Turbo's - what to look for specifically ?

[MRGT]

I have a friend of a friend of a friend who 'may' be willing to part with his 944 turbo (a 220 one). Now, owning a 16v 944 I'm aware of all the issues to look for with regards to bodywork, belts, electrics, water leaks etc (gosh isn't it a big list []) , however my knowledge of turbo's is limited so any ideas as to specific issues I should look for would be most appreciated.

Thanks

Howard

 

[edh]

much the same really...although there's no cam chain etc.. to worry about

Over & above that, the turbo specific things I would look at are

1. Where in the rev range does the turbo spool up & how strongly does it pull, then where does the boost start to die away? this will give you an idea whether the wastegate / diverter valve etc.. is working well, and if there are any boost leaks. There is a huge difference between a healthy turbo and a poor one. A 220 turbo should boost to around .75 bar I believe, and should pull strongly from 3k. Boost may tail off a little at high revs as the turbocharger is quite small. Try & get a drive of a known good car for a comparison.

2. Check for any oil in the pipes connecting to the throttle body - there will always be a bit of oil blowing by the turbo oil seals, but you don't want to find huge pools of it.

3. Get a compression test done

4. Check out any re-chips / performance mods - check the area round the exhaust tip for signs it might be running rich.

 

[944 man]

ORIGINAL: edh
A 220 turbo should boost to around .75 bar I believe

Which will read 1.75 BAR on the gauge, due to Porsche's unusual practice of recording atmospheric pressure as well as boost... []

 

[edh]

Quite useful though, because you can see what level of vacuum you have in the intake - expect it to read down close to .4 when warm. Much higher & there are probably some vacuum leaks.

 

[sawood12]

I can't stress enough to investigate any mods it might already have. Despite popular and misguided ideas, turbo's are not unreliable or temperamental. Just the opposite, they are robust and rugged and an unmodified one will last as long as any other 944 model - longer if anythig as they have a much lower compression ratio and you don't drive on full boost for 100% of the time so the engine spends the vast majority of its time under-stressed. The complications arise when you start talking mods. Like most things in life these can be done well and can be done frightfully badly and in 99% of cases where 944 turbos have blown up or had some form of catastrauphic failure it will be down to ropey mods (you could do a Sky show on this call 'When Mods Go Wrong'). Good and well planned mods shouldn't harm long term reliabaility (unless you're aiming for silly HP numbers), bad mods can destroy an engine in a very short space of time.

Look for excessive smoke which could be indicative of a leaky turbo, espeically on boost, on a 220 turbo car full boost should be coming in at about 3000 rpm ish (give or take a couple of hundred), and it should be strong, progressive and smooth (i.e. no lumpiness or hesitation). At the top end of the rev range you may feel like the rate of accellaration is reducing - and it will be, but it should still be pulling strongly.

 

[Suffolk944]

Think folk have said it all in the posts above and yes the Turbos aren't fragile things powered by witchcraft, rather they are robust if looked after properly and stonkingly good fun (especially even with just a few basic mods). Oh and don't be put off with the car you are interested in being a 220 - I had one previously and in many ways preferred the power delivery to the 250, even if in the end the 220 lacks that bit of extra grunt.

 

[Guest]

Look for when the belts were done last.. Very important. If the car has a rattle at idle on startup this means that the balance shaft belt is loose.. Very dangerous if it comes off or breaks.. It will take the cambelt with it. Just nasty

Little things like when you switch off does the turbo cooling pump buzz for 30secs. If it dosent thats not really good for the turbo. The cooling pump has a habit of siezing with age. A haggling point perhaps...!

Clutch is a big job... Not particularly difficult but very time consuming.

They do consume a wee bit of oil so keep the level correct.

Remember the car will be at least 18 years old and could have a few issues.. Just be calm and look well into it...!

Remember to factor in at least £1000 to cover the maintenance in the first year. This will see the car right and it wont leave you walking. After that I usually spend about €400-€500 a year to get at least one big job done. At the end of this year I'm going to replace the wastegate and suspension wishbones and attempt a caliper refurb...!

Due to me being on here I am now driving my unmodified '44 turbo all the time and loving it. Its really reliable if you keep it right and keep an eye on a few wee basic things....

Do a search as this subject is well documented on here...!

 

[DavidL]

ORIGINAL: pauly

Sounds like a fairly tidy turbo on 911 virgin's site, not too keen on the wheels though.

Me neither but I think they are original.
Henry's usually fairly blunt with his descriptions but a trader nevertheless.
There is another RPM special too at 12.5K.
Their staff seem to have owned a lot of 944s!

 

[random hero]

The white one is advertised as a 250 bhp model but it was registered in may 88 so can only be a 220 !!

 

[DavidL]

ORIGINAL: pauly

ORIGINAL: DavidL

ORIGINAL: pauly

Sounds like a fairly tidy turbo on 911 virgin's site, not too keen on the wheels though.

Me neither but I think they are original.
Henry's usually fairly blunt with his descriptions but a trader nevertheless.
There is another RPM special too at 12.5K.
Their staff seem to have owned a lot of 944s!

Wasn't the RPM car available for under £9k privately a while ago ?.

I don't think that's the same one. I might be wrong but I didn't think the "fast road" car of the first 2 had a a cage etc.

 

[DavidL]

If it is the same one it has jumped alot in price and the original seller was struggling to move it as I recall.

 

[333pg333]

ORIGINAL: random hero

The white one is advertised as a 250 bhp model but it was registered in may 88 so can only be a 220 !!

???

 

[poprock]

ORIGINAL: VanhireBoys

Remember to factor in at least £1000 to cover the maintenance in the first year. This will see the car right and it wont leave you walking. After that I usually spend about  €400-€500 a year to get at least one big job done.

This is the big, golden piece of advice. It's broadly true for any 944, but especially a Turbo.

You will manage to spend a grand in your first year, on fixing little niggly things and getting the car the way you want it, rather than the way the previous owner wanted it.

Budgeting for one big job every year of ownership is a very sensible way of approaching it. Even if nothing needs repairing in the course of a year, you can spend that same allowance on small mods like a brake upgrade, some new alloys, or refurbing your upholstery. A twenty year old car is never finished, you see "¦ it's a perpetual work in progress.