My car was made in Neckersalum, Germany in 1983 and is now over 20 years old and has clocked up over 167,500 miles.
I have found that the old adage "If you look after it, it will look after you" applies to the 924 especially.
I have owned this car for just over 2 and a half years now and have steadily improved on it even though I haven't much money to spend.
Here I will tell tales of woe and tales of enlightenment from my time spent in, around and under my car!
Subject - Last update
Windscreen Washer Jets - May 2003
One of the advisory points on the MOT was the poor operation of the windscreen washers
MOT - March 2003
The yearly MOT is a time when you get an idea if your car is still safe, and when it turns up rusty brake pipes it confirms its importance. After that the car passed with only a couple of advisory points
Fuel line - January 2003
There was a growing smell of petrol coming from the car which turned out to be a leaking fuel line under the car, I imagined it was a simple repair, but due to the pressurised nature of the line it transpired that I needed a whole new line. The new line was ordered and it was apparant that it was not long enough, Porsche had made the line a 2 piece item, and mine was one piece - I ordered the second piece. Because the fuel line passes over the rear suspension it needs to be slightly dropped to remove the line, this was a little bit nerve-wracking as there was a chance that the suspension bushes might fall apart, but they didn't. It was an all-day job to take everything apart and reassemble. Not a cheap or easy job. Then again the new line should last 20 years.
Cold start electrics - October 2002
The electrics that govern the cold start mechanism have been tested and it was found that it does not work at all, this does not really affect the car in everyday use but there is a chance that fixing it could have a effect on hot starting performance, this is a job for the future.
Engine trouble - October 2002
The car started running badly after I had washed it, I thought the electrics had got wet and it would sort itself out after a while, but no. I took it to JZ Mactech and they found the problem to be the vacuum valve on the distributer. They also tuned the car up and checked the fuel system pressure (which was fine).
Wheels - September 2002
Yes, that's right, wheels. The car came with 4 non standard wheels which carry oversized tyres (the spare was a standard wheel). I wanted to get a set of original wheels back on the car.
I acquired 8 (!) extra wheels and steadily restored 4 of them to a decent condition, I wanted 4 black wheels and 4 silver, for different occasions. So far I've rubbed 6 wheels down and sprayed them with primer, 4 of these now have a coat of black paint and lacquer on them and are now on the car at last. They look very good even if I say so myself. I removed all the balance weights at the beginning so I had them all balanced and the car looks and feels so much better.
Bonnet finish - August 2002
The paintwork on the bonnet had always been bad from day 1, what happened to the original paint finish is a mystery, the car seems to have been badly resprayed with (probably) cheap cellulose paint and it had reacted badly. Some parts look reasonable but most is dull.
One day I found a buffer pad attachment for an electric drill and decided to use it. I smeared MER polish liberally all over the affected paint and set to work, it was hard work but I could see a definate improvement, there's no doubt the paint is still bad, but now it's shiny bad! The badge panel, headlight pods and the tops of the front wings came up really nice, I'm considering doing a lot more of the car later on (like the roof, doors and rear panels) as I think I will see an improvement there as well.
Fuel Injectors - July 2002
In February 2002 whilst getting the clutch work done I mentioned the hot start switch to Jonas at the ever helpful JZ Mactech, he explained that the car shouldn't really need any kind of 'extra assistance' switch, while it's true that it has aided hot starting Jonas explained that it is like 'hopping to get around because your leg hurts' i.e. I was merely tricking the car into starting and not curing the problem properly, the answer was more likely to be leaky injectors which are leaking fuel into the cylinders making it difficult to start, this is yet another job for the future when my budget allows.
I decided to do this myself in July after reading my Haynes manual, the job seemed almost ridiculously easy. First stage (after lifting the bonnet!) was to find a small clear container to catch fuel, second find a willing volunteer to help you. Next you need to remove the first injector which on non turbo models just slide right out, block up the hole it came from with a cloth then hold the end of the injector in the container, get someone to start the car then observe the jet of fuel from it, it should look like a fine, even 'cone' of fuel, switch off, wait a few seconds to see if it drips (it shouldn't), then replace the injector and repeat with the other 3.
