Let me introduce myself

[Bmangler88]

Hello All,
My Name is Brent. I Just bought my first Porsche on Aug. 1, 2009. I wanted to tell the story of how it went down. Beware this could get long.

History: I found her on Auto Trader. My Dad and I drove from Dallas to Houston to look at the car. She was a fine example of a 1988 944 Turbo S, guards red w/ black interior. It was obvious upon seeing the car that she had been neglected and was in dire need of some TLC. Paint was original but faded and worn, but overall no major scratches. There is some minor body damage on the front left fender just behind the wheel. Its hard to see unless you get at just the right angle and look down the the side of the car. The small trim piece in front of the door was off the car as a result but was in the glove box. The wheels were dirty but original, one had a small curbing incident.

Interior was in decent shape, few cracks on the dash, odometer was frozen at 49,188. There was a small quarter sized hole in the passenger seat where the stitching let go, driver side seat had some ware from getting in and out of the car but no holes, rear hatch carpet faded and a little worn, gear shifter leather was torn, dome light was missing, parking brake needed adjustment, sunroof didn't work, trunk lid was stuck shut. All minor stuff.

She was in a garage where she had been sitting long enough for one of the tires to slowly leak down to a few pounds of psi over a month or two, but still had good tread left. There was a very small silver dollar sized oil spot that took more than a month to accumulate. She started right up and idled smoothly. She did have that notorious worn engine mount vibration at idle though. My dad and I aired up the tire and took her for a little spin around the neighborhood. Every thing seemed in working order. The steering and the transmission were tight. The turbo spooled up and had good strong boost. The suspension was tight and quiet other than the fact you could hear and feel every little bump on the road but thats normal for a racing suspension. She was still quick and agile like one would expect from a 944T.

The Story: According to the seller this was the history of the car but there were no documents to back it up other than a photo copy of the original window sticker and all the numbers did match up. She was bought new at Don McGills Porsche in Houston by a rich oil tycoon apparently his wife was not satisfied with the sporty nature of the car and so they parked it out side next to a barn where it sat for at least 10 years. The seller and his brother found the car about nine or ten years ago and bought it. They had it tuned up and detailed used it as a weekender car. He said the odometer quit working a few years ago around 2003 and he hadn't put any more than 20,000 on it since then (whatever) no way to prove must be bs. Anyway I was able to talk him down $2000 off the asking price of $7900. And off we went for the long trek back to Dallas.

The drive back was better than expected. The car ran great all the way and I was thoroughly impressed with the performance at freeway speeds, even took her up to 120 mph at one point. Now I have my work cut out for me I started ordering parts and fixing broken stuff. I will keep you posted and try to include some pics later.

Thanks for your interest I'm sure i will have plenty of questions once I dive into this project.

BM

[strath44]

Hi Brent congrats on your purchase and welcome. Get some pics up asap!!

Sounds like you know a bit about 944s from the way your speaking everything else you can find here!!!

This made me smile...............

"She was a fine example of a 1988 944 Turbo S, guards red w/ black interior. It was obvious upon seeing the car that she had been neglected and was in dire need of some TLC"

hehe isn't that a contradiction in terms!!

I think 944 owners have a special quality myself included for looking a possible dog in the eyes and still seeing massive potential - I love that!

[slow944s]

Welcome Brent! Hope to see you at some of the many events put on by Maverick Region when you get the car all squared away. 2nd tuesday of each month there is a lunch gathering at Spring Creek BBQ there in Lewisville. Stop by and have lunch with us. Also check out our Web site www.mavpca.com.

[Grandad#3]

Hi Brent, A BIG WELCOME to the Knuckle Buster Club. Did your seller tell you when he last changed the cam belt and water pump? If you don't know, PLEASE, change the cam, balance and all rollers. If the cam belt brakes on that engine you are looking at close to 2K in repairs. The Cam tower has a chain and sprocket affair that has a pad that should be looked at for wear. The "S" 16 valve is expensive to repair, so preventive maintenance is very important.

