924Board.org

[tprojl]

Hi everybody! I'm new to this forum and have a bunch of questions so any replies would be greatly appreciated.
I guess I'll start with this one - the car has the stock 15 in. phone dials on it and I want to know what tires will fit. I know this ques. has been asked many times but from the posts i've read I can't seem to get a diffinitive ans. How well would 225/50 work on the rims? I assume they are 15 X 6. Will there be any rubbing? currently there are 215/60 on them right now. my second question is, as far as tuneup issues are concerned is there anything I should be especially careful to lookout for. I figure on replacing the basics with more performace minded parts wires, plugs, cap, filter etc. is this good enough? Lastly I have questions about the suspension, what parts do I need? shocks, springs, I also read something about ball joints or mounts and torsion bars? I apologize for making such a lengthy first post but I have no previous knowledge of this car and reading previous posts and doing searchs and reading FAQs really didn't seem to help me much. The only good knowledge I have is experience with racing Hondas (Please don't hold that against me . ) And this car seems to be a totally different animal. Once again thanks for the help in advance. By the way if there are any fellow owners in the bay area e-mail me I would love to chat about the nuances of this car. THANKS!!!

[924RACR]

Glad to hear you've read the FAQ; however the answers to your questions will more be answered in the Tech Section. You've got the list of standard tune-up items, but with a new used 924S/944, you should also consider having the timing belt changed or at least tensioned if it was recently replaced. Likewise while in there you should probably get the waterpump, balance shaft belts, rollers and seals done - saving labour costs because of shared teardown vs. having them done separately. Read the 944 FAQ (linked from the 924 FAQ above) for more info about your engine and why this is necessary (other than the short answer, $500 preventative maintenance to avoid a $3000 repair).

Sure it's a totally different beast than a Honda; just remember that it was designed from day 1 as a sports car, not an economical commuter car, and don't try to treat it like a Honda, and you'll be OK. I'm not saying it's tempermental like a Dancing Donkey, just that it is designed for performance, with the expectation of proper maintenance. If you try to hop it up like a Honda, with intake mods, you'll waste your money. Porsche did it right the first time. Likewise, if you neglect the maintenance, you can expect nasty repair bills. Maintenance might be a little more than a Honda, but it's justified.

Finally, on the suspension - what are you looking to do? Restore stock function by replacing worn parts, or build an autox car, or build a track car? That answer will determine the responses.

_________________
Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype

[tprojl]

Hey Racr, thanks for the help! I actually was gonna set the suspension up to autox. Even though this car is gonna be used as a daily driver I'm used to a stiff ride and suspension (my civic was setup for road racing), so thats not really an issue. My biggest concern I guess would be tire clearance if lowered, I have read about the very hard to find offset on the wheels and can easily see there's not alot of room in the fender wells. Once again thanks for the help! and I eagerly await your reply.

[tprojl]

sorry to double post but I forgot one more thing. A clutch kit, are there any performance ones out there you would recommend? or should I just stick to the stock set? I can feel my clutch is about to be on its last leg so I thought I'd ask.Thanks

[Porschephile]

alright. earlier, I did a complete rebuild of my suspension. I put in Koni adjustables all the way around. I got some weltmiester lowering 200 lb springs. I increased the diameter of the front sway bar to 23 mm and I put in a 19mm rear sway bar from a 1992 968 M030. the rear sway bar is cool because it has 3 different mounting points for the sway bar. these adjust how stiff the rear end is. I also put on some 16x7 wheels from a 928. they looked great, and they did rub until I got some 1/4 inch wheel spacers. all of these made the car handle incredibly well until I ran it up onto the curb, in which I got new control arms and a new set of control arm bushings. unfortunately, I also destroyed all 4 of my new wheels. but overall, I'd reccomend the upgrade, but please. If you get the Koni inserts CHECK TO SEE IF THEY ADJUST BEFORE YOU INSTALL THEM!!! Koni made a bad batch and sent us 2 pairs of defective inserts. we still have a defective pair on the car, and we are awaiting a new set. good luck. and I congratulate you on making that o so important switch from Rice to Beer and sausage.

[Porschephile]

and I forgot to mention earlier that I lowered the back of the car with the torsion bar eccentric. it was kinda hard to do, but just remember: DO NOT REMOVE THE ECCENTRIC BOLT!!!! it seems I have a lot of experience in these evil evil little mess ups. there is a good article about this a http://www.paragon-products.com and if it isn't there, then it is at http://www.pelicanparts.com . these articles will tell you all you need to know.

