New Toy

[DavidL]

So I've had my 944s a few days now []

and generally I'm really quite impressed - certainly it doesn't seem like a car that is 18 years old. It handles well, certainly the damping is great and the performance is brisk and a whole lot more comfortable than driving a Caterham at -1c. [&:]

I have a few questions.

It looks like I have the perennial power steering problem. An inch of new fluid in the reservoir stopped a whole load of moans and groans on starting from cold and slow speed manuovering. I'll see how long it lasts before the level drops again.

The clutch is the original and on 97K - any tell tale signs before it goes?

The starter motor sounds very sluggish, especially from cold and it has been about freezing these last two mornings, but always does the job. Could just need a new battery or the alternator may need help. Common or not?

Looking at the bills that came with the car, and there are lots, it seems to get through a number of wheel bearings and I have a bit of an intermittent squeak now. Again do they have an appetite for these?

I still havent quite got the seating position right. I am used to being able to have my head rested on the head rest whilst driving in the Caterham. The head rests don't adjust do they? The 2 electric motors seem to do much the same thing just at slightly different positions. Is there a trick to getting this just right or just trial and error? I gather sports seats were an option, so are these likely to be better and what are my chances of finding some?

I have a beige pinstripe interior with the front seats recovered in matching beige/cream leather. I imagine recovering the back seat and door cards would be a bit pricey but any ideas how much?

Will need a matching cream luggage roll - repro or ebay?

And where is the best value RS or copy 3 spoke wheel? Got to get me one of those.
There is one on ebay now at about 200stg which seems quite alot really. Going rate do you think.

Will also need a new gearknob and gaiter as mine is perishing. Easy fit or not?
Anyway thats enough for now

Thanks in advance

David Leighton

 

[Fen]

My wife wants to use the comp, so a quick reply to some points. Gear gaitor from Prestige Parts or on eBay as kpporsche (same seller) are top items. I have had 2 (for different cars!) and I just get exchange ones as Keith is in Plymouth and it's a good excuse to have a chin wag, but he mail orders the leather for self-fit. Seating position is not great. The elctrics raise and lower the front and rear of the squab independently. Sport seats just have bigger bolsters on both backrest and base. Southbound motor trimmers could do the trimming. All bar the front seat facings was vinyl even on "leather" cars unless the fantastically expensive full leather was specified. They don't eat bearings especially - I've yet to replace one and I have driven over 150k in 944s. Starter motors are sluggish on the S2 but not so much the others. A recon might be needed at £120-ish exchange, but try cleaning the connections and earths first. Depending on use the clutch can go twice what yours has and more (I had 192,500 on my cab when I sold it). Usually they will break up the rubber centre before they start to slip and there is no warning that is about to happen. Luggage blind for linen interiors matches the dash top/door caps so should be black (in your case) or blue. Expect to pay up to £80 for one. I like the lozenge wheel.

 

[Guest]

Nice looking S you've got there! £200 for an RS wheel doesn't sound too far fetched they are a bit over priced IMHO. You can get a wheel boss (from Porschshop sorry!) that will fit most Sparco, Momo, Mountney wheels etc, this is the route I took.

 

[danmason]

ORIGINAL: Sport seats just have bigger bolsters on both backrest and base.

Fen, are the sports seats really so similar to the standard item? I had always assumed the standard 944 seats were more like the late 924 ones. I ask purely because David asked about rest his head while driving, which is a breeze with the rests that are built into the sports seats (providing you like an 'alert' seating position) but next-to-impossible in the 924 without other motorists assuming you have passed out at the wheel.

David, regardless of the the above, the sports seats are IMHO the best I have used in any road car, ancient or modern - for comfort, support and complete lack of tiredness/stiffness over long journeys. They never fail to draw comment from passengers, both for this reason and because mine are bright red [8D] . I doubt these seats are available widely as spares though - I always thought they were standard in both the S2 and Turbo but apparently not (only in the later Turbos).

For me the driving position in the Turbo engenders a feeling of total control and ease-of-use before I even turn the key; for others less so, and from the reasons people usually give I'm guessing this may be down to physical differences - so I'm going to stick my neck out and suggest that if you're slim to average and 5'9"-6'2" you should be able to find something pretty close to ideal (although Tiffany Dell must roughly fit this profile and he says the steering wheel's too low - maybe he forgot to use the height adjusters).

I have two basic positions I use, one for 'lazy' and one for 'pressing on'; certainly one issue as a new owner was working out the front-rear height adjusters - I tend to keep the rear one as low as it will go, with the front one as low as it will go without the seat feeling unnaturally sloped.

Oh, and if you really want to change your steering wheel I'd hurry up - otherwise you might start to realise just how good the Lozenge is for driving!

Sorry for waffling... welcome to the wonderful world of 944 ownership.

