Name my 944 problem

[marko]

From what you described, it sounds to me like you have a bad alternator/voltage regulator that has not been charging the battery. You here clicking when trying to crank the engine, classic for a marginal battery. You may have charged the battery overnight, but that won't matter if you have a bad or marginal battery. Not enough cranking amps to start the car, but enough to run the car while the alternator is disconnected. The alternator could be putting out an erratic voltage causing the car to run rough.
I would start by making sure the battery is good. Autozone will test it for free. Also measure the voltage across the battery while the car is running and make sure the voltage reading is solid and not fluctuating. Around 13.8vdc or so.

[ernie9944]

Originally Posted by rick13

its junk. Sell it ! think 951

Had the same piece of (junk) an 83 that I love an took care of for 26 yrs, not once did the car left me stranded ,so why should he sell it to get another piece of junk .All of those cars 924 -944 NA -S -S2-951 & 968 are getting to be over 20 yrs old ,parts are getting old on them and tend to wear out witch is normal .Don't come & tell me that your 951 is perfect with not a single issue.So in a way your reply is kind of insulting to a lot of peoples out there.

[mayPOR944]

trust me, u will have to love to work on 944, cause face it, its old its gonna need work mine only has 55k and i have a list that doesn't end, as long as i fix it myself its not bad some, parts are $$$ but at the end of the day I take it for a ride makes it all worth it!!

[Jrboulder]

I got a new switch
I'm going to pop it in and then go from there.
Thanks everyone for your advice!

[rick13]

to my canadian brother:
my deepest apologies. but...let me be that guy...i'm just having fun , i love this forum and appreciate all yalls help. my 951 is still technically junk, on jack stands, and closing in on a 3 year rebuild. "project 951 the legend" continues ; my family just upgraded her condition from "if" she gets finished to "when"........... yeahhh! ...my car is made fun of on a regular basis ... lol, i try not to let it bother me (although sometimes it does). sometimes though, it is kinda funny , every forum needs the guy to make people laugh. so insure it, then drive it off a cliff. dont forget to jump out first

smith out !

[Jrboulder]

I'm getting closer!

I replaced the ignition switch and ground strap today.

Fired right up and idled perfect. then the idle started to fluctuate by 25 rpms...then 50...then it was running really poorly as it warmed up.

It was honestly sounding like the starter was cought on the ring gear as well. I replaced that a few days ago.

[geofen8036]

The battery cable could be rotten. Not getting enough current. Can you measure the amps in the starter cable. I've come across this before with 25 year old wires.

[HondaDustR]

If there are bad connections that prevent the battery from putting a charging load on the alternator, it can put out erratic or high voltage. Autozone and others will test alternators for free, too.

If you haven't yet, just pull the DME connector off and reinstall it. Sometimes there might be a bit of surface corrosion on the pins that will get broken up in the process. Try running with the o2 sensor unplugged and see if the problem goes away. Test the DME temp sensor. Sensors and Gauges - Information, Troubleshooting, and Testing

[Jrboulder]

Okay, so I pulled the DME and opened it up. It doesn't look bad but you never know.
I hooked it up again and disconected the O2 sensor. It seems like the problem is still here.
It is 11 degrees out so I can't do too much to it now.

[carsonmx114]

My car started running bad once and it was the trottle position sensor. Try unplugging ur tps and see if it acts different.

[Jrboulder]

Thanks!
I'm going to try again tomarow morning so I will definitly try this.

[Slam]

Sounds like starter running on ring gear? It may be worth it to pull the starter and remove the solenoid. Give the piston a good polish, clean out the bore, apply a very, very thin sheen of white grease to the piston and reassemble. WYIT you can lube the drive gear on the starter itself, too.

All else, as above.

Have fun!

[Jrboulder]

I disconected the O2 sensor and it is the same thing.

The starter is a Bosh reman unit that was just put on due to the starter dieing.
It must be at a slight angle or something like that and not on properly.
I'm going to unplug the TPS and see what happens.

Also, before this it had a coolant leak on the back of the head where the hose meets the head. Could the sensor in that area have anything to do with this?
I don't exactly know what that one does but I would guess it's a temp sensor.

[Slam]

Hmmm... Starts fine and begins to run rough as it warms up? Have you checked/replaced your AAV (auxiliary air valve)? It may be stuck partly open. What happens if you babysit the car as it warms up and adjust the idle bypass on the throttle body as the engine warms up? You'll have to keep track of your adjustments as you go so you can return the bypass screw to its original setting, but if the car's getting too much or too little air depending on engine temp, you'll find it with this method. You may also have a slew of vacuum leaks (I'll go back and read your initial post, as I can't remember your list of what was done).

[Jrboulder]

Thanks again for your advice!
I have had vac leaks and this just doesn't seem like one. I think that I will start fiddling with the adjustments now. The most confusing par is that I took the alternator light bulb out and it ran great until it ran out of battery.

[drew1]

Do what Honda Duster says & clean those battery terminals

[Jrboulder]

HAHAHAHA

I'm kind of an idiot.

I finally got it home and pulled the alternator and took it to napa and it's totally fried.

I have a spare 115A off my 951 parts car, can I use it to replace my 90A?

[Jrboulder]

Well it looks like I will have to buy one. Oh well. At least the starter isn't catching on the ring gear anymore.

[Jrboulder]

I put an almost new alternator that was tested to work fine in it and now im having more troubles. It starts then immediatly dies. I don't have any clue as to what the problem is now.
What a pain in the A$$.