But I have a suspicion it is going to be the AFM.

PeteL

UPDATE: I changed the temp sensor and the vacuum lines. The car starts horribly, but once warm runs much better. I seem to have more power at all speeds/gears, and most of the time get off the line OK.
The odd thing is that the behaviour of the car changes during a drive. And, if I modulate the throttle, the performance changes. 3/4 throttle is better than floored. Very fickle car.

Lizard944

"Checked injector pulse." Pulse, 'schmolse.' That will tell you nothing about your spray pattern. You have an injector that is drizzling instead of atomizing. It presents itself when the car is warmed up and goes into closed loop--reducing the open time of the other injectors. At WOT my engine sounded like it was coming apart. Problem can be very intermittent. Light backfiring, stumbling, poor performance, ran good until warm, occasionally rough starting. All cured after changing (not cleaning) the injectors.