Options to keep daily driving 944 starting every morning "easily"

[porpauly]

Hi. So I just bought a 1987 944 over the weekend. For the past month, I'd been researching and I am so happy with it.

One thing I read about and even spoke with the seller about was keeping the battery fresh. He told me to get a battery maintainer, but I told him that I would be driving the car every day, which made him say that I probably wouldn't need it.

Well, I need something.

Yesterday, the car wouldn't start for about 2 minutes and I had to turn it over 3 or 4 times (not in an abusive way, but I could hear it trying to start). Today, when I got in my car after lunch, it did it again. Took a bit longer to start this time.

I contacted the seller and he told me not to get a new battery b/c that is not the problem.

I would really appreciate any "solutions" to this problem. I have read about using a multimeter to see what's draining the battery when the car is off (but I would be sending a mechanic on that goose chase b/c I am not savvy). And it could always be the alternator I guess?

I knew all that came with getting this car. I know I am going to be poor soon, but my love for this vehicle is unsurpassed. I just need to find a way that this beauty will predictably turn over (at least while the battery/alternator is well) and not require me to pop the hood and basically jump it every time I want to go somewhere.

Can anyone offer any assistance? Thanks.

[alan6272]

mine does this if it sits foe a week, all the time, any way I turn the key on for a few seconds then off, repeat 3 or 4 times then starts right away. This pressurizes the fuel rail. Mine must leak down. I don't worry about mine but this is how I do it.

[porpauly]

Thanks. That is encouraging to hear that it will keep starting hopefully.

Maybe I'll invest in a portable starter kit and keep it in the car for if it ever won't start.

[944 Ecology]

I have an 86 944 turbo with 180K miles on it. It sat all winter (outside, upstate New York) with the battery in it. When the snow cleared enough for me to open the doors (March 15), I put the key in it and it started right up. Keep in mind that this is a relatively new battery with a full charge in November.

If you have a problem with battery drain, hook up an ammeter and check the draw when the car is sitting with nothing turned on and no key in the ignition. You should be drawing less that 50 milliamps. If it is more than that, use the following to diagnose:

Excessive Battery Discharge Rate

[ChrisRL]

Yes, +1 behind Alan, it's probably the fuel rail. If your starter turns over strongly, it's probably nothing to do with the battery, it's your fuel system and/or fuel line between the pump and the fuel rail. Usually this is always full of fuel but sometimes a little of the fuel leaks back down the line.

So when you start there's no fuel reaching the injectors. Turn the key, hear the fuel pump start to fill up the hose with gas again, and then when the gas reaches the injectors the car will start.

You can get what's called a battery tender or float charger, Harbor Frieght has them for under $10 and what they do is to keep your full battery topped up.

However, if you try to start the car and you can hear the starter turning over cleanly, then you have enough battery power, just no fuel to the engine (assuming you are getting good ignition).

Things to do to get a clean start, first time, every time, and a trouble free run?

a) replace all your fuel hoses. Especially the two hoses that go between the sidewall of the engine compartment at the back (near the battery) and the fuel rail. But everything else that's rubber and that lives in an engine compartment will get hot, then cold, then hot... it's these heat cycles that kill rubber hoses over time - so even if they look okay, replace them if they haven't been replaced fairly recently;

b) check your fuel filter is clean and clear;

c) do the required maintenance for your car. For most of us, this means a water pump and gasket change, a thermostat and O ring change, the timing belt and rollers change, the balance belt and rollers change, and a front engine seal change, when we first buy the car, and then between 30,000 and 40,000 miles after that, depending on which philosophy of maintenance you choose to follow;

d) ignition and tuneup means a new distributor cap and rotor, new spark leads and plugs, oil change and new filter, new air filter - you might not need all of this done since most people with any kind of car will know to get this kind of maintenance sorted, otherwise your car probably wouldn't start or drive at all - but most Porsche folk will at least seriously consider redoing them all while they're there the first time, and then refresh as needed;

e) flush all the fluids - oil, transmission oil, coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid if you have power steering - note that the power steering fluid on our cars is ATF (automatic transmission fluid) and NOT power steering fluid;

f) check both axles to see if the rubber and wiring is okay - rear CV boots, steering rod boots, brake pads and sensors all round, rotors all round, wheels and tires. There's a small wire going from the power steering rack to the main chassis cross member under the engine - this is the ground wire for the horns. Check that everything is clean and clear.

This should give you a clean and clear baseline from which to proceed.

