rad_951

Based on my experience with a 80 Euro S 928, 86.5 928, and 86 951:

easy------------------------------------>difficult
944, 2v 928, 4v 87 up 928, 4v 85-86 928, 951

Ian928

I have changed the clutch and water pump on my girfriends 951, it was NOT fun. I feel the 928 was constructed whereas the 944 more or less has evolved to what it is, and that means a lot of stuff is hard to reach. And is there really an excuse for constructing a car where the workshop quotes 40 hours of work to change the clutch like in the 951? My 928 is easier!

ebs

I am no great mechanic, and have a 951 and 928S, and I find the 951 easier to work on. By modern standards they're a very basic design with only 4 cylinders.

As for the guys on the 951 forum, equally good and helpful.

Maintenance and cost aside, I think each offers its own unique - and wonderful - driving experience and I love them both. The 951 will out handle the 928, but it does not have the effortless performance of the v8 - you need to rev the crap out of it to enjoy it.

dprantl

I've worked on 928's, a 951 and my wife's 968. I have to say that the 968 is by far the easiest to work on out of all three. A timing belt job on a 968 is so much easier than my 928. In fact, I didn't even remove the fan shroud and I could very easily leave the belt covers off to watch the engine run. Just don't forget to change the thermostat while the water pump is out. If you try to do it with everything in the car, you will be regretting it. The 951 is IMO a bit harder than the 928 for most things, and the turbo only makes things more cramped. Also, a clutch job on a 968 is similar to a 928, but a 951 is 5 times longer.

So for me, it's:

Easiest---Harder----Hardest
968 ------- 928 ------- 951

Dan
'91 928GT S/C 475hp/460lb.ft

RKD in OKC

I never said the 944 wasn't a fun car. I've owned 2. Either I am a masochistic glutton for punishment or there is something I like about them. Oh, and I am on my 2nd 928 also if that has any effect on the whole masochistic perspective.

lee101315

I dont think the 928 is any easier to change the engine mounts on...

As far as difficulty, it depends.

A clutch on a 951 is about 10 hours more or less, and a clutch on a S4 shouldnt be more than 2 hours.

Changing the headgasket on a S4 is nightmare in comparison to 951.

The 951 tranmission comes down without dismantling the rear suspension

The thermostat in the 928 is a walk in the park to change compared to the 951.

I own both at this point, and to me it really doesnt make a difference. If you arent familiar with a car, any job is going to be intimidating at first.

sidehatch

lee is that your 944 in your avatar,im telling you these 944's are growing on me.DPRANTLE that diagram is great lol.

StratfordShark

I remember the mutual incomprehension when I mentioned to a 944-owning friend that I'd changed t-stat recently on S4. He seemed inordinately impressed, till i showed him where it was on my car, and he pointed to where it sits (who knows?) in his 944. Remember thinking then that maybe 928s had an unfair reputation amongst Porsche owners for being 'difficult'.

lee101315

Yes, both cars in the avitar are mine. They are both great cars. The picture was taken at 7 lakes drive in NY last year, a friend and I were going for a drive.

V2Rocket

some things are bitches to work on, however alot of things are also ridiculously simple...

changing spark plugs/fuel pump/fuel filter takes only a few minutes for each...the transmission can be dropped in a matter of minutes if you and a friend know what you're doing, entire rear suspension is a breeze (6 or 8 bolts iirc)

i went to get a torque tube and tranny from a 944'er here in socal and the parts car was out in a dirt lot on his grandfathers ranch...put the car on blocks (granted the engine was already gone which simplified things), undid the tranny/torquetube bolts and climbed under the tranny while my dad undid the two bolts holding it to the chassis, then just benchpressed it out of the way. for the rear suspension we both got a socket wrench and took a side of the car and dropped the whole thing in maybe 30 minutes. 2 simple brackets and the tube was out too.

of course there is the clutch around which the car was constructed but its worth it

Landseer

I have both also and prefer the 928.

The 944 has many more areas for leaks around the motor and they are relatively hard to access.

It has two appendages, like valve covers, that house the balance shafts.

And another box that needs to be sealed that the oil filter emerges from.

The 944 NA intake is every bit as hard to remove as the 928 intake.

The methodology for working on them is similar, but they are just as complex or more so, in their own way.

If you are really looking to add another, consider a 16 valve 83 or 84 928. Solid V8 power combined with as low a price as a 944 in most cases, and easier than the 32V to work on by far, in my view.

blown 87

One thing I have noticed is almost every 944 I see, the rear hatch has had the glass come loose, and a new one from Porsche is stupid money, last time I checked it was over 5 grand.
Many of the ones we see have leaks back there.

dprantl

Yes, the rear hatch glass! What a bitch, I just redid this myself on my wife's 968. Of course, I am too much of a perfectionist so I probably didn't need to get the glass and frame perfectly clean before applying new window sealant. I guess if you did it the quick way, it wouldn't be so bad and would still seal just fine. Materials for the job cost less than $30.

Dan
'91 928GT S/C 475hp/460lb.ft

heinrich

944 is 1,000 times easier to work on

majhopper

My wife has a 968 that we have maintained at a local shop. But it's getting to be about that time that I have to go from being prophylactic to actually doing some projects on it myself because shop bills are too big for major items. And I look at it every week and cringe. Tight spaces and spaghetti bowls abound.