924Board.org

[a239947]

So after weeks of heartache i finally have the 931 home!

When i purchased it, it was running great, because of this i decided to take the risk of driving home which was a 2000km journey from the Dandenong Ranges outside Melbourne all the way to Brisbane. It seemed the cheapest option at the time.
The car is very original, resonably straight and everything still works. The condition i would describe as a rough survivor.
I had my wife with me as she wanted a bit of adventure so after dropping off our hire car we started our journey north with the intention of making it to her parents in Sydney (half way) before 9:30pm. The car was humming along beautifully, sitting just on or a little over the speed limit, we had little traffic, good radio reception and were excited by our new member of the family!
4 hours into the journey my heart stopped. A strange sound came from the engine, i scanned the gauges and noticed the temp was going up rapidly. Luckily i was passing a town at the time and was able to get off the motorway into a carpark of a service station. I popped the bonnet to find a horrifiying sound and shut it down immediately. There was coolant everwhere. I let it cool briefly and started it again to find out what the noise was coming from, it was the water pump, squeeling like a pig with the pully wobbling all over the place. I was little relieved as i though it was something worse and far more expensive. Either way i was stuck for now and the wife was clearly not impressed I thought i had got it shutdown before any serious damage was done so i set about getting it trucked somewhere i could fix it. Meanwhile i had to ship the wife by train back to Melbourne so she could fly home for work, she was not impressed as i had to stay back to meet the truck.
2 days 1 very angry wife and a cheap motel later the car was on a truck on its way to Sydney where it would stay at a friends house till i could get the parts to fix it.
In the mean time i flew back to brisbane to organise the parts. Wifely had forgiven me by this stage and i waited eagerly organised a plan to get the car the rest of the way home.
2 weeks later with new water pump in hand i flew down to sydney and set about getting the car fixed to continue the journey to Brisbane. Still 1000kms to go.
After staying with the inlaws and fixing the car in a friends garage the water pump change went very smoothly.the car ran fine and the water seemed to flow well once the thermostat opened. I was excited that it had gone so smoothly and was looking forward to continuing the journey north the next day.
I left the inlaws early as i wanted to get a jump on the traffic, the car was running smoothly and all the guages seemed to be in the right zones. I stopped for fuel and to check the tyres, i did notice the car was blowing a little steam but it was a cold morning and i had only travelled a short distance so thought nothing of it.
For the next 20mins i was watching the guages slowly gaining confidence that the car was fine and would easily do the trip.
Then the heartbreak! Just as i was getting on the motorway i looked down to check all guages as it had been about 15mins since i had.
The temp guage was firmly at the top of the red! I pulled over immediately on the side of the most dangerous motorway in Australia and lifted the bonnet to find the coolant hissing out of the coolant tank and spewing everywhere. I was gutted! I hadnt even made it an hour into my trip and it had failed me again.
Almost immediately i was convinced it was a head gasket and all the vidence suggested so. The only thing i could do now was to wait for it to cool so i could attempt to get it off the highway.
about 15mins later i was able to get the car up the nearest exit and into a random carpark again. At least this time i had acess to a train station, auto shops and the inlaws if needed.
I started putting calls out to everyone i knew on facebook and others in my phone to see if anyone could help with a trailer or some way to get the car back to a safe place.
It was all to no avail. Not a single person was able to help, it was not through lack of trying and many did their best to help me. Thankyou to those who went the extra mile to rescue me! I even had suggestions from randoms on Facebook to try some chemiweld and other products to help fix the situation so it could at least be driven somewhere. It all failed!
unfortunately my only hope was to book another truck to take the car the rest of the way! With the booking made i had another couple of days wait for the pickup so took the 1 1/2 hour train ride back to the inlaws where i went to bed physically and mentally drained!
I spent the next day on the couch sulking and watching telly before finally the car was picked up a day later, just in time for me to fly back to Brisbane for work on thursday.
All that was a week ago and it finally arrived here yesterday morning! I cant say i was happy to see it!
I have decided to pull the engine out completely and give it a freshen up. Its the only way i can have piece of mind now. Last thing i need is more suprises, the wife hates me enough for this! I also have to sell my NA now which i never really wanted to do! But i need the cash to put into the other one!
so thats the story of how i got my 931!
Next time just book the damn truck you cheapskate!
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Here the piece of #@%* sits awaiting the attention it needs. While my plucky 924 NA named Rocket(because its red and slow) waits for registration! Wouldnt expect it to have been the reliable one!

[morghen]

What was wrong with the old water pump? these things never fail...i havent seen one actually fail.
Then...did you properly air bled the cooling system after you replaced the water pump? Thermostat must be working, or removed if faulty...then cabin heater on max.
Is the radiator fan thermoswitch connected and running?
924 turbos absolutely need the radiator fan working almost all the time.
_________________
Supercharger and EFI kits
https://www.the924.com

[macBdog]

Great story, many familiar feelings in there for me. I think you have the right idea pulling the engine now. There is nothing like the pull of a 931 with a good motor!

Glad to have another 924 enthusiast/tragic in Brisbane, I'm always keen to lend a hand on the spanners.
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1979 931 with a 350 chev
1973 911E with EFI

[XLR8]

I'd be keen to catch up in Vegas as well, next time I am up there.
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'81 Porsche 924 NA
'89 Eunos Roadster NA6
'06 Landcruiser HDJ100

[macBdog]

By all means! Always glad to have those with a similar ailment to mine drop into the workshop.
_________________
1979 931 with a 350 chev
1973 911E with EFI

[XLR8]

Where are you located MacBDog?
_________________
'81 Porsche 924 NA
'89 Eunos Roadster NA6
'06 Landcruiser HDJ100

[morghen]

In 2007 i bought a 931 off ebay. 931 was near London, about 2300km away from home. Got there in the morning, picked up the car and simply drove it home. Car was sitting for a few years before i got it. A buddy changed the oil in it and put a new timing belt but thats about it. We actually deviated to Paris so did more miles with no problem but a dieing battery which i replaced near Paris.
_________________
Supercharger and EFI kits
https://www.the924.com

[XLR8]

[macBdog]

[a239947]

Hey guys.
Yeah Morghen, it was definitely the water pump. I know because it looked like this when i pulled it apart. The previous owner said he had the waterpump gasket replaced as it was leaking and i have the documents to prove it but i think he got ripped off. It didnt look like anyone had been in there for a long time.

And here i am stranded the second time!

Thanks MacBdog if i ever need a hand on the tools ill hit you up, im in Augustine Heights which is a bit of hike but good to know you're there should i need it. Also im happy to travel up your way if you need a hand, im an aircraft mechanic by trade so can swing a spanner when needed.