A lot of the common gremlins associated with buying a new-to-you 944 without comprehensive paperwork from a trusted source should be covered above, but don't take my word for it - this is the Internet, and with sites like clarks-garage, pelicanparts and rennlist, there's no excuse for not knowing, at least in theory, how all of this fits together.

And yes, you could in theory send your car to a garage and have them do it.

However, take it from a lot of us - these cars are getting old, and the mechanics who actually know how to deal with them are themselves getting old. The young ones poke their heads into a computer and follow what the computer says. I don't trust them at all.

A lot of the so-called Porsche specialists tend to be snobs. They want to work on expensive new Porsches with rear engines, because they can make a lot more money per hour from that kind of clientele. So they'll tell you they won't work on front engined Porsches. Believe them.

But isn't the reason you're here on this list because you want to get to know a really great car very well? And eventually do most, if not all, of the work on it yourself?

[porpauly]

Wow. Thank you, ChrisRL. And thanks 944 Ecology.

I'm printing this out and going to begin going over all this.

I definitely care about knowing this car really well. The amount of information and know-how is a bit overwhelming to me at this point. I clicked through some pics of someone replacing the transmission and got a little light-headed. But maybe I could start by trying to replace the fuel hoses myself...

I can search around here, but is there a FAQ or a step-by-step for something like that?

[TibetanT]

Porpauly:

First and foremost, "Welcome" to Pelican and Porsche 944 ownership!

Second, George and Chris above have given very good advise with regard to our 944 cars.

I like George above, have owned and driven my 1987 944n/a since day one with no really big problems. Yes, problems do arise from time-to-time but all in all, this car has never left me stranded, ever. It has never, ever, leaked a drop of oil and is now reached over 163K miles with it starting-up right away after being put away for the Winter months in a cold garage.

Okay, enough bragging now to the real info:

One thing to look into, if you plan to keep your car for a long time, is books such as:
The Factory manuals for the 944, as a set they are your best reference for this car, as well as the Haynes manual. While the Haynes manual is not considered the "best" reference for our cars, it does contain a lot of pertinent pictures associated with the important (factory dictated) maintenance. These two (2) sources have been in my possession for years and have paid for themselves many times over!

Another important piece of information comes from the cars maintenance records. Hopefully, the PO (previous owner) sent them along with your car when it was purchased, and by reviewing these records it will give you a very good picture of how the car was kept in its previous life, or rather lives depending on how many owners there were in the past. By reviewing this information, you will know precisely what needs to be done next to your car.

If there are no records with your car, then, like others have said above start with the basics and begin to change out parts for newer ones, so as to keep your engine and car in tip-top shape.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your "new" car! Don't forget to post pictures of your car soon...some here get a little testy if you don't do that. LOL

[Slam]

I agree with the majority of the above. I drive mine almost every day and don't have starting problems if she sits. She goes every time, no matter what the weather and no matter how many days she's languished in the driveway. And a 944 should, if it's in decent shape. Yes, I have addressed a lot of deferred maintenance.

One more thing: remove the starter and take off the solenoid. Give it a good cleaning, re-grease it and reinstall it. When temps change for the worse the solenoid can hang up if it's old and dirty, and the last thing you need is a marginal battery trying to overcome a solenoid that's sticking.

Have fun - these are good cars but many have been neglected.

[Dimi 944]

I recommend checking the pressure in the fuel rail and replacing the fuel pressure regulator if it has not been replaced already. As the other members mentioned everything that has rubber components will age and deteriorate even if the rubber parts are I internal components such as the diaphragm of the FPR and fuel dampener.

Dimi P.
flyinghorsemotorsport@gmail.com

1986 Porsche 944 (3.0L 16V Conversion) - on track duty!
1989 Porsche 944 $2 - for show and fun!

[edredas]

It sounds like your DME relay is failing.

You guys with cold start issues should check the DME temp sensor and wiring.

I hope that helps!

[cockerpunk]

sounds like your fuel pressure is leaking out. mine does this too, sometimes it takes 2 goes to get fired up, and if i check the fuel pressure on my gauge, it reads 0, and it should read something higher than that (iirc like 18 psi after lead down).

im told its the fuel pressure check valve, but i have not looked into it.

welcome to the fun of daily driving a 944

[porpauly]

Thanks to all who have posted advice for me. I long for the day I can offer some in return. But until then I will be around here reading and learning, and contributing whenever helpful.

Those who wish (, TibetanT), please enjoy the pics!