brian in buddina

Question: I have a 1988 944s that makes a rattling vibration noise at 2850 to 3000rpm in all gears. Some have said my timing belt has slipped a tooth, its my catalytic converter or muffler heat shield. Or a lose bag of nuts in the drivers seat. I have had my kid hold the rpm to 2850 and I’ve looked under the bonnet & under the car to try and find the rattle. I put a metal rod on all sorts of parts to eliminate potential culprits. I believe its a heat shield under the exhaust manifold which protects the oil filter & power steering reservoir at the front and the universal joint in the steering shaft in the rear at the bottom near the structural cross member. There is very little reference to the heat shield it in the Porsche workshop manuals or PET other than one diagram which says "shield". It is very concealed & difficult to see, let alone touch. It has one attachment point, that I can find, behind the power steering reservoir, a 8mm? hex head bolt, to the hard coolant tube which feeds or returns from the cabin heater. There is 2 hex head bolts in the middle of the shield which I believe may bolt 2 halves of the shield together. Or is this another attachment point? The rear bottom half, is lose and vibrates at the 2850 rpm. The whole back half is unsupported as far as I can tell. I can move the rear half of the heat shield when pushed with a finger or screw driver, when the motor is cold. So I believe my attachment in the rear/bottom of the shield is broken, fallen off maybe not re installed after maintenance by a previous owner. Now my question: Does anyone know how the back/bottom of the heat shield is attached? Looking up from under the car, near where the steering shaft is, I can see a couple empty, I think, threaded holes in its aluminium engine casting. Is this where a bracket attaches to the back half of the shield? Very difficult to take any pictures, as its very crowded in there. Reading on the Rennlist site, it was mentioned that the shield is different between different 944 model/years. Some turbo owner have removed the shield, due to noise, and wrapped their exhaust manifold in a glass weave insulating tape. I am not sure how you would do much to this shield without pulling the motor. Any advise would be much appreciated.

Thank you for the assistance gentlemen. I ended up removing the disk brake caliper & pulled the disk off with the associated drum. The adjustment screw was there but very difficult to turn as it was caked it brake pad dust. A touch of lube on the threads got it turning. The drum brake pads show uneven wear. The good one had 4 or 5 mil of pad left. The worn out one had 1mm on the remain pad with some chunks missing . I put it all back together for a drive this weekend. I could not find a torque setting for the 2 disk brake calliper bolts. I did find a 911, same year 1988, rear torque of 70 ft/lbs. Do you think this is correct for 944? Where should I go for new parking brake pads? Porsche directly or is there a vw/audi one? Should I be replacing the springs & adjuster screw thing at the same time?

drop in electric kit to a boxster/cayman to the front axle will need some black boxes & a nerd to program it

to the Brain trust I am trying to adjust the parking brake and getting stumped. The parking brake has be loose since I bought the car. I have read Clark's Garage instructions, shown below and am having trouble finding the 'brake adjuster' as noted on point 3 under Adjusting the Parking Brake. I am having trouble finding the adjustment screw, shown as item 4 in the PET, below. I can see item 11 in the 6 o'clock position, but nothing else other than springs. Below is a photo of the 1988 911 parking brake, which I assume is similar to the 944 one. Noted on the Pelican Parts maintenance, it says the adjustment screw is at the 4 o'clock position. Does anyone know if my adjustment screw at the 12 o'clock or the 4 o'clock position? Its very difficult to see much through the small hole to access the adjustment. Also noted on the PET is item 11 which is a "repair kit" so maybe my adjustment screw has been abducted into oblivion. The instruction and other you tube videos all say how easy it is to adjust the parking brake... My next step is to remove the drum housing and expose the guts of it. Anyone have any experience doing this easy simple job or do I just need new glasses?

good point. What would be a good delta, in degrees, between the thermostat & the thermo switch? Any where this topic has been written up? Hope to drain the radiator, won't call it anti freeze in Qld, this weekend & test the thermostat. Hey we must be getting close for a get together.

My 1988 944s has been running warm, which is understandable in the Queensland summer. This last weekend a good "spirited" mountain climb put the temperature needle at the top of the operating temperature band, but not above it & into the red. A couple years ago the same thing happened but it seems to happen a little more often now. Both electric fans are working. I've read up on Clarks garage on things to check. I have not pulled the thermostat out yet, will will do next weekend and test it to make sure it opens as per its stamped temperature rating. I don't know what the existing thermostat's temperature rating yet but... Question to the brain trust: should I consider a thermostat which opens at a lower temperature due to the Queensland summer?

Jason won't mind a puzzle. He could pay @Rob to do it.

I hear mr flaming porsche has a used wrap that he will sell. I'm sure the wrinkles will iron out. Probably install it at work between coffee breaks.

@Jason E I thought you were selling the S2 & moving into a rear engined car?

Turbo 4 cayman boxster a mistake? I think the mistake is Porsche not introducing or supporting a turbo 4 cayman in a highly boosted track weapon. Think big multiple intercoolers, excessive aero package, bulging fenders surrounding lots of rubber. And add lightness. Yes the GT4 has a better sound, throttle response & more usable street package but a highly boosted turbo 4 would add street cred to the 718.

I have ordered the part check valve, item 15. This partial diagram, shown below, is what the part supplier sent. I am not sure if this diagram as my vacuum hose don't seem to tie in exactly as this diagram. My model & year is a 88 944S. Its totally possible that mine has been altered or has been mis-installed somewhere along the line, as its a 32 year old car. I do have the digital manual & katalog for my 1988 944, but I have been unable to find this diagram, must be my age. Does anyone have the full diagram and associated part numbers/descriptions so I can confirm the vacuum lines are connected properly.

now the wing mirrors

you guys are fantastic. thank you

This blue & black plastic cylinder connects, on a vacuum line I believe, and goes to a 'Y' fitting near the oil filler cap. The nipple has broken off on one end so I can not connect the vacuum line hose to one end, I have tried gluing it to no avail. Can not find this part in the Katalog. Does anyone know what this is? Do I need to order a porsche part or is there an alternative?

Yes this is what I did for my 1988 944s Why does TopPerf. say its not ??? Rookie mechanical experience & did all the installation. The koni yellow was recommended to me by another front engine transaxle expert - @Rob I installed the konis at the softest setting which is advertised by koni, as harder than the original stock component. Very acceptable to me for a "spirited" street drive.