Starts and dies early 944

[Sean944nov]

Thanks Daniel
im going to take a few days brea and start again, I think I’ve replaced everything except fuel damper and I mean everything But I will order a damper and see, could this be anything to do with the alarm system there seems to be 2 alarms and on door opening there’s a lot of clicking coming from under the dash????
Sean

 

[Sean944nov]

Thanks ras62 I will give it a go

 

[944Turbo]

Alarm(immoboliser) should stop sparks/fuel pump/starter so if faulty could be denying your fuel or sparks. There have also been issues with wiring loom to injectors - you would have to be very unlucky to lose all 4 though!
Early 944s also sometimes have issues with corrosion on fuses / fuse holder - could be worth giving the fuel pump ones a good clean.
good luck
Tony

 

[Sean944nov]

Thanks tony
im going to take a few days break then start at the start and try again with all your advice to hand, I’m sure what this is is so simple I’ve missed it either way I knew nothing about these cars and after all this I will be able to build one ??????????

 

[Dan944t]

Thanks tony
im going to take a few days break then start at the start and try again with all your advice to hand, I’m sure what this is is so simple I’ve missed it either way I knew nothing about these cars and after all this I will be able to build one ??????????

Im living proof of this Sean!??

you’ll sort it mate, but you must goo through all the advise we’ve all thought of just to illuminate possabilities, only then you can move onto others . It will be something simple I believe it’s just tracking it down through illumination.

let us know how you get On

quick question how long has the car been ok for and untill what point ie what was the last things that where done before it would t run,.....or is this how you purchased it?

Daniel

 

[Sean944nov]

Hi Daniel, it’s how I bought the car , I bought it as running but it had sat for a while it belonged to a collector who passed away, I then went on to find out it’s actually a quite rare car which belonged to Porsche themselves for what ever reason I don’t know, it’s only 80k full Porsche service history and first two stamps in Stuttgart are Dr F Porsche then it was imported to Uk in 1983 it’s also RHD so you probably see why I’d like to get it going
Sean

 

[scam75]

Porsche owned my car for the first 18 months of its life. OPC Reading had it and used it.

 

[Sean944nov]

This one is stamped owned by Dr F Porsche Stuttgart and vin ends in
400011 and spoke to Jon Mitchell who says it’s very rare and could possibly be a pre production car or an original show car it’s got 15 added extras including air/con on a 1982 which I not seen before, he says I need to write to Germany and find out about it as it could be a very valuable car an he offered to take it in but I’ve decided to keep it with me for now as it’s in extremely good condition and does need restoring just cleaned up And motd , but it needs to run first of course ??

 

[Dan944t]

Very nice both of you!

am I right then in saying this is a non turbo then?

did you drain the fuel if it has been sitting for years? Mine sat for 3 years whilst I saved for a full rebuild and I drained all mine and added fresh, as it will go stail ect

the difference in colour on mine night and day just another posability that won’t help to run at Best of its ability . ( not saying it’s the only reason , but if you know how long it’s been In the tank it would help )

whats Your oil preasure like when your cranking it over?

Have you performed a simple compression test yet? If not it would be good to know what health the cylinders/piston/ rings are in. Cheap to buy a tester. We could advise how to if you’ve never done one ?

Daniel

 

[Sean944nov]

Hi Daniel
yes drained the tank put on new filter and pump , I think the oil pressure is good but need to check again to be sure, i have the equipment to do the pressure test but never done it before.
at one point I did have it running for about 10min but soon I put my foot on the excellorater it died and that seemed to be the case every time it would start then put my foot down it dies, now it just starts first turn of the key and dies sometimes it might backfire. Does that tell you anything?

 

[Dan944t]

Could be one of many things Sean,
a vacume leak?
spark plugs?
leads?
distributor cap?
coil?
rotar cap?
fuel dampener?
timing?

just to name a few

Have you changed or inspected the air filter for dirt or blockage?

 

[Sean944nov]

i did go through everything and all the leads etc were all new on the car , I will just keep all these msgs write everything down and go through everything again and mark it off as checked as I go along and just start as if it’s totally new and take nothing for granted that it’s working cos I checked it before I will just go through everything again .
I wont start until tomorrow but I will keep you updated. Thanks again
sean

 

[Dan944t]

That’s it mate, gobtheough it all one by one.

to perform a compression test , what I do is disconnect the coil to distributor cap, will be easier from the distributor cap.
then i pull and un clip the the electrical connectors to the injectors (be gentle and carefully with the metal clips on those, pry them off carefully and watch the retaining clips don’t fly off!)

the idea is to have no spark or pulses of fuel as not to flood the engine as all you are trying to do is turn the engine over, not start it.

Then remove all spark plugs and then screw in your compression tester gauge into each spark plug thread in the head, and make sure it’s hand nipped up only, then crank the engine over around 7 times that should ensure the needle has reached its max compression and stoped going up. Thrn read the figure and write it down with its spercific cylinder number so number 1 cylinder will be the front one radiator side.

Once you do that post up your findings and one of us will be able to tell you the health off your cylinders/piston rings ect, which is the heart of the engine and very important. I’m sure you’re are fine but it’s important to know what condition there in and therefore what compression they are making. Also good to keep a journal of it all ??

Daniel

 

[Sean944nov]

Ok will do Daniel thanks
I might even do that today and also check oil pressure so at least there done

 

[Waylander]

the clicking under the dash is possibly the window relay, it clicks like mad when the door light switches are corroded, almost a chattering noise,

could not resist trying to help you out.

 

[944Turbo]

sounds like apiece of history - be nice to see some photos!
It sounds counter intuitive but try disconnecting the plug on the airflow meter (by the air filter) and see if it keeps running longer. My cab when it had been sitting for some time developed a cutting out issue - pulling the plug allowed it to run - cleaning up the connector and tracks (bit more complicated as it involves prising off the lid) sorted it.
Also (and I think the non turbos do this too) if you open the throttle slightly by hand on the throttle body you should hear a faint click as the microswitch disengages / engages - not sure if failure will stop it running with the pedal pressed slightly but with your foot off the pedal it might.

 

[Sean944nov]

hi guys
just something i thought I’d run by use as I’ve been doing a lot of reading and watching videos of non start issues, Jon Mitchell informed me my car had the low quality fuel option, that’s something that was not an option for Uk cars , my thoughts are even though I’ve installed a second hand DME from another early 944, could this be something to do with my problem, after everything I’ve done checked and replaced I’m nearly sure the problem is electrical DME or DME relay related at this point , anyone got got any thoughts on this ???
Sean