924Board.org

924S · Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Posts: 9

Alright here is whats going on....

I'm 17 years old. I have some but not a vast knowledge in cars and I am planning on learning by restoring my dads old 1987 Porsche 924S. I have a Ford Escort right now and knowing I have a Porsche at my disposal that is in very very good condition is just too tempting.

As of right now the car has been sitting for about 8 years. But my dad used to drive it every day but let it rest after he got a new car.

It has little cosmetic damage which I can handle no problem....it is all inside I am worried about. I know it needs a new battery, but the thing is the hood latch doesn't work for some reason? Any ideas? I can't get the new battery in there if I can't get that bad boy open! I push it all the way up and nothing....it is just decoration right now!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Paul · Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2004 9:42 am Post subject:

The car is saying: "I'm not going to open my hood until you promise to do a front service (belts, pulleys, water pump. etc) before you try to start me."

Neil924 · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 4225 Location: Canada

You sound like me a couple of years ago. If the car has been sitting for 8 years, then it doesn't qualify for a "very very good" reco. I have an '77 n/a and I'm still wraping my head around the car. Your car is newer which is a plus, but as an S it may be a negitive as per the work involved restoring it. Cars are like planes, letting them sit will cause them to deteriorate. 8 years is a long time and it may cost you a lot of money to get this car back in very very good shape. I hope the car is in good enough shape so you can get to it, but don't let emotion cloud what is a very very important decision. 17 and restoring a Porsche just sounds costly. Paul is right the water pump, belts and pullys. You may want to change the oil {do it before you start the car, there's no need to pump that crappy oil through the motor}, check the brake lines, replace the pads all around, check all ground wires then check all the other wires going to the starter and well I guess all of the wires. Check the torque on the head bolts, see if the head gasket needs changing, etc....
Good luck.

Sleykin · Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2004 10:14 am Post subject:

Paul is right on

I would not even consider trying to start it till I put new timing and balance belts in a car that has sat for that long. This is not a job for the faint of heart or the less experienced mechanics and requires several pricey specialty tools to do the job right. But then again ... "The Titanic was built by a lage group of experts ... the arc was built by a lone amature"

On my car you pull back on the lever to open the hood. You may have to have someone push down on the hood while you operate the lever.
_________________
Glenn Neff
Medford, OR
87' 924S

Paul · Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2004 10:20 am Post subject:

Glenn, I wasn't going to tell him how to open the hood yet.....

Sleykin · Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2004 10:21 am Post subject:

Neil924 ... the S engine requires removal of the cam housing to torque the headnuts. Removing the cam housing is enough of a chore that I would buy the gaskets and just replace the headgasket if I thought it might need it. If the car had proper antifreeze it should be ok. Although it is quite common to require a headgasket at about 100K miles. The waterpump is another biggie if it has not been changed it is probably a good idea to do that with the belts too as it requires removal of the belts to replace.
_________________
Glenn Neff
Medford, OR
87' 924S

Sleykin · Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2004 10:23 am Post subject:

Yeah Paul ... I had to really think about that but I figured if he wasn't going to listen it would still be better than a crowbar

_________________
Glenn Neff
Medford, OR
87' 924S

Neil924 · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 4225 Location: Canada

Could the hood cable be a little weak and may not have the springyness in it to open the hood? That's my guess anyway. Or maybe the latch is rusty?

924S · Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Posts: 9

Scratch that....I was looking over it again and it has only been parked somewhere between 5 and 6 years cuz the last tags on it are 98. When I said very very good condition I was refrerring to the inside and the body is great, it is just the inside that will need work.

And I am getting a job as soon as the high school baseball season is over to cover expenses.

And restoring it may seem like a tall task but I'm sure it will be very rewarding when I'm done!

