my 944 is slow

xero · 04-10-2002, 03:37 PM

i just installed a motor in a 944 i bought and this is the first 944 i've ever driven so i'm not sure how it's really supposed to act, but mine is way slower than it should be i think??

#1 it's very slow at low rpm's (acts like a bug)
untill it hits about 4000rpm and then it seems like a switch goes off and it picks up alot

i dunno, i had a 92 chevy cavalier with a 2.2L front wheel drive iron block and that thing was WAY faster than my 944!?!?!?! so i think something must be wrong?

#2 i've heard all the stories of people getting their stock 944's up to 160mph so i get on the freeway and floor it into a long straight and it tops out at 120!! please sombody tell me that my car is messed up and that 944's are not really this slow!!

david944 · 04-10-2002, 03:50 PM

Is it an automatic? If its a 5 speed theres probably something wrong. (timing?) But....they aren't super fast in the first place.

No stock 944 N/A is going to run 160 mph. I'm sure someone will argue that it will but until I'm in the car with them I'll never believe it. It's not true. 130-145 is more of the realistic range.

Did you just rebuild an engine and put it in there? You say you just put a motor in so something probably just needs adjusting, because I'm pretty sure it'll stomp your cavalier.

Good Luck, let us know.

Goku · Goku's Garage

944's aren't fast. Sorry to burst yer bubble. But it shouldn't be terribly slow either.

PorscheG96 · 04-10-2002, 07:36 PM

Quote:

my 944 is slow

All of them are. If you don't like it sell it.

Crippler · 04-10-2002, 08:17 PM

Well if you are used to driving 951's and cars of that sort it would feel kinda slow. Though it should feel like a rocket compared to a cavalier, I know my 84 944 does. Oh and I had mine going 140mph at least that is what the speedo said

Bob's944 · Bob's944's Garage

Did you drive a 944 before you bought this one, then put in an engine? The engine does become stronger over 4,000 rpm, but it's more of a smooth controlled progression because of the 2.5L 8V's flat torque curve. The horsepower has a similar linear progression to just below redine of 6500.

US 944's have a top end limited by horsepower and wind resistance. They quote 130 mph, but downhill with the wind you can go faster. All the engine mods available for an NA might bump that number to the low 140s if you're lucky.

The engine loves to be rev'd up to redline, unlike the old chevy pushrod 4. Sounds like you need to have someone who know's 944's drive it to see if you just don't know how to drive it or if there is really something wrong with the car.

Scott R · Scott R's Garage

Ditto on the timing. Check for exhaust blockage, worn cat and what not. It should feen better than a Cavalire, espically as the baove post stated. Keep the RPM'S high. NA's like that 2500 to 4k area.

xero · 04-11-2002, 01:33 AM

well i figured out what most of the problem was
my O2 sensor has some messed up wires and it was giving incorrect output i guess? so under the advice of a member here i pulled off the wired to me O2 sensor and now it is much faster at low rpm's and and intermittent idle problem i was having is gone too so now it can ralley with my friends 2nd gen rx7 he pulls me in the straights but i waste him in the corners
the top speed on the freeway is still the same but it gets there A LOT faster(well i got it up to 125mph but that's because i held it to 6500 in 4th before shifting to 5th)

so now i'm gunna try cleaning the injectors, changing the spark plugs and installing a new O2 sensor(the engine is straight out of a wrecked 86 944 i havn't changed any of that tune up stuff yet) ...(well exept the oil of course)

i still think the timing is retarded a bit, but i don't know how to change the timing?? it's controlled by the computer right?

i checked my cat, i unbolted it and ran it with an open pipe and i didn't notice much difference

xero · 04-11-2002, 01:38 AM

so yeah i really think my timing is a little retarded because it just kinda acts that way, (i've retarded the timing for smog checks in other cars so i kinda know how it acts when that is happening) and when i am getting on the gas a lot it starts to get a bit hot and that is another sign of retarded timing, so does anybody know if it is possibe to adjust the timing?

Makis · 04-11-2002, 04:21 AM

I was driving my 944S2 for about a year before finaly deciding to do a top end rebuild. Before it was really slow only managing about 143mph down the hill on a long stretch.

