Newbie - please be nice

[skattrd]

I've been considerring getting a 944 for ages and today took the plunge and did something silly (again) I've just bought this off ebay click me I haven't seen the car and am going to collect it next Saturday. Does anyone know anything about this car or have any comments on the mods?
I've bought a few cars blind off ebay before and they've usually been pretty good buys (the £190 Scirocco I drove 6 month then sold for £500 was the best) so fingers crossed for this one. Having 10 months MOT should mean theres nothing majorly wrong, but you can never tell until you see the car in the flesh. My brother-in-laws a mechanic so first thing I'll do is get it to him for a once over on the ramp.

Chris

 

[Peter Empson]

Congratulations Chris, I was watching that one as it looked interesting. Love the wheels and it sounds like it should be good fun on the track too. Lets face it, at that price even if it turns out to have problems you could break it and get your money back.

Looks like it might needs some brake pads as I think that's the warning light on the dash, but could just be a faulty sensor.

Let us know how you get on, I look forward to seeing it at a trackday soon []

 

[Guest]

looks ok for the money good luck im watching a few at the min and getting ready to take the plunge soon lol

 

[skattrd]

Cheers for the comments. Like you say for the money I can't go far wrong, I'm sure a leather interiors worth a few quid on its own.

Damn Peter you've got good eyesight but I'm not worried if it needs new pads as thats quite a cheap job.
He says it needs new tyres and I priced them up and it came to about £400 (18" aren't cheap) so quite a bit of an expense before I start anything else ... I may just sell the wheels and get some d90's/teledials, but a bit unsure about fitting with the bigger brakes and turbo hubs and I also quite like the rims.
I can't wait to pick it up but work means I've got to wait nearly a week ....

 

[edh]

Looks like an interesting motor [] - a bit of a gamble, but well worth it for the money.

The 18's are overkill on an n/a but they do look good - 44's always look much better sitting a bit lower. I guess the 18's will make the ride stiffer.

You could get away with 16's - D90's from an S2 will probably be the cheapest option. Buying wheels + tyres is always cheaper as well. 16" Teledials look good, but you'd need the later offset (52.3 fronts?) and I've seen problems with these fitting over the later brakes. Actually it looks to me like the brakes are the standard S2 / Turbo 4 pots, not the larger ones that were fitted to later turbos so you'd be OK.

 

[Black_JPN]

Looks interesting, having the front bumper and badge panel will transform the look. Even if you do it yourself over a weekend. Dent on the rear 3/4 panel looks like in might pull out.

Interesting to see how you get on with it for that money.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Cheers for the comments. Like you say for the money I can't go far wrong, I'm sure a leather interiors worth a few quid on its own.

Got to be worth a couple of £k in bits, and a non-sunroof shell as well......why does someone else always buy the good ones? [&:]

 

[skattrd]

I picked the car up yesterday and drove it home last night (approx 100m) and no real issues. Theres quite a few niggles, to be expected for the price, but the only thing that really concerns me at the moment is a slight oil leak which is towards the front left of the engine. Its not bad enough to stop me from using the car for work this week so that'll be 250m on Monday and again on Friday ... Lets see if I'm happy after that

Bad points:
Oil leak - will get this looked at asap, hopefully next weekend.
Speedo not working.
Brake pad warning light on - sensor wire cut/not attached. Discs & pads look quite new.
Drivers door sags a bit so needs slamming shut.
Rear tyres near limit - I don't fancy buying 18" tyres so will be looking for some 16" d90's or teledials... If anyone fancies a trade for some Speedline replicas lmk.
Handling is a bit sharp - the seller told me castor was set like this deliberately ... I'll get this checked and setup again after I get some different wheels on it.
Boot relase doesn't work.
Central locking doesn't work - servos were removed but wiring is still there.
Tear in roof lining - replacement provided but last on list of things to do.

Not so bad points:
Bodywork is pretty good a few marks but nothing major - I'll decide wether its worth doing up once I'm sure the car is mechanically sound.
Sills are solid and look like they've not been welded.
Engine pulls quite nicely and the car hits 100mph easily (GPS readout .... local airfield - honest)
Gear changes smooth.
Brakes very effective.
Electric windows, mirrors and drivers seat work.
Interior in quite good condition ... Rear seat has 3 point belts!
The seller told me the clutch and belts were changed before the last MOT (November) ... No paperwork as he did this himself so can't prove ... I want to believe this.

Newbie questions, please bear with me as this is my first Porsche.
Can anyone tell me what the oil pressure is supposed to be as on the drive home it was hovering around 4-4.5 whilst on the motorway and 2-3 whilst idle ... Is this good/bad?
Theres a big red light on in the middle of the dash, is this anything to worry about or just because the brake pad and/or speedo sensors aren't attached?
Is there a decent service/repair manual for 944's, someone told me the Haynes one for these isn't verry good.

Thx
Chris.

 

[Diver944]

The oil pressure is where it should be when warm, but don't worry too much about the absolute figures, just get used to where it is normally and then you'll spot if it suddenly drops (or climbs).

The big red light comes on when any of the smaller warnings come on (brake pad, brake fluid, oil pressure, coolant temp etc), so the fact that your pad sensors are disconnected explains that. Pad sensors are £6 per calliper but if you go through pads a lot it's worth just twisting the wires together so that the warning light goes out.