[tprojl]

porschephile, Thanks for the recomendation sounds like a good setup. Unfortunately for now the suspension has to take a backseat because the car is having problems with overheating, well...actually it's not overheating. The temp on the gauge consistantly goes to the last white bar and then the fan or fans kick on to cool it back down to an acceptable degree. This makes me a little nervous so I plan on tackling this issue first. I plan to change thermostat, fan temp. switch, flush radiator, and make sure the both fans are working properly. I suspect the main problem is one of the fans is not coming on when it's supposed to but I won't know until I get the time to really check it out. Does this sound like a good plan of attack? Oh, there are no leaks and there is plenty of fluid in the radiator.

[MAS]

On 2002-09-17 12:10, tprojl wrote:

"The temp on the gauge consistantly goes to the last white bar and then the fan or fans kick on to cool it back down to an acceptable degree..."

Actually, this is normal. My 924S does (and did) the same thing when I first got the car. I checked with an experienced Porsche mechanic, and he told me that this was normal. The car is not overheating. I've since seen this issue raised a lot on the 944 boards too.

-MAS

[tprojl]

Thanks for the reply MAS. It makes me feel better knowing that this is a very normal occurence. I'm probably still gonna change the thermo and flush the radiator cause I'm sure it needs it anyways. At least now I won't live in fear of the car overheating in traffic.

[Porschephile]

ya. Mine does that too. and a thermostat is kinda cheap. Hell, http://www.paragon-products.com has a new radiator for only $250.00. that isn't too bad for what it is. I got my new thermostat for $11.00. I also found that zerex coolant is good too. but I absolutly recommend doing all of the necessary repairs yourself. this car is easy. just make sure you have a QUALITY set of snap ring pliers...mine broke because the snap ring is so damn tight...Happy driving

[Lizard]

also one thing that you can get is a more sensitivy heat switch that goes into the rad I have one that turns on at 85deg F and goes off at 80deg F, it runs alot cooler and I don't scare myself as much now, and personally during the summer I dont run with a thermastat and during the winter when it is cold enough to justify one I put one in but if I wantch the temp guage get too high i have the tools with me to pull it out, I wont take the chance on over heating the car

[Lousailor]

Congrats on purchasing a great sleeper porsche. The nice thing about the '88 924S is that it comes with the stock (not de-tuned) 944 engine. The coolant thing is pretty normal. I have an '87 924S and a '85 944 and the temp gets right up there quick, but the fan keeps it steady once it starts kicking on. I swapped out the thermostat and fan switch with lower temp models from Pelican, and it ran nice and cool until I pranged her nose on a pick-up. Your biggest gain in suspension will be in the anti-sway bars and springs, OE shocks will be fine, unless you want to weekend race. Be careful on the tires. Changing the overall diameter will affect the accuracy of your speedo. If you want to go lower profile think about bigger wheels (16s), and expect to use spacers. Most of all have fun. I've had a front engine porsche since college, and it's definitely easier than most cars to work on, and more fun to commute in that a plain jain nissan or honda. Plus it's a Porsche.

[tprojl]

Thanks everbody for the reply's. I thought I'd mention an interesting revelation I had the other day. It has been very hot in the bay area the last couple of days so I broke down and decided to use the A/C despite fears of overheating. To my suprise the temp actually stayed between the first and second bar the whole time I had the A/C on. It seems to run cooler, i'm assuming because the fan that comes on with the A/C is the only one that works on my car. The other fan must be shot and need replacing. Is this a good assumption? Any of you guys ever seen that happen before? Car running cooler / more steady temp. with A/C on?

[Nick Neves]

These cars are wired so that whenever the ac is turned on, one of the two radiator fans is running all the time. With the ac off, the fans stay off until the thermo switch in the radiator turns the main fan on. You must have a thermo switch in your radiator that turns the fans on too late. I had the same problem in my 931, but with a turbo motor you DEFINATELY don't want to let things get that hot. Take out your thermo switch and take it to a parts store that knows German cars. The heat range should be stamped into the side of the thermo switch. Just ask the guy behind the counter to give you a switch thats one heat range cooler- in otherwords, it kicks on at a lower temperature. It shouldn't cost more than $30, and it will solve your problem.
Nick Neves><>

[Nick Neves]

By the way, where in the Bay Area are you? I live in the Tri-valley area and would like to know some other 924 owners in the area so we can network parts and info. let me know--sevenup@rocketmail.com