Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Today I actually drove my 924. I had a quick ride up and down the back roads finding problems. I've had her since July 2013, and since then have stripped the brakes and cooling system, replaced most of those, both belts, all filters, various rubber bits, and some intake boots.

In an earlier post, I fired her up for the first time, albeit on 3 cylinders. This was solved by pushing the plug lead home a bit better! But it has since popped out again, so I will replace the leads and plugs for good measure.

To anyone who's driven a 924, how horrible should the clutch be? Mine is hard, springy and notchy, and the bite point is near the floor. The cable looks new, so what else could the problem be?

Also, I'm losing coolant, but I can't see it dripping out anywhere. The water pump and thermostat are new, the radiator has been replaced (but with a used one), all the hose clips are new, and most hoses have been replaced. Any ideas?

Hi Alex,

The clutch should not be over heavy. Mine is only a tad heavier than our everyday eurobox. It might free up with use. Bite point shouldn't be on the floor, but an inch or so from the top. It needs adjustment (this might help with the weight.

Regards,

David

With regards to the coolant, top it up and run it up again. Let it go through 3 or 4 heat cycles and then switch off. Let it cool and watch for leaks. If the level goes down, but there is no sign of an external leak, then it must be going internal somewhere. Could be the heater matrix leaking (check the cabin). If it isn't going inside the car, then it will be going into the engine. Headgasket (I hope not!).

It could just be that you had an airlock in the engine block and running the car up and down the road has shifted it and this meant that the level dropped.

All the best,

David

Hmm, good pointers David. The exhaust gas is clear so I don't suspect head gasket (or any other seals), although I realise this isn't the only symptom of a blown head gasket.

I spent plenty of time bleeding the cooling system when I first filled it, with and without the engine running, but the car is now facing up hill, so this may help.

I will try and adjust the clutch again.

Alex, as the car has not been run before and you cannot find any leaks or evidence of a blown head gasket, it looks quite possible that it is an air lock (or air locks) that have found their way out of the system during your drive. I would try topping up the system and re-bleeding with the nose of the car raised ....it helped greatly on my 944. it also took a few runs to get the system to settle after replacing the waterpump and radiator.

If the temperature stays constant and the heater works (you did bleed the system with the heater valve open?) and there are no further signs of loss, you've cracked it!

Jon