dz302driver

I just purchased my 8th? 944 before Christmas. I think it is 8, not counting parts cars.
I found a fairly clean, original black 85.5. Actually a friend sent me a craigslist ad, he does this all the time and is surprised when I bite. I had seen the car at a local car dealer but knew I would not pay his price. I got a super discount in a pre Christmas sale from the new owner, but the car sure took a hit for 4 months.

He did not do much with the car he bought because it had a great interior, but he sure did his best to hack said interior with his audio "upgrades". The car has just under 100K and looks like it was usually dealer serviced for most of its life. Porsche belts, Continental tires, no amateur service issues anywhere. Time and a young metal head owner have done some damage though.
I started service with an oil change to Amsoil 5w40 Euro and a Mahle filter.

Fluid leaks on all 3 systems. I used a pressure tester you can borrow from autozone and found lots of coolant leaks. The radiator was leaking, that seems to be a new issue as these cars age, I never replaced one until the last purchase. Zims has a good price on a Modine boxed OEM part with "Porsche" ground off the plastic tank. Replaced the upper and lower hoses and had to wait for the little WP to heater elbow I purchased from Zim's , as I mistook that that leak as the lower rad hose. Good to 15 PSI now, it's good to keep the pressure tester until after the work is done I usually have to tighten a clamp or two. Yes I used Autobahn coolant since I have a case, but I wonder if it is still necessary with the new coolant technology. Everyone is using aluminum engines today.
The power steering fluid was all over, I replaced the reservoir/filter, after smoothing the mold lines on the hose connnections, which often allow seepage. The smaller hose is due for replacement, that was the major leak, I cut the fatigued end for now and the seal on the cap is new. I have not found an oil leak The front seals look good but I may need to replace the oil cooler gasket. I have to get some miles on it.
The starter was lazy, so I disassembled and lubed it, and turned the commutator. The battery drained in a couple days. After using an ammeter between the ground and battery, I pulled every fuse and relay with no drop in the 45 ma drain. I found that one of the smaller leads to the central block was the problem and even pulled the block up and disconnected it , but the problem was not the cable. I pulled the cable off of the DME and alarm box...Voila! The black alarm box is now bypassed.

The interior was so full of trash, I pulled the seats and will be steam cleaning the carpet and perfect but stained script seats. I had to drill out the rear seat latch to body screw, a job started by the DPO when he tried to remove the interior panel. I could bitch a long time about all the damage caused by this "Audiophile", but I'll save it.
Upcoming, rekey the drivers door lock, fix the remote hatch release and reseat the hatch glass.

dontnow

Congrats and welcome back!

Van

I'm more concerned about why the 996 scares you... Too fast? Too modern? Too refined?

mazdaverx7

i wouldn't mind seeing some pics of your new 85.5.

was the 996 too expensive to maintain?

Dino V

Congrats and enjoy!

lart951

too slow, easily confused with a Vw Beetle?

931GT

Nope the 996 often gets confused with the Ford Taurus

dz302driver

The 996 is fast and refined and I love driving it. The driving part, well I could scare m , but the car is very well behaved. What scares the crap out of me is the financial, the famous M96 grenade motor.
I thought I dug deep enough and accepted the unacceptable IMS failure. And the constant RMS failures. Then I looked deeper and found the two dozen ways your engine can fail without any help. I cant afford these toys if I do not maintain them myself. One does not repair a damaged 996 motor in one's garage, and the cost of an engine is more than I paid for the car.
Thanks for the welcome, I had been a lurker, back to the Porschelist and Porschefans days. I have a lot of 944 experience and it is time to help others. Our cars are getting old and we need to stick together to keep the on the road.
I did not think anyone would want to see pics of a stock 944, but when the weather is a little better, I will post some. Hmm. I have a 4 nice 7/16 fuchs laying around. If they were all black....
John

mazdaverx7

i would love to see pics of a stock 944! i prefer stock and unmodified. i just prefer cars that were original due to a deep appreciation for what the cars once were and not what they could be made into.

dz302driver

I wish the audiophile before me had recognized that. He made a point of telling me how he knew it was important to maintain the integrity of the car since it was a Porsche. Fortunately I have a lot of the damaged panels and missing fasteners in my stash.

pontifex4

I see your point, but the DIY 996 market is coming along quickly: https://rennlist.com/forums/rennlist...-of-these.html

Congratulations on your new 944, though! How about some pictures?

dz302driver

I plan to do some work in my garage on the 996, but so many of the failure modes are catastrophic and need more attention than most people can handle at home. I like the car, the performance, handling, and the aesthetics. Well the Boxster front end not so much. Thanks for the link on the 200K 996. Looks like a good starting point if the price was right. I do like the idea of buying someone else's problems and shoving a (bulletproof!) GM LS motor back there. Blasphemy!
OK the picture requests are piling up! I need some good weather. Too much mud around my garage to take out a clean car.

lart951

996 fast? lol, Oh I see we are talking about 944 na's my apologies , I thought we were talking about 951's.

dz302driver

Touche! I had a 951 but I was tired of taking apart. I would rather have a Porsche on wheels than jackstands. LOL

xschop

M96 engine is just another ****box. LS the 944 and be happy.