any advice on a 1988 944 turbo? there is one for sale near me 7000$ its clean looks fun. I have not driven it yet but hope to soon. what do i need to know?

im no expert but i think they have problems with ball joints, they are part of the a-arm and the whole arm must be replaced. i could be thinking of something else
also i think timing belts and air pockets in the cooling system are problems. like i said im no expert. i was going to buy one of these a few years back and i forget what i heard from people...

Look for a well maintained car, one that needs a lot of little stuff will bury you in the end.

Important things are timing belt intervals both replacement and re-tension as well as documentation on when things like rollers and tensioners and the water pump/thermostat were replaced. Belts (cam drive and balance shafts) are 30K mile replacement and re-tension every 10-15K.

Turbos have a lot of additional plumbing that the N/A cars don't - like coolant hoses and air/vacuum hoses. Look at these for signs of cracking, etc. (there are a lot of little hoses and they aren't all easy to get to).

They are very nice cars if maintained. My experience is they've got too much turbo lag and are too slow off the line for where I drive...which is why I sold mine. They are fantastic on the interstate though!

I was speaking with a guy who has one yesterday.
He mentioned that the early ones are becoming hard to find certain parts for.
Just check to see if you can find all the parts...still.

Rich

Main problem with the early ones ( 85.5-86) is the suspension is slightly different. Narrower offset but the later ( 87 on ) can be bolted right on. Other than that the changes are negligible.

BELTS BELTS BELTS. If you don't have a receipt showing it done within the last 30,000 plan on doing it IMMEDIATLY. Always replace the water pump with the belts and DO NOT try to do this without the proper tensioning tool. Some will tell you it's o.k. on an 87 on car because they have a spring tensioner...well they do on the timing belt ONLY. The balance shaft does NOT have a spring tensioner and you still need the tool to set them up. DO NOT think you can do it without the gauge, you will most likely fail, and it may take sveral thousand miles to know it, but one day the balance shaft belt WILL let go and wipe out the timiong belt and then the valves go bye bye, if your really lucky the pistons will survuive

Not trying to scare you off just trying to provide you with ACCURATE info. I'm no expert but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once

If you get an early car and want a little more power, find a 26/8 turbo, add a MAF setup,wastegate, exhaust, chips blah blah blah. Check out Lindsey racings site, they have a decent BBS as does 944 online. You can learn alot if you have the time to wade thought the newbie dribble

Buy the best one you can. Poorly maintained examples will bite right through your wallet and go straight for your ass.

I wouldn't buy one without knowing the history on at least the first 3 items in this list. If you don't know the history, budget for doing the work. The rest would be nice to knows...

Timing Balance Belts(every 30k miles or beware)
Water Pump(do it with the belts to save $)
Clutch (16 hours labor for a Porsche Pro==$$$$$ or sweat)
PS Rack leaks
Motor Mounts
Oil pan leaks
Rear hatch leaks
Door handles break

the following are the major issues for 944s of all types and 951s.


front a arms and spindles
water pumps
timing belts and ramps, followers, tensioners
ECUs and sensors/relays

He is not kidding. This is a very MAJOR job.

No you're right, I'm not kidding. I've done it and I will die happy if I never see another 944 clutch. It took me at least double those hours doing it in my spare time, but I saved thousands in labor.

Also for the record, the Porsche tool to tension your belts is about $600.

They aren't awful cars, actually I loved mine (944S2). But, they have to be maintained. Its important you either buy one with a known maintenance history or pay accordingly and budget for the repairs.

Lets not forget the oil cooler seals......

Try 24 hrs labor (book time) on a turbo 944. 16 is for any NA/S/S2 944.

944 turbo doesn't use the same water/oil cooler as the NA 944, so the problem of oil in the coolant is not as prevalent, but they do use the same seal plate, and I have had a 944 turbo put coolant into the oil as a result of this seal plate failing.

I've done 3 clutch jobs for 944's... NA (on my 88 in a driveway), took me about 20 hours of spare time without all the right tools.

Turbo in the shop. Just as long WITH all the right tools and a lift.

968... easiest of them all, only about 12 hours. And what's what we billed. I was glad to get that out of there.

If I do another one... Well, I think it'd be time to sell the car

WOW!!!!!! the car is really fast. thanks every one. I will have it checked by local porsche shop. But i think i want it. Nice addition to the garage. thanks again.

Here's a good resource for help and info on the 944/951 series:

Clarks Garage

The 951's are a blast and not too difficult to maintain if you know how to wrench.

I miss mine

Good luck!

Well it needed a clutch belts water pump just to start. about 4000$ and who knows what after that. I decided it was out of my league. Sure was fast though. thanks to all for the info.

Smart man to walk away from that.