Happy Wenching, er "Wrenching"
Larry

[Bmangler88]

Replys to Grandad#3 and slow944s

slow944s: I was toying with the idea of joining PCA. In fact I have a kinda unique connection. The company I work for, Multibriefs has recently signed an agreement with PCA to publish a weekly news brief that will go out to all PCA members. I am a "content editor" meaning, I find all the news stories that I believe the association members would like to read and edit/publish them in the news briefs every week. Unfortunately the PCA project was not assigned to me. Instead a female colleague of mine was given the project, even thought she has absolutely no interest in cars at all much less the unique world of Porsche. The contract was signed and given to her the week before I bought the 944. The Monday morning after I bought her, I mentioned to my boss that I was now the proud owner of a Porsche and that I should be working on the PCA project. He just kinda blew me off. I'm still dropping hints and pleading my case but don't see anything changing. I will however, try to make the monthly lunch -love Spring Creek BBQ especially the rolls- just to get to know the group and see if membership is in my near future. Keep me posted on any dates and times when I can come out and meet the crew. The 944 is running and is presentable but she isn't in tip top condition, which I intend to change.

Grandad#3: I have heard and read about the timing and cam balance belts on these cars being a constant issue. This past weekend I took the covers off the timing belts and took a quick gander, even though I had no idea what I was looking for other than cracked or worn out belts. The belts actually looked to be in pretty good shape leading me to believe they had been replaced at some point. I also hand checked the the tension of both and the timing belt seemed kinda loose to me, compared to the balance belt, even though I have nothing to reference it to so I left it alone. I would like to get back in there and inspect the chain and sprocket pad you mentioned. I didn't really see any chains in that area but then again I was just looking at the timing and balance belts. If you have any details or resources on checking the above mentioned pad, It would be very helpful in navigating me to the area. These cars have lots of stuff crammed under the hood and there isn't much space to work in there. It is going to take some getting used to, considering I have only owned various Chevrolet pickups in my life until now. I am eager and exited to tinker with my new baby. If you think I should just have the belts professionally inspected then I am willing to pay a few bucks to be sure I don't risk catastrophic failure in that area.


If any one knows a reputable Porsche mechanic in the north Dallas area please let me know. There are a couple of other things I would like to have looked at while she's in experienced hands.

I added the only photo I took from my phone couple days after I bought her.


Thanks for the info Guys... more pics coming this week

BM

[porsche4life]

Looks good. Now time to have some fun. Join the PCA and run Autocross. If you get interested make the drive up and run with the Warbonnet region in OKC. We have a very large facility and run fast laps. We also usually have a big 944 and 951 turnout.

[ParkerFya]

I would highly recommend changing the belts before you drive it again. Without knowing when they where changed last and the car being neglected as you said, I would say its probably time for a belt and water pump job.

[jsteve340]

Congratulations ! and welcome. It looks like a nice car.
Can I suggest that you not make any more 120mph runs until you go through this car.You mentioned leaky tires.If they have been on that car for a long time while it was sitting in storage,they may not be safe for that kind of driving.I would hate to have one blow out on you at those speeds.

[Grandad#3]

Hello Brent,
A few areas to look up and read for maintenance, ideas, and of course read all Tech Fourms.

http://www.texasblake.com/
http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/repair-procedure-index3.htm
http://www.944online.com/ (Tech Forum)
http://www.the944.com/
944time.com
Rennlist (Tech Forum)

Happy motoring,
Larry

[slow944s]

This club is very "Family Oriented" with lots of things to do as a family. I really like the Sunday Fun Drives, you get to see and learn alot about the history of our area. DE's for the SO's isalways fun and then there is Auto X and Time Trials. Hope to see you at some of them soon, but get the belts rollers and water pump changed ASAP, Mine broke going to work one morning and it cost me $4K by the time it was all done......Jerry

[ernie9944]

Brent very nice machine take care of it ,it will last you a long time with proper maintenance, a piece of advice don't wait until the last minute to replace things, will save you a lot of $$$ in a long run*****have a good time ,be safe

[carlege]

Originally Posted by slow944s

This club is very "Family Oriented" with lots of things to do as a family. I really like the Sunday Fun Drives, you get to see and learn alot about the history of our area. DE's for the SO's isalways fun and then there is Auto X and Time Trials. Hope to see you at some of them soon, but get the belts rollers and water pump changed ASAP, Mine broke going to work one morning and it cost me $4K by the time it was all done......Jerry

from what i have heard the Club is full of pompus ass's that brag about how much they spend on their car in repairs that they pay shops to do... And give you blank stares and stupid answers like (do you have gas in the car) when you ask them a simple dighnostic question about a no start situation. But thats just what i have heard.

