Barn Find - 84 944 sat for 20+ years

[dan10101]

Originally Posted by OK-944

I did the lawn tractor gas mix (about 50/50) with fuel from my previous 85.5, and this worked great. Not truly old fuel...but my guess is that as your fuel is from a full tank, this would work fine.
...
One question/concern of mine, which I've recently brought up in another thread...is that the quality of available new parts/components can be a bit variable - and it pays to look/ask around, and/or to rehab old original parts when practical. I'd like to gain more insight on this and am hoping that you'll chime in as you make progress. Thanks!

Good to know on the gas. I'll try that for sure. I have a couple of pieces of gas lawn equipment I can try it on before messing with my hot rod mower. (27hp, 10"wide tires, posi)

Parts quality is aways a give and take. I'm a bit selective when it comes to critical components, but most cases I'm shopping price. After all it's the name of our YouTube channel. Budget Outlaws. I've had very few failures over the last 20 years due to the quality of a 944 part.

I'm sure plenty of people will say that they only use xxx brand or xxx company. And I do like to pick good companies to work with. Returns are sometimes necessary. For example, the hatch strut that had a bad clip has already been replaced by the Vendor and it's fine.

I will say Pelican has been my first goto for parts purchases.

[OK-944]

As an example of my parts concern on a recent post I cited the comparison of the new, "upper level" Geba pump which I purchased recently, which exhibits a fair amount of casting artifacts...some of which look like they might interfere with the smooth flow of coolant - which I plan to shave off with my dremel. The pump I'd removed from my engine, on the other hand, is an original Porsche product - which had been installed years ago as a "rebuilt" unit. The bearing on this old pump still feels very solid, and the fit and finish of this pump is very obviously superior to that of the new Geba unit.

Another replacement item on my list is the fuel pump...and I really don't want to end up with a poor quality and/or counterfeit unit, which are apparently ubiquitous these days.

As for keeping things stock, my feeling is that I really would like to know how my car performed as it did originally from the factory...and I will try my best to achieve this. Then again, I've already replaced my throttle cam with the circular unit, as I had on my previous 85.5 (best 30 buck upgrade IMHO), which itself had been chipped...giving a noticeably livelier driving experience - which I'll admit that I enjoyed! So I just might go ahead and chip my '87, but will likely do nothing beyond this to "improve" its performance.

[dan10101]

Counterfeit is a real problem. I had a heck of a time finding a replacement fuel pump for my 914 LS outlaw. Even the major suppliers get fooled.

It will be so hard to keep this stock. But that's my goal. Besides I already have a fast car, I need a reliable classic, this fits the bill.

[dan10101]

I finished the belt job. And of course there's a video.

But at the end you'll see it didn't want to start.

I'm still troubleshooting that, but it might be the DME.
I had a froze up fuel pump. That is now new.
Then it wasn't getting signal from the DME.
I jumpered the dme relay and got the fuel flowing.
Still no Tach bounce or spark.
Checked the reference sensors and found a speed sensor that was OPEN, no ohm reading.
Changed that out with a spare and the sensors both check ok now also at the DME plug. I ordered a spare DME relay, but the jumper should have solved that.
I'll have to go thru the diags step by step to see what's happening.
Anyone have a spare DME they want to sell?

Here's the video of the belt job, including modifying the back belt cover for the new style water pump.
https://youtu.be/iIwqR3cRWpo

[djnolan]

One easy DME test is to check for spark. Pull off the #1 plug wire, hook up an extra plug, and jumper the threads to ground. Give it a crank and see if there is spark. Should be white/blue and not orange/yellow.

A slightly more complicate test is to use a NOID light to check for injector pulse.

[dan10101]

Thanks for the suggestions! Yeah, That's how I have been testing spark. Old plug widen gap, grounded. Nothing. I'd be interested in knowing which noid lights work. Other posts indicate they are iffy

[dan10101]

Got it running! Not without a fight.

Thanks for all the suggestions and maybe next time I'll listen better.

Of course, there's a video of my nightmare. Hope it helps someone.

https://youtu.be/_82x2k7z_MI

[dan10101]

The last big job for the 944. The Clutch Job.
(well I hope it's the last)

Of course there's a video.
Hope this helps someone out there.
https://youtu.be/dosgq9RBypk

[MotoRider42HC]

Originally Posted by OK-944

One question/concern of mine, which I've recently brought up in another thread...is that the quality of available new parts/components can be a bit variable - and it pays to look/ask around, and/or to rehab old original parts when practical.

3D printing is also a great resource!

I've saved thousands by 3D printing old parts that Porsche wants solid gold bars for.

^_^

[PHillary]

Originally Posted by MotoRider42HC

3D printing is also a great resource!

I've saved thousands by 3D printing old parts that Porsche wants solid gold bars for.

^_^

Interesting...Like what for example?

[dan10101]

MotoRider42HC - I'm curious as well. Plastic or metal?

[MotoRider42HC]

I can print with ~dozen different kinds of plastic and composites:
- ABS
- PLA
- Carbon Fiber Composites
- ASA
- TPU (Polyurethane)
- Nylon
etc...

Across all my vehicles, i've printed my own shift linkages, bushings, bulkheads, electrical harness connectors, switch panels, knobs and dials, clutch alignment tools, speaker adapters, etc...

If you guys aren't worried about a steep learning curve, this printer is the best of the best:
https://shop.prusa3d.com/en/3d-printers/181-original-prusa-i3-mk3-3d-printer.html

And to create the 3D files, Autodesk Fusion is free for a hobbyist license.
https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview

Anyway, getting way off topic, lol, please ignore me.

[dan10101]

I finally got around to doing the paint chip repair on the 944. And buffing and polishing. And a few other bits of detailing. It looks Great!

Soon we'll put this up for sale. I would be too tempted to modify it. And I need another project car. In the meantime. Here are the results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc_yM7icY08&t=0s