I am new to the Porsche world and have fell in love with the 944. I'd like to buy one that I can learn to work on. I recently came across an '83 944 NA. The body looked great and it appears to be in decent condition (80K miles), but there were three things that I questioned. I am planning on taking it to a Porsche mechanic but before I spend money on something that may be for not I need some opinions.

#1 the heat was on and stayed on... I look at another 944 a few weeks back and it had the same issue. Any ideas on the problem or the cost to repair?

#2 It seemed to be burning oil that was leaking from the valve cover gasket (cam tower???) or near the oil filter. Is this normal or a sign of something far more serious? What is the cost of the repair?

#3 When I first started it the car started right up but had some vibrations until it warmed up. Although while it was cold they seemed to stop if you gave the car some gas. Is this a sign that the engine mounts are shot? Also, the belts squealed a bit but only while warming up... After the test drive it idled smoothly and ran great, no blue smoke from the tailpipe.

Also, this one did not have power brakes or power steering. Did the '83's come with power steering and power brakes?

thanks for any tips or ideas in advance

 

Yes, it has power brakes, but power steering was not standard until 84 or 85.

 

Thanks for the info. Any ideas on the heater and oil issue?

 

While I'm not a pro mechanic, I got a 1984 944 a few months back, and have done enough poking about the same problems.

#1, Yes, the heat tends to stay on. I've read about an infamous clip that breaks/falls-off that connects the switch to the linkage controlling the heat. Replace the clip (costing a few bucks) and you are back in business. I've only found the instructions for the 85.5 and later models, but I'll be delving in this weekend if you haven't sorted it out yet. Maybe I'll take pictures for posterity.

#3. Most likely you are experiencing worn out motor mounts. My '83 is pretty bumpy at idle, regardless of temperature, but goes to a nice hum if I rev up a few hundred RPM. I've read some folks who insist that you get the OEM mounts, as some of the aftermarket one's are so stiff they may exacerbate the problem. Probably a sub $100 fix if you do it yourself.

I can't help you with number two, but you might look over at clarks-garage.com for some more info on probable oil leak suspects.

Best of luck.

 

Heating issue: Most likely the heater control valve, or the armature unit behind the heater/ac controls. The valve is about 25 bucks, the control armature is about 50.

I would second the motor mounts on the vibration issue.

Oil leak sounds like the cam tower gasket leaking. Since you will want to do timing belt and waterpump right away, that would be the easiest time to pull the tower and replace the gasket. To reseal the entire cam tower is about 60 bucks in gaskets, and a couple of hours past a timing belt.

 

Another thought on the vibration:

Some owners have found that lousy plugs cause some unexpected vibrations, and possibly poor or spotty acceleration. If you are doing a tune up anyway, you might look into putting in some nice plugs. The general concensus that I've heard is the NGK plugs are best. BP6ES ($3) if you like standard, BP6EIX ($8) if you like iridium.

(I've seen recommendations to steer away from the R designated plugs, but with little mention as to whether or not they do limit interference on the electronics.)

 

Doc and PDX1983944
Thanks for the replies and help. I ended up passing on the car. The guy who was selling it wanted me to have his mechanic go over the car. FLAG!!!! Also when I car faxed it it showed that it had been in an accident in Ohio. FLAG!!! While the body was in good shape there were too many questions unanswered or inconsistently answered for a first time buyer.

A few days after I passed on the car, it was on ebay with a complete different story than what I was told. 2 days after the ebay posting it was on craigslist with yet again another story. I'm glad I passed, this could have been a 944 story gone wrong!

I appreciate the help and the forum. I plan to keep searching for the 944 that is right for me.