My 944 back from its first service

[dirtydirtyharry]

You know when you take your car to a garage and you want them to find what is wrong but they dont and it sort of disapoints you.

Thats what just happened.

Having owned the 944 (2.5 lux) for just over a week I have found certain issues, namely:

1) Overheating.
2) Oil is just vanishing! (after only 10 days my oil levels have drained away from being in the middle of the max/min marks to not even registering on the dipstick when I checked last night! (obviously this may explain the overheating in 1).
3) Rear brakes squal like a pig.

Having just got the car back from Redline racing who gave it a once-over and a 6k service (who seemed great, I would like to add) the car does seem to burn a bit of oil at high revs (blue smoke from exhaust intermittently) but not nearly as much as I seem to be finding. Im almost doubting my ability to read the dipstick properly [&:]
I was hoping the problem would be diagnosed but im going to just have to keep an eye on it for a day or two and take it back if it burns off the oil again.

Despite filling her back up with oil the temp gauge is still above half-way (the fans work btw) even on a 5 minute journey.

All this just makes me paranoid and is spoiling the enjoyment of having the car. Really fed up. []

Oh, and the rear brakes are apparently squealing because they are 'dry'. Is there nothing that can be done about this? (can I not just squirt oil on them[] )

Bugger it. Off for a drink now.

 

[Black Beauty]

My temp gauge rises, but mostly only when stuck in traffic. Camtune put it down to poor old connections as thermostatt etc all seemed ok.

Perhaps yours is similar

 

[944 man]

As youll see on other threads currently running: people use way too thin oil. Try reverting to a 20W-50 and see if the consumption improves.

 

[Diver944]

So what have they done to cure the:

1) Overheating

3) Squealing brakes

 

[nick3814]

Surely if you had it in for the service and they were aware of the problems you were having they should have offered you some advice on what the possible causes of the problems were once they had finished working on her! [&:]

 

[dirtydirtyharry]

ORIGINAL: Diver944

So what have they done to cure the:

1) Overheating

3) Squealing brakes

1) The overheating is prsumably down to a lack of engine oil. They have put new oil in (hopefully thicker oil) and told me to monitor it for a few days. Obviously if the oil vanishes again then the head will need looking at , seals etc. They did not want to do the work today as it would have cost me a fortune and with me only owning the car just over a week I need to make sure that the oil is burning at too high a level. In a couple of days I will hopefully know one way or the other as Im on the motorway daily.

3) Im not sure if they just forgot to fix the brakes or they could not do anything about the squeal. I was so precoccupied with the oil that I forgot to ask what they had done to sort the brakes. All I know is that they are still squealing. When they had the car up on the lift, they did comment that the rear brakes were 'dry' resulting in a squeak. Not sure what can be done about this.

 

[millimeep]

The brakes should just be a matter of taking the pads out, replacing if needed.

Then reassemble with copper grease on the backs and sliding parts of the pads.

 

[944Turbo]

I reckon something else will be causing the overheating (unless oil was really really low). If the fans are working the rad must be getting hot so the coolant must be circulating, it could be low or have an airlock though.
Where abouts are you located? I might not be too far away at the moment,
Tony

 

[Alexw]

I'd suggest doing a compression test if its using oil and there smoke, that should help figure out if its the rings.

Overheating: Could the thermostat be sticking closed? When the car is cold put your hand on the pipe to the radiator. It should get suddenly warm as the thermostat opens at whatever temp its supposed to. I don't know where the sensor is to activate the fans, I know my old car's used to be engine side so the 'stat could be stuck closed but the fans would come on anyway as it warmed up.

Sqeaking brakes: They could be nearly used up and are actualy screaming at you[] Either way they want checking, Clarks website has a guide - Here. Squeaking brakes could mean they need some copperslip on the backs of the pads and the "squeaking" noise is actualy a very high pitched vibration which the grease should solve.
EDIT: Didn't see Millimeep's post there, he beat me to it []

All in my limited experience and humble opinion of course [] Hope it helps

 

[Pastry]

compared to the 2.5 M50 lump in my old beemer the '44 seems to run hotter. The beemer used to take an age to warm up but the '44s at 1/3 within minutes, and 2/3 when idling stationary after driving when the fans cut in.

bit concerning at first as i wasnt expecting it, but its smooth and runs fine apart from that. doent use a lot of oil (i topped it up with about 1/2 pint after 2500 miles) or any coolant. i use 10w 40 oil.

i put it down to the engine design being a big 4-pot but if anyone could shed light on if this is indeed normal it would take a small niggling worry off.

