Ride description

[Pipemaster]

This seems like something i could watch a video on but i want to get first hand recounts, when i first bought my car i thought it was great. Tight and well put together. But as it turns out things werent right then either. It had the original clutch from production in it so it blew the transaxle. But, my car is quickly deteriorating and i want to understand what the ride should be like in a pristine example of a 944. In my mind it should be a flowing grand tourer that you can also take into a tight bend and come out alive on the other side. But, my car shakes and rattles worse than a car with no insulation in it and half broken engine. I cant figure out where these noises are coming from and the more i go over the signs the worse the news becomes. Im trying to figure out what i should prioritze and what can wait as im prepping for an 8 hour journey in June and this car as it stands can no longer make that journey.

[smokintr6]

A factory original 944 should feel solid, and maybe a bit heavy. It should not have any squeaks or rattles, or feel broken in any way. It should feel just as stable at 100 mph as it does at 30. That said they are not particularly stiff cars from stock. The springs are very soft, and the car may feel like it has quite a bit of body roll. It's more of a touring car, but you should still be able to hustle it like a sports car without feeling uneasy. it is NOT a subaru BRZ... but it's not a crown victoria either. Sounds like you could have all kinds of things going wrong. I would check all the rubber mounts.. engine and trans mounts.. and all the rubber parts in the sway bar bushings. A set of Koni sport shocks will go a long way towards making the car handle better. Good luck

[djnolan]

-The rear hatch glass can start to separate from the hatch frame and cause lots of weird squeaky noises that are annoying, but otherwise don't affect performance.
-The right balljoint will wear out and start to damage the (late) control arm and cause the car to pull and act weird.
-The front sway bar bushings are baked and sloppy, a cheap fix.
-The original struts and shocks are not real great, so some Billsteins or Koni's will make a real improvement.

[Pipemaster]

Originally Posted by djnolan

-The rear hatch glass can start to separate from the hatch frame and cause lots of weird squeaky noises that are annoying, but otherwise don't affect performance.
-The right balljoint will wear out and start to damage the (late) control arm and cause the car to pull and act weird.
-The front sway bar bushings are baked and sloppy, a cheap fix.
-The original struts and shocks are not real great, so some Billsteins or Koni's will make a real improvement.

When i busted my drivers side glass in a fit of rage and got the glass replaced the shop told me that he’s seen the rear hatch glass fly off going down the highway and he said he could see separation. But all of the noise comes from the front. The engine in particular.

[Pipemaster]

Originally Posted by smokintr6

A factory original 944 should feel solid, and maybe a bit heavy. It should not have any squeaks or rattles, or feel broken in any way. It should feel just as stable at 100 mph as it does at 30. That said they are not particularly stiff cars from stock. The springs are very soft, and the car may feel like it has quite a bit of body roll. It's more of a touring car, but you should still be able to hustle it like a sports car without feeling uneasy. it is NOT a subaru BRZ... but it's not a crown victoria either. Sounds like you could have all kinds of things going wrong. I would check all the rubber mounts.. engine and trans mounts.. and all the rubber parts in the sway bar bushings. A set of Koni sport shocks will go a long way towards making the car handle better. Good luck

Yeah upwards of about 70 things get really vague and it turns into a 1960s muscle car. When i bought the car it was solid at those speeds. When i did my recent brake job i checked the rubber i could immediately see and it looked old but not really falling apart. It definitely has a few miles left in it. Ill definitely do a more thorough check tomorrow as i plan on going over ever inch of the underside with a toothbrush. Iv owned this car for a little under a year and it literally feels like its falling apart from underneath me. All of my passengers are terrified and its turning into an embarassment of a car. Selling the car has crossed my mind but i really want to stick with this car as iv flipped many others that didnt really speak to me. To me, this car is screaming that its sick and it wants to recover. But its not giving me any direct signs as to where i should check. Im sure the shocks are completely shot though. Shot absorbers

[IdahoDoug]

Probably a good idea to start by letting us know the year, tranny, miles, etc

[Pipemaster]

Originally Posted by IdahoDoug

Probably a good idea to start by letting us know the year, tranny, miles, etc

No problem,
88’
5 speed manual that was replaced and has minimal miles but it does have 5000 race miles on it. I bought the car with 92k miles on it and just by guessing id say its about at 98k to 102k. Somewhere in that range

[thomasryan]

My boss has 7 aircooled VWs so I get to replace suspension components frequently.