[Techno Duck]

Well what you've heard is incorrect. I have met some good friends through PCA DE and auto-x events. That includes people willing to trailer your car home from the track while you drive there car on slicks due to a breakdown or other unfortunate event.. That saves you a mega tow bill and being stranded. I have seen guys i the paddock helping diagnose problems on cars when they should have been staging. When I broke a sway bar mount my friend let me drive up on his trailer to replace it, all the while another friend was handing me the tools I needed. Just a few if the pompus asshats you meet.

Why are all your posts on here and Rennlist so cynical, I'm not even just referencing this post. You atleast seem to try and be pleasant on Reuterwork.

[carlege]

Originally Posted by Techno Duck

Why are all your posts on here and Rennlist so cynical, I'm not even just referencing this post. You atleast seem to try and be pleasant on Reuterwork.

Im pleasant everywhere. what i was saying i "heard" was exactly what i heard. From a Houstion member (and the "Do you have gas in the car" actually happened). Do you see many stupid post on reutterwerk? I dont.

And while we are at it lets redefine "ALL" if your going to so hastily call me out.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-944-turbo-turbo-s/491717-951-runs-more-worse-after-taking-shop-post4837666.html?highlight=carlege#post4837666
My car is going crazy...
Engine Cutting out at 2900 RPM
High speed cooling issue?
Stereo

Just took these from a top search for my name... i dont see ALL cynical post

[HondaDustR]

The name is confusing, but the Turbo S is still an 8 valve motor, so no cam chain to worry about. Definitely change the belts though. If they've been sitting around, even with no miles on them, they begin to break down. What happens alot is a few teeth just strip off unannounced, and then you're really in for it. You can't really tell just by looking at it, as even an old belt that's long overdue can look "good". It's not worth the risk. Check out the clarks-garage shop manual and do a search on pelican forums for lots of good advice and procedures on how to replace and properly tension the belts before you start it again.

[Rasta Monsta]

Pay attention to what you are hearing. . .with unknown belt history, belts and WP should be changed before EVER starting the car again.

But then again, I am looking for black leather interior bits. . .those wheels are pretty nice, too!

[HondaDustR]

Originally Posted by Rasta Monsta

But then again, I am looking for black leather interior bits. . .those wheels are pretty nice, too!

LOL That's just bad...

[TibetanT]

Brent, first and foremost "welcome" to the Pelican boards and Porsche ownership!

Looks like you got yourself a nice car there.

In reading your first post, I did not see any mention of maintenance records. By the sounds of it, this cars odometer stopped at 49K and the previous owner says they put around 20K miles on it. If the odometer is stuck, then there really is no way to tell how long it has been since serious maintenance has been done.

The fact that the car drove as well as it did is great news. However, let's keep this "baby" on the road, okay? So, my advise is to do a 60K maintenance A.S.A.P..
This would entail the following (just a friendly suggestion):
New water pump, new timing belt, new balance shaft belt, new rollers, change all the oil seals while you are in there, new plugs, new rotor, new distributor cap (maybe even plug wires). This maintanance should not be more than around $650.00 for all the parts. The fact that you said your timing belt was loose compared to the balance shaft belt is a point of interest.

Then, put her in the air and do a physical inspection of the drive train, transmission, and brake/suspension system. You want to do this just in case the brake sensors have been removed and the light on the dash is not coming on. Of course, you should be able to tell by looking at the brake calipers whether or not the brake pads are still good.

Just my .02 cents.

Glad someone who loves these cars is the "new" owner! Enjoy the ride.

[TexasBlake]

Mine was also bought new at Don McGills Porsche. I've actually tracked down the original owner of my car, but haven't ever contacted him.

Originally Posted by Techno Duck

Well what you've heard is incorrect..

No, what he head is correct. I'm the guy who told him. The Houston PCA club seems to be a very 911 club. Basically, if you don't own a 911, they don't want to talk to you, they don't care about you, you don't exist, you don't drive a real Porsche. The 944 guys that I've met were all very nice, I guess because they all receive the same treatment. I've also met a bunch of older guys with Boxters who were really nice. Basically, just stay away from the younger 911 owners. They have something to prove and enjoy smelling the hint of rose that is in their toilet. Of course, I haven't been to any PCA events since the near crashing of the oil industry here last month. It could be totally different now.

[Techno Duck]

That is unforuate, most all of the guys I have met have been really friendly, real Porsche or not. Of course there are always those other guys but that is in any club, book or car. Granted my experience is from the MetroNY region, if anything I think it would be better in the south.

BTW Blake, I found a place in Pasadena. Thanks for the recommendation on areas to look at.