924S Problem

[howlingdogsteve]

Hi All,

I just looked at a 924S that I'm thinking about buying.
Overall car is in nice shape, however the idle seems pretty rough.
Car runs strong but when you come to a stop light it is shakey.
Also, I rev it and let off the gas fast, for a second or so feels like it could stall (down to 750RPMs and then back up to 1000).
Kinda reminds me of decel valve problems on old VW's.

Owner tells me he had new engine mounts put in and new balance shafts.
Any ideas what's causing this?
Should I stay away from this car?
It's really clean and drives very nice.

Thanks

[John_AZ]

Welcome Steve,

How many miles?

When did he replace the timing belt?
If not recent and it breaks the valves bend. The engine is an Interferience engine and the pistons hit the valves if the belt brakes. This is very important.

Waterpump. When was it changed? $300 or more
Power steering rack. So you see leaks? $400 or so
Has he replaced the original rubber clutch disc? Very expensive. Parts +-$800 and labor 12 to 14 hours shop time.
Shocks-how old? $400 for Boge/Sachs OEM. Koni and Bilstein $$$$
Tires? Typical $400 and up
Alignment? $100 and up
Ask about gas fumes. Typical stress crack on top center of tank. Repair $100.
Head Gasket. 1987 924S has a defect head gasket. Has it been replaced? $500 parts and labor-this we do all the time ourselves.
Shift lever- does it feel sloppy left to right? This we fix or replace $50

Now back to your original question.
It may be a simple as the balance belt off a tooth or so. Why did he replace the Balance shafts? This is NOT normal. Caution.
New engine mounts. Did he put in OEM for $350 a pair or aftermarket for $100 a pair? Some of the aftermarket do not hold up.

Idle with a good running car gets bad due to vacuum leaks-could be simple or real bad.

Do not trust your gut and get swept in. Get a professional inspection PPI at a good Porsche shop.

The 1987 has a good engine. The 1988 is a lot better. Keep looking.
Here is a link for more info
http://www.connact.com/~kgross/FAQ/944faq05.html

GL and keep posting and let us know what you find.
John_AZ
1988 924S 60K + 1987 924S 113K
1979 924 + 1977.5 924 + 1970 914 1.7 +++===gone, past tutors

[howlingdogsteve]

Thanks for the info John.
Close to 70,000 miles.
T belt, water pump, either balance shafts or belts replaced around 1,000 miles ago.
Clutch unknown but felt good.
Tires ok but not for winter driving.
Shocks and alignment feel good.
Car's a little rattlely over bad roads.
Shifter excellent.
What are ballpark $$'s for clean 1988's?

[John_AZ]

Originally Posted by howlingdogsteve

Thanks for the info John.
Close to 70,000 miles.
T belt, water pump, either balance shafts or belts replaced around 1,000 miles ago.
Clutch unknown but felt good.
Tires ok but not for winter driving.
Shocks and alignment feel good.
Car's a little rattlely over bad roads.
Shifter excellent.
What are ballpark $$'s for clean 1988's?

Steve,

The easy Q-$$$
Pelican has a wealth of info and the tech section radio button ^^ above has info on the cars. The production run of the 1988 924S was 2190 sent to the USA.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/944/tech_specs/production_runs.htm

It seems the most of the 924S and 944 ended up on the east coast, NY and surrounding area and Florida.

So the answer depends on where you live. The SW USA-my area, has a few come up for sale. The cars in general have not had to run on many salted roads. The bodies held up, bolts not rusted up and not flooded by Katrina or other storm.
In decent shape and if you wait a while-$5000 (+- $1500-depending on recent maintenance)
You should also look at the 1988 944 and of course the "S" series.

Now back to your 1987...

A good seller will offer to show you his reciepts. A dealer or roadside seller will act dumb and imply with no proof.

Mileage-ALL 924S odometers have broken and the repair may have been delayed for years. BTW-never reset the odometer while in motion on these cars.

Tires-Check date of MFG
http://www.aa1car.com/library/tire_expire.htm
Rattlely over rough roads-Your struts, shock and most likely all rubber bushings are shot.

Clutch unknown-If he will not tell you, it has the rubber clutch disc and you will spend BIG dollars. A bad rubber disc missing small bits of rubber will vibrate at 3300 to 3500 RPM --test drive and shift often.

MORE-look in the coolant overflow tank. Do you see any brown foamy milkshake?
RUN AWAY- If he left it in too long the rod bearings are damaged-$$$$

Use the www.autotrader.com and http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites
or any to check local prices.

GL
John_AZ

[howlingdogsteve]

Anybody have a Car Fax they could run a vin on?

Thanks so much
Steve

[John_AZ]

Originally Posted by howlingdogsteve

Anybody have a Car Fax they could run a vin on? Thanks so much. Steve

Explanation provided......
Carfax help

GL
John_AZ