Suspension upgrades and settings are a big discussion topic anytime performance-oriented 944/924S people get together. How can I make my car handle better on the track? How can I tune my suspension to make it work better?
There have been a variety of transaxles used in the 924/944/924S/968 series. Understanding them helps to understand what to do when you need to replace yours – getting the right one that will work with your car. Replacing the transaxle is not an easy task, and you don’t want to have to do it twice.
When I got in the car, I had the key in hand but not in the ignition, and the battery light was on. Key in the ignition, turn it on, and the battery light went off. Crank up the car, and no battery light. The car started fine, light was out, all is good.
Acquiring 924S and 944 cars is a disease for which there is no known cure. We find parts cars, neglected cars and even good cars, but it seems that all of them have something that needs to be fixed or improved – thus the symptoms of the disease.
“I will put some of this in it, and it will be fine.” If it is leaking, it will continue to leak. Magic fluids may help in an emergency, but eventually the leak will come back and it will need to be fixed properly. Magic leak-stopping fluids may get you home, but they are not a permanent fix.
If applying the “theory of last touched,” the first place to start is to review whatever I did before – whatever I last touched on the car.
One of the most common 944 sunroof failures occurs in the latches in the roof. The cable engages a nylon gear in each latch, spinning it and driving the latch up and down. When something goes wrong, this $10 gear is the failure point – nylon vs. metal.
A few weeks ago we had a 944S come into the shop with a leaky hatch – not at the top, but the owner complained about exhaust smell into the cockpit.
This stuff is definitely NOT Armor-All or anything like that. I have used those products for years, and they look good for a few minutes, then the shine goes away. PTR is magic…if used properly. Here is an example using an old bumper rubber.
If you have to hold the key to the left and jiggle the hatch (or man-handle it) to get it open, the hatch is on its way to failure. The pins-and-latch mechanism is dependent on proper alignment, so when the glass and frame start to separate, the whole thing goes out of alignment at the latch, making it difficult to open.
In the past year or so I have come across an interesting situation regarding failed reference sensors that involve the clutch – something to put in your mechanical head and use when the time is right…
Among others, GT Racing has been making a kit of body parts that replicate the Carrera GT that was homologated and raced as a 924T (931) in the early 80’s. I had the opportunity to build one of these kits in 2001, using a 1988 924S as a base, and it turned out quite well.
Here at 924S944.com, we have a theory – there are no cores, so therefore no rebuilt calipers. Unfortunately, you cannot print out calipers on your 3-D printer – at least, not yet. Until that happens, there will be few calipers at the auto supply store.
So let’s look at this in a more realistic light. Porsche is definitely NOT bringing back the 944, and I cannot find anything definitive on a Panamera Coupe.
The sad fact is that our 924S and 944 cars are NOT Tri-Five Chevys or fifties Morgans. They will never attain “classic” levels, and we won’t see an ’84 944 with 320K on the odometer bring 2.1 Million at Barrett-Jackson. But these cars were made to be loved and driven, driven hard, driven at autocrosses and track days, and even in club racing. So make a list, prepare a budget and get to work.
The Porsche 944 cars out there are getting old – thirty years or so – and they require maintenance to keep them in good shape. Since they have been inexpensive to buy for many years, neglected maintenance is unfortunately typical for many of these cars. “