I am planning a road trip in my 944 before I put it away for the winter. The trip is approximately 400 miles (round-trip). I have a 1987 944 with the 3-speed automatic. Most of the trip will be on interstates in western Kansas with no Porsche specialists for miles. The engine turns over at about 4,000 RPM at 75 MPH. Will it be okay making this 400 mile trip? Or will the car blow up? Thanks for any help and advice!

-Kyle

 

Bring oil, water and a good tool kit and don't worry about it.

Contrary to popular opinion these are not fragile cars! Some people don't leave home without 3 spare engines in the trunk it seems sometimes... If you've kept up with maintenance it will be fine!

 

get a 968.

I've done about 180 drives of 300 miles or more including like at least 60 - 1000 mile+ trips...

16 of them since March, incl 10 in like, the last 2 months cuz I need to be in Indiana/Illinois and New York
almost at the same time. and I hate flying and the TSA bull****.

944s can theoretically be driven long distances if you bring a spare dme/fan relays.

 

4000 rpm at 75? Ouch. Time for a 5-speed swap...

I think you'll be fine, make sure your belt and pump are healthy, plus all the other basic maintenance checks one would take before a road trip. And bring an extra DME relay (and maybe some other spare relays and fuses)

FWIW I drove 2000 miles in my new-to-me '83 and suffered a DME relay, thermostat, and fan relay failure. Just make sure you're up to date on all the maintenance.

 

The way I see it is this:

In countries like the USA, where the 944 is cheap.. people buy a "cheap porsche" then cannot afford the maintenance and skip things or go cheap way out making it less reliable. Sell it for cheap and it turns into a circle.
If you've bought one that isn't cheap that had records ect, that's been looked after and you've continued to pay the price and look after it. You will have no issues in driving it 10 miles or 1000 miles for a trip.

I've taken by 944 turbo on huge road trips with 0 issues. I obviously check my oil levels and fluids before i go ect.. I do have tools with me incase something does go wrong.
On some sundays on an aussy porsche forum, we go for drives up to the hills which takes us 1-2 hours to get there, then another hour or so of really hard driving.. we have a food break then we go home. drives go up to 5 to 7 hours!

 

I was going to make the Chicago to Florida run when my trans dropped a bolt. This would have been a disaster.
Air Tran for me, renting a Porsche.

 

Thanks guys! I will get the whole car checked out before I take the trip. I just did an oil & filter change last week. And I'll take it in to get the tires rebalanced and an alignment before I go. Would changing the transmission fluid and filter be helpful too?

 

I picked up my '87 944 in Santa Fe from the PO and drove it fearlessly to SW Florida. Only issue was the cruise control acting up but even with the air cleaner full of a mouse nest, it drove great and got 30 mpg cruising at 70-75. What's this about 4000 rpm? I'm amazed it would be that high.

 

In my experience on public roads its all about luck.

I've had a breakdown 2 miles from home after a quick drive somewhere and I've gone 80 miles without an issue while giving it the beans on the highway.

These cars do what they want.

 

Stuff like a flat or someone kicking up debris that damages the car are luck. However, attention to maintenance will always skew the likelihood of a trouble free journey in favor of the car owner. Tire balance and alignment may make the ride smooth but neither is going to impact mechanical condition. I had one of those extra DME relays, it came with my 944, never needed it in six years of ownership but having one is a good call. On a 944 the critical issue is belt condition as the engine is an interference engine and will eat the valves if the belt goes, so to me, that should be priority one. Squeeze all your hoses (except yours), they should be pliable and without cracks and they should not feel thin in any areas. Do free easy stuff like check the battery water (if applicable) coolant level, tire condition spare included. Throw a towel in and some simple but useful tools just in case. Bring extra oil and coolant, you can drive a car leaking oil without fear as long as you maintain the level, then wax it and have an awesome trip.

 

That, in my opinion, would depend on how many miles on the car, and if you have any records showing if the fluid had ever been changed.

I too have an automatic, my car has 153K on it and I have no previous maintenance records for the car. I serviced my trans by changing out the differential gear oil, the ATF filter and ATF, it has made a difference, it shift much smoother.

 

IF purchase condition and current maintenance are up to par, you can take these cars anywhere, I have put 20k miles on my 1987 944S daily driver in the last 2 yrs, many 6-8 hr trips with no issues. But right after purchasing car I had to bring things up to snuff, p/o was a dedicated PCA member but due to hardships he did things on the "cheap" to keep it going.

 

Hi Kyle,
What is your car's belt history?
Clearly, completing the tranny services noted above by JeffRSmith
(differential gear oil, the ATF filter and ATF), an alignment, Techron and plug change would be a pre-trip must in my book.

With 260k miles, my old girl carries:
- an extra power steering belt
- spare DME/Fan relays
- various bulbs/fuses,
- a gallon of Rotella, Coolant & ATF.
She's ready for the Paris-Dakar.

I drive with confidence, speed and style up and down the USA's East Coast to visit family or attend races.
Go for it!

 

With up to date maintenance, 400 miles is nothing

 

Thanks for all your tips and advice guys! This is what I've done to the car. It didn't come with any maintenance records, but I've done quite a bit recently.

New timing belt & rollers- November 2012
Rebuilt water pump- November 2012
New thermo-temp switch- March 2013
New radiator hoses- March 2013
4 new tires- June 2013
New spark plugs- March 2012
K&N air filter- July 2012
Oil change with Mobil 1 Synthetic & Porsche genuine parts oil filter- 2 weeks ago

I have no records of anything transmission-related and I haven't done anything about it yet. Car seems to run fine at 4,000 RPM at 80 MPH for the 50-mile trips I take to KC and back every weekend for PCA meets.