What's wrong with my 944??
 

I recently purschased a 1985/1 944 and so far this is what i've noticed:


I'm curious to see if the car has a blown head, but I can't tell. Here are the symptoms i've seen:
-white smoke (sweet smell)
-oil/brake fluid/power steering leaks (where can I find gaskets for these leaks?), but NO coolant leaks
-I just flushed my radiator today and saw that coolant was normal green, so that brought some relief
-car has a rough idle
-the car is rather slow. I know the 2.5 NA is not fast by today's standards but still, it gets to 60 in double figures which is a little worrying/annoying since it used to be 8 seconds or so when it was new.

Then there' a problem with the speedometer assembly and signal light assembly:
-speedometer and odometer havent worked since I got the car
-all other gauges work, and the tachometer works about half the time. It will just randomly come to life.
-On the assembly where the signal light controls are, I cannot turn off the high beams. I push back and forth and have tried to manuever it anyway possible, but when the headlights are on, high beams are always on. Is the switch somewhere else?

To add to the leaks:
-Whenever I fill up gas, the car smells strongly like gas afterward. Is there a tube which passes through the interior of the car which may have been broken? I looked in the right wheel well in the trunk one day and found a ton of water in there (and i had looked a month before and it was completely clean). Anyone have any clue about this?

My A/C:
-Only hot air comes out of the vents and when I bury my foot the air goes to the floor. I'm pretty sure this is a leak, but how do I repair this on my own (or can I?)

I'm only 17 and an amateur mechanic, so any tips on these issues would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Number 1:

The best place to get parts is right here at Pelican Parts. The best customer service (by far), and the prices are within a few pennys of everybody else, usually a few pennys lower.

The gas smell:

The filler tube is probably loose where it enters the tank.

For just about everything else:

Did you get a PPI (Pre-Purchase Inspection) by somebody knowledgable about 944s prior to your purchase? If not, it's time to get a "Post-purchase inspection". That way you will have a clear picture of what your car needs to bring it back where it belongs.

I hope you can fix these issues easily, and you enjoy the car.

well first off welcome to Pelican.


to help about the white smoke. white smoke is coolant burning. and that sweet smell/taste is the glucose from the anti freeze. also you can check your engine oil for what is know as a milkshake "oil/coolant mixture" also another sign of a bad headgasket. it's also a good idea to have it compression testesd before diggin in.

the power steering: most 944 power steering leaks; mostly in yor case it's a bad hose or a loose clamp.


i got my first porsche at 15; same year as yours infact. working on 44's is very easy compared to some domestic's.

if it does end up being a head gasket; after you get the cam tower off it's a breeze.

do a compression test, also check the spark plug coloration- is that a word?

Thanks for your input guys. I will get a compression test done soon, and I did check the spark plugs, and they are squeaky clean, no green tint or carbon build up. I also wanted to know why I'm getting poor gas mileage and slow acceleration in my car if anyone knows. I get around 18 MPG and highway is even worse sometimes believe it or not. Moreover, the car feels very slow, and Im not sure what are the possible symptoms to look for, or why this is happening. Could it possibly be a bad/old intake filter, or exhaust leak or something? Thanks again.

First thing I would do is change the oil. That alone will tell you many things. Such as...another indicator of a blown head gasket, metal in the oil (also bad), how low the car is on oil, etc.

How long did it sit before you bought it? If more then a month, get a can or two of Heat to help clean up the gas, drive till it's empty and then change the fuel filter.

For vacuum leaks go with the vacuum hose kit from lindsey racing.

Get a compression/leakdown test done.

if you dont have any records to prove otherwise, do the belts/rollers immediatly. Possibly the water pump too.

Also go through and start reading www.clarks-garage.com. practically every process is listed there. Doesn't always have pictures, but it is a very good place to start.

Start figuring out what parts you need. Some things should be bought new, some things you can only get used (such as the light switch). then for the used items, put a post out on the classifieds section. Some of us are always parting out cars or have many parts in the garage.