So I drove the 964 to the office today on Long Island. The car reliably starts up on the first few cranks but when I got out to the car at the end of day and tried to start the car is just cranked and cranked and cranked.

I went back into the office and searched the Rennlist and found lots of threads pointing to DME problems. I had replaced the the original DME with a brand new one a month ago so I doubted this to be the issue. I took the DME out and reseated it but it didn't do anything

Eventually I got it started and drove it home OK.

Now my garage is level (obviously) but my parking lot is on an incline (front of car higher than rear) and it sat that way for 8 solid hours. That is the only thing I can think of. There is an old post that was never responded to about someone else having a hard time starting while parked on an incline. This is the only thing I can think of.

I do not want to get stranded so any ideas or things to check would be greatly appreciated.

thanks!

Mike B

 

Just cause the dme relay is new doesn't mean its not funny .

Does the engine run well on number one and or number two spark ?

 

When you say is won't start on a hill, can you explain more? Does it crank and not fire or not crank at all? If its cranking, are you getting fuel pressure and spark?

 

I have to admit I am a novice with the car (I've owned it for 2 months) but I'm learning quickly. I've been changing the oil, bleeding brakes, tranny fluid etc..I have a fuel filter coming to me in the mail right now.

How do I test/check for spark and fuel pressure?

Thanks!

Mike B

 

Oops I forgot to explain the cranking in the previous post. The car turns over vigorously and sounds very normal it just doesn't spark. I've started the car 50+ times in the past 2 months of ownership and it always starts within a second of turning the key. I updated the DME relay to a 993 part # from the old 944 part # with no change in the ease of starting.

I do remember last friday after a long, traffic filled drive I stopped to get gas and it didn't start on the first twist of the key. That was the first time I experienced this issue.

thanks again for all the help!

Mike B

 

If you have a fuel pressure gauge, you there is a tap on the engine fuel rail. It allows you to confirm that your fuel pump is getting fuel to the engine.

As for testing your spark, if you pull a spark plug wire, attach a spare spark plug and then crank the engine while touching the base of the plug to engine ground. You should see a strong spark.

What condition are your distributor caps and rotor?

Remember, for an engine to run, you need fuel, spark and air. We are trying to isolate where the problem is.

 

Thanks Rocket Rob!

I do not have either a fuel pressure gauge. Can I buy a generic one at a Pep Boys?

I'll also try the spark test this weekend.

I need to research when the distributor caps/rotor was replaced in the service records I got with the car. When I did the compression test during the PPI, I spoke with the mechanic who mentioned that he found and replaced a cracked spark plug.

Also, I had the car up on a friend's lift last week and I inspected the hell out of the bottom of the engine. I noticed that the spark plug wires have a gap between the wire and the rubber plug harness that looked larger than they should be. I don't know if this is normal but it looked like the wires were very weak at that spot.

 

Is the problem repeatable ? If you park in the same place for the same amount of time , will it fail to start again ?
If so , could it be a leaky injector ?

 

I have the same problem. Owned the car for about a month and it starts up great, but on the slightest uphill inclines, the car will turn over and I have to a good 2-3 times before it fires up. I find giving it a little gas while turning the key helps too (though I don't know if it's entirely safe for the car).

 

Hey sghost. that is exactly what I have to do to to get it rolling. There is something about the uphill incline the car doesn't like. I parked on a downhill last week and had no problem getting her started.

It would seem that it has something to do with the flow of fuel since spark doesn't care about orientation (at least that is my assumption). As I mentioned above. I purchased a new fuel filter so that will get put in this weekend. I don't think the current fuel filter has been changed in many years and according to the service manual it is supposed to be changed every 2 years.

Fingers crossed that it is just that simple. I really want to drive and enjoy the car for the remainder of the Summer/Fall.

 

I have the same issue if it sits in an uphill orientation for an extended period, say more than 2-3 hours, although I wouldn't call it a problem really, just a nuisance. It'll always start upon 2nd try.

I guessed it was a slight fuel pressure loss and needed to be re-pressurized upon start up. It always starts on a level surface on first turn of the key.

 

Well it looks like the problem was the DME relay. I tried to take a friend for a drive last night and the car stalled in the middle of the driveway and we had to push it back into the garage. I was resigned to wait for the new fuel filter to show up and was mentally prepping myself for checking all spark related pieces when I decided to just put the old 944 DME relay into the car. It started right up.

The new relay was purchased a month ago from PP. Do you think they will replace it?