I would go and mesure the compression straight away and if that shows OK I would go and check if I don't have a broken valve spring.

When I rebuild my head, I had 2 broken valve springs and a burned out exhaust valve which was a result of driving the car with broken valve spring. I haven't done a top speed test yet but the car feels considerable faster and smoother then before. I would expect 150mph will be possible, and it will also go there much quicker.

MAS · MAS's Garage

".... with my friends 2nd gen rx7 he pulls me in the straights but i waste him in the corners..."

Hmmm... I have driven many RX7s (I own an 82 first generation)... but a stock 2nd generation RX7 should not be able to easily pull on you on the straights if your 944 is running right. In fact, you should be marginally faster. Both the 944 and the second generation RX7 are very similar in horsepower and weight (the 944 has a tiny bit more power and torque). But the 944 definitely should have the edge.

2 years ago, I was very seriously in the market for either a 944 or a second generation RX7. Over the period of (at least) a year, I had the opportunity to drive many 944's and sec gen RX7s. All of the 944's with the exception of two, were considerably more powerful than any of the sec gen RX7s that I drove... and believe me I looked hard for a good RX7. None of them were faster than my first generation 82 RX7, even though they had bigger 13B engines... they were slower that my 82. However, several 944's were quite a bit quicker than my 82.

Eventually, I settled on an 87 924S... which will blow the doors off my old RX7... and any second generation (naturally aspirated!) RX7.

Anyway the moral of the story is that you should be at least as fast as your friend in the RX7 (assuming he's stock... but even then, there's not a lot you can do to the non-turbo rotaries to get significant HP gains without spending major bucks).

I'd recommend getting a full tune-up for your car first... new plugs etc.

-MAS

Nabeel · 04-11-2002, 10:59 AM

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. My best guess would be that he raced a turbo RX-7. Those late 2nd generation turbo IIs are pretty fast, probably on par with a 951 (non-S).

Joeblow944 · 04-11-2002, 07:16 PM

Nah a turbo II can't keep up with a 951 unless either the rx7 is modded or the 951 isn't running right. a stock rx7 t II has 200 hp.

adrial · adrial's Garage

2g Rx7 can keep up with a 86 951...I have a R&T article to prove it.

Bob's944 · Bob's944's Garage

Not being the one to argue, but that article shows the RX-7 turbo II to be slower in all areas except a slight edge in the slalom, and a full 5 mph slower at the end of a quarter mile. With the top end being 10 mph lower also, 951's would munch on RX-7 turbo II's all day long.

Joeblow944 · 04-13-2002, 01:33 AM

um dude, did you actually read the article? lol the 951 is .6 seconds 0 - 60, 5 seconds faster trap speed, .6 !! faster in the 1/4... thats a huge fricking distance man lol

xero · 04-13-2002, 05:15 AM

the rx7 i was racing was a 1988 13b standard edition totally stock, i actually sold the car to him heh, it's pretty fast, it gets rubber in 3rd and he's had it up to 138 before he ran out of road..... when i bought my 944 i was expecting similar performance and i'm confident that it is there to be had if i just get my car running right
i'm going to replace my o2 sensor, change my plugs and if that doesn't do it i'll pull out my injectors and get than cleaned, then i'll race the rx7 again and let you guys know how it goes

so does anyone know how the DME knows when to retard the timing say if you are using bad gas and getting ping? ...is there a knock sensor??

adrial · adrial's Garage

Oops...my bad. sorry.

I read it a while ago, my memory failed me. What can I say...I'm getting old! haha..

Nabeel · 04-14-2002, 11:25 PM

I have an old issue of Motor Trend somewhere that has the turbo II 0-60 time being close to 6 seconds flat. That's what I was basing my statement on.

MAS · MAS's Garage

"...the rx7 i was racing was a 1988 13b standard edition totally stock, i actually sold the car to him heh, it's pretty fast, it gets rubber in 3rd and he's had it up to 138 before he ran out of road..... "

As an RX7 (and Porsche) owner... I can tell you that you have (or had) the fastest stock 88 on the planet. Shame you sold it, eh?

-MAS