King928

Hello and greetings from Orlando. New owner of a 1987 928 S4. I have been “lurking,” as they say, for some time before and after the purchase of the 928. The community is great. The amount of knowledge and support is some of the best I have seen from owning a variety of classic cars and visiting the forums for those cars. I had the car gone through a good inspection from a former Porsche mechanic – one that worked on them when they were new. It is amazing to watch him go through the car and point out past warranty issues, not a factory part, purpose and function of odds and ends.

A few small odds and ends that need attention in due time but nothing that will keep me from spirited runs. Timing belt service was completed last year. Fuel lines checked out.

First two questions of many.

1. It often has a “hard” start. This is the description used during the inspection. It can take several tries to get it to start. Sometimes it starts on the first try. Fuel pressure is in the acceptable range although the meter was not tested for accuracy. Seems to have enough cranking power from the battery. Looking for some ideas. Again, it will start but its annoying and it shouldn’t be that way. The first start of the day is usually the best one. Starting again after a modest 10 – 18 minute drive, it will take a few tries.
2. The big one. The automatic transmission shifts well in low and high RPMs. Shifting from Park to Drive, no issues or anything unusual. The shift feeling from reverse to drive has a nice nudge once it engages. Certainly not normal.

The goal now is not to have to go from reverse to drive anymore…I am a first movement forward safety nut guy anyway so shouldn’t be an issue. Fluid looks good and is in the acceptable range. Inspected on the list. Recent fluid service too.

The shop was honest on his desire to do transmission work. More than knowledgeable on its operation, but basically his time has passed on doing transmission work.

A few disclaimers. I am a tree doctor / forester by trade so I am more familiar with life science vs. mechanical. I did make contact with a few other local 928 owners I found on the Registry. I hope they can help with the simple stuff


Here are a few pics of her.

Koenig-Specials 928

Nice ride.
Welcome to our shark tank!

awilli6

Welcome. When I had my 87, the hard starts were cured by new fuel pressure regulators and dampers. Call Roger at 928s R Us. He can get you sorted. He can also help you with directions to check yours to ensure they are bad.

hlee96

Great looking car and carrera III are my favorite 18" wheels for the s4. When my s4 was having a hard time starting, not much changed with brand new fuel dampeners or FPR. However deoxit or taking care of the temp II sensor on top of the water bridge, especially the connector, made a huge difference.

Hoi

King928

Thank you for the suggestions on the hard start. I will start with the easy ones first.

Quick follow up. Would the dampers or FPR eventually stop working if they were bad?

linderpat

Welcome to the tank, and beautiful car! Love the color combination.

For the hard start, I would begin with cleaning the grounds first. Cheap (free in fact) and easy thing to do, and that cures lots of ills. See the New Visitor thread at the top of the forum and read through that, there is a reference to the ground points there. The key ones are at the 14 pin connector, the big copper cable from the passenger side engine bay to the lower block, and in the trunk from the ground strap to the car. There are others as well, but get these ones nice and shiney and dry, then reconnect. You can put some dielectric grease to protect the one in the lower engine bay from the elements, but put the grease on last - after you reconnected the ground cable at both ends to a dry and clean surface.

It is amazing how this little job can affect so many things.

King928

Yep, I have spent some time at the FAQ and the first time visitor board. There is a ton of information. Trying to diligently digest. I typically try to research past posts on my questions / interests. I have done that so far and its been fruitful.

mdkelly1

Nice looking car!

Welcome to the list and to 928 ownership. You are headed for lots of fun as you explore what your car has to offer.

You have done lots of things right so far: lurked on the list & read the FAQ's, found a car you like, had someone with mechanical knowledge look at it, posted photos and described your concerns/issues, and contacted some local 928 owners who might be able to help.

Tapping into the local expertise available within the 928 community is a big step as you start your 928 ownership journey. There are several long-time owners in Florida who can help you directly, or at the very least recommend knowledgeable 928 mechanics and shops with a proven track record.

Having a seasoned mechanic with actual in-depth hands-on 928 experience is important, especially if you don't plan to do the work yourself. You are going to want both of those (local 928 owners & a seasoned 928 mechanic) as you go forward.

928's are well received at PCA gatherings across Florida, so don't hesitate to take her out to any events which interest you. Also, when you are comfortable that she's roadworthy, try to attend one of the regional 928 OC sponsored gatherings. You'll make many new friends and be part of a much larger community.

It's great to see another 928 owner join the community.

ammonman

Easy check for the fuel regulator and dampers is to pull the vacuum lines off each one at a time and smell for fuel. If you smell fuel in the vac lines it's time for replacement. If one is bad do both dampers and the regulator unless you have records of last replacement. Another damper test is to hold the throttle wide open during cranking when it is hard to start. The trans might be getting close to needing the B3 reverse clutches and piston replaced. This wears a bit and.hita pretty hard. I had to do mine at about 190k.

worf928

The fact that the car starts fine when cold but labors when heat-soaked points to problems that are, more-likely than not, not related to the pressure dampeners or regulator.

However, it is very common to have two or more problems that combine to point in the wrong direction.

So, definitely check the dampeners and regulator. Applying vacuum to the vacuum port will tell you - if the part holds vacuum - if the 'dampening' function works. It will not tell you if the regulator's check valve is functioning.

But, if the regulator's check valve was not 'checking' then your cold starts would be harder than your warm starts. Fuel pressure-related hard/long cold starts are commonly related to fuel draining from the fuel rails back into the tank (research vapor lock.) There are two check valves to prevent this: one at the pump and one in the regulator.

The TEMP-II sensor is another possible hard-start culprit. Download the inspection guide linked in my signature: it describes how to test the function of the TEMP-II sensor (along with other useful tests.)

Last but not least, and my top pick, an out-of-spec Mass-Air Sensor is a very likely cause of your symptoms if, indeed, there is a single failure mode involved. Kevin at Injection Labs can test your MAS.

King928

Thanks for the insight. I did inspect a few of the grounds and cleaned the 14 pin connection with connection cleaner - looks good. Went in this morning and it would not start. BUT, with a light tap of the gas pedal she would start. This was my last gasp try too.

My first few days of driving before I began to read the manual, I would do a light tap of the gas pedal and it would start again.

I will get the vacuum lines looked at. Business travels take me out of town most of next week.
Keep you posted.

Randy V

Nice intro.

Got a first name?

King928

I go by my middle.

Henry

The Deputy

Great looking car. Nice color combo.

Hope you get it straighten around soon.

Brian.

dr bob

Henry --

Welcome to the group. No matter what happens or how much "fun" the car demands from you, know you are among friends.

To some symptoms:

-- Hard hot starting while it cold starts well tells me that there's fuel dribbling in. It could be recyling back from the vacuum side of the fuel pressure regulator or dampers (easy to check with a sniff in the vacuum hoses), perhaps a leaking fuel injector that's harder to pinpoint.

Housekeeping:

Click on the User CP tab and select Signature. so you can add some critical data like the year of your car, and in your particular case your middle name. That way we'll know what we are discussing and with whom. Saves yiu the annoyance of having to retype it at the bottom of every post.


The color combo is interesting. Is it a color-change repaint? Only ask because I don't thing I've seen that interior color with the silver on the outside.