Mine appeared OK so the next line of enquiry is to look at the fuel pump behind the o/s/r (right hand drive cars), these have a check valve (Haynes manual page 80 figure 3.12) which can be removed, from what I understand it consists of a ball bearing on a spring, I take it when this doesn't work then fuel can flood the engine, we shall see.
M.O.T. - March 2002
Took the car to JZ for the MOT and...... A pass! A happy moment for my wallet I can tell you, still there were a few 'advisory' comments to look at in the future.
Clutch - February 2002
I always knew this would happen, the clutch pedal has always been quite heavy from day 1, this either meant that the clutch cable was sticky, or that the clutch was 'on it's way out'. Well I replaced the cable at the end of 2001 when it snapped (the plastic clip that attaches to the pedal broke) and the pedal remained heavy, so it was reasonable to say that something in the clutch department wasn't 100%
Then the car started to making loud 'clicking' noises when accelerating in the first few gears, a chat to the people at JZ Machtech in Kings Langley, UK seemed to point the finger at a 'shock absorber' component inside the clutch, I took the car in and bit the bullet, this was a big job and was going to cost me over £500!!
When I turned up to collect my car the mechanics at JZ showed me the old gearbox mountings which were falling apart as well as the visible wear on the splines of the clutch, they explained that they thought that only half of the clutch had been replaced from the last time the unit was removed, they found this bizarre, why replace half a clutch!
Well it's done; the car is now bolted together nice and safely and I have a nice light clutch pedal action. After a chat with JZ and some careful consideration, I decided not to have an Official Porsche clutch kit and instead went for an aftermarket unit, I think I saved myself £50-£70 doing this, JZ reassured me that I wasn't fitting substandard parts to my car.
All in all I got more than my moneys worth taking my car to JZ. As well as replacing the clutch and fixing the seat (see below) they also took it upon themselves to check out other aspects of the car, so I've got a car that now runs, handles, sounds and 'feels' different. This is a specialist that I recommend!
Wobbly Seat - February 2002
I've no idea how they managed it but sometime in the past the front mounting points on the drivers seat have snapped off, then been repaired (read bodged) using some strips of metal, these broke making the seat rock a bit. JZ Machtech in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire told me that this is a known problem with 924s (and 944s?) and sorted it out by making new brackets and fixing the floorpan, it was quite a novelty to have a seat that was fixed down but it was also a lot safer.
Starter Motor and electric's - September 2001
This has probably been the most troublesome area for me and the car.
In the first few days of owning the car it wouldn't start from cold; a little investigation revealed a cracked distributor cap that was letting in condensation, and a burnt rotor arm. All these items were replaced and the car started from cold much more readily.
Later I would find that the car didn't like starting when left for short periods (over 15 minutes approx.) This necessitated a LOT of use of the starter motor which although I know not to keep it running for too long, got a real hammering.
One day after I had got the car out and shut the garage garage, I found the car would not restart, not a sound came from the car. The AA were called and they informed me that my starter motor had packed up.
A few days later I had the motor reconditioned, the firm who did it commented that the starter was perfect before they worked on it and could find no fault with it. Another garage fitted it back on but could not get the car to work!
I've no idea what they did to it but they changed some wiring around on the starter (normally the connectors fit only one way) and they managed to get it running.
A few weeks later imagine my horror when, starting the car in a dark car park in a small quiet village, the starter motor sticks on! I took the key out of the ignition and still it ran, I tried to stall it by putting the car in gear and jamming the brakes on but it merely left it straining and did not stop it. In a panic and with no tools to disconnect the battery I decided to make a dash for home. The car was making an INCREDIBLE racket as the starter was going at full pelt while I was flying home.
To my great relief a short distance later the motor stopped it's manic racket, the lights popped up and I was able to get home in a civilised manner, but I was quite shaken up. I tried the car again over the next few days armed with a spanner to disconnect the battery should it try to go out of control again, but the car started as normal and I put it down to a freak occurrence.
WRONG.
