Carpokes Porsche Forum

WEnt out to look at a Suburban, I passed on it as the wife was not interested in another BIG car. The owner said he had a 944, well his son did, for sale. Said he got it on a ebay auction and arrived with blown headgasket (undisclosed).
Well, it followed me home and I started investigating, and ordering parts too early.
Just as an fyi, there is always someone out there selling parts on ebay that is way below typical retail, you just have to look.
I mention this cuz I bought the victor rienz head gasket kit for 65 bucks, but I might not even need it.
The previous owner said he tried to run the car, but it would start to overheat all the time. It had coolant in tthe oil.
At worst I figured I would pull the engine, and still be ok on this car. THe interior is as good as any unrestored 40 year old car can be. Leather, perfet condition, sport seats. Exterior and body are good, with terrible repaint and minimal dings. Looks fine from 10 feet, but up close is not so great. No, rust, at ALL. Mostly original. Sport package, sunroof, P/S, power windows, Guards red on black leather. Cookie cutters with good tires. Got it for 3500. Clean title so no DMV shenanigans.
Pulled the intake off, and the boot fell apart from the oil buildup, and a bit of oil in the air cleaner housing. pulled the AOS, bad seals (original). Pulled the manifold. pulled the plugs, they are fine but its burning that oil. Sope the pistons, no steam cleaning. So I'm thinking its just the oil leaking problems. Then I drain the radiator. But there is almost nothing in there. Like a pint of oil/green coolant. So I found why it overheats, as coolant is a requirement in most vehicles for proper function.
So the indicated mileage on this 944 is 28k and change. And the sale history shows that too. The interior NO WAY has 128k, its just too original and clean. The dealer service record stops at 24k miles, then it got sold to the 2nd owner. The second owner did some maintenance (assumed as I only have the parts receipts - no labor receipts). The second owner sold it on ebay, to the 3rd owner. That guy started it up for 2 years and never drove it as it overheated quickly. He sold it to me.
It never moved for the last 2 years, and for 35 years only saw 4k miles.
My goal is to get it running. I might keep it. I might sell it. Hard to say right now.
I've decided to NOT pull the engine. It only has 28k on it, and I think it never got real hot. And I think the issue is really the oil cooler, and AOS seals. And I think I'll not pul the head unless I absolutely have to, and I'll pull the engine at that point.
There is a ton of deffer red maintenance to catch up on. Here is the parts list (please comment on this!):
new intake boot
cam timing belt
balance saft belt
oil cooler gasket set
AOS gaskets
Hood latch (broken)
window tint
carpet dye (faded original)
oil filters (for flushing system) got plenty of oil
coolant flush
sparkelators
rad cap
injector washer kit
Fuel Filter
air filter
misc vacuum hoses.
What else should I look at? I kinda wont know what I need til I gen get it running, right?

Very nice car, good luck with it. Sounds like you have a handle on the maintenance. With it being an early car, there is no way to tell the actual mileage. 128k miles on the seats is nothing. My turbo has a 13xxxx miles and the seats and carpets look brand new. Looks like a fantastic project.

The odo was not functioning, I fixed it and it broke again, so definitely NOT a 28k mile car.
Plenty of little things, but this is a runner! Not quick, but not that slow, feels like an 80s car with a 8 second 0-60. First gear is short! but thats common on a low hp car.
Really the only thing I can't find (at a resonable price) is the manual sunroof latches. The sunroof cable is all stripped, and I found all the broken stuff after I bought a replacement cable dog, I wan't to go manual, but those latches are PRICEY!

Only have about 200 miles on it so far. Thats more than the 3 previous owners and probably 15 years have seen on this car.

I've been keeping this project going for a while, and here are the results and findings.
Fixed issues:
Oil cooler seals.
incorrectly installed rad hose.
vacuum leak in the AOS.
leaking master cylinder.
old brake fluid.
old transaxle oil.
2 oil changes to clear goo.
6 or 7 rad flushes to clear goo.
faulty rad cap.
dried up injector o-rings
variety of loose bolts.
replaced rear headliner
recharged A/C with 12a
new A.C belt
new A.C relay
new DME relay
headlight fuse
new rear lock grommet
new hood latch
Adjusted front wheel bearings.

Still needs:
Tires are still flatspotted. I'm going to run this to the office - 2 hour drive in AZ sun - to see it if the sustained heat will round them out. Seems like a waste to scrap v rated 15" tires (hat don't exist any more), they have less than 1000 miles on them!
A/C needs a bit more charge.
Sunroof - still looking for manual latches in the rear. The drive cable was stripped and all the little plastic bits broken.
Clean out the Cat, I think its clogged up, but unsure at this point.
The orginal stereo just barely works.
The clock needs a refurbish.
The Odometer is, well, unhappy.
The paint is oh-my-god terrible when you see this close up. Need to color sand and maybe a whole new paint job its that bad.

Not enough heat in Flag, you need to bring her down to PHX to get those tires rounded out.

Drove the 944 just about 190 miles yesterday in some pretty good heat from Flag to Chino Valley.
Tires are ok in a straight line, but as soon as I turn the vibrations are pretty bad. I think the tires are flatspotted for good.
They are https://tiresize.com/tires/Kumho/Ecsta- ... -60R15.htm, I've looked and CANNOT find any sporty (v-rated or High performance) 215-60-15s. Closest I find is the Falken Sincera A/S.
What tires are people buying for 944's with 15's?

What I have found is the Pirelli P6000, and those have treadwear of 180! Anything that is "sporty" but not race tire?

These cars do pretty well on All Season tires. Nicer highway ride. Check the Yokohama Avid Ascend

the Yokohama Avid Ascend is not made in a 215/60R15, but it is made in a 205/65R15. What size are you running?