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Advice on buying a turbo

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I have been to look at an 88 944 turbo and wanted to know a few things before put an offer to the owner ,the car is a september 1988 model in guards red, what i wanted to know is there anything specific to the turbos that you need to look out for ,would this be classed as a late or early turbo and what sort of Bhp would i expect from it ???
 
1988 is the year where it's hard to tell what it is. Does it have a 160 or 180 mph speedo? Does it have forged disc wheels or Silver Rose style 7-spokes? Does it have a sunroof? Does it have studio check cloth interior?
 
It had a sunroof , the seats were black porsche logo style,i didnt notice the speedo and the wheels were 16" 968 wheels (i think),I did notice that the calipers had the porsche logo embosed and polished rather that printed on like the ones i have !!!
 
Earlier calipers had the logo cast into them and the black finish buffed off regardless of the size.

I'm thinking because of the sunroof and interior it's a 220. Confirmation would be a 160mph speedo or the empirical engine number proof, but I forget the codes for 220 and 250 variants.
 
According to the 944 FAQ at www.clarks-garage.com

A 220 Turbo will have an engine code of M44/51
A 250 Turbo will have an engine code of M44/52

The chassis number for a 1988 220 Turbo will be 95JN150001-
The chassis number for a 1988 250 Turbo will be 97JN50001-

It's an American site but the engine and chassis numbers still apply
 
I have the engine number but it doesnt seem to match with the codes given,the bloke selling it seems to think its a 220 model, will the later style brembo's (ones with the posrche script printed one) fit straight on or are the hubs different ??. Is there anything i should look out for on this model ??
 
Hubs are different on a 220. Basically the 220 is an S2 with the turbo engine and all the stuff like bigger brakes, LSD etc. came with the 250 Turbo.
 
I suppose i could put the later hubs on , Im going to view the car again at the weekend and have a proper look as it certainly is'nt a mint car but does have potential if the price is right !! I noticed as i looked through the front bumper on the right hand side there was a small oblong radiator/cooler ,what is this for ??
 
The hubs are made of rocking horse excrement and cost a fortune second hand as all the 968 guys want them, too.

The little radiator is the oil cooler.
 
Cheers for all the info,i already have the hubs and trailing arms from a late turbo (89) that came with the brakes so fitting shouldnt be a problem !!
 
ORIGINAL: Fen

The hubs are made of rocking horse excrement and cost a fortune second hand as all the 968 guys want them, too.
Click to expand...

I recently had a set for sale. Posted on Rennlist -- had over a dozen offers within 2-hours. Sold them for $875

Karl.
 
A good indication of whether it is a 220 or 250 engine is to look at the inlet manifold



Look between runners 3 & 4 (where the brass manifold and 4 red silicone pipes are above)

If there is one banjo bolt, it is a 220 BHP. If there are two separate banjo bolts side by side tapped in to the manifold, it is a 250.

The manifold above is from a 220, just to clarify (but is internally reworked)

HTH

Rick.
 
I cant tell by looking at the picture of the engine i have ,i am going to view the cars again but its looking like its a 220 turbo !!!
 
I'm beginning to think the '88 220 cars maybe had the 180 mph speedo, so you might be right. Anyone confirm? John, what does yours have?
 
I managed to get the engine number but it doesnt match any of the codes,is there any other way of telling ,as i need to put an offer in on the car pretty soon .
 
You really need the chassis number (VIN) from the registration document or the sticker in the boot - it will start WPOZZZ. Then check it against the chassis number range as per the clarks garage site above. Specifically here:

http://www.connact.com/~kgross/FAQ/944faq02.html

Final RH column at the bottom of the page just above the 968 section
 
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