1989 S2 Cab

[carreraseacat]

hi all,

i am the proud new owner of an 89 S2 cab here in singapore.



collected the car over the weekend and took it for a long shakedown drive.

a couple of things i need to put on the shopping are a new cam/valve cover and gaskets - i can find the gasket sets but can't seem to find any covers for sale. has anyone got ay leads?

roof to window seals need replacing. i understand that these are NLA - anyone got any ideas? i have tried the usual breakers.

the roof is stuck down and the owners manual says that i can use a spark plug tool to manually wind the roof up, but i can't work out where that's meant to go - any leads?

i guess the best bet is to convert the roof to manual operation but i would like to keep things stock if i can. did any cars come with a manual roof or was the electric a standard fitment?

the gear stick boots/garter area gets very warm (could even say hot). what does this mean? gearbox overheating or exhaust leak perhaps?

other than that is drives very well. the gearbox is lovely to use (compared to the 4 speed in my 930 and the 915 in my SC) the balance of the car is very, very flattering for a man of my limited driving ability and the engine pulls very well indeed. fells stronger than the published 207bhp.

[Jfrahm]

As far as I know all the roofs are electric. To operate the top manually you remove the large caps on the rear interior panels which are at the pivot point of the roof. The spark plug wrench is inserted and the nut loosened a turn or two, disconnecting the top from the motor assembly. This needs to be done on both sides.

You could also have an issue with your switch or relay or have not figured out how to operate the electric top with the key in the correct position and the engine off. Unless some of the logic has been defeated you can't operate the top any time you like. I dimly recall it needs to have the key in position II and the engine not running. I defeated this logic on my 968 but the 968 is a bit different.

If you have heat in the gear stick area you may have an exhaust leak at the sampling tube connection on the exhaust, this causes a tapping sound. You could also be missing the insulation that goes on top of the torque tube.

-Joel.

[mattdavis11]

I thought that heat around the gear shifter was normal. I've had to replace the rubber boot under the leather to keep the heat from drying out the leather and keep the heat out of the cabin.

I have no idea about the top, but it seems to me that you are going to have a much more difficult time moving the steering wheel to the correct side of the car.

Nice S2.

[rhett]

Nice S2 Cab...and the steering wheel is definitely on the right side...

The heat around the gear lever (as mentioned), could be the insulation has broken down, or the inner boot has perished and split - or a bit of both. Here are the parts:



Nice place Singapore, just don't chew gum, etc!!

[924CarreraGTP]

The heat issue could also be the bearings in your torque tube between the engine and transmission. The bearings wear out, and it causes excessive heat to come up through the gear selector area. After a long drive raise the car up and see if the torque tube is hot to touch. It's pretty common on 944's and 928's, but will require a torque tube replacement eventually. There's nothing saying that it won't still last for a very long time, but it will cause your leg to get warm. It may also be the insulation, or boot, or all of the above.

[carreraseacat]

thanks all. all very helpful stuff.

it's not an exhaust leak as i've checked all that now. i think i'll start by replacing the inner and outer boots and see how i go.

good news is that i've got the roof to work by playing around with the microswitches.

another hard drive today, the suspension seems to bottom out easily so perhaps new shocks need to go on the list too.

will start on that shopping list.

[carreraseacat]

thanks all. all very helpful stuff.

it's not an exhaust leak as i've checked all that now. i think i'll start by replacing the inner and outer boots and see how i go.

good news is that i've got the roof to work by playing around with the microswitches.

another hard drive today, the suspension seems to bottom out easily so perhaps new shocks need to go on the list too.

will start on that shopping list.

[mhr]

Nice car you will love it. I have a 91 Triple Black.

Be careful with the roof. If it gets out of sync and breaks one of the main bows finding one is costly. Safest route is convert to manual. Removing 2 bolts will do the job and let you keep everything original if ever you want to convert back.

Seals for the roof are hard to find just keep looking. I got lucky and read between the lines of someones post over on rennlist and sort of guessed he would have some seals and he did and was willing to sell them.

Regarding the heat mine had the same thing and it turned out the engine was running hot because of a leaking water pump. Water temp stayed reasonable because the fans were working but the tunnel and shifter surround would get hot and heat up the whole car. After a water pump change the problem went away.

