new member, newbie questions
 

Folks,

Hello and hope to become a participant here. I've played with a bunch of cars in the past, including a number of Mercedes. No Porsches so far.

I've got a friend that has owned an '88 924S since new and just got a newer 911 variant. Now they need a home for the 924. That's where I come in. I know the old adage about "the most expensive - insert car brand here = is a cheap one. This 924 would be free, just the cost of hauling it a few hundred miles. It has 125K+/- miles on it, and was running until recently. The owner washed it, put it away, then a week later it wouldn't start. With a little sage assistance from groups like this I have kept many cars running so I'm sure this is nothing fatal to the 924 and I would maintain the car well going forward.

My question is the durability of the driveline. Is 125K still young or heading toward a rebuild? I currently drive 150 miles a day to and from work and would like to use this car as a commuter. The drive is all highway at 75mph. Assuming good care in the past, do these engines go 200K? Longer?

Thanks and appreciate any opinions.

Chuck

Welcome Chuck! I have quite a few 944s. As you probably know, they have the same engine as the 924s. Regardless of what the previous owner has done, I always replace the front seals, races, water pump, and belts when I pick up another car. This is usually only around $400 and an afternoon's worth of time. I do all of my own work and have the luxury of not "having" to have something done the same day. I can spend a week or so on a repair if I want, I'll just drive a different one. For it to have 125K, I would probably only do that basic work. It probably won't need much more. If the 924 won't start, I'd start with the basics- fuel pump and DME relay. I drive about 30 miles each way to work and I use my Porsches as daily drivers and a few on the autocross track. You will get great gas milage and have a solid car with general maintenance. I see a lot of people down play the 924 on here, but I would bet they have never had one. I have, and I know who has my first. I often think about buying it off of him to restore to add to my collection. I'm sure that after he sells it to someone else, I'll regret not doing that. The engines will last forever, as any would with basic maintenance. Get the car, have fun with it. Just my opinion, not sure if that answered your questions or not...

Chuck, that could be something as simple as a battery drop. When you don't drive cars for a few weeks the battery can go dead. Start with an electrical tester and see if you have a good 12 volt battery. Then check some basic things like fuel pump operation. You can listen for the pump under the right rear of the car while someone else trys to start it. Many times problems with Porsches are down to bad fuses and relays in the electrical system.
The 924S has the same engine as the Porsche 944. The 924S is lighter than the 944 and some say it was faster for this reason.
Otherwise, PorscheChef is right on about the timing belt service. If the car has been serviced before with a new water pump as they often have been, you might can get away with just doing the timing belt, roller, and tensioner. It depends on your budget. The balance shaft belt is relatively unimportant and though you might go ahead and replace it, it probably doesn't warrant expensive brand new components unless they're just worn slap a$$ out. The timing belt, and balance shaft belt with just the timing roller and tensioner can be bought for maybe $125 or less.
A previously replaced water pump should look new (silver) and the pulley and shaft should be tight when you wiggle it laterally or horizontally. If it's loose, worn out, or the car is overheating, the water pump should be replaced. It's not a huge job to do the timing belt as said above, so even if you have cooling problems later on and have to replace the water pump it's only a 3 to 4 hour job once you know how to do it. Replacing the seals also depends on your budget. If there is fresh oil and grime all over your timing and balance shaft belts, your front crank shaft, cam shaft, and balance shaft seals will need to be replaced. If the belts are clean and dry with no engine grime or leaks, you might can skip the seals until next time around. Replacement of races also depends on budget and how worn they are too. Your main issue of importance is the timing belt, tensioner, roller, and condition of the water pump though. If your timing belt breaks, the engine interferes, and your valves hit your pistons causing valve bends, piston scoring, and possibly head damage. You do not want that because then it will cost $$$$. So maintain your timing belt. Good luck!

When I pulled the head on my 83 944 at over 250,000 miles the bores were perfect. At 125k miles your 924S is just a young 'un, and as stated above if the FOES (front of engine service) is kept up it'll run forever. Next item is the clutch, and if it's original it'll be coming out soon. Transmissions last a long time and with the number of cars being parted they're fairly easy to come by if you need one. Plus, they're easy to change. Really, the issue is more electrics than mechanicals. Clean all your ground points well. The cars are good but they're old, so they have old-car issues.

