New owner - 944T

[nags]

Hi all, I'd like to introduce myself to the board as the recent, proud new owner of a grey 1991 944 turbo with the grand sum of 124k miles on the clock.

I've previously owned a couple of Japanese turbo cars (Nissan 180sx, Toyota Supra) so am inclined to compare this with those. I've had the car for a couple of weeks now and am still exploring her, so to speak. It feels very strong, mechanically and general build quality (not necessarily the electrics!) and the performance is satisfying.

Current observations are:
A very strong pull from about 3k towards 5k, but seems to taper off slightly, after that;
It is very flat around corners and seems to be able to cope with any ham-fisted gear changes and other unsettling events mid-corner that I seem to be able to dish up - I don't have the M030 suspension, though.
Gearbox/gearchanges are certainly slick, but weighty and difficult to do quickly from 1st to 2nd (180sx was comparatively quick there... but didn't feel as 'tough'). Also, I'm quite gentle with the clutch in the 944 - no chance of a wheel spinning start - as I'm pretty sure the clutch hasn't been changed before...

A couple of questions:
What sort of oil pressure readings do people see? I generally see a full (or a shade under) 5 bar when driving, this drops down to 3 (sometimes just under) when I'm braking and coming to a stop/sitting still.
I read yesterday that the turbo models had passenger and driver airbags as standard from '87, is this correct? how would I find out if they're fitted to mine?
Some of the electrics are struggling - RH headlight blows it's fuse, drivers window doesn't budge. Should I start making friends with an auto-electrician, or are these sort of problems not a particular gremlin?

Anyway, I hope to start taking up some track days and other events in due course so I look forward to meeting some of you then.

Nic Stevens

 

[appletonn]

Welcome to the slippery slope of 944 turbo ownership - the tuning potential extends as far as your wallet will allow...![]

Look forward to hearing more of your experiences over the coming months[]

 

[nags]

Thanks chaps.
I should stress - I used the word 'satisfying' because the performance is great and doesn't leave me wanting...yet. I'm sure I'll start enhancing as time goes on, though.

 

[Diver944]

Welcome Nic - I love the shots of your car, especially the rear quarter - excellent angle [8D]

As others have said, you probably have a short in the wire immediately behind the pop up lights. The window could be another short or maybe a seized motor/ mechanism - none of these are the end of the world and parts are easily found new or second hand.

The standard wastegate is designed to bleed off boost as the revs rise. You'll find it should hit 0.8 bar of boost around 3500rpm but it quickly starts dropping away and can be as low as 0.4 bar by the redline depending how weak your wastegate has got. Us conspiracy theorists like to say that Porsche designed it like that so it didn't embaress the more expensive models back in the 80's []

1st to 2nd gear has never been lightning fast on any 944 I've driven

The airbags were fitted to US models but we never had them on 944's. They came in when the 968 came out in 1992

Your oil pressure readings look fine and after 1989 Porsche stopped fitting the multi adjustable M030 suspension as standard, you could always select it as a cost option though []

Look forward to seeing you and your car at some events in the future