Why do you want a new cam cover? If it doesn't look good its not too difficult to take it off and get it powder coated or painted and then install new seals, rubber plugs and gasket. Just be VERY careful to use a torque wrench when re-installing and don't over torque those damn hex bolts because they snap very easily (ask me how I know).

Oh just in case have you checked the cam chain tensioner pads?

Enjoy

Mark

[carreraseacat]

thanks mark.

the cam cover is cracked so it leaks some oil, hence the need for a new one.

it's not clear from the history if the cam chain tensioners have had any attention so that is on the to do list. the car has very little use since 1999 so i'm sure more problems will present as i use it more.

i just missed these - Porsche 968 944S2 Convertible Top Weatherstripping Gasket Rubber Seal Set Nice | eBay

look quite expensive, but porsche bits tend to get pricey when they are rare.

the periscope washer nozzles for my 3.0 930 are fetching silly money these days.

Porsche 911 '74 '78 Headlamp Headlight Washer Jets Nozzles | eBay

and

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-911-74-78-Headlamp-Headlight-Washer-Jets-Nozzles-/281239950007?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item417b3512b7#ht_284wt_1255

[mhr]

Don't wait too long on the tensioner pads. Heads are expensive and hard to source for these cars and it's an easy job.

I paid about 200 for my seals but I am not suprised at the price they are hard to find.

[carreraseacat]

are the 968 cab roof parts the same as the 944 roof parts?

[tamathumper]

Beautiful car - I've always loved that 944. Well, I love the "S3" even more apparently.

Treat that top like gold - the bows are NLA as indicated. There's a manual for the top, it's called the "944 S2 Sealing Body Cabriolet" manual, and copies are available online.

The two pivot bolts are not removed, they're just backed off a few turns - it's the very first thing I did to my roof, even though it was working perfectly. They're located behind the little round plugs on the sidewalls in the back seat area.

Treat all of the rubber seals with pure silicone grease, wiped on with a finger in a thin coat. If your top pins (one on each front corner) or their mating points are worn, you can put shrink tubing over them to quiet the rattling, and/or I found that a very thin (about 3/8") half-round piece of soft silicone body sealer, caulked into the very front of the rail at the leading edge of the roof, provides just a little bit of "spring" against the roof, and is just sticky enough to make the top completely quiet. No more rattles or squeaks.

I put a whole new top on mine a couple years ago, even though the original looked great. Once it was removed, you could actually tear the fabric with your hands it was so worn out. If the stitching is faded white, it's a good sign it's time...

Try to get the "boot" cover for the top - you don't want to drive around for long without it, because dirt and stuff will get down into the car body and the mechanism. They're available on eBay, and those fasteners are called "Tenax" fasteners if you need to find them. I didn't see it in the picture.

Good luck with your car!

[carreraseacat]

thanks. no there is no 'boot' with car unfortunately. i will source one, i have learned my lesson with my SC cab, managed to tear the headlining driving it on the highway with the roof down.

the roof fabric, rear screen and the seals are totally shot so all need replacing. the mechanism and frame seem to be fine so there is good news.

i can see a lot of replacement roofs on ebay at the moment so that doesn't seem to be an issue, it's just sourcing the seals that seems to be the tough bit.

[carreraseacat]

and thanks for the heads up on that document. found it here http://www.968forums.com/Miscfileupload/968CabTop.pdf

very helpful

[mhr]

GREAT DOCUMENT!

I never knew it existed and wish I had it when I was trying to adjust my door glass. I had to change it as it was badly scratched. Well I guess I will open the door up and try to make it perfect now that I have all this info.

[tamathumper]

Cheers. If I get over your way, I'll buy you a congratulatory beer - I'm due to make the rounds to Jurong Island at some point.

[carreraseacat]

Please do get in touch of you're ever here. We have a small but pretty active little Porsche community and we do love beer!

[CHICKS]

Here's where to pick up the inner and outer shift boot: Only944.com Awesome new Porsche 944 parts

[carreraseacat]

thanks, helpful stuff.

if i'm going to get a replacement roof, which is the best bet?

i've found these two on ebay

Porsche 944 968 Convertible Top Hood Black Stayfast 1990 1995 | eBay

Porsche 944 968 Convertible German Top Black 90 95 | eBay

[hoppie944s2]

I have a boot cover (original) in perfect condition for sale. Make me an offer