 

[Fen]

The non-sport seat is the same as the sport apart from the bolsters. The seats across the range were revised in about 1983 when the headrest was changed from a square profile to a more rounded one - I think maybe it got a bot more padding to move it closer to the head at that time, but I find it too far away to rest my head on too. In terms of driving position I find I get a really twisted left knee after a long time in the saddle and there is not enough under thigh support. There is not enough upper body support from the seats even with sport bolsters.

 

[944Turbo]

Ref wheel bearings, from what I have heard if they are German and Swedish wheel bearings they may not last as long as ones from Porsche or ECP, otherwise they should be good for a goodly number of miles. Exception to this may be if it has stood around on its wheels for long periods. I have been told seismic action can cause the bearings to wear flat spots which just about sounds plausible (especially near a busy road or a pile driver workshop)

Tony

 

[DavidL]

Thanks for all the advice people. I'll see how it goes for a little while then perhaps drop it into Steve Bull with a long ish list....

DL

 

[pae]

ORIGINAL: Steve PH

Nice looking S you've got there! £200 for an RS wheel doesn't sound too far fetched they are a bit over priced IMHO. You can get a wheel boss (from Porschshop sorry!) that will fit most Sparco, Momo, Mountney wheels etc, this is the route I took.

You'll probably find a better deal here... http://www.needforspeed.co.uk/pages/sbv_pl.asp?Vehicle=PR94401&PartType=SHK01

Phil

 

[Fen]

I got my boss from a Titanic lister, but they come up on eBay quite regularly for about £10. Just make sure you get an oval dash one for an oval dash car and vice versa as they are not interchangeable.

 

[iainfuller]

David

my luggage cover was in a pretty sorry state when I got my S2. I stripped the mechnism out and got a friend of the family to make me a new one using a metre of 'top' quality blue leatherette which is a pretty good match to rest of the interior. The material was about £6! from one of those factory outlet stores ('top' quality was their description - apparently they do some that's even cheaper!).

re the starter motor everyone I've asked about mine say's they're just sluggish. I fitted the correct battery to my car but it didn't make any difference to the starter. I did read somewhere on the forum that the battery in the 968 has a higher cranking power than the '44 but is the same size so could be swapped.

My car has done 101K now and as far as I'm aware is on the original clutch (no documentation to suggest it's been changed). It was inspected when I bought it last March and again when serviced in September - no suggestion of imminent change needed (touch wood!).

Iain

 

[Fen]

The starter on S2s are all slow, but some are slower than others. When I replaced mine it was noticeably much quicker. If a 968 one is improved and it fits then that's a good suggestion, but you won't get a 968 one in exchange for an S2 one if they aren't the same, so that makes it expensive.

 

[944turboS]

There is a guy on ebay breaking a 968 at the moment though his prices are steep, he wants £250 for the mirrors. []

 

[Hilux]

the sports seats are IMHO the best I have used in any road car, ancient or modern - for comfort, support and complete lack of tiredness/stiffness over long journeys. They never fail to draw comment from passengers

I`m afraid that I have to agree entirely with regard to long journeys (and I suffer badly from back injuries). Not bad on track either but I`m 6'1" and my head hits roof (no sun roof) with a crash helmet on.

Tiffany is correct IMO, the steering wheel is too low. I`d like a smaller one but I`ll have to paint it purple [&:]

 

[944 man]

Neither are prohibitively expensive. Id suspect the brake pads first.

 

[edh]

Doesn't sound quite right. Brakes could have plate lift? Usually brakes are nicely progressive and not on/off. Is there some adjustment in the clutch pedal - I think TTM mentioned this.

Welcome to the forum. Oh and we like pics... []

 

[marojojoem]

Replaced my clutch master cylinder last year after the clutch started to bite whilst I was waiting at junctions etc causing uncommanded movement. Interesting!
Not a difficult job I think I paid £65+VAT for the master cylinder you just have to remember the car needs to be on ramps or a lift so you can get at the slave cylinder bleed nipple.
Incidentally how many '86 Turbo's are there, according to howmanyleft.co.uk there's only 3 licensed

 

[944Turbo]

Not many are there

1984 1 licenced?

1985 4 sorn

1986 3 licenced and 11 on sorn,

1987 28L 32S

1988 50L 53S

1989 64L 44S

1990 55L 41S

1991 52L 28S

1992 1L


Turbo S
1987 0L 1 S

1988 22L 24S

1989 1L 1S


Turbo Cab

1991 20L 14S
1992 17L 7S
1993 1L 3S

 

[Frenchy]

My 86 Turbo is on SORN, only 14 knocking about in the UK according to that, a rare old thing indeed, but she is lovely !

 

[Paul 290T]

My '86 turbo is lcensed.

 

[944 man]

The figures aren't much use even if theyre accurate (which they definitely aren't) because they are referring to calendar years, not Porsche model years. All 1985s on the DVLAs figures are 1986 Turbos and a proportion of the 1986 cars in their figures will be 1987 model year models.