Ok. I just bought a used 1985 Porshce 944 turbo. The previous owner obviously put some serious work into it (performance wise). I noticed that he put in a turbo timer, nitrous, "turbo retard", and an electronic boost controller. First off, I am just going to pull the nitrous bottle out until I know more about the car. I have not had much time to look exactly what he has done, but I have test driven it and I have noticed a few things.

>It does not feel very fast at all. I have a feeling, this is just because of the boost controller not being adjust correctly, but I am afraid to turn any ***** without knowing the outcome.

>The gears feel extremely rough when in mid or lower rpms. However, in high rpms, they shift and feel smoother than ever. This makes it feel more like a track car, and less like a general street car.

>The suspension feels very stiff, but is in nearly perfect condition (ie: The previous owner probably wanted it stiff, but I am not completely sure).

>The engine needs a good three or four minutes of warming up before feeling smooth enough to drive?

I know i havent given a whole lot of info, but...

> How should I go about adjusting the boost controller, and turbo timer? What adjustments should I make?
> Why would the previous owner want the suspension rough?
> What is a "turbo retard"?
> Why do the gears only run smoothly in extremely high rpms?
> Do Porsche 944's need time to warm up?
> Do Porsche 944's generally have any problems or characteristics on how they run, that I should know about?

Ask me any questions back, if you want me to provide any specific info.

Thanks for your help

 

In regard to the boost, I think if it were my car I would take it to a rolling road and have it checked out. They will be able to tell you the exact effwct of upping the boost.

 

1986 was the first year for the turbo model.

 

As rm512 said first turbo 944 was 1986, so make sure you have the genuine thing. In cold weather it is normal for the car to need warm up time to smoothen-out the idle and shifting. But in warm weather I doubt it would need warm-up time. On my 944 i really feel the difference when the cold hits in, rough idle and almost impossible downshift until car warms-up.
The owner might prefer the rough suspension as it gives better handling when doing turns I believe, so he might have used the car for track.
Read around more and learn about the basics of the 944s, differences btwn models etc.

 

Send me the vin number and we can see if it was a true 944 turbo from its birth!
Jamie@944online.com
www.944online.com

 

Nevermind. I called the previous owner and figured out that the car has been sitting for a while and needed a tune up. Although, while I was driving it one day, something happened and it couldnt run better. This thing is as fast as hell. Im gonna take it to the drag strip soon, cause all I have to say is "damn its fast". It smoked my boxster without a problem.

 

If you start dragging this car with stock clutch/transaxle you are in for some expensive repairs.

 

Dont you worry, the previous owner also put in a close-ratio gearbox and centerforce clutch.