Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Further to my post in the introductions section viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1818 I drove an S2 today (previously only driven 8v ) and have a couple of questions for S2 owners.

The clutch felt v.stiff and the gear change was not particularly smooth, also the engine seemed to lack torque low down and didnt seem to pull very hard even above 3500rpm, to be honest I was expecting it to feel quicker and the rev counter seemed to hunt around when dropping gears. Is this common? The engine had the top end rebuilt and the clutch was also replaced around the same time approx 20000 miles ago (saw the bill ) so I was a bit suprised at the seeming lack of 'go'. Also the steering seemed very heavy, even at low speed when I believe the power steering is fully working.

Apart from that everything seemed fine although there where signs of rust at the front and rear of both sills

Of course it may just be me being used to driving modern cars and its taking a while to adjust to 1980's cars again

The gear change is heavier than a current saloon but shouldn't be THAT heavy, the steering is significantly heavier though.
It should feel quite torquey, my 2.5 is quite grunty low down & as the engines get bigger this feeling increases.
Be wary of rust, if it is visible then it will be much, much worse below! Have a look at http://www.pbase.com/tr7v8/porsche_repair_pics
but be warned it's X rated & not suitable for under 18 year olds Or those of a weak wallet

If your regular drive is an Octavia RS I'm not surpriced you feel a lack of low down torque. The torque of yours kicks in from just 1800 rpm. Less horsepower. But did the S2 you drove have all of them alive & kicking? Probably not. Think you should be looking at a turbo for a toy!

I know what you mean about the difference in torque between NA and Turbo cars, its just that I expected an S2 to pull better than this one did once the revs climbed however, I am off to see another one tomorrow and so will better be able to judge. I would love a Turbo but the good ones seem to command a premium (not suprisingly). I did consider looking at the one at RPM in Bournemouth but nearly 5K for a car with 195000 miles is a bit too off putting for me I'm afraid.

The search continues

I wouldn't be put off by mileage. Only condition counts! If it had a rebuid 40 K miles ago so what. Mine has 140K on it. But only 30K since it was rebuilt. Have fun. It's a great time to be buying so go for the best. Will be cheaper in the long run. Don't I know it.

Don't bother with the RPM car is got a knackered gearbox,, differential and god knows what else. I know because I looked at it then asked Jon Mitchell and he has serviced the car for years, did the 300bhp conversion and knows the customer wasn't willing to pay £3k + for the work as he wanted a cabrio anyway so offloaded it to RPM for £4k then RPM took it to Jon and didn't get anything done . It's now at £4.5k I see.
Talk to Jon and he will have a 944 or know where one is that will be straight and correct. I'm picking one up from him in couple of weeks 944T SE completely machanically overhauled and warranteed by Jon himself not one thats not worth the paper it's written on.
Jon and his crew are top engineers and always willing to talk.

http://www.jmgarage.com/

He can sort a car out for any budget, he's got at least 2 turbo's and some other models.

(Now where's my commision Jon, can you throw in a 300bhp chip for recommending ya )

Cheers
Andy

where are you in the country???

I am just south of Okehampton in Devon, just on the edge of Dartmoor.

Thks for the replies so far

Gordon don't you think our friend should come upto the dyno test and bbq Saturday 25 October, only 90 mins away.

everyone is welcome to come, i do need some notice about who tho as I need bbq numbers

Just to get back on topic

I have just seen a very nice 944S with 98000 miles on it of which 9000 was added over the last 6 years Bodywork appears excellent with no sign of corrosion on the sills, the only corrosion present appears to be at the bottom of the front passenger wheel arch on the inside of the arch but seems to be surface only. Interior was excellent with little sign of wear and no sign of water ingress. All the electrics worked, even the clock .Both the sliding boot cover and sunroof holder were present along with the usual box file of paperwork. Engine seemed a bit lumpy on first starting but I put this down to it having been standing for at least a week (owner is on holiday, his cousin was showing me the car), Oil pressure appeared ok and couldn't see any signs of leakage. Car handled well and was nice and stable at speed even on bumpy Devon back lanes although the power steering did make an occasional relatively faint hissing noise. The only couple of issues I could find were that the clutch bite point seemed very high but not having driven an 'S' I wasn't sure if this is normal, and the accelerator pedal had an unnerving tendency to stick to the floor when fully depressed ! (throttle cable catching on something ? )

I have another S2 to look at on Friday, but I think this one may be it

The sticky accelerator could simply be that it has been jacked up on the front drivers side ramp point, this tends to bend the floor a little. The simple fix is to stick a towel in the footwell and hit the floor at the base of the accelerator with a lump hammer - yes I know what that sounds like.

A car that is used little will always be slightly lumpy compared to one used regulalrly. No car likes to stand without much use, a good regular thrashing could liven things up nicely, some call it an Italian tune

The clutch 'could' be getting towards the end of it's life if it's the original at 98000 miles, but then mine is at 184000 now and still going strong (but definitely feels long in the tooth now)

Well looked at another S2 today, drove nicely, clutch and accelerator felt smoother than the 'S i mentioned earlier, the bodywork was a bit tatty, interior ok though but (and there is always a but) exhaust smoked 'a lot' especially under load. I think I'll give that one a miss. Looks like the S moves to the top of the list for now. If it wasnt for the heavy clutch and sticky accelerator I think I would have bought it there and then it as everything else was very good.

my 944S has slightly sticky/jerky accelerator action if you try to drive it gently, so to coin a phrase drive it like you stole it !!

Can very often be the start of the AFM dying. Mine was much smoother after I'd changed mine.