I had a squealing front disc on the golf, which stopped when i replaced the rear pads, bizarre.

anyhow GL with your brake & oil problems.

 

[idwoodvale]

ORIGINAL: dirtydirtyharry

1) The overheating is prsumably down to a lack of engine oil. They have put new oil in (hopefully thicker oil) and told me to monitor it for a few days. Obviously if the oil vanishes again then the head will need looking at , seals etc. They did not want to do the work today as it would have cost me a fortune and with me only owning the car just over a week I need to make sure that the oil is burning at too high a level. In a couple of days I will hopefully know one way or the other as Im on the motorway daily.

3) Im not sure if they just forgot to fix the brakes or they could not do anything about the squeal. I was so precoccupied with the oil that I forgot to ask what they had done to sort the brakes. All I know is that they are still squealing. When they had the car up on the lift, they did comment that the rear brakes were 'dry' resulting in a squeak. Not sure what can be done about this.

I'd have thought that any oil leak from seals etc. causing the whole lot to disappear in 10 days should be immediately apparent on a quick once over of the engine bay. Shouldn't it be splattered and leaking all over the place?

If by 'dry' they mean that the brakes need the copper grease mentioned above then this would be a very quick and cheap fix with a car up on a ramp would it not? As to a certain extent would simply changing them and greasing at the same time. Are the pads EBC Greenstuff or the likes? - these can in my experience squeal like mad.

I'd be asking just what they actually did to diagnose and rectify the problems.

 

[dirtydirtyharry]

Many thanks for all the tips fellas. Its greatly appreciated.

As someone said above you would expect that if the car had lost a few pints on oil in the space of ten days that it would be immediately obvious but there was nothing noticable at the garage apart from occasional puffs of blue smoke from the exhaust as high revs.

When i viewed the car it was on a steep driveway so it could be that I took dipstick readings wrongly and that the car was actually low on oil at the time. The car was tilted down a slope though so I would have expected the oil reading to be low at the time but it wasnt.

Not really sure what is going on but will just have to keep an eye on it. i am going to check it tonight when i get back from work. Obviously if it has dropped significantly in a day (covering only 30 miles) then i will need to get it booked in somewhere.

I forgot to say that there is no oil in the coolant so a head gasket problem looks unlikely.

On the subject of the brake pads, I will get hold of some copper grease at the weekend and give that a go.

Thank you again!

ddh

 

[dirtydirtyharry]

ORIGINAL: 944Turbo

I reckon something else will be causing the overheating (unless oil was really really low). If the fans are working the rad must be getting hot so the coolant must be circulating, it could be low or have an airlock though.
Where abouts are you located? I might not be too far away at the moment,
Tony

The oil was V low! I had to add about 3 pints (it was not registering on the disptick). coolant level seems fine.

Im based up in the north east in Thornaby mate quite a distance from Xchurch!

Will let you know if the oil has dropped again when i get home tonight!

 

[nick3814]

Re the pads, if I remember rightly it was fitted with the aforementioned EBC Greenstuff and they did get noisey occasionally. When I bought her I was given a set of new standard pads which I never got round to fitting, I still have them in the garage, your welcome to them if you like. I can meet up with you sometime or catch you at a meeting and I'll bring them along []

 

[944Turbo]

ORIGINAL: dirtydirtyharry

ORIGINAL: 944Turbo

I reckon something else will be causing the overheating (unless oil was really really low). If the fans are working the rad must be getting hot so the coolant must be circulating, it could be low or have an airlock though.
Where abouts are you located? I might not be too far away at the moment,
Tony

The oil was V low! I had to add about 3 pints (it was not registering on the disptick). coolant level seems fine.

Im based up in the north east in Thornaby mate quite a distance from Xchurch!

Will let you know if the oil has dropped again when i get home tonight!

I am staying in Masham which is a long way from christchurch but not so far, if your journey to work is south west might be even closer. Could have a quick look over in exchange for a beer or cup of tea, might not be any help but have been tinkering with 44's for several years,

Tony

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: 944Turbo

Could have a quick look over in exchange for a beer or cup of tea, might not be any help but have been tinkering with 44's for several years,

Tony

He just wants to have another look at his old car - bless []

Definately worth a liberal smearing of copper grease to the back of the pads, and while they are out give the surface a good rub down with emery cloth or fairly rough sandpaper. It could be they are pretty glazed up and squeaking as a result.