2.7 vs 2.5?

[stevec]

anyone any views on the 2.7 engine against the more popular 2.5 engine, or the S 16v version?

I'm off looking at cars this weekend and dont have time to compare them constructively, plus a short test drive in a car you arent used to is always a bit difficult.

thoughts welcome.

thanks,
Steve

 

[944 man]

The 2.7 litre is a newer design and is far more impressive than its figures would suggest: it also forms the base of the 3 litre engine. The 2.5 litre Super is a lovely piece of engineering but its a horrible engine: its gutless and you have to wrag it to within an inch of its life in order to make any real progress. Without this itll be no quicker, and itll possibly slower, than an eight valve 2.5 litre engine. Added to this it has all of the shortcomings of the later S2, but they fail far more frequently as they have to work so much harder. Not all 2.5 litre eight valve engines are equal: theres much confusion caused by North American engines having lower rated outputs (no European 944s ever produced 150bhp, no matter what you see), but the power did drop slightly with torque rising a little to compensate.

If your budget will stretch to it, then a nice S2 will be the best all rounder. Turbos are quick but their turbo technology is firmly rooted in the late nineteen seventies and they suffer from terrible lag and an appallingly agricultural turbine.

Simon

 

[Fat Albert]

I test drove a well looked after S after driving an S2 that hadn't been driven properly in a year and found the S the livelier car.
I have heard that in day-day driving the 2.7 is the easiest of the NA cars to drive.

I of course went for a turbo, and compared to my ol' 9000 Aero and my mate's ol' Integrale Evo, the lag ain't that bad! If you remember to spin it up just before you need it, you can get a pretty instantaneous lump of intoxicating boost[]

 

[Hilux]

Hi

I`ve seen the name `Fat Albert` on another forum, wasnt Westfields or Cateringvans was it?


You got one of these? Gis a ride, I`m only in North Herts[8D]

 

[Fat Albert]

No, but I do occasionally post on Tropical Fish Forums under Fat Albert (The name of my dear departed Gold Severum)

I have a small medical issue that is being examined at the moment which means I can't fly solo in my normal rented Warrior (Papped leaving a charity event at Old Warden with 2 WWII veterans on board last year):


But a Mate, who has a couple of nice French Aircraft (they are as good at building Aeroplanes as they are as bad building Cars) that I am negotiating to buy a share of (He also has a nice SC to complete his Toybox), is keeping me airborne in the meantime, and I am also hoping to do my Tailwheel check-out on an ex-Army Air Corps Auster once I sort out my next bit of employment ....

sooo to answer your post; when I am back in the air properly and cleared my existing queue of passengers, then I am sure we can sort something out, I really want to fly in to a Goodwood breakfast meeting next year....

 

[stevec]

now just to to keep the Westfield link going, I think I bought a Brian James Trailer from you Hilux!

thanks for the info on the 2.7 engine 944 man, thats probably the one I will be looking at this weekend.

Steve

 

[Hilux]

Good lord, thats a long time ago.

Cant remember if you had a Westy, Cateringvan or a Lotus?

Whatchagot now? 944?

 

[944 man]

All of them James, in the early to mid nineties, when they were in far better condition and worth a lot more. With regards to their shortcomings: if you avail yourself of the search facility Im sure that you will find all of the information that you require.

 

[williams]

Beauty is always in the eye of the beerholder. Does a fender strat have shortcomings compared to a les paul or an Ibanez Jem? Crap analolgy maybe but we love and get the best of that we hold dear! Glenmorangie vs bells? Pele vs Cantona?

 

[944 man]

The shortcomings of the 2.5 litre Super cylinder, along with the 3.0 litre S2 and the 968 are well known surely? One camshaft is driven directly from the crankshaft via a toothed belt. The second camshaft is driven by a slave chain located between cylinders two and three. The tension on this chain, and therefore the timing, is maintained by a small tensioning device mounted on a slender reinforcing web and topped with a nylon pad. Porsche didnt include the tensioner in its service schedule: as far as they were concerned it was not a service item and it was expected to last the life of the engine. The pads wears, wearing through eventually: at this point the camshaft drive chain starts to wear, which, in turn, damages the teeth on the camshaft drive sprocket. When 944Ss first started to fail people assumed that the fault lay with the web on which the tensioner was mounted. The reason being that when the chain failed it had a tendancy to wrap itself around the tensioner and tear it out; and it brought the part of the head on which t was mounted along with it. Eventually it was realised that it was wear to the bearing surface that was the cause of the failures: this must have been at least ten years ago now and the preventitive solution has been well-known since. The problem affects 2,500cc cars more than later torquier 3,000 cars, because they tend to be worked less hard.

If your car hasnt been inspected recently then I suggest that you make an appointment with a specialist promptly. It isnt uncommon for correctly running engines to have worn pads and chains and damaged camshafts, particularly if theyve only ever been serviced at Porsche Centres. Id regard it as a question of 'when', rather than 'if'...

 

[Hilux]

Why would I wnat to search for engine shortcomings? My engine is superb as far as I am concerned. It's silky smooth, has plenty of torque and is quick enough for my needs. I just wondered what shortcomings you had found?

The cam/tensioner/chain issue is a major one and well documented.

Due to your reply I have to assume you are not aware and that yours has not been done. It should be or its only a matter of time and even more £££`s

 

[JamesO]

I agree I have a 968 engine on a stand which is in great condition on a stand but the exhaust cam has a tooth missing. It ran fine before I took it apart.

 

[stevec]

ORIGINAL: Hilux

Good lord, thats a long time ago.

Cant remember if you had a Westy, Cateringvan or a Lotus?

Whatchagot now? 944?

Hilux, a Westfield, plus an MX5 for track / race instruction, and now a Glacier Blue (or is that Gacier silver) 2.7 944 as of today ) drive it back tomorrow, yippee.

Steve

 

[ChasR]

I am looking at an S2 this weekend. How much should I be looking to pay, and how can I tell if the cam chain is goosed? I'm looking to change the cambelt/balance belt + tensioners a short while after I get it including the cam chain and pad.

 

[944 man]

ORIGINAL: sc0tty

I don't call replacement of a chain and a nylon tensioner pad every 100,000 miles a major shortcoming ! And yes my chain and tensioner has been replaced, I had it done in Summer of 2007, as well as all cam, balance and aux belts, rollers, idlers, oil seals, and water pump.

I saw seven 944 Supers lined up at a specialists once: all wating for a new and elusive cylinder head. Id call that a major shortcoming. Since that many, many S2s and 968s have suffered from similar mechanical catastrophes and those which have required major component replacements at great cost, will have outnumbered them manifold.

 

[Diver944]

I think it was very common back in the 90's but fortunately it is now a very widely publicised issue on most Porsche Forums and magazines, so there really is no excuse for not maintaining them regularly. Sadly we still hear of people with problems a couple of times a year [&o]

It was only just coming to light when I bought my S2 in 1998, but luckily the club magazine ran a very small article detailing the part numbers (which were only just available) and I had mine changed within a few weeks of reading it.