Some are king pin, some ball joint and one strut. Simple stuff with a press. I labeled the trash can, 'made in China' for all the 009 distributors.

The greatest improvement in NHV and handling is changing the spring plate bushings as most of the times, the torsion bar is rubbing on the cover.

[IdahoDoug]

In addition to the usual suspects - struts and suspension bushings, you might consider replacing the motor mounts. A known issue, mine were deteriorated to the point the dash and interior components buzzed and rattled constantly. Drove me nuts until I researched it here to find its a common problem. My car has 59k easy miles on it. The engine was sitting directly metal on metal and the car was no fun to drive - set my teeth on edge - and certainly impressed no passengers.

I replaced the mounts and now its serenity. I also replaced struts all around before the motor mounts were attended to. Now the car is fun, smooth and quiet.

[Mr. Squid]

Where are you located? Maybe someone on the forum, and stop by and give you some advice. It's really hard to diagnose over the computer.

At the age of these cars you typically need to freshen up the suspension, change hatch pin seats, motor mounts, etc. Bad door seals and hatch seal lead to a loud cockpit. But lots of things can cause noises and driveability issues. I hate to see you throw a bunch of money at the wrong parts.

You made this comment "But all of the noise comes from the front. The engine in particular" can you elaborate?

[djnolan]

If it is detectably loose when the car is parked it will make noise when the car is moving. So start with going over the car pushing and pulling on various things and looking for anything that is loose such as the hatch, doors, trim, body panels, exhaust, etc. The move on to the suspension. Guaranteed on a 30 year old car you will find stuff you can quiet down with a turn of a wrench or screwdriver.

[Pipemaster]

Originally Posted by Mr. Squid

Where are you located? Maybe someone on the forum, and stop by and give you some advice. It's really hard to diagnose over the computer.

At the age of these cars you typically need to freshen up the suspension, change hatch pin seats, motor mounts, etc. Bad door seals and hatch seal lead to a loud cockpit. But lots of things can cause noises and driveability issues. I hate to see you throw a bunch of money at the wrong parts.

You made this comment "But all of the noise comes from the front. The engine in particular" can you elaborate?

I could be wrong but it sounds like a bad roller and it also sounds like a massive vacuum leak which we figured out was the ICV. But, in my mind i can also hear what sounds to be a tick in the valves/lifters. Not a knock. But, overall there is a massive amount of noise from the engine. Then theres creaks and rattles like i said. Which im going to try to take of with the recommended parts. But, Greenville SC. The entire upstate and parts of NC are accessible though

[pfarah]

I've had my 84 almost 6 yrs and she's come a long way since arriving home. A tip that I may suggest: Every year in late spring, she goes on jack stands and I crawl under with a bunch of sockets, torque wrench along with all the torque specs. I'll spend a few hours cleaning, inspecting, re-torquing and jotting anything that appears to be out of spec. It's a great way getting to know the car while making a list of future needed repairs.

[gheedunk]

Originally Posted by Pipemaster

But, Greenville SC. The entire upstate and parts of NC are accessible though

I'm in Anderson. We can compare noises

[Mr. Squid]

If the car sat for a decent amount of time then lifter tick is common, and usually will correct itself with some driving. Adding some marvel mystery oil to the crankcase will sometimes help speed up the process of freeing up a severely stuck lifter. But then I would change the oil shortly after.

Jacking the car up and checking balljoints, tie rod ends, wheel bearing, sway bar bushings, etc. is good practice and will help you quickly identify issues. As others said, upgrading to Bilstein or Koni shocks is great for the twisty back roads.

Once you have the suspension sorted you will need verify condition and age of the tires and get a good alignment.

Best of luck.

[Pipemaster]

Originally Posted by gheedunk

I'm in Anderson. We can compare noises

Name a time and date and send me a PM

[petrolhead611]

Front suspension bushes are so cheap and easy to change; it can only make things tighter.
Has your balance belt jumped a tooth perchance? Happenned to my my car after it had stood for a year and I took it out for a drive again.Heard it happening when the motor was up to temperature and I used WOT in third gear.