It's not a Porsche, It's an Adventure :). These guys are right on about the immediate stuff you should attend to. On the starting problem, you could also look under the dashboard on the passenger side and see if there's evidence of rust that has dripped down the firewall. It's easy to see and since the car was washed, a rusted out battery box (common on these cars) could have leaked enough water into the ECU that's under the passenger side floor-board. I think they put it there in the 924S but not 100% sure. If other approaches don't get you started, pull the ECU out and make sure there's no water draining out of it. As a rule the water pumps are changed with every other belt change. If the balance belt gets so loose it is flapping against the cover, it could wear it down to the point of failure. If it fails, it may get tangled up in the timing belt and that's catastrophic, so I don't recommend minimizing it's importance about it's tension. You didn't mention if your car is a stick or auto, but one thing that will make the car shifter feel really great is a short shifter purchased through: online944.com. Contact him to ensure it'll fit your car. It's a great product, easy to install and only around $80. It reduces the throw about 30% in all axis's. Look forward to pics.

thanks for the encouragement
 

I appreciate the hints and support. The finance committee at home approved, so now I need to contact my friend and hopefully start the transportation arrangements. Our friend ( woman) owned the car since new and had it pretty well maintained. It is a 5 speed ( yeah!). I'm looking forward to it and have 2 college daughters that are now anxious to learn how to drive a stick.

Thanks also for the maintenance ideas. I believe in keeping up with cars before they break. I have a 96 ford van with 200K, just sold an Infiniti with 217K, ran a Mercedes diesel to 300K, and my other cars are long term keepers also. Much easier to change fluids, belts, gaskets, brakes, .... before issues happen.

I'll let you know how the adventure goes!

Chuck

mytrplseven meant only944.com :) The shift rod is the same, it will definitely fit and make the shifting more fun!

Say, Gaw, didn't you have a thread like this one time? How times change!

Well, if we graph purchase price against repair funds we see a trend where repair funds increase exponentially for a linearly decreasing purchase price. Thus, with a purchase price of zero, your repair funds would approach infinity. Just so you know.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1377745473.jpg

...... That was a joke...... :D

Well, I can say that the 924S gearbox won't be very suited towards 150 miles of 75 mph, at least to me. The 924S I think has the short(er) fifth gear and is not as tall as earlier 944's. I don't know what exact RPM it would be at.

Now that's rare! Anxious to drive a stick? Wow. Maybe consider some track events (once the car is in top shape, and has some certain upgrades)!

If your friend owned it since new, you should have access to all records for the car, one would hope.

Take care,

Frenchtoast, so true! I lol'd at that graph. So well made too.

Take care!

muahaha

Welcome Chuck, your with friends now. you'll do well with the 924S . It's gonna require the same mindset as the Mercedes to work on. I wish you the best, enjoy!

Gaw's right. I've had a 4 year old hovering around me all day and I guess I got my websites confused. Sorry:rolleyes:

924S + teenage daughters! The mind boggles...

Kelp them away from Auto Atlanta! Anyone remember their profoundly misogynistic ads from a decade or so ago?

A decade ago I was in middle school. Lmao

First Post:

xkcd: First

seems yours did better

Well the schedule is in place. I go get the car this upcoming Friday / Saturday. Any recommendations for a manual on this car? Seems the later 924S and 944 shared a lot, do the manuals interchange... I think there is a combined Haynes 924/944 manual. Any good sources or recommendations on factory manuals? With a little luck I'll be back in NC and trying to turn it over soon.

This link might not work, but try Cannell.co.uk. They used to have a variety of free downloads. I picked up everything I could get from them years ago. 944, 911, and all volumes of the 928 series.

Good luck with the car, Chuck.

I have often referred to the 944 series as "Porsche's diesel Mercedes," referring to their longevity. I've seen plenty of 944s in my life in the mid-200ks and a couple at 400k and 500k still on their original engines and transmissions. Even the clutch will last a long time once you replace the rubber-centered disc. Keep the fluids fresh and change the timing belt periodically and the car will last as long as you want it to! :)

chuck, I have the Haynes and its okay but I also bought a DVD manual from ebay some time ago and man is that the ticket.

Nice find.

The '88 924S has 160HP compared to the early 944 to '87 of 150HP.

The '88 is an excellent highway car.

See the chart (in Blue above)

J_AZ

"Approach infinity.." Classic.

To CSSCHMIDT, good luck this weekend on the $0 purchase.
Nice to have friends who need a good home for our beloved brand.

Usually posting to a newbie thread this late leaves little to add as this forum is rife with friendly, knowledgeable well-wishers... BUT:

I got lucky I guess;
Be sure to check out our most esteemed subject matter website when you get time:

Clark's Garage Home Page

Welcome!
Mike