The "bulletproof" 944

[GHEN]

1st of all, some of you are going to hate this thread and flame me

or worse

but here goes! If you were doing whatever it takes to make your 944 absolutely dead-on reliable, without fear of the normal things that can go wrong, what would you do?

I am not saying "in lieu of proper maintenance", just things that are available and "claim" to be better than factory; like:

• Locking fasteners on the CV joint bolts (cause factory backs out)
• Kevlar timing belt (cause they break)
• Solid state DME relay (cause tubes suck)

Anything along these lines...ALSO feel free to cheerfully bash me for any of these I've posted...and yes I have done all three of these to my 944.

[djnolan]

I would convert the hose clamp system to spring clamps for the AOS, ICV, coolant and power steering. (after replacing all of the hoses) Spring clamps are self tightening and extend the life of the rubber hoses, too.

Second would be to convert all of the fuel line hose fitting to triple barb, and upgrade rubber hoses to modern material.

Modern fittings and clamps with modern silicon rubber lines will go a long way towards reliability.

[jjeffries]

DJN, very interesting, I hadn't thought of this despite the fact one sees the spring clamps on just about all modern vehicles. I do have a stupid question, though: is choosing the right size clamp difficult? I ask because after reading your post I went looking around a found Belmetric, for example, sells them not only in just about every whole millimeter size, but also half millimeters, too. Maybe there's a chart out there which shows which clamps go with which OD-sizes of hoses...I'll take a look.

I also watched a YouTube video about some seriously cool Knipex pliers made exactly for these clamps.

So much cool stuff out there to buy! Cheers, John

[9FF]

Biggest reliability things would be electrical. Replace that 30+ yo wiring to new, AFM to Rogue MAF and fit a new (updated ftech9) DME, clean all the grounds, plug wires, coil, rotor, cap, all sensors, all relays, all fuses, send your inst cluster for recal and clean your injectors.

[djnolan]

Originally Posted by jjeffries

: is choosing the right size clamp difficult? I ask because after reading your post I went looking around a found Belmetric, for example, sells them not only in just about every whole millimeter size, but also half millimeters, too. Maybe there's a chart out there which shows which clamps go with which OD-sizes of hoses

I had not seen that assortment before of constant tension clamps nor had I heard them called that. I have only replaced the rear ICV clamp and the venturi lines which I found at autozone. But talk about a difference in the idle smoothness!

[944 Ecology]

In my opinion, the best way to ensure a reliable 944 is to take it to the track and drive it at it's limit, the way it was designed to be driven. If it can survive a track day, it can survive any day on public streets.

[GHEN]

Originally Posted by 944 Ecology

In my opinion, the best way to ensure a reliable 944 is to take it to the track and drive it at it's limit, the way it was designed to be driven

Good advice, but to be fair that exercise would expose any weaknesses, not mitigate them...no?

GHEN

[v2rocket_aka944]

Originally Posted by 9FF

Biggest reliability things would be electrical. Replace that 30+ yo wiring to new, AFM to Rogue MAF and fit a new (updated ftech9) DME, clean all the grounds, plug wires, coil, rotor, cap, all sensors, all relays, all fuses, send your inst cluster for recal and clean your injectors.

+1000
mechanically 944s are quite durable.
it's the electricals that are questionable...the stock DME especially.

amazing when you replace the DME with an aftermarket plug/play ECU, suddenly "DME relay" issues stop.

[GHEN]

Originally Posted by 944 Ecology

Ah, Grasshopper, in order to fix your weaknesses, you must learn what they are.

“Experience is a master teacher, even when it’s not our own.”

[GHEN]

Great info here, so if we were keeping a list it would be:

• Locking fasteners on the CV joint bolts (cause factory backs out)
• Kevlar timing belt (cause they break)
• Solid state DME relay (cause tubes suck)
• Convert the hose clamp system to spring clamps for the AOS, ICV, coolant and power steering.
• Replace that 30+ yo wiring to new
• Focus 9 DME to replace stock

What did I miss? Anything else?

GHEN

[GHEN]

What is involved with replacing all of the wiring? Sounds expensive.

GHEN

[9FF]

Originally Posted by GHEN

What is involved with replacing all of the wiring? Sounds expensive.

GHEN

Yes it’s very expensive and quite time consuming, though just replacing the engine harness, while still expensive, is going to cover 80% of the electrical reliability issues. Ftw Kroon does the best harnesses.

Best thing to do with the rest of the wiring is to go over it systematically. Pick an area and check all the connectors, make sure the terminals are correctly located and clean. Make sure the insulation, especially near crimped terminals, has not exposed any wire and use heatshrink if it has. Check and clean all the grounds, this is a maintenance item so do it once a year. Clean the contact surfaces on any relay and fuse terminals, etc, etc.

[djnolan]

Originally Posted by GHEN

Great info here, so if we were keeping a list it would be:

• Locking fasteners on the CV joint bolts (cause factory backs out)
• Kevlar timing belt (cause they break)
• Solid state DME relay (cause tubes suck)
• Convert the hose clamp system to spring clamps for the AOS, ICV, coolant and power steering.
• Replace that 30+ yo wiring to new
• Focus 9 DME to replace stock

What did I miss? Anything else?

GHEN

Fuel line upgrades including triple barb fittings.

[v2rocket_aka944]

928motorsports also re-makes the 944 wiring harnesses for about half the Kroon cost.

[GHEN]

I think this is it for now. If I have time later I could add links for this stuff (I would strive for Pelican links 1st of course).

Anything else?

• Locking fasteners on the CV joint bolts (cause factory backs out)
• Kevlar timing belt (cause they break)
• Solid state DME relay (cause tubes suck)
• Convert the hose clamp system to spring clamps for the AOS, ICV, coolant and power steering.
• Replace that 30+ yo wiring to new
• Focus 9 DME to replace stock
• New fuel lines to handle modern fuel + triple barb fittings

GHEN

[walfreyydo]

The reality is that unless you replace EVERYTHING, youre going to be fixing little things here and there as you go.

As far as the things to prioritize, you have a good list. Although Im not sure its feasible to replace the entire wiring in the whole car (again, one of those diagnose as it happens things and fix the offending wiring - not the whole thing). Maybe its not that hard.

In addition:
- the timing belt plus balance shaft belt and all rollers and bearings for both.
- an entire front engine reseal (including balance/oil pump sleeves), oil filter housing seal, balance shaft housings (unless your car doesnt leak any oil, which is rare!)
- water pump
- check/replace distributor cap and rotor
- any and all worn suspension components (struts, bushings, ball joints)
- check/clean your battery tray for rust
- flush all fluids: trans, brakes, clutch, coolant

After thats done enjoy until something new breaks!

[J1NX3D]

^^ those are all wear & tear maintenance items you can do with genuine/oem parts. He's asking for modern solutions to 944 problems, like the only944 shift lever with thrust bearings to replace the stock one that wears quickly and gets sloppy.

[djnolan]

This would be something new that I've never seen some sort of belt tensioner for the drive belts

[djnolan]

And greasable torque tube bearings that you could Lube from the outside

[jjeffries]

I just checked out Focus 9's website; I'd been there before to look at the relays, but not the DME. I'm pleasantly surprised at how reasonably they're priced, not that I know anything about what it costs to produce such an item. Despite being tight with a dollar, I also look at things in terms of associated unit costs, like "Hour(s) of a professional mechanic's time to help me resolve a problem I can't", or "Flatbed trip home if I'm 100 miles away". Using those metrics, <$400, or <$500 with the relay seems prudent.

John