Broken 944 Cariolet B pillars

Azcau · 03-20-2007, 10:13 PM

Has anyone heard of the 'B' Pillars snapping in the 944/968 Cabs . I have just received into my workshop an '89 944 Cab that has both 'B' Pillars snapped in half . The customer and his wife both say it happened with them sitting in the vehicle with the top going down under normal power , so therefore there was no 'outside assistance' . This is the second time I have come across this problem , any help would be appreciated .

pinetreeporsche · 03-21-2007, 05:05 AM

Nort sure what you mean B pillar on the cabrio--you mean the metal support struts holding up the rear of the top (if so, which of the two that are linked?)? Surely not breaking in two, but popping the fastener pivots? Or do you mean the rear bow, above the window? I just got mine, so want to know what to watch for.

Azcau · 09:32 PM

I now have the top stripped and the replacement parts fitted (Aus$3000 for the pair + over $500 just for the 2 aluminium strips that hold the rubber seals from Porsche Australia) I will post some photos when I get to work .

Azcau · 03-22-2007, 01:54 PM

Here's a couple of photos

SpeedBump · 03-22-2007, 04:18 PM

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

944cabby · 03-22-2007, 09:18 PM

Azcau, how easy was it to undo the frame of the hood where it bolts to the body?

Azcau · 03-25-2007, 09:26 PM

Very simple. Once the hood and headlining are removed you have clear access to everything.

josephsc · 03-26-2007, 08:32 AM

Happens to 968 cabs all the time. There are discussions about it in other forums, such as here: http://www.968forums.com/index.php?showtopic=1060.

But that one looks very serious -- I've never heard of both of them snapping....

Azcau · 03-26-2007, 06:19 PM

Yeah , it wasn't a pretty site when it came in . It's all back together now and looks sensational !! I'll post some photos when I get home .

Thanks for the link , very interesting . There is only 80 of these 944 cabs in Australia , I have replaced B pillars and softtops on 2 of them and have now heard of 2 more (in Aus) that have had the same problem .

The new problem is the motors don't want to drive it . I initially had solenoid noise but nothing else so I checked the fuse box , found a dead one and tried again . This time I got a sound from the rear like the motors were trying to go but were being stopped by something ....... a sort of clunking noise . That stopped and I thought it must have blown the fuse again but no , it's fine and I'm back to just the relay noise . I'm now about to pull the rear quarters and shelf out and check the limit switches and possibly pull the gearboxes apart to see if they have overdriven and jammed up . This job is fast turning into a pain in the buttski . I'll let you know how I go .

adrian jaye · 03-27-2007, 03:54 AM

On the 968's you can lower the roof with the engine running
on the 944 you can't

hence my 944 cab defeat project

I suspect a number of these will be people trying to put the roof down while drivgin and hence it getting yanked,

possibly not breaking at the time but putting a strain on the pillars so they will snap

how may of us are 44/68 owners from new (showroom)? not a lot, so we dont know the history of what has been done to these cars

Quote:

Originally posted by josephsc
Happens to 968 cabs all the time. There are discussions about it in other forums, such as here: http://www.968forums.com/index.php?showtopic=1060.

But that one looks very serious -- I've never heard of both of them snapping....

Azcau · 04:25 AM

I found the problem with the drives . I inadvertantly squashed the drive cables ( both believe it or not ) with 2 of the nuts and washers that hold down the lower rear bow under the rear window thus not allowing the cables to spin freely . No damage , luckily , as these motors are worth a fortune . It's all working AOK now . Here's a couple of photos of the finished product .

jetmax · 03-28-2007, 09:40 AM

Yep, it happend to me as well.

jetmax · 03-28-2007, 09:42 AM

Azcau · 03-28-2007, 03:04 PM

Bugga , sorry to hear you've had the same problem .

If anybody can enlighten us to the cause I would be most appreciative.

rickh · 04-23-2008, 07:36 AM

My top is starting to bind a little too. I'm probably going to do the manual mode as well. I'd like to read the thread on the 968 forums but can't seem to get the registration process to work! Would someone be so kind as to send an email to the admin of that sight for me???

Also, my car didn't come with a owners manual let a lone a top manual. I've tried to find some but they are rarer than the cars are. Found the shop manual on-line but would love the other manuals...

Cking1975 · 04-23-2008, 01:41 PM

Wow...as I just bought a 994S2 cabrio, I think I will stick with the manual options I have been using...since this is not my main car, if this happened to me I would go with the option of stripping the top out of the car, throwing a roll cage in and going Factory 5 style.

Cking1975 · 04-23-2008, 01:42 PM

In addition you could buy these parts wayyyy cheaper used !!!

adrian jaye · 04-24-2008, 01:12 AM

had my cab since 2000, no probs.

doesnt anyone do basic checks and lubrications of parts anymore ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cking1975

Wow...as I just bought a 994S2 cabrio, I think I will stick with the manual options I have been using...since this is not my main car, if this happened to me I would go with the option of stripping the top out of the car, throwing a roll cage in and going Factory 5 style.

1-tamad · 04-24-2008, 05:53 AM

How do you convert to manual?

And how do you 'do basic checks and lubrication of parts'?

Francis

rickh · 04-29-2008, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jetmax

Mine just broke too! Only had the car for three months and disn't know this would be an issue...

Where did you get the replacement B-pilar and how much? I see the 968 pilar for 1k! The 944S2 pilars look the same and are $300??? I heard the seals are different but can't we use the old seals? One guy I talked to said it was a big job and I'd be better of just replacing the entire frame... That's a pretty costly thing too...

Oh my...