New Owner - Few Qs

[admd14]

I recently bought an 87 944T with 77k miles. It is in great condition and I have been enjoying driving it the past few weeks.

The PO took very good care of the car and has only put a few thousand miles in the last 2 years.

The last time the brake, clutch and coolant fluid was flushed was about 4 years ago. Do you recommend getting this done? I just had his old mechanic look it over and give it an oil change. The PO used 20w50 Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil. The mechanic used synthetic 5w40. ($60 with OC-142 filter)

He said the front wheel bearings needed to be adjusted since when he pulled on the wheels when the car was up on the lift there was a little movement.

He quoted me $200 to do the coolant flush, brake flush and to adjust the wheel bearings. Good deal? I'm thinking of asking him to add the clutch fluid change as well.

Thanks!

[ernie9944]

[QUOTE=admd14;5354318]I recently bought an 87 944T with 77k miles. It is in great condition and I have been enjoying driving it the past few weeks.

The PO took very good care of the car and has only put a few thousand miles in the last 2 years.

The last time the brake, clutch and coolant fluid was flushed was about 4 years ago. Do you recommend getting this done? I just had his old mechanic look it over and give it an oil change. The PO used 20w50 Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil. The mechanic used synthetic 5w40. ($60 with OC-142 filter)

He said the front wheel bearings needed to be adjusted since when he pulled on the wheels when the car was up on the lift there was a little movement.

He quoted me $200 to do the coolant flush, brake flush and to adjust the wheel bearings. Good deal? I'm thinking of asking him to add the clutch fluid change as well.

Thanks!_____ _______ Yes you should change all the fluids including transaxle after four years repack & adjust the front bearings both side. If there is any doubt that the bearings are bad install new one while your in there.By the way brakes & clutch fluid are the same. Have fun & enjoy:

[SolReaver]

Check to see how old your timing belts are and carry a spare DME relay.

[944 Ecology]

Originally Posted by SolReaver

Check to see how old your timing belts are and carry a spare DME relay.

And a credit card with a large available amount. And a cell phone.

[SolReaver]

My first year with the Porshe....AAA card and a box of road tools in the back.
(totally serious here folks)

Clean ALL the electrical connections you can think of and find, including the fuses and fusebox (got spare fuses?) check the CV bolts are tight and inspect, clean and inspect everything again. Find problems BEFORE they find you.

[John_AZ]

Congratulations on the purchase.
Did you get any past receipts on work done? Did his mechanic have a history on the car in his shop? The point I am getting at is even with low mileage, there are 2 repairs that will happen.

For some reason the '87 cars had head gasket issues. They deterioated. When this happens, you will see a puff of smoke out of your exhaust a minute after start up. If your spark plugs look steam cleaned, this is another indication.

The next repair is the rubber center clutch. Mileage means nothing. The rubber disc just breaks apart in little chunks. If you have a vibration when you shift at 2900 to 3300 rpm it is the tell tale sign.

If the PO used Valvoline VR1 20-50 Racing oil -----one of the best oils for our cars with a lot of ZDDP anti friction additive.........why would his mechanic switch to a synthetic 5-40??
Do you live in a sub zero climate?

At least the mechanic knew enough to use only a Mahle OC-142 filter with the correct oil anti drain valve for our cars.


On the brake flush. Make sure the mechanic uses a DOT 4 fluid. Pelican sells a litre of ATE super blue for $15. If he uses a DOT 3, ask for the upgrade.

Pelican Parts - Product Information: 706302-M4

Welcome and GL
John

[admd14]

I have AAA Gold so I only drive the car within 100 miles of the mechanic.

The timing belt was done about 12k miles ago as was the clutch. It has a Stage2/3 Hybrid clutch from Lindsey Racing. It was tough to get used to at first but it's fine now.

I have some past receipts from work done on the car. The PO did a lot of the work himself since he formerly was a mechanic, but the bigger stuff like the clutch, exhaust and performance mods were done with the mechanic I went to.

There is no puff of smoke on start up. The compression test was done by the PO and each cylinder was 155.

Is the synthetic a bad option for these cars? or is the weight too light? He works on all German cars, Porsches, Audis and BMWs mainly and uses this oil in most of those cars.

I briefly discussed the brake flush with him and he was going to use a BG fluid. Not sure which one. IF this is not recommended I'll buy the Superblue and ask him to use that.

[John_AZ]

Originally Posted by admd14

Is the synthetic a bad option for these cars? or is the weight too light? He works on all German cars, Porsches, Audis and BMWs mainly and uses this oil in most of those cars...

Many view points on conventional VS synthetic and weight.
If you have a couple of hours here is a link that almost exhausts the possibilities.

Ultimate Motor Oil Thread or Why we hate CJ4/SM oils

This is a link as to why I use a 20-50...
928 AUSTRALIA - Bruce's Tech Tips - Bruce Buchanan, Independent Porsche Repairer

The PO from Chicago or nearby used the correct oil in my opinion.
Some synthetics will cause the front seals to leak.

Our cars are 24 years old. The mechanic you use probably works on newer cars with engines specificly designed to use a thin synthetic especially on start up when "oil flow" is more important than "friction and wear" in our engines.

GL
John_AZ

[krystar]

how about i do coolant flush and brake/clutch fluid flush and check on yer bearings for $100

[admd14]

I'll just switch back the oils on the next change. Would that cause any issues? Or should I swap oil now? Do I need to flush the engine when switching oils?

The mechanic had a late 80s 911 and a 928 in the other two bays, so he seemed to work on older Porsches.

[John_AZ]

Your call. No flush needed whenever/whatever you decide to do.

At some time---in the far future---if you need a flush or have a oil cooler housing seal malfunction--------get a can of SeaFoam and follow the can instructions. Put it in before you change the oil. SeaFoam also helps the lifters if you begin to hear a slight tapping inside the cam housing on startup.

Valvoline racing oil is the best for ZDDP as I mentioned.
I use Castrol conventional oil 20-50 since I got my 924Ss in '96 & '98 every 3000 miles.

PepBoys has a sale on Castrol 5.5 quarts of 20-50 for $14.99 until 30 May '10 or while supplies last.

GL
John

[admd14]

I put SeaFoam in the oil 30 miles before I got the oil change (same day). I'll do it again on the next one.

Thanks John, very helpful.