Sleykin · Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2004 4:37 pm Post subject:

Two years sitting is too much for the belts. It is an interference engine ... if the belt goes you can kiss about 3 grand goodby to fix it.
You are quite right though it is a worthy project and will be very rewarding in fun and experience. Just don't get in a hurry and cause more damage by rushing into places you have not researched. I have built a lot of engines even some with double overhead cams. This Porsche motor is a breed apart. Hit the books, read all you can find on it look at Clarks-garage, Pelican parts, Renlist and any other sources of info you can find.
This is the same engine used in the 944 and you will find a lot more info in that area for your motor.
There is no reason you can't do it all yourself and save a bunch of $$ just be patient. This motor will not tolerate mistakes so you need to be very sure you get it right the first time.
_________________
Glenn Neff
Medford, OR
87' 924S

924S · Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Posts: 9

I completely understand. My father had the manual to it and many books and I have been checking all around trying to find as much info on the 924S as possible. I don't plan on starting this project till summer anyways so I have plenty of time to research.

Since you have a 1987 924S I'm gonna ask you some simple questions it may seem but keep in mind I am still learning!

I know that the 944 and 924S are similar, but how similar? Are they exactly the same?

And after browsing this website everyone complains about the lack of power and such of the 924, but isn't '87 the year they changed it to a 160 HP engine in the 924S? Which is plenty of horses for a stock 4 cylinder I would think?

924S · Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Posts: 9

Neil....your ideas about the hood cable being weak and having lack of springiness or being rusted sounds about right.

But how would I go about replacing it or fixing it? I need to be able to open up the hood to get into it wouldnt I ?

Sleykin · Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2004 7:34 pm Post subject:

Cool

Now that we know you are going to go about it right to start with we can get down to the real issues

I will look under my hood tomorrow and see how you would get to the cable from under the car. I have an idea it may be a bit of a trick.

The 924S is an aluminum block and head with more power than the earlier 924. How much more is open for debate

The engine and drive train is the same as the 944. The suspension is esentially the same and the brakes are the same. For all practical purposes they are the same machine with some body and interior differences and steel suspension parts where the 944 uses aluminum. The 924 is lighter and just a bit quicker than the 944 N/A. I have a magazine article from 1987 that did testing on the 924S and they put it right up with the 944 but claim the interior is more "spartain" and you hear the road and drivetrain more. Their bigest gripe was the 195/65VR15 tires don't hold th road quite as well as the 944. A real non issue unless you want to race it and then you can still overcome that problem with bigger boots.
The hole shot leaves a lot to be desired ... but it makes up for that as soon as you get rolling. (of course I am too old and cheap to rev it up and drop the hammer on that $600 clutch) I have had a few other sports cars .. MGB, Austin Healy, Jaguar XKE, Triumph TR6, Celica GTS, Conquest TSI, and a couple others but this little car just has something about it that somehow makes the others fade in the dust. The car is just plain fun to drive.
... Now if ya could just get that hood open

_________________
Glenn Neff
Medford, OR
87' 924S

dgz924s · Joined: 03 Nov 2002 Posts: 592 Location: Kansas

924S...The 88 engine has 158HP. The 87 engine is 147HP. Difference is compression...88 10:2:1 the 87 is 9:7:1....88 is also a bit heavier.

I would treat this car like I got it from a salvage yard. Go through the entire car. Belts, seals and hoses,WP and tensioner. Drain and flush engine and tranny. Clean all ground points and sensors. Bleed clutch and brake system.New cap,rotor,plugs and wires. Rubber deteriorates over time so all vacuum hoses and tubes need a look at. New tires. Check for O/2 being the cat has sat so long.Wouldn't hurt to clean the oil cooler and Pressure Relief Valve as they tend to stick even when not sitting.
Get all that done then do a leak down test to see if the head gasket survived the inactivity as these break down do to sitting un used as well. On 911's they do atleast! lol....

Do exactly what has been advised. Don't try to get it running on a quick fix as you WILL be back here asking how to fix your bent valves!! Good luck! Dallas
_________________
Dal Glassinger

Neil924 · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 4225 Location: Canada

Unscrew the bolts that attach the handle to the inside of your car {2 I think}. Remember I have an n/a so this may be slightlydifferent for you. Then when it falls off just pull it gently while someone is gently pushing down on the hood above the latch. It worked for me without pushing on the hood when my cable got wrapped around my headlight raising bars. Stretched that cable real nice.