Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

really desperate for advice my 86 944 is losing water and local garage said the water pump had broken they suggested driving home about 2 miles away almost home car seemed to lose power and cut out would not start again i waited a few minutes and the car started but had no power just about managed to crawl home about 500 yards is this only water pump or somthing more serious

Andy, you may well have cooked the engine. The 944 is all alloy & doesn't take kindly to be overheated. How did the temp gauge react on your drive?

I think I'd be a bit wary of starting it again, cam belt may have slipped a tooth or two if the pump seized, may be unlikely but possible.

Rich

thanks for reply temp gauge reached about 3/4 on gauge when it lost power after it restarted i had intermitent power

Your local garage have just killed your '44! Idiots. You could spend 1K on a new water pump & belts & a front seal. But chances are the head will be warped & the cam box gasket will leak soon after. That means a head overhaul & skimming both faces of the head to cure. Really it's cheaper to either find another engine from the hundreds that are being scrapped or else scrap the car & just buy another. So many for sale right now for pocket money prices. Sorry to be a merchant of doom but I've been there before. Once the coolant level drops the water gauge no longer gives a good reading. If the car lost power it must have been way too hot.

thanks again for reply is there any way i can tell the extent of the damage or tell if the head is definately warped. before i spend any money on water pump and belts sorry if i sound a bit thick im very new to owning a porsche so any advice is much appreciated

Get a compression test, and leak down test done. This should tell you the extent of any damage. Fingers crossed its not to bad.

Remove spark plugs and set all marks to top dead center to see if the timing is off.If this checks out, ddo a compression check.Take the head off and check it with a straight edge! You said you were losing water, you may also have a blown head gasket!

My car passed compression & leak down tests. Had a recurring problem with the cam box gasket blowing out after overheating due to a failed thermostat. Finally cured with a 1K head rebuild & top & bottom skim. You have to take the valve guides out to skim the top & its a royal pain. Depends on the condition of your 944 but be warned you can spend big bucks on these & never get it back. Reasonable replacement engines available from £500 can be fitted in a day. You need to see & hear it running! Will still need belts but maybe not a water pump if you get a good one.