New owner with problems

[new944owner]

Great board, btw. I bought a 1984 944 Porsche back in April. Had problems with it starting and had to have it towed over to an import repair shop. He did around $300 worth of wiring to get it running, but said that the car needed some serious wiring work, that the wiring harness was gone. When I got the car back from him, it had a new small problem, it wouldn't start on the first key turn, but would on the second.

In the mean time, I asked the previous owner about the wiring, and he had said he had put it in the shop to have the alarm system disconnected, a new starter, and new ignition switch put in, and that they did cut the wiring harness.

Now (a couple of months later), the small starting problem has turned into a nightmare. The car is very difficult to start, and if, going down the road, I let off the gas, it trys to stall out and go dead. If I go up the road to the store, when I get back in my car to go home, the car is even worse. I wonder if I will make it back home. Eventually, after several minutes of trying to crank it, it finally fires up, but I have to keep the gas on it, as just as soon as I let off, it goes dead. Could this be just the DME relay switch? Is it true that this is a notorious problem with my kind of car?

My son believes it to be the fuel pump, but I believe in starting small and then going toward the more expensive. I took it by a different import auto repair shop and asked them to look at it. He took on look and said it needed a wiring harness first, and that the problem was electrical/wiring, and that it could run up to $1000!!!!

Any advice would be appreciated.

[new944owner]

When I said fire up before, I meant stay fired up. Sorry. It will fire up, but immediately goes dead. Finally, after several tries, it stays fired up.

[930guy]

If the problem truely lies in the wiring harness, you should replace the harness with a nother one. They are readily available through any dismantling company. I did mine on an '83 because of a engine fire. It was time comsuming but not brain surgery.

[MetalHead-944]

I know im really new to the 944 world but you problem sounds alot like the problem my dads '94 lumina has. It has problems starting and when your coming to a stop it has to put in neutral with the throttle going to stay alive then under accell. it knocks & pings. My '87 F-150 (R.I.P.) also had a simillar prob. It start knocking and had to be kept full throttle to stay alive. It'd pour smoke out of the pipes.

The Truck was the full tank switch relay (dual tanks) which i know a Porsche doesnt have. But what it did was tell the front tank fuel pump to cut off. Because the relay would say it was sucking gas out of the rear tank (getting all this). And since the rear tank was empty itd kill the truck (except under full throttle which kept it from completly switching).
What im suggesting is maybe the relay that tells the fuel pump to run is bad. Not the pump its self.

As for the lumina, we dont know. itd be easier to mention what we havent replaced on that POS chevy.

Sorry if I was more annoying then helpfull. It just seemed like a thought.

[MetalHead-944]

I noticed my typing was horrible! sorry!!

[83-944]

It almost sounds like a vacuum leak. Do the unlit propane torch test. Having a fire extinguisher and an extra person handy is essential. Take the torch and pass it over the top of the intake tract and over the hoses. If the engine revs up a little, you found your leak. Go slowly, stop every minute and let the area vent before proceeding again.

It could very well be an electrical problem.

I doubt it's the fuel pump as it runs okay when revved. The DME relay would give more intermittent problems rather than something that can be pinpointed.

Look on the web for a wiring harness. You should be able to pick one up for about $200. I can steer you to someone whose parted a few early 944s if you'd like.

[930guy]

wow propane sounds dangerous! I've always used brakeklean-it has a higher flash point and you can pin point where it goes.(cleans up alittle too!)

[83-944]

Brakeklean probably works too. May be even better.

Either way, make sure your ignition system is in good condition. Any stray spark could blow your new inveastment up!

[maxslade]

Try a DME fuel relay. They are only $22 on the internet.