Good buy? 944 with some baggage

[aredhemi]

hi all,

I decided to pass on the last 924s I was looking at. Today I found a fellow who is selling an red 1986 944, beige interior (both exterior and interior in good condition). He says its a complete car with the exception of a steering wheel (?). I'm not too worried about that, I can get one from autozone until I can find a used one.

What does scare me a bit is that he says hes owned it for about 6 years, he bought it to scavenge the engine and clutch (the clutch is new he says) for another project 944 he had. He ended up selling the other car so has no need for this one. The only issue he knew of is something screwy with the wiring harness which prevents it from running. He has another harness and fusebox that will go with the car however.

I suppose my question for the gurus is as follows;

1) Is swapping out the wiring harness hard to do, and

2) What all will need to be done to bring her out of hibernation once the electrical issues are fixed?

I'm decent with cars and would love to have a 944 as a small project.

Oh yeah, he wants $450 for the car, extra harness/fusebox, other assorted parts from his other car.

Good buy or run away?? Thanks in advance guys, have a great new year

[Rasta Monsta]

Seek a guarantee that there are no bent valves. As soon as you get it home, do the front of engine service. Crank it and check the compression. If you get any zeros, get a refund. If you get compression, drain the fuel tank, blow out the lines, replace fuel filter, take injectors for servicing. Change coolant, engine oil, gear oil, brake fluid. Take radiator for servicing/flow testing. Refresh engine vaccuum system. Refresh plug wires, cap & rotor. See if it starts. Report back here before driving so we can talk about brake lines, suspension components.




rasta

P.S. If it were me, and the wiring were compromised, I would run away unless I was deleting the factory wiring (race car).

[Dave L]

sounds like this car has more baggage than JFK, and I'm talking about the airport.

For $450 you cant really lose money, only your sanity. If you wernt able to get the car running you could part it out.

[Grandad#3]

Heck, If the wheels are in good shape you might be able to get the $450 back. The car is worth more just in parts. Go for it and tinker around learning as you go. There is a wealth of information on here and links we will post for you to read up on. How do you plan on getting the car home? You can't tow it like a regular car.

Cheers,
Larry

[Mike C5]

Yea as long as everything is there you can always part it and make a few bucks.

[John_AZ]

aredhemi,

I knew the name sounded familiar .

Glad you are still looking. Even without the steering wheel it is worth $450.

I just reread your first post and expect the same issues.

New to Community, looking at buying 924s

Quote aredhemi--"I'm decent with cars and would love to have a 944 as a small project."

I am not sure you have grasped the rebirth of a 22 YO , money sucking, knuckle busting, spirit killing 1986 944 .

GL
John_AZ

[aredhemi]

Originally Posted by John_AZ

aredhemi,

I knew the name sounded familiar .

Glad you are still looking. Even without the steering wheel it is worth $450.

I just reread your first post and expect the same issues.

New to Community, looking at buying 924s

Quote aredhemi--"I'm decent with cars and would love to have a 944 as a small project."

I am not sure you have grasped the rebirth of a 22 YO , money sucking, knuckle busting, spirit killing 1986 944 .

GL
John_AZ

well that is quite encouraging I call it a small project because it wouldn't be my daily driver. When my subaru or the wifes jeep dies, thats a big project.

[Brando]

I have to agree, if looking to make a driver, electrical issues will make you lose your mind. Re-wiring a 924 way back in the day was a 2-person project for me. If you're worried about the money, at least you can recover more than 450 in parts.

Get a report of the extent of wiring damage, then our shock and despair, that should give you an idea.

[porsche4life]

I'd give the 450 for it... But I wouldnt plan on getting it running... Replacing the whole wiring harness would be madness on this car....

[Grandad#3]

If the engine has set up for 6 years pull the plugs and put Kroil into the cylinders and let it set. This will free up the rings. I would do this before I even tried to turn the engine over by hand. More likely than not you will have some oil leaks once the engine runs for a while. Plan on sending the injectors out for a refurbish. Be sure to check the rubber fuel lines at fuel rail for dry rot or just replace them to be safe. Budget in at least $1k and that is on the low side for new stuff needed.

Cheers,
Larry

[mikepellegrini]

I'd go for it. $450 ain't nothing. And that's not a speculative investment - if you couldn't double your money easily, parting it out, I'd be real surprised - if the electrical issues are insurmountable.

If it's an electrical issue preventing it running, it's more likely an issue with the engine wiring harness and those are easy to replace.

But you need to do diagnosis first.

Clark's troubleshooting guide is great: Troubleshooting - Engine

Go right down the line - check if there's spark, gas and so on. If it is spark, it could be the sensors, the coil, the distributor, the plug wires, the plugs and so on - the harness would be way down my list of things to check.

If it was a harness problem, the most likely is that the wire going into the speed and reference sensor plugs (DME harness side) they become brittle and crack, creating intermittant no-start problems. That's a common problem - and if you have a new engine harness, easy to fix.

You just gotta be methodical and isolate the cause.

Yeah, I would absolutely buy the car - it really is a great price. Think of it as the same as buying a year's supply of video games... ($65 X7 = $450). No real money at all!

[aredhemi]

Originally Posted by Grandad#3

Heck, If the wheels are in good shape you might be able to get the $450 back. The car is worth more just in parts. Go for it and tinker around learning as you go. There is a wealth of information on here and links we will post for you to read up on. How do you plan on getting the car home? You can't tow it like a regular car.

Cheers,
Larry

On a flat bed I would imagine.

[bxtech]

I agree..........for $450, you really can't go wrong. You will definitely NOT lose since you can always part it out and make your money back plus more! However, there are a lot of hassles that go along with parting out a car too! Not sure if you want to deal with that. In either case, judging from the response here.......it looks like there are a number of other members that would be happy to take it off your hands if you decide to abandon the project! Overall, I think your risk factor is pretty low!

[piperporsche180]

$450? If you dont buy it give me the guy's number, theres room for another 944 in my garage!