The Haynes book of lies is pretty crap for the 944 but you can download PDFs of the full Factory manuals from http://www.cannell.co.uk/Manuals.htm and there is a very good amateur workshop guide at www.clarks-garage.com

I'm glad the drive home was non eventful and hope your 500 miles this week are just as enjoyable [] If you have no direct evidence about the belts then it would possibly be worth having a local indy do a retension on them for an hours labour, then you'll at least know if they look recent. He could look at the clutch through the inspection hole in the bellhousing too. Shame the seller couldn't show you a reciept for the parts when he did it himself []

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: skattrd

I picked the car up yesterday and drove it home last night (approx 100m) I'll be using the car for work this week so that'll be 250m on Monday and again on Friday ...

Driving the car 100 metres won't tell you much about it, but the good news is that if you only live 1/4km from work then if it does break down, you'll be able to walk home really easily!

And on a serious note ... it sounds like a 944 with a bit of history but has lots of potential. I'd get your brother (mechanic) to have a good look at the Clarks Garage site and work out what needs to be looked at, and what looks normal. Belts are the best one to start with, as if they let go you could be in an expensive mess. Clutch is a good one to check as well.

I echo Paul's point about receipts for DIY work ... not saying it didn't happen, but receipts would be a nice thing to have ...


Oli.

 

[Guest]

Big congrats dude!!!
Gotta say i'm a tad on the jealous side, I shelled out 2250 for one and it looks like yours is in better nic than mine, although the colour isn't my cup of tea!!!
Make sure your keep active on here and let us all know how she drives and handles!
Ad

 

[morris944s2john]

Sounds like a good buy! well done. I'm tempted if I can buy a usable 944 lux for just over a grand. I'd then still be driving a Porsche when i take my S2 off the road for restoration.

 

[James_G]

Congratulations on both your purchase and your bravery.[] I was watching that on ebay thinking it could make an excellent base for a track day car, no sunroof shell and all that, but a lack of useable garage space meant I had to go for something that could also double up as a daily driver if need be.

I reckon it would great on a set of Cup 1s, and I suspect it would help the ride too. Good luck with the work.

 

[xaftershockx]

It does look a nice car I hope it turns out to be.

As most people have said. Get your brother to look carefully over the important stuff!!!

Having brakes fail completely as its a home DIY job is/can be a big worry!!! So best get that done ASAP for peace of mind.

All in all though it looks a nice car that once you have tinkered with will be a reallllllly nice car!

Good luck .. more photo .. and a few updates .. pleassssse!!

 

[edh]

best to check out that oil leak - make sure it's not getting on the belts (doesn't take long to get the front covers off)

 

[Guest]

well done mate i to bought one on ebay unseen realy big risk but at that sort of money allmost disposable car looks a gooden and once you have tinkered like i have for the last 2 weekends the jobs to do get smaller and most of the parts you can get either on ebay or decent breakers

have fun with it mate

Paul

 

[skattrd]

Thanks for the warm welcome and positive comments folks, I'll keep you updated with whats going on with this car.
Fingers crossed my next post isn't "Guess what blew up on the way to work"..

I might have a see if theres anyone reputable in/near Poole that can have a look at the car whilst I'm down there, check the leak, cambelt etc. and get a couple of things off my list.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

I might have a see if theres anyone reputable in/near Poole that can have a look at the car whilst I'm down there,

You could try Jon Mitchell. He's very good, but you might have to join a queue.....[8|]

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: pauljmcnulty

You could try Jon Mitchell. He's very good, but you might have to join a queue.....[8|]

No-one is allowed to take their car there after mid Feb when mine should be making its next visit but before that is permissible

www.jmgarage.com

 

[skattrd]

Right then, the 250 mile drive to Poole was good but I was leaving a plume of smoke behind me under hard accelleration (4k+ revs). I was thinking/hoping that this was just down to car being setup wrong, the smoke didn't smell of oil and there were carbon desposits on the exhasut pipe .... I try to look on the bright side of things []

I was unable to get in to Jon Mitchells during the week, but wasn't really concerned so the car stood untouched Monday - Friday.
Friday I got back to the car a little nervous, but it started first time and I checked underneath where there was a couple of spots of oil (less than I was expecting tbh) so I was quite pleased.
After about 50 miles of the drive back I noticed the oil pressure drop a bit (showing 3 instead of 4+) but I didn't feel like stopping so drove gently to Oxford where I stopped and checked the car .....
Oil level was a tad low.
I checked under the oil filler cap and there was a white deposit .... water in the oil, not a good sign.

I came to the conclusion that the head gasket was on its way out but didn't feel like waitng for a breakdown truck so continued to drive home ... The oil pressure stayed around 3 and the temp never really moved. I got home ok.

I took the car round to my brother-in-laws garage this morning and told him I thought the head gasket might need changing. He took a look and told me he thought the head gasket was ok and it was probably just condensation in the oil and the leak might just be a seal. If the gasket was shot the white "mayo" would have more than likely been under the expansion tank cap, not the filler cap (you learn something everyday). Not to worry he'd have a look at it during the week and reckoned that once fixing the leak the engine might be ok after a good flush through, fingers crossed for that one.
We also discussed the smoke at high revs and he thought this could be the mixture or valve stem seals.

All in all I'm quite relieved and even if the stem seals do need doing I'm not worried and the car will still be a bit of a bargain imo.

Sorry for the long post I do ramble on now and again.