944 2.7 1989 values

[pauljmcnulty]

Temp guage often reads low, most seem to sit at around a third.

Oil, as mentioned, should be 4-5 cold and at revs, falling to about 2.5-3 at hot idle. Is yours moving at all? Often the sender fails and it sits at the top all the time.

 

[944 man]

The gauges arent usually innacurate, although they can be due to poor eathing, the cars run too cool: but this can be rectified by fitting a new thermostat (easier said than done).

 

[pauljmcnulty]

ORIGINAL: 944 man

The gauges arent usually innacurate, although they can be due to poor eathing, the cars run too cool: but this can be rectified by fitting a new thermostat (easier said than done).

I'm not sure. Plenty of people fit a new stat only to find it's reading the same. As you say, it's not the easiest job to do, and most cars I've been in have run fine with the lower reading they all seem to have.

 

[Northern924]

Mine rarely moves above a third, especially when its cold outside, on a long private road at 100 it creeps upto just under halfway

 

[drakec]

not sure what the oil is when cold but it sits at between 4 and 5 when warm and on idle i will check the levels tommorrow, as it has just been changed not sure what he used but he was a mechanic so guess he used the right stuff. the fan has been wired onto a switch as i have just found out but it works ok and the temp drops quite quickly it only goes up when stationary and on the move sits at about a third up the gauge. Also the engine seems quite tappety is thiss normal or will they need adjusting and is it easy to do?

 

[Eldavo]

They all sound a bit tappety when started, should go when it's warmed up though.

 

[os951]

guess you need the cam too to get the benefit. sounds like the cam grind was out of center on the standard keyway.

That's correct. We have here a manufacturer who makes very good re-grinds to all 944 models, including 16V ones. Price is also decent.

 

[Dickiet]

Congratulations on finding a good one.
Ive been looking for a nice 944 for about a month now, why do all the sellers especially traders say they are the best you will find and when you look they are poor. Did a 150 mile trip on Saturday to look at an S2 with a trader he said it had a few spots on a sill where stones had chipped it other than that it was mint, when I got there he had to jump start it, it had 6" of thick stone chip down both sills and you could see where the rust was bubbling through big time underneath, the steering wheel had the cover peeling off, the wheels were corroded badly, engine sounded rough in pictures it looked ok if it were mine I could only have broken it for spares and he wanted £3.5K for it. I have almost given up, all the cars that seem like what I want are about 150 miles away which is a long day out to find its no where near as good as the seller says.
Rich

 

[drakec]

Iam getting a bit concerned about this tappet noise as it seems to be there warm or cold going to change the oil as a precaution just in case its too thin,anyone know what i should be using,iam hoping its not going to be anything terminal been hearing a few horror stories of cam chains e.c.t also am i right in thinking the tappets are hydraulic so cant be adjusted. Just dont want to do any damage to the engine so not driving it till i have got to the bottom of it.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

it had 6" of thick stone chip down both sills and you could see where the rust was bubbling through big time underneath,

Stone chip protection is standard, the rust isn't!

Sadly almost every 944 will have some corrosion here, along with the wing bottoms. I just try to put it in to context: any comparable older car will rust far worse, and probably have other mechanical and electrical issues, and a comparable newer car will be depreciating more in a year than a 944 costs to run.

If you're having to travel to look at a car, ask them for close-up pictures. If they are being helpful they should be able to send you internal shots of the sills through the black vent in the door pillar. I think people have to accept that the cars now need some bodywork repairs and factor that in to the cost of buying it. Allow a couple of grand as a worst-case fund and you're still getting a bargain if the car is only £3-£4K.

 

[zcacogp]

DrakeC,

They have hydraulic tappets, which are often noisy. More usually noisy when the car is first started, and becoming quiet after a matter of seconds (4 or 5 at the most.) Using a good flush before changing the oil is a good way of tackling it, or upping the viscosity rating of the oil (prevents the oil draining out so readily.)

If you are worried about the noise from them then try the above. If you are really worried then get someone else to listen to the car - someone from on here who lives locally, or a quick trip to your local indie (take him a few beers and ask for 5 minutes of listening.)

Cam chain noise is quite different to tappet noise, although the differences are hard to describe. An indie would tell you in an instant whether it is a noisy chain or tappets. Having said that, if you really are worried about the chain then you need to get it looked at, for your peace of mind if nothing else.

FWIW, the tappets on my S2 were noisy when I first bought it, but regular use and an oil change (with flush) every 5k miles has cured it. One of them was quite noisy about 18 months ago for a while (few weeks / 1000 miles or so) but it quietened down soon after; I assumed that a small piece of carbon had become lodged in the drain hole (or similar), and it took a while to become dislodged.


Oli.

 

[drakec]

Thanks for that puts my mind at rest a bit going to change the oil and flush it just o be sure,what oil do you think is best maybe a 15/50 semi synthetic something like castrol magnatec?

 

[zcacogp]

How many miles has it done?

What condition is the engine in? (What does a compression leakdown test show?)

What oil has been used in it before?

15w50 semi would seem to be on the thickish side, but probably not ridiculously so. I use a 10w40 semi in my S2 (165k miles).


Oli.

 

[blease]

I think the injectors can also make a tappety noise. Mine seems to have this. FWIW changing the camchain and slippers had no bearing on the noise.

 

[Eldavo]

DrakeC - We 2.7 owners have the 8v engine which doesn't have a cam chain to worry about. We leave that nonsense to the 944S minority and the disillusioned S2 owners like Oli!

 

[zcacogp]

Well blow me! Why didn't I spot that we are talking about a 2.7 and therefore there is no cam chain? []

Good spot Eldavo. So good, in fact, that I'll ignore the latter end of your post ...


Oli.

 

[MRGT]

ORIGINAL: Eldavo

We leave that nonsense to the 944S minority and the disillusioned S2 owners like Oli!

Given the numbers made, I am always suprised at the number of S models which appear to still be around, but then we dont suffer from sill rot like those S2 and Turbo owners []

Howard

 

[drakec]

just spoke to the guy i got it off he said he used 10w 40 semi synthetic the car has done 76000 but has only cover about 6000 miles over the last 10 years so going to try some injector cleaner and flush the engine see if it makes any difference.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

just spoke to the guy i got it off he said he used 10w 40 semi synthetic the car has done 76000 but has only cover about 6000 miles over the last 10 years so going to try some injector cleaner and flush the engine see if it makes any difference.

At the risk of repeating previous comments....

Lux doesn't have a cam chain. With the low mileage over the last few years when was the cambelt changed?

10/40 should be fine. Semi-synth should also be fine, my Lux used it. There will be issues due to low miles, mine had only done 900 miles in 18 months and most of the oil seals had dried out and started to leak. I'd get a good service to start with, all fluids, filters and ignition components are likely to be needing changing.

944s have a habit of running despite needing new rotor arm, HT leads, fuel filter etc. They just run a whole lot better when you change them!

 

[drakec]

cambelt and all belts just done by previous owner no recipts but they look brand new. Going to change all the bits mentioned as i dont know when they were last done and do the flush wont have time to do it for about 2 weeks due to work but will post an update when i get it done and see if there is any improvement.....