She's all mine!

[Big Les]

Picked up my new car yesterday and drove the 200 miles to get her home. A little tentative at first, but by the time we were on the home straight we had got to know each other quite well! My first Porsche - 1989 944 S2 Cabriolet. Bought as a bit neglected, but a lady owner who has only done 16,000 miles in the last 5 years. So now it's time to delve under the skin and start sorting out the problems I know about, and no doubt discover a few I don't. Starter motor need looking at, electric hood mechanism needs an overhaul, I think the thermostat needs changing as the temperature guage didn't even reach the first line, etc.

Still I'm sure it's a great way to get to know the car. No doubt I'll be posting with all sorts of questions and technical help.

Hello all!

 

[Helen Goff]

[8D]got any pictures..

my S2s having a major overhaul at the moment and im really missing it. a really great drivers car.

 

[944Turbo]

Excellent hope it brings you lots of pleasure,
Tony

 

[Big Les]

Hi Helen

I was reading the thread about yours - hope the bill isn't too steep, but I'm sure it will be worth it. It's encouraging to know that you are prepared to have that amount of work done on the car, the 944 must be a pretty decent car.

 

[Helen Goff]

yes, well i think so anyway its one i plan to keep for quite a while [8D]

 

[Diver944]

Congrats Les [] We'll wait for the list of questions as you learn more about your particular new toy []

It does sound as if the thermostat could do with replacing, as they get old they do tend to fail by opening too early.

 

[Big Les]

I bought a thermostat and circlip pliers today and will try and do it myself. Is standard antifreeze OK to refill the system with?

 

[jr2015]

Hi Les,
A good quality universal antifreeze does the job.Bleeding the system is a bit on the slow side, follow the instructions in the Haynes manual.
Changing the thermostat is a bit awkward as access is limited, a mirror can be useful to see what you`re doing and that circlip is going to need a fair bit of anglo-saxon during the work, but it`s not impossible.
Do what`s needed to allow you to enjoy the car through the Summer, and do the rest as a winter project.
My car has been my daily drive for the last 12 years, and regular servicing using OE parts is all thats needed to keep 944s on the road.They are not temperamental creatures.
Happy motoring,
jr.

 

[Hilux]

A good quality universal antifreeze does the job

Hmmmmm

In my handbook Porsche are quite specific re the antifreeze types however, bearing in mind it was 1988 I must assume that antifreeze/summer coolants have moved on.

So what is correct? Are `halfrauds` type antifreeze/coolants ok?

 

[danmason]

Changing the thermostat is a bit awkward as access is limited, a mirror can be useful to see what you`re doing and that circlip is going to need a fair bit of anglo-saxon during the work, but it`s not impossible.

I concur. Much trickier than on the 924; I ended up getting mine done for me at the same time as a 12k service so it was pretty cheap.

So what is correct? Are `halfrauds` type antifreeze/coolants ok?

Yes, although I usually get a 'branded' version because I'm a snob. Most bottles have small-print on the back, usually something like 'suitable for all modern engines'. There used to be a problem with certain types of antifreeze wreaking havoc with aluminium engines, but the new coolants are universal.