Aaron 993C2

My 993 is in storage while I'm in college and I wanted a fun daily driver, so I did a crazy and acquired a highly used '83 944 5 speed on the super cheap.

Best part, it was my wife's idea! And now it's a 'we' car.

So, now that we've got this lovely heap of Stuttgart, we would like to make it a reliable daily driver.

The plusses:
o Engine drives and feels great!
o All the electricals are working, lights, horns, blinkers, etc.
o Clutch seems to be in good condition, no slipping
o Paint is pretty much shot so I don't feel bad about leaving it in the Seattle rain
o Couldn't find any rust on it with a cursory inspection


The minuses:
o Some water leakage around the rear seals
o Unknown maintenance/accident history
o Parking brake does not work


So, all knowing Rennlisters, I am way underbudget on this car, and if I have $2k to spend on maintenance, what should I do and and where in Seattle should I take it? I no longer have a garage to do my own maintenance.

I'm thinking the first thing is complete fluid change and a timing belt replacement. Agree? What else?

Obligatory photo:

morghen

Its got like 3 minus points acc to what you said...how is this a bad car?
Those wheels are awesome. If original, worth a bit of money too.

I'm no 2.5L expert but I think timing, fluids, brakes, bushings and a seal/wax job.

Aaron 993C2

Sweet, thanks. I do hear some noise coming from the rear over bumps in the road, new bushings may be in order.

New minus: Overheated yesterday evening on a short drive. I didn't hear the fan kick on, but yesterday morning the fan was immediately starting when we put the key in. Thoughts?

Flammulator

Nice buy!

I know it's not much help in the diagnosis department, but if you see your temp start to creep up, you can turn on the AC compressor and a fan will start pulling more air through the radiator. I live up a steep 1/2 mile hill with a 10mph speed limit. If I don't turn the AC on, the fan kicks on right when I get to the garage, and stays on several minutes after turning the car off. With the AC on, it stays right in the middle the whole way up. I use that trick in heavy traffic, too...

Might be worth checking the thermostat?
http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/cool-08.htm

I'm sure others here have dealt with similar issues and might have better advice.

944Ross

I'd be worried the timing belt has lost tension, slipping on the WP...

Ky944TurboNewbie

Required maintenance would be Timing / BS Belt, Water Pump, Fuel Lines. Additionally, take care of all the normal things like fluids and brakes. Check the clutch through the inspection window. Put some money aside for the next repair job.

If you want to make it reliable, it will likely take a lot more than $2k. Especially if you are not able to do the work yourself.

Good luck with your purchase.

odurandina

handicapping the 944/968;

i almost never changed the belts.

116k miles on my first set of belts (risk factor much?) 944S still didn't fail.

67 k miles on the late Gates belts (twice!!) with my 968.

get a running 944 and drive the sh_t out of it. don't even change the brake pads.

put some decent oil in and floor it. top off as needed. don't even think of changing it.

sleep well.

Drive it hard til there's an engine/cluctch/tranny failure.

strip the swap meet garbage off and junk it.

just think: somebody else did all the work for you. just ask Lart.

he buys cars where someone dumped $5, $10, $20k.... then, he swoops in like a vulture.

that's the proper way. this $$$ strategy is not offered in jest.

this deplorable, incredibliy simple method not only works; it can be repeated as often as you desire.

same goes with a Boxster.

Craig368

I recently bought a complete fixer!!! Got it for so cheap I won't post it but it was a deal. But it needs a lot of work. Body is very clean. I'm sure you guys saw it advertised on Craigslist. I've started my slow and steady restoration. Stripped the interior and cleaned her out. Looks like u got a decent car and not to much of a fixer. Sorry about high hacking the thread.

MistaX

Without documentation, it needs a full front engine service. Water pump, timing belt, balance shaft belt, rollers, seals.

Paying someone else to do it blows your 2k budget probably.

jhowell371

Wow, that looks just like my second 944, "Goldie" right down to the Fuchs. Great car, got it with 89xxx miles put 22,xxx miles on it in two and a half years. It had fresh belts and a water pump when I got it. Only thing I had to do was fix the oil cooler seals. Just do the belts and pump, change the fluids, filters and keep an eye on the oil and the overflow tank for signs of cross contamination. Also keep an eye on the bottom of the oil filler cap for milky looking goo. Have fun with it.

porscharu

At the very least timing belt, balance belt, power steering belt, alternator AC belt, water pump, tensioner idler, and parking brake service. You could "smoke" the rear seal to find the leak or use fluorescent dye trace. With all that said you will still pay Porsche service costs even on a thousand dollar car so be prepared to blow right past your purchase price. Not that I agree with Odurandina much, but this will never be a show car so fix things when they break and put a cardboard box under it to catch the oil. You have an air cooled car so you should be used to oil leaks by now.

AZ520

Too bad you can't wrench on your own, prepare for wallet rape! Belts, water pump, rollers at a shop 2000.00. DIY = 500.00 plus you know it was done the right way = priceless.

Aaron 993C2

Thanks for the input. Looks like timing belt, water pump + thermostat, all fluids are in order. Not looking for a show car, just something to drive around guilt free. Aggressively.

@Porscharu, surprisingly never had oil leaks with the air cooled (knock on seals)

I'm thinking Gerbers Motorsports in Seattle for the service, anyone have experience with them? Great reviews on Yelp and Porsche is their game.

odonnell

Your overheating issue is coming from the fan switch, it sounds like. It's located in the radiator, on the driver's side at the top, right below the hose. Pretty easy and inexpensive to replace. The fans should only come if your temperature is at a certain threshold, and/or the AC is turned on. I'd go ahead and replace it regardless. Some recommended parts suppliers are Pelican Parts, Rennbay, and Paragon Parts.

Aaron 993C2

Thanks Odonnell!