Okay, I bought a 944, now what?

Who wants to spend that kind of coin every two years? I suggest that you never change the timing belt. Either you'll save a lot of money over the years or you will have a great excuse to put in a V8 if the engine self destructs.

If this engine ever pukes it's getting an LS1 before you can finish sneezing.

EricM wrote:

bravenrace wrote: The normal idle is rough. I remember a friend who bought one new, and it had a good amount of vibration at idle.

Motor mounts. When you replace them, get the "turbo motor mounts" they last a lot longer.

I was talking about a turbo, and it was new, so I don't think the mounts would have been bad.

Part of it is that 2.5l is a huge 4 cylinder.

On my 924, I ground the shifter shaft down along the flat edges until it was the correct width for the internal thread of the knob I wanted to use. I cut off the top portion where the stock knob fit and then threaded the shaft with the proper die.

Used loctite and a lock nut on the knob and it seems to work well. With a boot in place, it will look great.

Pics: http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s10/fiat22turbo/Porsche924/shiftlinkage/

If you use something like a Momo, etc that doesn't thread on, but clamps on instead, it should be slightly different. You could narrow the shaft to the internal diameter of the knob, figure out where the set screws clamp in place and JB weld in a half-moon piece on either side to clamp to. If you do it correctly, the force will be directed to the top of the lever via the internal fit of the knob and the bottom part is there to only keep the knob from rotating or sliding up.

A local 924S owner bought an eBay short shifter kit (Chinese knock off) that cracked on the poor weld used for the lever. Something to beware of. Not to say that you should avoid it, but you should perhaps plan on checking and fixing the weld before using it.

Here's a quick install post on a short shifter kit: http://docwilenracing.wordpress.com/2010/10/21/944-short-shifter-and-belt-retension/

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/924-931-944-951-968-forum/444403-ebay-short-shifter-crap.html

BTW, teflon lined rod ends and spherical joints don't do well when exposed to dirt for very long. The dirt, etc tears the teflon up and it flakes off. Not too mention excessive heat from welding/brazing damaging the teflon coating. A good quality joint for that application would be bronze lined as it is self-lubricating and is less susceptible to damage from environmental elements.

bravenrace wrote:

EricM wrote:

bravenrace wrote: The normal idle is rough. I remember a friend who bought one new, and it had a good amount of vibration at idle.

Motor mounts. When you replace them, get the "turbo motor mounts" they last a lot longer.

I was talking about a turbo, and it was new, so I don't think the mounts would have been bad. Part of it is that 2.5l is a huge 4 cylinder.

Which is why they use balance shafts (licensed from Mistsubishi, just like Chrysler did on their 2.5L) It should be fairly smooth. Check for vacuum leaks, clean the AFM, throttle body and combustion chamber, check the plugs, clean them and gap them, check the plug wires, etc. Motor mounts are another source of vibration as well.

Good luck!

In reply to turboswede:

Yes, I know. But the larger the engine and the less cylinders it has, the harder it is to balance. Balance shafts don't completely eliminate vibration, they just help. As I said, my friends brand new 944 Turbo had a rough idle from day one that was normal. You can believe me or not, I really don't care.

Okay.... I wasn't arguing, just stating that it shouldn't be all that bad. Since neither of us has experienced his car, we can't really know what is going on.

It could simply be he's just used to smooth running rotaries and 1.6L 4-cylinders.

If he checks everything and finds no faults, then he's just not used to the standard vibration yet, which is a possibility.

Belt changes are really not all that bad and cost about all of $60 for the two of them. If you have to start worrying about $$$$$ to maintain a 944 properly you had better think of selling it ASAP. These are not Chevys or Fords. Maintenance is a must with these cars. BTW a LSx swap will set you back 5K. Some I have seen are closer to 10K That will get you alot of belt changes

Get the special wrenches to adjust the belt tension rollers (about $30) and a krickett tool (another $30). Or you can borrow mine for the cost of shipping. The Cricket is also optional I have been working on these cars for 20 years and I just "know" how tight they should be. I however to check my self with the cricket. The Krickett will give you a good bass line to work with. Also it is most important that you do the retention of the belts after 1K. I then reinspect them ever 5K and adjust as needed.

I replace mine every 3 years and or 30K. You don't need the flywheel lock just wedge a big screwdriver between the bell housing and the flywheel will do. What I do and I have the lock I am just to lazy to take the starter off to install it.

Ohya go get a new DME relay and keep it in your glove box. Or google the jumper that you can make up and keep that in your car.

I know they are R compound tires but If I could only use one set I would use TOYO RA1's at full tread depth. I really like them. Otherwise a set of dunlop SP2000 are a really good choice. I have a set of those as well. They are my summer tires.

Are signed up over at Clarks Garage yet? Do so and let me know I am an admin over there.

This is a quick fix to the sloppy shifter problem if it is the stub on the shift lever. It also shows my shifter with the cut off top and the welded on bolt. Photos at the bottom show the custom shift knob on mine. It is a little shorter. At the time I did this there short shift kids for the trans linkage were not on the market yet. I also happen to really like this knob

http://www.ehadesign.com/~dsmith/shift-fix.htm

Ohya DRIVE THE DAM THING as often as possible. These cars hate to sit around. My cars intentionally brakes things when I dont drive it. I think it is trying to get my attention

I drove it over 250 miles today. Up to Aberdeen and back down the coast on the 101. It was excellent.

Pics soon, I stopped at some cool places.

If I take a GoPro video of it do you think you guys could say if it's the "normal" idle or not?

Very difficult to get an LSx swap done for $5k. Just my LS1 with accessories, PCM and wiring harness was $2800...

It was a pleasure speaking with you today Mike. Thanks for the call.

Hope the parts help.

Update:

I went on a 250+ mile trip for work last week up to Aberdeen, WA and back down the Pacific Coast Highway 101. Of course I took the Porsche. It was a great drive, and the car did excellent asking only for fuel. It seems to run better the more I drive it.

The pictures in the Reader's Ride should update soon as well. I changed them to some cool shots from the road trip.

Looks great, I'm enjoying following your adventures with the 944.

I did the Keith LSD-check test on the way to work. One tire on pavement, the other on dirt. They both spun and then grabbed and went! Yay, it looks like I have a working LSD!