Clint's 944

So, it’s the same old story…guy buys neglected car with dreams of building it back to glory….car turns out to be possessed and attempts to kill owner…

I bought the '87 951 under the premise that it needed a lot of small things. It ran OK when I drove it and figured it was going to be some work to get it sorted out. But I liked the idea of working out the issues and learning some things along the way. I also did find quite a few surprises along the way but I kept telling myself, “Just do it right the first time and it will pay off in the end”. So I ignored the costs and just kept going as I could. The engine that was in it eventually would not hold compression anymore. The wiring was “interesting” and the best was finding parts from early 944n/a’s and 86 951’s on there. I have replaced the following when I built/ replaced the new engine.

Front windshield
Steering rack and tie rods
Koni yellows front and back with KLA mounts
Bought a short block
Had the cylinder head completely redone.
New cooling system from hoses to radiator to waterpump
Put the correct a/c system in the car which included new hardlines, condenser and compressor.
New DP wastegate
I redid the wastegate/vacuum/klr lines
Bought a K27/6
New 951max chips
New BOV
New fuel lines
New fuel rail
Crossover
Seals/ bushings/ bearings...you name it.
I have fixed 99% of the wiring
And of course all of the preventative things have been done.
I even have an S2 LSD tranny waiting to go in it.

I got it all done and primed up ready to start…and she started! She actually idles great! Starts right up without hesitation! Then I went to go for a test drive and heard rattling…. OK, so after diagnosing that (torque tube) I then found a fuel leak on the rail. So, I replaced the rail today and decided to take it out for a drive and then found that I could only boost to 10psi? ARGH!!! Checked everything over 5 times and finally found a tear in the intercooler to pipe boot. Under low pressure no problem, once past 10psi it opened up. OK, so I replaced that. Take it for a drive…3rd gear…open her up….boost builds….goes up to about 11 psi…..then starts bouncing like crazy, on and off boost 0-11psi. I pull over, pop the hood and the first thing I see is the expansion tank has now cracked and is venting coolant steam. So, I check the coolant level and I decide to just go home and save it for another day. On the way home, I kept it mild only boosting maybe 2-4 psi of normal driving. Then all of a sudden I see a huge plume of smoke pour out of the back! F#@K!!! I let off the gas and it went away. Engine sounded fine and gauges were reading normal so I eased it home. About a ½ block away from the house, I noticed the temp gauge start rising and as soon as I pulled into the driveway a huge cloud of stream came out from under the hood. Open the hood and there is coolant everywhere…..The expansion tank is fine, less the small crack. Checked the tailpipe and there is not any oil/ nor water there. I noticed on the driveway where something was spitting out the exhaust…like coolant and carbon. I suspect the car has blown a headgasket.

I hate to say it but…I don’t even care anymore. This car has caused more problems than anything I have ever owned, including my previous Porsche's combined. Everything was in spec and all of the “while your in there’s” have been done. I even replaced known good parts with new parts for that “extra insurance”. I have read probably half of the Rennlist archives in the attempt of getting this thing to run right. I have owned this car for over a year now and have driven it maybe 5 hours TOTAL! It’s not like I’m building a 600hp monster…it’s essentially stock!

However, as I said in the beginning, it’s not because it’s a Porsche or a 951…it’s because this thing is possessed! It has the soul of Satan in it and it wants to suck the life out of me!
I will take one last stab tomorrow to determine what has happened….and if it is the headgasket. I will kill it and part it out!

Sorry…I had to vent!

~Clint

Cory9584

I wouldnt give up after all youve been through. If it is the head gasket i would take it back off, check it for flatness and cracks, replace the gasket and studs, then give it a little extra torque.

MM951

I feel your pain man. I've had the engine in since Feb. and have driven less then 50 miles. Maybe 35 perfectly running miles

knfeparty

got any pictures?

I just replaced an AFM (one that I had verified that it worked "on the bench" with a multimeter) with one I bought from campeck and now my car has gone back to working better. Clearly there were no electrical problems in that AFM because I had checked it...

...there were gremlins in that AFM, and I hadn't bought a gremlin-meter yet.

potent951turbo

I am having a hard time following what happened....... You said there was a huge plume of smoke out the back on the way home, but no evidence of anything out of the tail pipe, but then there was something on the driveway from the exhaust?? Then there is coolant all over the place in the engine bay but not from the expansion tank?? I would suggest checking all of your coolant hoses etc. on top of replacing the coolant tank. As with any fresh install, there is usually areas that were over looked or missed.

What was the story on the engine you put in the car? Was it rebuilt or just an engine in better shape? Did you replace the head gasket prior to intall etc..?

Clint's 944

The was a huge plume of smoke...when I got home, I popped open the hood and there was coolant all over the top of the engine under the intake. I quickly looked at the hoses and the expansion to see if one of them burst. They look fine but of course, I'll look again tomorrow. I then went to the back of the car to see if there was any oil or coolant dripping out of the exhaust. Like I said, there was anything "liquid" in the exhaust tip but I noticed splatter on the driveway but it was already dry. It wasn't there when I left so I have to assume it was put there by the car when I pulled up.
At that point, I closed the hood, locked the car and came inside. I was finished for the day! I'll look closer tomorrow and try and see what happened.
The shortblock was in great shape and I did a quick compression test after I reinstalled the engine. It showed 144psi across all 4. I did put a new widefire headgasket on at that time as well..also new bolts. Like I said, it baffles me!
The car was running great....I'll figure it out tomorrow....

potent951turbo

I'm assuming you installed the rebuilt head on the shortblock that you got and followed all the proper torque sequences etc.? Was the plume of smoke out the exhaust on the way back or from the engine compartment?

I'd say sleep on it and come back with a fresh perspective tomorrow. As someone already posted, at this point you have pretty much replaced everything and it would be a waste to just part it out. If it is the head gasket then that sucks, but pull the head off and put in another. And who knows it might be something minor after you check things out tomorrow.

Josh B

Hey Clint - you are so close. I think this is just a final hurdle to clear. Fresh perspective and maybe some garlic and a silver bullet will probably do the trick

Clint's 944

Just finished taking a look at what happened and at least it's not the headgasket. The heater control valve is in two pieces. With the amount of coolant coming out, I think the smoke would have been the coolant flowing all over the exhaust. I will order another one and replace it. I think I am going to look into relocating it to the front like on the S2.

I now need to figure out the boosting problem. What would cause it to bounce like that?

Josh B

If you want a used one let me know. Would send one your way for the cost of shipping. Could have it out tomorrow.

Cory9584

Wastegate not hooked up right? Diverter valve spring is too weak? or a boost leak somewhere?

Clint's 944

So I replaced the heater valve and did a another run through everything. No vacuum leaks, no coolant leaks, oil good...etc. After a rough start up she smooths out and is running quite well. When the temp gets up to normal, white or whitish grey smoke starts coming out of the tailpipe. If I rev it up it smokes more. I also noticed small wisps of smoke coming from the turbo area when coming off revving.

I went out to do a quick compression test and found all four cylinders at 95psi exact on a cold engine. Checked coolant for oil...none. I checked the oil for coolant...none.

On a lighter note, While I was checking the compression I kept hearing a faint sound of water being burned. After looking around I found that the metal coolant line running above the headers was leaking. I ran my finger along the bottom of it and then a nice stream of coolant came flowing out. Funny part is this tube was replaced with a one in great condition inside and out when I assembled the engine! Coincidence? I think not!