Coolant! ('86 944 N/A)

greygost · 08-02-2007, 07:26 AM

I just recently checked the coolant, and it was running a bit low. I didn't think much of it, so I topped it off and continued driving.

Yesterday the you-know-what hit the fan. During normal driving the engine temp skyrocketed. I limped home about a mile and shut the car off, hopefully no permanent damge was done. I checked the coolant resevoir and it was just about dry. I also checked the oil and it wasn't foamy, but it looked thin, and was bairly visable on the stick.

I'm thinking I have a bad head gasket. Maybe also a bad thermostat, causing overheating. Anyone have a similar problem? Is it a tough job to fix?

Give me some good news. Thanks.

nynor · 08-02-2007, 07:48 AM

could be cylinder head gasket time. check clarks-garage.com for a great write up on changing the gasket. could also be the oil pump and related parts. hard to tell without seeing what is going on. have you noticed any coolant leaks or white vapor at the tailpipe?

greygost · 08-02-2007, 08:13 AM

I haven't noticed anything from the tailpipe, but a friend driving behind me said he smelled some oil burning. My '44 burns a little bit, so I'm not sure if it was just normal burnoff or not. I'm going to take a closer look this afternoon. Thanks for the quick reply.

Techno Duck · Techno Duck's Garage

Does the car misfire on startup? That most likely means a blown headgasket.

Other than that.. check for leaks under the car? May want to pressure test the coolant cap. Its possible its not holding pressure and is allowing the coolant to boil off. The system must be pressurized so that the boiling temperature of the water is increased.

greygost · 09:13 AM

I havn't tried starting it up since I got it home last night, but as far as I know it fires up just fine. I checked my usual parking spot at work, and there were a few minor spots on the asphalt but nothing out of the norm. How do you pressure test the cap?

Eldorado · 08-02-2007, 09:36 AM

give it a "how to learn japanese in 2 weeks" book, and tell it there will be a test at the end...

greygost · 08-02-2007, 10:49 AM

haha good one. serious replies also welcome

blk924s · 08-02-2007, 11:43 AM

I don't know how to pressure test it, but take a look at the rubber sealing gasket on the cap to see if is visably shot, and make sure you've got the right cap rated to 1.5 bars.

S-G-Covin · 12:24 PM

Put a little oil in it and let it idle for a while, checking the temp regularly. Any damage you may have done, you already have driving it home most likely. If the temp guage is registering properly, it should go up gradually. if its one of those thats little better than an idiot light (the type that only tells you you're overheating after you've wasted your engine

) then DON'T DO THIS yet. Get coolant in and fixed first, then test.

The 924 and 944 are expected to burn a little oil. Blue smoke=bad. A little oily smell when your friend is tailgatting? Not so much.

You need to find out where your coolant went, however. It sounds like you've lost pressure and boiled it all off.
http://home.insightbb.com/~mmartin36/Pressure.htm
^^ not the same model, but this may help you for now in getting an idea whats involved. You need to get the psi for your cap from the Haynes Manual or Owner's manual. I'll check mine (i know I've a 924S, but we should have the same engine and coolant system) and get back to you when I can.

nynor · 08-02-2007, 12:21 PM

i second the faulty cap idea. getting a new cap is cheap and may fix the problem. also, check your plugs. if coolant is getting in the cylinders, they will be steam cleaned. you will have to check all of them.

greygost · 08-02-2007, 12:25 PM

come to think of it, when i parked yesterday (after a ride before things got really bad), I thought I saw a bit of steam creeping out from under the hood. I just recently topped off the oil, so at the time I thought it was just a misplaced drop of oil burning off the exhaust manifold. If it was in fact steam, this would be a good indication that the coolant is boiling off.

Once again thanks to everyone for the quick responses.

S-G-Covin · 01:28 PM

Replace the cap, flush your system and refill. See what she does and get back to us.

You'll need a pressure tester, a special tool or system designed to guage coolant pressure levels. I'm betting that you don't have one since we're all wondering "how to". Take it to a service station; they should be able to do it for you for a small fee. At least, thats what Haynes says on the subject...and little else

BTW: np for the assist and hope I've been of some help. All the questions I ask on these forums, it feels good to be of a little help

GreenWater · GreenWater's Garage

I have been having a lot of coolant issues with my 944 lately. At first I was "using" a lot of coolant. Come to find out, one of my hoses was split, but no puddle on the ground. It would hit the engine and boil away. So, check the hoses too. Then my water pump went out. That is another story. Make sure the hoses aren't cracked. Some you have to remove to see if they are cracked.

greygost · 08-02-2007, 05:49 PM

Alright...I figured out the culprit. All it took was a little bit of light and the right tool. I actually did have a pressure tester, and after hooking it up with a full tank of water the problem was quite obvious. My radiator had a substantial hole in it. I'm not sure how to explain the lack of spots in my driveway, but who knows.

Now, with the diagnostics taken care of, does anyone know if a 951 radiator will fit on my N/A 944? There's a used one on ebay for $50...I really don't want to fork over $250 for a brand new one. If not I guess I'll just bite the bullet...

Techno Duck · Techno Duck's Garage

Should fit a late 944 no problem, i think you need the lower radiator support from a turbo also..as the turbo radiator is taller.

mistertate · mistertate's Garage

No you actually don't need a lower core support to put a turbo radiator in an N/A. It's really cool, you just unbolt the lower core support and flip it over to accomodate the taller radiator

bearone2 · 08-21-2007, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greygost

Alright...I figured out the culprit. All it took was a little bit of light and the right tool. I actually did have a pressure tester, and after hooking it up with a full tank of water the problem was quite obvious. My radiator had a substantial hole in it. I'm not sure how to explain the lack of spots in my driveway, but who knows.

Now, with the diagnostics taken care of, does anyone know if a 951 radiator will fit on my N/A 944? There's a used one on ebay for $50...I really don't want to fork over $250 for a brand new one. If not I guess I'll just bite the bullet...

a few years ago i got a used one from partsheaven for $100 and never had any problems.