A few days later I started the car up and the same thing happened, I hadn't learnt my lesson and hadn't got my toolkit with me, so I set off hoping that it would sort itself out on the move. It didn't. The car and starter (thankfully) cut out after a short distance and I parked the car and set off to ring the AA again. The car was recovered, and fearing the starter had been fried had it reconditioned again, the starter was in remarkably good shape but a part of it had burnt out under the stress. Once this was done I was, once again, back on the road.
Later, (blimey, I'd only had the car a year!) the cars MOT came up and the garage (which had done all the work up to this point) said I needed a new exhaust and duly fitted a exhaust to my car which looked very nice. I'm not sure which upset me most, but a few weeks later I heard a zing, then a dong from the car, I stopped and found the exhaust drooping under the car; it had come loose from the rear mounting and made further progress impossible, not that that was a problem as I also found that the car would not start......... AAAAAAGGGHHH! You know the drill, it went back to the garage and was 'fixed' again, I was sooo mad that I didn't even ask them what they had done, I just told them to sort it out.
By then I had vowed never to return to 'that garage' and had found (via 911 & Porsche World magazine) a Porsche specialist call JM Autos, and travelled there to get the hot start switch fitted to my car (which they did quickly and efficiently) but when I tried to take the car away, guess what? Yes, it, wouldn't start, once again the starter motor was blamed and I had had enough by this time and simply told them to sort it out.
A few days and one new Bosch starter motor later (which sounds much more Porsche like when operated) I was once again on my way, but little did I know, the story was still not finished. If you are still with me then let me assure you that the end is in sight, or at least the end of the story so far. Remember the stainless steel exhaust I had fitted earlier on? Well, this shiny thing had been bothering me for weeks as it banged unpleasantly on the underneath the car when it was started from cold, so not surprisingly, I wanted it sorted, so I nipped down my local 'kwik-fit' and in no time at all they had adjusted it, the only thing was that once again the 924 refused to utter a murmur when the ignition key way turned, what it DID do was to emit a tiny amount of smoke from under the bonnet, ignition OFF!
The AA were called for a third time and after I had explained the situation Mick the AA man set to work attaching leads to various bits of engine, after a short while came to the conclusion that there was no problem with the starter motor at all, the problem was that there was power running through the engine; the 18 year old earth leads were not doing their job. Suddenly all the previous problems seemed to make sense, the starter motor was being disrupted and sometimes sticking on due to unexpected gobs of power being thrown at it, it was a simple matter of fitting new modern plastic coated earth straps to the car and I could drive off! Such a simple solution, I couldn't believe it.
Ye olde hot startus probleme - July 2001
Yay, ye may have heard about the legends of 2.0 924s that start fine when cold or immediately after they have been driven, but are loath to run if you have left it for more than 10-15 minutes. If your car does the same then you are not alone, my car did the same. In my quest to sort out the problem I had many people tell me to check this and to replace that, but it didn't really help as between them they went through the whole fuel system and beyond leaving me just as clueless as before!
But one kind soul sent me an e-mail imploring me to disregard all I had heard and get a 'manual fuel pump switch' fitted.
The story went that there is a unit at the back of the engine bay sticking out at the top of the engine that controls a burst of fuel into the injectors when the car is hot. Now this unit usually operates for 4 or 5 seconds priming the fuel lines which was fine when the car was new, but now 19 years later (and more on some cars) this isn't enough to prime the system.
JM Autos in Waltham Cross, UK. fitted the unit (which was a very simple wiring job, for them anyway!) while I was about it I had some new injector seals fitted as the old ones were brittle and they are easy to fit (and cheap). The chaps at JM are the business, they are friendly, they know their stuff and they don't break the bank when, like me, you don't have much money to spend. The 'manual fuel pump switch' enables you to pump fuel through the fuel system for as long as necessary from the comfort of the drivers seat and lessens the time spent turning the engine over by about 50% or better (in my experience). Usually I try to start the car without its help, but if the engine doesn't fire I'll switch the ignition off - then onto the on position then operate the switch for 20 seconds or so, then try to start the car. Usually one or two attempts are all that it takes and the car runs.