The reliability challenge question!
08-23-2012, 03:08 PM
#46
Rennlist Member
08-23-2012, 04:04 PM
#47
Yes, Alusil which is even more brittle at a very high Conc. of Si crystal in the matrix.
I guess you can't count the Chinese water pumps that have their props spin off the shaft and cause block damage.
But you can count the rear control arm nuts that are spot-welded on the iside body that are an engineering nightmare to fix.
I guess you can't count the Chinese water pumps that have their props spin off the shaft and cause block damage.
But you can count the rear control arm nuts that are spot-welded on the iside body that are an engineering nightmare to fix.
08-23-2012, 04:27 PM
#48
Team Owner
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: one thousand, five hundred miles north of Ft. Lauderdale for the summer.
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getting old fast......
these cars all fall somewhere in between semi-exotic ****boxes and decent cars....
the cars are also somewhat fun and sporty.... and the turbos and 968s come with a bit of top end.
thankfully, the potential of driving these as complete and reliable cars is out there.
i wish i had originally purchased my car without an engine.
also wondering how to get this car to Eric's shop without replacing the clutch....
maybe drive her all the way to Tejas with just the use of third and forth gear ?
the cars are also somewhat fun and sporty.... and the turbos and 968s come with a bit of top end.
thankfully, the potential of driving these as complete and reliable cars is out there.
i wish i had originally purchased my car without an engine.
also wondering how to get this car to Eric's shop without replacing the clutch....
maybe drive her all the way to Tejas with just the use of third and forth gear ?
08-23-2012, 04:57 PM
#49
Rennlist Member
- did you ever get a Cayenne??Absoutely love it!
08-23-2012, 06:15 PM
#52
Drifting
Thread Starter
Yeah, it was a stupid easy fix and cost $500 to never deal with it again no biggie.
(Which means that when its 20 years old you won't have to deal with it either)
08-23-2012, 09:51 PM
#53
Instructor
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Interesting thread.
Needs more cowbell.
How do you guys like the under-the-header placement of an oil cooler in the early cars and the attending drill when the o-rings or the element itself fails?
Needs more cowbell.
How do you guys like the under-the-header placement of an oil cooler in the early cars and the attending drill when the o-rings or the element itself fails?
08-23-2012, 10:36 PM
#54
Three Wheelin'
In my observation (opinion), the biggest thing is the timing belt issue, and a lot of that reputation was and is fuelled by the early failures and Porsche's reaction to the issue. I have to admit, no matter how many miles I have ever had on a set of belts, I still secretly worry constantly about thier failure, and wince when I get near redline (though it doesn't stop me from driving hard).
Timing belts are under the highest shock loading at idle, even more so with the clutch depressed. The torque pulse loads are at a maximum due to the lack of drivetrain inertia (car is out of gear) and the drop in rotational speed between firing pulses (frictional effects).
Porsche clearly state in the driver's manual not to let the car idle to warm up, but to get driving as soon as possible.
I suspect that the timing belts are very reliable when the car is driven as Porsche intended, but (due to modern traffic problems and overzealous owners) this is not always achievable.
Cheers,
Mike
08-23-2012, 10:46 PM
#55
Three Wheelin'
Flat-tappet camshaft design and a rediculous double-sump lifter design...tic,tick,tick,tick....
Most people don't have a clue that these engines were designed for high Zn-P oils, just like motorcycle engines of the time. So either the cat is clogged or bearing journals/cams/lifters are worn out before 100K
Most people don't have a clue that these engines were designed for high Zn-P oils, just like motorcycle engines of the time. So either the cat is clogged or bearing journals/cams/lifters are worn out before 100K
Wonder how many other 944 lifter problems are actually caused by rich running (and resultant oil degradation/sludge)?
If I'd followed the service manual to the letter, I would never have had this problem...
08-23-2012, 10:48 PM
#56
Instructor
I purchased my '86 944 NA new from Joe Coker Imports in Mobile, Alabama. Only 25 miles on the clock when I picked it up.
My philosophy is preventative maintenance. Currently, I clocked just over 287,000 miles. It's been my daily driver for the first 17 yrs and now is a semi-retired garage queen (average about 3,000 miles a yr).
Reliability issues early on (1986 -1989+/-)
--oil cooler seal
--headlamp relay
--fuel line recall (didn't fail; just precautionary replacement)
--cruise control (later in the 1990's.....set the speed issues)
That's it. No timing belt issues. No clutch with rubber center issues (I went thru 4 by normal wear).
My philosophy is preventative maintenance. Currently, I clocked just over 287,000 miles. It's been my daily driver for the first 17 yrs and now is a semi-retired garage queen (average about 3,000 miles a yr).
Reliability issues early on (1986 -1989+/-)
--oil cooler seal
--headlamp relay
--fuel line recall (didn't fail; just precautionary replacement)
--cruise control (later in the 1990's.....set the speed issues)
That's it. No timing belt issues. No clutch with rubber center issues (I went thru 4 by normal wear).
08-23-2012, 10:56 PM
#57
Late Porkchops
Rennlist Member
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Hmm... I posted lots of stuff about Cayennes, and I did, indeed, end up with one. I picked up a well-loved 2005 V6 in February of '11. Lapis Blue with gray leather, 82k on the clock, it's well over 100k now. An absolutely brilliant vehicle. It's our go-to vehicle; it tows, it hauls, it goes through crap weather with ease. No issues other than an exhaust leak (repaired with Touareg parts at half the cost), and no complaints other than the horrible gas mileage (which I'm usually more than willing to live with).
Absoutely love it!
Absoutely love it!
We tested the Land Rovers, a new Ford Explorer but not one with the new twin turbo in it, and a Mercedes ML 350 with the Blue Tec diesel.
We like the Porsche but I was having trouble with the $20K difference between it and the the MB at the same option levels. That is about 12K price difference, another 5K in service as our MB dealer threw in all the A & B services free, and a few thousand in discounts on the MB vs Porsche at full price.
So kind of pertaining to this thread or reliablity, albeit a different water cooled front engine Porsche nonetheless, I was trying to sell myself that the Porsche, with its solid engineering, would be more reliable than the Mercedes
as the Porsche dealer is 40 mlies one way away and the MB is 5 miles away.Glad to hear your experience. Thanks Shawn and Cole too.
08-23-2012, 11:37 PM
#59
Rennlist Member
08-24-2012, 12:09 AM
#60
To lease a new boxster for 36 months it would be $872.55/mo.
You're going to pay it in one way or another.
That being said, if you can sort out a 944 on your own you could probably spend $872.55 per year keeping it going almost indefinitely.
The problem is that so many owners have neglected their cars and honestly the ones that haven't been neglected aren't for sale. If you want to DD a 944 plan on dropping $2,500+ and hundreds of hours of wrenching to get it up to speed, and that's for a nice one.
Grease has a shelf life of 2-5 years. Rubber is only useable for 15 years at the most. These aren't new cars.
You're going to pay it in one way or another.
That being said, if you can sort out a 944 on your own you could probably spend $872.55 per year keeping it going almost indefinitely.
The problem is that so many owners have neglected their cars and honestly the ones that haven't been neglected aren't for sale. If you want to DD a 944 plan on dropping $2,500+ and hundreds of hours of wrenching to get it up to speed, and that's for a nice one.
Grease has a shelf life of 2-5 years. Rubber is only useable for 15 years at the most. These aren't new cars.