What should I replace first?

[porschenut70]

I bought an 87' NA 944 6 months ago. It has 43,000 miles on it. Timing belt and motor mounts replaced before purchase. Car is in excellent condition and runs great. Only known issues are "wetness" around cam housing and cracked oil sniffer tube, per PPI. Clutch is original. What should I replace before failure due to age or problem area? How many miles can I expect from the original clutch? I am autocrossing but not running on track. I understand that oil cooler seals are an issue for 87's.

[Dave L]

In addition to fixing the leak I would replace all the fluids unless you have recent history as to when they were changed. Also plan on replacing the shocks, struts and springs once you get autoXing.

[porschenut70]

Thank you Dave. I've replaced all of the fluids exect the transaxle, which is next on my list. I was considering Koni adjustables for the front and rear.

[Slam]

Oil cooler seals are, basically, an issue for all the 944s, and replacing them is a good idea for any used one. The clutch has a limp-home feature so you can pretty much drive it till it quits on you. Have you measured at the inspection hole in the bellhousing? The original clutch seems to have a propensity for failing almost at any time due to its rubber centre. Some guys here have gone more than 200,000 miles on one, some only lasted 50,000. If you autocross, maybe a swap to a spring-centred one would be a good idea now. Your call, really. Apart from that, I agree with DaveL about suspension.

BTW, welcome to the board!

[EMBPilot]

43K! wow nice find!!! lets see some pictures!

oil cooler seals... what do they do? how do you know if they should be changed?

[SolReaver]

Hello, I am a Porche newbie, so check with others.
go through the manual and do the routine maintinance checklist.

Fuel filter, Fuel strainer (if so equipped)

Consider having the injectors professionally cleaned / tested, and flow rates matched. the age alone means there are probably deposits and Gumout only gets so much. This FI system is a thing of beaty when it all runs right.

Brake / Clutch fluid, I suck out everything in the res every 6 months and top it off, not perfect, but effective.

check and/ or re-torque head bolts, valve clearances if applicable while you are in there.

[Panzer909]

As they said, change out all the fluids, air filter, fuel filter, and maybe a few bottles of Techron for good measure. If the belts were adressed, simply get in and have fun. The "wetness" around the cam housing shouldn't be anything to lose sleep over for now.

Be easy on your clutch. I have over 170,000 on my odometer and have owned the car since summer, 2000. No record of the clutch being serviced whatsoever so it could very well be the original one for all I know.

[Granite 944]

Originally posted by porschenut70
I bought an 87' NA 944 6 months ago. It has 43,000 miles on it. Timing belt and motor mounts replaced before purchase. Car is in excellent condition and runs great. Only known issues are "wetness" around cam housing and cracked oil sniffer tube, per PPI. Clutch is original. What should I replace before failure due to age or problem area? How many miles can I expect from the original clutch? I am autocrossing but not running on track. I understand that oil cooler seals are an issue for 87's.

My best reply to this is this.

1: I hope your doing your own mechanical work, ESPECIALLY if your gonna be racing/autocrossing (unless your just loaded with money to burn paying someone else to do the work for ya of course).

2:You had a PPI done. By whom? A qualified Porsche mechanic that knows and gives a hoot about this series cars? What are HIS reccomendations? He saw it, we haven't.

2a: Owners manual gives the best "routine maintenance schedule" you can find. Look this over.

3: Clutch life expectancy? Your guess is as good as mine/ours. Depends on to many factors!

4:You need to learn way more about these cars? Your in a good place here to do so.

5: 43,000 miles? Ya sure? It would'nt possible be 143,000 miles would it? Whats your PPI think?

6: IF IT AIN'T BROKE.........DON'T FIX IT.

7: Like one of the members here always says........don't break more than you can fix.

[ERAU944]

Originally posted by Granite 944
5: 43,000 miles? Ya sure? It would'nt possible be 143,000 miles would it? Whats your PPI think?

in 85.5 up they had 6 digit odometers

as long as the numbers line up properly it should be true... also you can generally tell by the conditon of the shifter, seats, and interior if it is truly low mileage.

my father has an '83 with 30k on it - it's like driving a brand new car!

[porschenut70]

Thank you for all the comments!!! No question 43K is correct mileage. The interior is like new and engine is strong and clean. I had the PPI performed by Mid-West Eurosport in Chicago and they agreed with the mileage. They said the clutch should be on my to-do list but said it depended upon driving style, use and expect milage per year. After reading many threads on this site, it looked like this should be toward the top of my list. I'll being doing almost all the work on the car as I find this is part of the fun of ownership. Been working on cars my whole life, including a 73' 914 1.7L, so I'm familiar with the cost of ownership.

[SolReaver]

Don't be so eager to do your clutch, I am dreading mine. When they go they go. How much meat is left?