New owner of a 85 944

Joe78sc · 10-19-2006, 10:16 PM

Brand new owner, pictures are to follow. Its nothing great to look at and a large list of to do's that i have to get done soon. So any ideas for the following?

Speedometer/odometer not working?

engine running while parked, overheats and the coolant backs up and dumps out of the overfill line? (not the thermostat) but stays cool while driving. waterpump?

Car likes to die out all the time, but its not regular, Some times it runs great and other times it has a low idle of 200 or so and then tries to stall, FPR?

Well there is a lot more but to at least make it road worthy. Any suggestions would be great appreciated. Thanks

Joe

Razorback1980 · Razorback1980's Garage

First...congrats on your new purchase. Make sure you check out clarks-garage.com for info on your car. Now let's look at the problems...

If it's an 85/2, probably the speedo sensor on the transmission. Mine had a wire that was pushed out of the connector when I bought it. Fixed the wire.

Overheating engine and blows water out...this one isn't going to be as easy a fix. Blown head gasket. May also be the cause of the third problem.

make sure you know the condition of the timing and balance shaft belts before running it...make sure you replace them when you fix the head gasket along with new rollers, new water pump, and reseal the front of the engine. Should be a fun project. Hey, maybe I should come help you!

Amazing how having HI on your location line will get you volunteers, isn't it?

924Sman · 10-20-2006, 06:46 AM

Get a compression check. I agree with Tom on the HG being the issue. Idle issues are varied. Vacuum leaks, bad AFM wiper tracking, idle stabilizer valve, injector issue. But to save some time and end the speculation get a comp test done first.

Aloha and welcome to the insane with intent forum!

Dal

Joe78sc · 10-20-2006, 09:04 AM

Thanks for some info, the car is a 85-1. If it was the head gasket that was blown wouldn't there be water in the oil?

I have no idea as far as if the timing belt has been changed, i will try to inquire in on that, any signs that it would need to be changed?

Razorback1980 · Razorback1980's Garage

Hey Joe78sc....

It doesn't always happen that a blown head gasket puts water in the oil. Be glad that is true, because then you have to tear the motor all the way down and change the rod, main and balance shaft bearings. If the break is between the cylinder and the cooling system, the oil will not be contaminated. It is more often than not on these engines that is the case. When you tear it down, you'll see why. They cylinders are surrounded by the cooling system to keep the cylinders at a cooler operating temperature.

Timing and balance shaft belts are extremely important on these engines. They should really be changed every 30,000 miles or two years whichever comes first. I used to change mine every 50,000 miles until the guys here convinced me it's really cheap insurance to do it more often. These are interference motors and just a little slip and you will put the valves into the pistons bending the valves and possibly damaging the pistons/cylinders, etc. If you do nothing else right, keep the belts, rollers and water pump changed regularly. I do my water pump every two belt changes.

Joe78sc · 10-20-2006, 06:12 PM

I also forgot to add, when it is skipping, or idling really low rpms that it starts to puff out black smoke and get a smell of raw gas. As soon as i rev the car up the smoke stops and the rich smell of gas also goes away. Only get those symptoms when the car is idling really low, rough as mention above. Any idea?

Razorback1980 · Razorback1980's Garage

Definitely too much gas in one or more cylinders. Could be a fuel pressure problem or it could be a leaking injector. If you pull the vacuum line off the fuel pressure regulator or dampner..is there gas in there? The best thing to narrow that down is put a fuel pressure gauge on the rail if you have one.

Joe78sc · 10-20-2006, 06:48 PM

When i pulled the vacuum line off, the idle went up. I didn't see any gas in the line, but i also didn't really check the regulator. I will try to pick up fp gauge.

Razorback1980 · Razorback1980's Garage

Sorry...I meant pull it off after you run it for a second and then shut the engine off. If the diaphram is busted inside, gas will run past it and into the vacuum line. Poor explanation...my bad.

Dtchy · 10-22-2006, 10:01 AM

Is it normal to have a gas 'smell' in the vacuum line? I don't think mine is leaking gas but it sure does have a smell. I also have a 5 second cranck at cold start-up.

hardflex · 10-22-2006, 11:27 AM

he said it overheats when stopped, fine when moving. Not a head gasket, sounds more like a non-functioning radiator fan to me.

Razorback1980 · Razorback1980's Garage

Possible, but that usually doesn' t blow coolant out the overflow. The fans are definitely easier to check though. Should make sure both are working properly.

Joe78sc · 10-22-2006, 10:07 PM

So couple of nights ago, alternator died out on me and of course battery went. So the car has been up on jacks though i did get the cover off and took a look at where exactly the coolant was coming out when it is idling in park. It looks to come from the water pump.

So when the car is in drive and running its fine, but when the car is parked it starts to overheat

The low idle has stopped at the moment, don't know if it was just pulling the vacuum lines off did something or something else.

Should get the new alternator in tomorrow and hope the low idle doesn't come back. Any ideas about the water pump, or could it be something else?

Razorback1980 · Razorback1980's Garage

Is it coming from the area of the overflow or from the middle of the engine dripping out the belt covers? If the water is coming from the waterpump, I would suggest that you make sure there is no hose from the belt covers to your airbox where the air filter is. Porsche put one on there to cool the belts but when the water pumps started leaking, they were sucking water into the air intake system....this will cause some idleing problems. If your water pump is leaking water, replace it immediately. If it completely fails, the timing belt may parish and put some valves into your pistons. This will be a very expensive repair bill if that happens. While you are doing the water pump, you should do the rollers, belts and possibly reseal the front of the motor. Lots of threads on that topic...so browse when you have a chance. If you need help, clarks-garage.com is a great resource for that.