Most Annoying/Frustrating/Maddening Design/Assembly Feature of 924/44/68 Family?

[djnolan]

Originally Posted by WolfeMacleod

should have the rear hatch frames re-done. ...

The hatch frame needs redesigned. It needs a stiffener where the bend on the side is as this tends to straighten out over time, causing it to pull away or separate at the top. Once it bends it won't go back to the original shape.

[djnolan]

Originally Posted by Ernie944

This pics tell it all about owning a 944

It is what makes it a 944. All of the footbox room inside is because the tranny is at the rear, and there is no tranny hump, and the engine is pushed back into the firewall providing 50/50 weight balance.

Compare it to a beemer with the front tranny. No leg room for one...

[grendiers]

Noting all the complaints, and have experienced many of them myself, I'm happy I have one! After quite a few 924 Turbos with various stages of decomposition, and rebuilding, three 924S cars, an '83 944 track car, my 'last' P-car is the best, a 1989 944 turbo. Think about the MSRP on this car back in the day. Never in my wildest dreams would I have been able to afford it back then. The perspective, is that now I can, and the idiosyncrasies of working on these cars is not that big of a deal for me.

[v2rocket_aka944]

Flip side; 944 NA has about the easiest injectors and spark plugs to swap, out of any car I've owned.
Took me maybe 5 minutes to swap all 4 injectors and check plugs yesterday.

[jjeffries]

Grendiers, I know enough than an 89 951 is pretty special, good for you, super cool. As noted in a different thread, I had an 89 S2 in 1996-7. It was a recent, totally civilized and exciting and generally UFB to me, I felt like James Bond.
V2, I like the factory spark plug tool. (Old/classic) Alfa’s are good in the same ways.
John

[OK-944]

Just discovered (as per my earlier post) that my '87NA has a dead strut.

Why, oh why...did they change out the struts so that later cars cannot allow for a simple swap-out of inserts? Something that was so easy, sensible, and cost-effective on my previous 85.5 is now next to impossible with my current '87, and its starting to look like its gonna cost me a bundle!

[OK-944]

oh yes...another thing - why the "automatic" timing belt tensioner? Probably designed to shorten service-time in automotive shops (allowing them to charge a full hour for fifteen minutes as opposed to a full hour for a full hour?)

But for us DIY folks I'm not so sure. (kind of ironic how I'd originally thought that the "automatic" tensioner was designed to keep the t-belt continuously adjusted!)

As it was - I found myself needing to give the tensioner a bit of a kick over in addition to its existing spring pressure to achieve the proper amount of tension...likely due to the 33 year old spring's having softened a bit.

So...I took the tensioner apart and re adjusted the spring. Very easy to do actually, and now it seems to "pre-set" the tension with good accuracy. Still and all...I miss the old manual tensioner - much simpler mechanism and much easier to work around with belt changes.

[944 Ecology]

Originally Posted by OK-944

Just discovered (as per my earlier post) that my '87NA has a dead strut.

Why, oh why...did they change out the struts so that later cars cannot allow for a simple swap-out of inserts? Something that was so easy, sensible, and cost-effective on my previous 85.5 is now next to impossible with my current '87, and its starting to look like its gonna cost me a bundle!

When you want to know why Porsche (or any manufacturer) does something stupid, the answer is "Money."

[jjeffries]

As usual, George is right!
John

[SilverLined]

Originally Posted by 944 Ecology

When you want to know why Porsche (or any manufacturer) does something stupid, the answer is "Money."

Early vs late control arms are another example of this!

[Jfrahm]

Integrating a tension setting widget was probably done to reduce the number of call-backs and warranty repairs on cars where the tech did not bother to get out the 9201. Too tight wrecking the water pump, too loose and jumping time after run-in.

The balance shaft is noisy as heck when too tight so it's pretty obvious.

I think my 1983 Supra had a spring for setting timing belt tension also. I am surprised they did not do more to idiot-proof the balance belt setup though.
-Joel.

[911tracker85]

Just discovered (as per my earlier post) that my '87NA has a dead strut.

koni makes a replacement cartridge, cut off the top of strut housing, pull out old and drop in the new. have to drill a hole in bottom of strutt to bolt in the koni. did this on my 87 944S

[Fast Freddy 944]

Originally Posted by Ernie944

This pics tell it all about owning a 944

How the hell did you fit in there? Chicken legs? No way anybody can fit in a turbo 944 engine bay, unless the engine was out. LOL!

[Fast Freddy 944]

Originally Posted by v2rocket_aka944

Old fuel lines and cracked fuel rails have claimed hundreds of 944s over the years.

Never heard of it? Recall? I have a 951 and no leaks? Pops owned a 84 944 and he had no issues, those cars must have been ragged out.

[9FF]

Originally Posted by Fast Freddy 944

...those cars must have been ragged out.

Not at all, this is a common issue and cause of fires. If you are running original fuel lines and have no issues so far, trust me you will and it won’t end well. Old fuel rails (and also oil pick up tubes) do crack but usually if other things increase vibration in the engine such as using non-Porsche motor mounts or balance belts slightly off.

[v2rocket_aka944]

Originally Posted by Fast Freddy 944

Never heard of it? Recall? I have a 951 and no leaks? Pops owned a 84 944 and he had no issues, those cars must have been ragged out.

Nope, it's been a problem for 20+ years just due to age of the hoses primarily.
12 years ago I was doing a lot of work for a local 944 guy fixing what another shop had...un-fixed.

We discovered a crack in the fuel rail one day so he ordered the whole shebang Lindsey Racing fuel rail kit...I was going to install it the following Monday.

On Sunday the guy tried to drive to the carwash (maybe 1 mile from his apartment) and the car burned to the ground.

[jjeffries]

On my 87 924S project, I’ve replaced all the lines with any rubber in them, plus all the rubber vent hoses. I had not realized the injector rail was also a risk factor; for a safe and non-self immolating car, is it a smart move to replace it? Or are there places on it to inspect? Do we know where they usually fail?

Thanks, John

[v2rocket_aka944]

Typically the stress cracks happen at the joints where the "legs" that bolt to the intake manifold/cam tower are brazed to the tube.

I have observed it to be a bigger issue on late cars than early cars; I can only guess that the late FR with slotted holes on the cam tower side allows more slop in fitment/vibration than the fixed-location early rails with round holes.

[jjeffries]

Much appreciated V2.

John

[SilverLined]

Originally Posted by v2rocket_aka944

Typically the stress cracks happen at the joints where the "legs" that bolt to the intake manifold/cam tower are brazed to the tube.

Early cars suffer from this as well; that's exactly what happened on my '84. The leg going to the damper developed a crack at the rail. I had it re-brazed, and had them do the other junctions as well, for good measure. Caught it when it was still a drip, but it had been at it a while!