nine7one

I was visiting my 944 S2 cabriolet at his winter home, a garage in the next town and when I tried to start it it would turn over fine but it was like it wasn't getting fuel or spark. I'm not like most of you, I know my way around a toolbox but a lot of you guys have no problem pulling out an engine just to check something. Since I don't want to go to my mechanic if I don't have to I thought I'd change the DME relay. I don't know exactly what it does but I know if it fails the car will turn over fine but won't start. Do you think it's worth giving it a shot or am I wasting my time.

marc abrams

I would definitely give the DME relay a try. A DME relay is too​ cheap and easy to change not to try.

Pat1USMC

I had a no spark condition that finally turned out to be a bad reference/speed sensor harness. It took three weeks of diagnostics since I am new to 944s. I tried distributor cap/rotor, plugs, plug wires, dme relay, ignition coil, new speed/reference sensors, and even solder points inside the computer. I got a new one from Lindsey racing and it was well built and fixed the issue. Good luck!

mikehayes

I second Pat. S&R sensors cause these exact symptoms all the time. They can be had pretty cheap and are worth a try if you're not above a pair of vice grips and cursing under your breath for an hour or two.

Ky944TurboNewbie

Are you seeing any sort of bounce from the Tachometer when it is turning over? If not, it is the reference sensor.

Pat1USMC

And just to clarify, I had all the symptoms of a bad reference sensor, but it was actually the harness. The wires under the rubber boot were all cracked on the DME side of the harness.

just joshin

There is a good no start troubleshooting guide on Clark's garage. Go to their homepage then the workshop page. It's very helpful

nine7one

Thanks for the help so far. I was also thinking bad reference/speed sensor, but I think I remember the tach bouncing when I tried to start it. The one thing I did notice the day it wouldn't start was something that looked like maybe a wire harness plug (it was blue) that had electrical tape wrapped around the plug and the area an inch or two up the wires. The tape was falling off and I could see some exposed wires. It was located below the valve cover near the front of the car.

The DME came in today but when I went to the garage it was still snowed in. it's behind a row old houses, but $75 a month (they average 100-125 around here) for a one car, cement block garage with electricity makes it hard to complain.

I'll check out Clark's garage. My problem is that about eighty percent of my tools have been in storage since my divorce. Well, I'm going back with a shovel tomorrow so I can dig out my door. I'll update the status of the new DWE, and tach bounce. I'll also see if I can get a picture of the blue thing.

mytrplseven

Make sure you get a new DME relay but avoid the Uro models. They're junk and frequently are bad right out of the box. Get one from Pelican or a Stribel on ebay.