Ran out of gas warming it up in the garage, next day gas in- no start!

[marius_gf]

I have air and fuel. Will check spark next, right now charging the battery since lights, fans & all were on when it died..

[Tom]

Why do you say you ran out of gas? How do you know it wasn't bad air fuel ratios or no spark, or who knows what? (You can bypass the DME relay if you think it may not be supplying power to the fuel pump. That's a fairly common thing with these cars.)

When you turn the ignition to on, before cranking the motor, does the boost gauge read about 1? If not, your DME/KLR may not be getting power.

When you crank the motor, does the tach bounce or twitch at all?

Did this happen out of the blue or did this happen after working on the car?


Sounds like you need to sort out the battery too. It could be that simple.... But once that's fixed, if the boost gauge works and the tach bounces, then it's time to check for fuel and spark.

[marius_gf]

Why do you say you ran out of gas? How do you know it wasn't bad air fuel ratios or no spark, or who knows what? (You can bypass the DME relay if you think it may not be supplying power to the fuel pump. That's a fairly common thing with these cars.)

When you turn the ignition to on, before cranking the motor, does the boost gauge read about 1? If not, your DME/KLR may not be getting power.

When you crank the motor, does the tach bounce or twitch at all?

Did this happen out of the blue or did this happen after working on the car?


Sounds like you need to sort out the battery too. It could be that simple.... But once that's fixed, if the boost gauge works and the tach bounces, then it's time to check for fuel and spark.

The tach bounces, boost gauge is in the middle. Pulled the return fuel line and I have fuel going back to tank. I checked spark and I have spark everywhere. I pulled the distributor cap thinking the little bolt in the got loose and messed up the firing order. Everything in there looks ok. Trying to look at all connections...

[Tom]

Maybe post a video? Does it sputter or backfire or anything, or just nothing? If nothing, you might check the injector connectors to see if they are frayed inside. One short and all 4 injectors will stop firing. A noid light and/or pulling a spark plug after cranking and smelling/looking for gas inside the cylinder will also tell you if fuel is getting into the motor. If it sputters, pops, tries to catch, etc., then check cam belt timing marks, AFM signal, vacuum leaks, firing order of plug wires, etc.

[Tom]

Any progress?

[marius_gf]

Any progress?

Hi Tom, no progress. No time as i am changing jobs, but I had it towed to a local shop, where one of the mechanics had a turbo as well. We shall see!

Thank you for checking!

[marius_gf]

Any progress?

Hi Tom- spoke with the shop today. No compression at all. So while having the car warming up i must have overheat the engine and ruined the head gasket. The shop quoted me $2400 just labor, so I am going to tow it home and remove the head myself. Do you know any machining shops where they can work on the head?

Thank you again

[Tom]

That doesn't sound likely. Blown head gaskets almost never result in 'no compression at all' on the 951, especially without some kind of catastrophic failure affecting all 4 cylinders. And, even cars with badly blown gaskets will fire up to some extent. It was my understanding that you had no signs of life - no popping, backfiring, stumbling idle, nada. If my understanding is correct, then I'm not sure what to make of that diagnosis. Something was either lost in translation or I'd seriously question the shop's diagnosis.

If the motor actually has no compression at all (??) then a broken timing belt is the more likely cause, and you will likely get some pops and backfires while cranking. Does it? And, it will spin freely when you crank the starter motor. Does it? If not sure, post a video of you trying to crank the starter.

Sorry to be a negative nelly about that diagnosis, but to people who have been around these cars a long long time, that diagnosis just sounds all kinds of wrong, unless I misunderstood your symptoms.

If you end up needing a machine shop, Ted Robinson at German Precision in Santa Clara is a great choice. Jerry Woods in San Jose can also get it done, though he might farm it out to Ted or someone else.

If you want a second opinion on that diagnosis, consider Reitmeir Werkstatt in Los Altos or Modderman in Mountain View. Both have been around the 944 long enough to figure out what's going on with your car.

[marius_gf]

That doesn't sound likely. Blown head gaskets almost never result in 'no compression at all' on the 951, especially without some kind of catastrophic failure affecting all 4 cylinders. And, even cars with badly blown gaskets will fire up to some extent. It was my understanding that you had no signs of life - no popping, backfiring, stumbling idle, nada. If my understanding is correct, then I'm not sure what to make of that diagnosis. Something was either lost in translation or I'd seriously question the shop's diagnosis.

If the motor actually has no compression at all (??) then a broken timing belt is the more likely cause, and you will likely get some pops and backfires while cranking. Does it? And, it will spin freely when you crank the starter motor. Does it? If not sure, post a video of you trying to crank the starter.

Sorry to be a negative nelly about that diagnosis, but to people who have been around these cars a long long time, that diagnosis just sounds all kinds of wrong, unless I misunderstood your symptoms.

If you end up needing a machine shop, Ted Robinson at German Precision in Santa Clara is a great choice. Jerry Woods in San Jose can also get it done, though he might farm it out to Ted or someone else.

If you want a second opinion on that diagnosis, consider Reitmeir Werkstatt in Los Altos or Modderman in Mountain View. Both have been around the 944 long enough to figure out what's going on with your car.

Hi Tom! I agree with you. I did not have time to talk and understand. I will have them make sure the timing is right, the belt might have slipped? The belt is there and looks ok. I will ask if the car actually starts or not. If the belt was off I am thinking bent valves, hence the no compression. I did see white smoke when it ran before...Thank you for the info on where to do the head.

[Tom]

Hi Tom! I agree with you. I did not have time to talk and understand. I will have them make sure the timing is right, the belt might have slipped? The belt is there and looks ok. I will ask if the car actually starts or not. If the belt was off I am thinking bent valves, hence the no compression. I did see white smoke when it ran before...Thank you for the info on where to do the head.

Yeah, definitely follow up and post here if you need a sounding board on what they say. I can't think of anything but a snapped timing belt that might explain a car dying suddenly and then having zero compression. Even then you'd likely have some form of backfires and sputters since fuel and spark would still be in the same ballpark. Something's not adding up with that story, proceed with caution....