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Good job! I started working on my 1987 944S after letting it sit for a while, so this thread is pretty relevant to me. I'll probably be doing a lot of these same steps once I get the engine running... the engine hasn't run in at least 6 years!
I'm so close!! Brakes are bled, wheels are on. I think I'm gonna need some spacers in the rear, too:
But now it won't start. Been running just fine since I bought it, but now, nothing. Won't even cough on starting fluid, so I put a spark tester on it, and sure enough, no spark. So I have (somewhat hastily) ordered a new coil. I probably should have done a bit more investigative work, as it could just as easily be the DME, but I'll try the coil tonight and see if I get fire.
I drove it! The no-spark issue turned out to be a bad DME relay. The PO was kind enough to keep one in the glove box, so I swapped them out and it fired right up. I went ahead and ordered a solid-state one from Focus 9 anyhow.
So, the test drive went pretty well. Ran good, suspension felt fine. The alignment even seems pretty close to OK. Couple of issues, though. The brakes still feel a little soft. Also, the clutch pedal is engaging really high. I'm wondering if there's a connection since they share the same fluid. So I'm going to try bleeding at the clutch, then try the rears again.
Also, the HVAC is blowing hot air all the time. Sounds like that may be a heater control valve or possibly something in the instrument panel.
I have a big clunk in the drivers door, so I need to pull the door card off again and see what's loose in there.
I did go ahead and order some spacers and longer studs for the rear, so I'll be installing those when I have the back end up in the air to work on the clutch and brakes.
Jacked up the rear tonight to bleed the clutch and brakes, but first I figured I'd install the new studs and spacers. That meant that the hubs have to come off because there's no room to fit the longer studs in there with them in place. Passengers side came off pretty easy, but once it was off, I saw this:
The grease in that bearing appears to have turned to wax. I'm guessing it dates back to 1985. So now I have another "while I'm in there" job. New bearings ordered.
Had some issues with my rear suspension, but I got them sorted out. So, the rear end is all back together with new wheel bearings, the new Konis, stainless brake lines, and everything.
So, now that it's a running, moving car, I decided to try and clean up the paint a bit. Now, the paint is pretty much crap, it's scratched, scuffed, faded, thin, worn, and oxidized. So here's a shot of the hood with half of it done:
So now it's scratched, scuffed, faded, thin, and worn, but no longer oxidized!
My climate control was blowing hot air, which I determined to be a broken clip on the mix door actuator. For now I jammed it open so it blows cold all the time, because the car will get parked when it gets cold outside, anyhow. I'm not getting much air out of the dash vents, either, so I'll need to dig into the climate control system at some point, anyhow.
Next steps are more short test drives, and an alignment.
gorgeous. great what a little effort can do. I will be pulling mine out of storage and beginning this process in the spring...needed some motivation and your thread helped.
Long time with no update! I parked the car in October, and it's been in my barn since. My two main priorities for the winter are to fix the oil leak and replace the timing and balance shaft belts. Well, that hasn't happened yet for a number of reasons, most of them involving my lack of motivation to be out in the freezing cold Michigan winter. For a while, I was thinking of pulling the engine, reasoning that that would make it easier to find and repair the leak and do the belts. But I decided to make one last try at finding the leak before going to all that work.
I'm also getting an oil smell in my SHO, so I need chase down a leak on that, too. So I got some
and a light. Poured some in and ran it for about 20 minutes today, and here's what I found underneath:
Little oil leak around one of the oil pan bolts, and a big ole leak around the drain plug. Honestly, I suspected as much and replaced the crush washer last year. Clearly, it didn't help. Unfortunately, I think the threads are chewed up.
So, what do I do here? I could try to drill and tap the drain plug and put a bigger one in and live with the smaller leak up top for now, but given that I'm still a couple of months from driving season, I'm thinking the best course is to replace the pan with a good used one. Unfortunately, Clark Fletcher describes oil pan removal as "one of those jobs that ranks high on my "I don't want to do that job again" scale." However, reading the procedure, it doesn't sound too terrible.
The drain plug seal isn't a crush washer, it is solid soft aluminum. Did you use the proper Porsche part? If so you need to examine the seating surface on the pan and the drain plug carefully. The usual reason for an oversize drain plug is because the pan's threads are stripped. If you can torque the plug to spec the threads are OK.. If you don't want to yank the pan (because, while you're in there do your rods) or recut the threads you can try an expandable drain plug. Cheap and dirty fix till you can do it right or the next owner will bad mouth that ^(*(&%#%^^ PO
Yeah, I bought the proper part from Pelican. It felt a little loose going in, so I hoped for the best, but apparently it didn't work. I'm not going to bother with an expanding plug, I have time to fix it right before I start driving it again (probably at least a month away still). Plus, I still have the leak up by one of the oil pan bolts, too.
You are doing a great job, and a commendable one at that.
Not many folks would go that route on resurrecting what was once a maintenance nightmare of neglect by previous owners. This car deserved to have the right mechanical acumen applied to bring it around. Thanks for not cheesing out and letting it go to rot.
Keep an eye out for that belt replacement tho... it certainly is not something to fool with and a slipped or broken cog tooth will definitely ruin your day. Bent valves have been enough to scrap out many marginal cars, and the 944 community is at a loss for it.
I have heard so many speak to the fact that those 'lost' cars are only making those left more valuable. BUT there is another side to this attrition. One more lost car also means the possibility of another 'lost' owner from our ranks, and he may NEVER come back, thus creating another void in our membership which could be seeking, or owning, or driving a 944.
THAT is our loss as well.
Thanks for picking up a bit of that slack. Keep up the good work.
06-13-2017, 11:08 AM
