peanut
Active member
I inherited a huge list of MOT failures with my recent purchase of a 1990 944 including some rather odd faults .
First the rear hatch wouldn't stay shut and was held down with gaffa tape.! The PO had replaced the cable but placed the motor arm back in the wrong position on the spline .Both hatch locks which were completely seized in an open position so they were removed cleaned and lubricated and before refitting them I adjusted the actuating rods . Perfect operation now which is very satisfying.
Next the rear lights, all the bulbs and sockets were heavily corroded from having stood out in the Scottish weather for a year . I suspect the PO had placed a cover over the car which probably caused most of the oxidation and rust. The car probably never really got a chance to dry out .
DOOR NOT OPENING
Next on the list the was drivers door which could not be opened from the outside plus the central locking was not working and the key would not budge in the lock and the door handle lever was not releasing the door latch.
Opting initially to avoid pulling the door to pieces I pulled the door handle out as far as it would go and found nothing was broken . It was clear that every pivot and link were very worn and the whole handle will need replacing eventually.
After a little experimenting I could see that the door handle lever could not be pulled far enough to release the door latch so as a temporary measure I carefully filed the back of the Aluminium door handle lever 2-3mm so that the lever would have a few extra mm of travel and now the door can be opened from the outside....another box ticked and £200+ saved .
HANDBRAKE
Last job today was to fix the the handbrake as the release button and return spring were seized with rust.
Very restricted access to the 2x handbrake fixing bolts alongside the drivers seat for those with big hands but rachet spanners or a 1/4" drive socket set saves a lot of cursing.
Half an hour later another fault fixed and the handbrake now cleaned, lubed and adjusted works perfectly and another saving of £100+ on a replacement handbrake lever.
Next job is to look at the gear lever which feels like stirring a spoon in a bucket of icecream!
First the rear hatch wouldn't stay shut and was held down with gaffa tape.! The PO had replaced the cable but placed the motor arm back in the wrong position on the spline .Both hatch locks which were completely seized in an open position so they were removed cleaned and lubricated and before refitting them I adjusted the actuating rods . Perfect operation now which is very satisfying.
Next the rear lights, all the bulbs and sockets were heavily corroded from having stood out in the Scottish weather for a year . I suspect the PO had placed a cover over the car which probably caused most of the oxidation and rust. The car probably never really got a chance to dry out .
DOOR NOT OPENING
Next on the list the was drivers door which could not be opened from the outside plus the central locking was not working and the key would not budge in the lock and the door handle lever was not releasing the door latch.
Opting initially to avoid pulling the door to pieces I pulled the door handle out as far as it would go and found nothing was broken . It was clear that every pivot and link were very worn and the whole handle will need replacing eventually.
After a little experimenting I could see that the door handle lever could not be pulled far enough to release the door latch so as a temporary measure I carefully filed the back of the Aluminium door handle lever 2-3mm so that the lever would have a few extra mm of travel and now the door can be opened from the outside....another box ticked and £200+ saved .
HANDBRAKE
Last job today was to fix the the handbrake as the release button and return spring were seized with rust.
Very restricted access to the 2x handbrake fixing bolts alongside the drivers seat for those with big hands but rachet spanners or a 1/4" drive socket set saves a lot of cursing.
Half an hour later another fault fixed and the handbrake now cleaned, lubed and adjusted works perfectly and another saving of £100+ on a replacement handbrake lever.
Next job is to look at the gear lever which feels like stirring a spoon in a bucket of icecream!
Last edited:
