My new 944 ... and it's issues

[Tom]

Yikes! That's toasty. Lots of good options. A while back, there was a guy who made military-grade replacements, which I still have in my car. He sadly passed away, but a few other people have picked up where he left off. That said, I'd probably just get factory replacements if I had to do it again.

If the battery cables are that crispy, I'd take a close look at the fuel hoses under the hood. If not replaced, they are a known fire hazard on any 944, and if they look anything like those battery cables...

[whalenlg]

I also added the hella headlight relays to have a safer current path that doesn’t go through the dashboard. If you are redoing the wiring to the alternator, it’s easy to add and removes another potential hazard.
This is the one I found on eBay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/274250249950?m ... media=COPY

[ROB III]

@PSU_Crash
First off, WELCOME to CARPOKES. I'm really glad you found the site and that you joined. I'm always happy to see another 944 owner join specifically with the energy and focus to tackle the rebirth of a great ride!
Regarding battery cables, here is a thread from some previous posting here:
https://www.carpokes.com/viewtopic.php?t=1726&start=20
This might give you some ideas of what has been done by others in the past, both recent and not so recent.
And as you've stated, wiring is kind of your thing, so I hope you enjoy your journey as you revitalize your newly purchased treasure.
Here is another website you might find generally useful if you haven't already discovered it...
https://www.clarks-garage.com/
It has a lot of how to segments and is a good basic resource for information.
There have also been some recent father/son 944 rejuvenation threads in the past months in which you might find answers, so be sure to peruse the transaxle postings...
ENJOY!

[dme]

Just finished replacing both battery cables with some really nice quality cables off of eBay. Generic cables at the right length with proper ends. Two cables for the positive, one battery to starter and other starter to alternator. The negative didn't worry me so much except that the exposed copper was really starting to oxidize badly. The negative was a little tougher to replace especially since I decided to swap out the heater control valve ...while I was in the area. I also covered the positive with heat shielding as it ran down in exhaust pipe territory.

[PSU_Crash]

Yikes! That's toasty. Lots of good options. A while back, there was a guy who made military-grade replacements, which I still have in my car. He sadly passed away, but a few other people have picked up where he left off. That said, I'd probably just get factory replacements if I had to do it again.

If the battery cables are that crispy, I'd take a close look at the fuel hoses under the hood. If not replaced, they are a known fire hazard on any 944, and if they look anything like those battery cables...

Toasty is an understatement! After seeing how bad these were I already started looking at the fuel lines. They seem acceptable ... for now. The little hose coming off the front regulator has been replaced somewhat recently by the looks. The vacuum lines along the fuel rail were disconnected and turned to dust when I touched them. May explain the somewhat rough idle.

I also added the hella headlight relays to have a safer current path that doesn’t go through the dashboard. If you are redoing the wiring to the alternator, it’s easy to add and removes another potential hazard.
This is the one I found on eBay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/274250249950?m ... media=COPY

I found this battery and altenator set on Ebay. Looks like quality stuff. I have the tools and know how to make harnesses, but time is valuable and this saves that.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/285371247922

[PSU_Crash]

@PSU_Crash
First off, WELCOME to CARPOKES. I'm really glad you found the site and that you joined. I'm always happy to see another 944 owner join specifically with the energy and focus to tackle the rebirth of a great ride!
Regarding battery cables, here is a thread from some previous posting here:
https://www.carpokes.com/viewtopic.php?t=1726&start=20
This might give you some ideas of what has been done by others in the past, both recent and not so recent.
And as you've stated, wiring is kind of your thing, so I hope you enjoy your journey as you revitalize your newly purchased treasure.
Here is another website you might find generally useful if you haven't already discovered it...
https://www.clarks-garage.com/
It has a lot of how to segments and is a good basic resource for information.
There have also been some recent father/son 944 rejuvenation threads in the past months in which you might find answers, so be sure to peruse the transaxle postings...
ENJOY!

Thanks Rob! I'm happy to be here and see the forum is still active! Many hours have been spent just looking through the transaxle threads. I did find Clark's garage when researching the water pump upgrade. Great resource!
My goal last night was to remove the aftermarket security system and figure out why the windows don't work. Success ... ish there and that led me to all this other fun. I'll post some pictures of that mess later. What a hack job.

The motto in my shop is "Yesterday is the worst condition you'll ever see" I'll keep pushing on and fixing things correctly.

To think, I planned on changing the timing components and water pump then driving! ... about that

[Tom]

That eBay harness kit is the descendant of the one I have. Assuming it's true to the original, it's made from high quality and replaceable parts. It does add a lot of bulk to the battery cables though, which makes the battery box a little more jam-packed. That's why I'd probably do factory cables if I were replacing them today. I have aftermarket components down below the cables, however, so I'm probably more aware of the reduced access than most.

P.S. my car came with an aftermarket alarm and a cd changer, both installed at Circuit City, for those old enough to remember them. Both were the most outrageously bad installs I've ever seen. The cd player didn't quite fit in the rear well, so they cut a chunk of the wheel arch out and then sealed the whole mess with a softball-size wad of clear silicon sealant. They did that in 1987, on a Porsche that was less than a year old...

[PSU_Crash]

That eBay harness kit is the descendant of the one I have. Assuming it's true to the original, it's made from high quality and replaceable parts. It does add a lot of bulk to the battery cables though, which makes the battery box a little more jam-packed. That's why I'd probably do factory cables if I were replacing them today. I have aftermarket components down below the cables, however, so I'm probably more aware of the reduced access than most.

P.S. my car came with an aftermarket alarm and a cd changer, both installed at Circuit City, for those old enough to remember them. Both were the most outrageously bad installs I've ever seen. The cd player didn't quite fit in the rear well, so they cut a chunk of the wheel arch out and then sealed the whole mess with a softball-size wad of clear silicon sealant. They did that in 1987, on a Porsche that was less than a year old...

I remember those "professional" installs very well! Many friends have been helped out by yours truly when their systems went south. It always amazes me that people get away with such poor and dangerously hacked installs. While hunting down the cause of the windows not working I found that the harness wasn't connected to anything, it was all chopped up and there was a small harness complete and disconnected just laying in the door ... excellent. A new driver door harness is in my future. That can wait though.

I like that the Ebay cables have a mesh sleeve over the cables. That's how I would do it too. Although it probably does make it more difficults to get through the grommet. Just ordered the cables, so we will see!

Edit: Nevermind Tom, the tension tool just showed up. Looks great and thanks for the stickers!!

[PSU_Crash]

Why would my O2 be disconnected on purpose? It was coiled up and zip tied. Sounds like the sensor may be shot. Wouldn't that cause all kids of AFR issues being disconnected?

[Tom]

Maybe a dead sensor or someone was trying to mask other issues? Whoever owned your car previously is unlikely to win Porsche owner of the year. The basic tune is pretty good on these car, even without the O2 sensor. The gas mileage and emissions might be worse, but you might not otherwise even notice. I can't say for sure about the 944 n/a but my turbo runs fine without the O2 sensor, albeit on the rich side -- like most cars did before the advent of closed loop O2 sensor systems in the late 70's. The sensor leans it out to 14.7:1 at idle and part throttle. Pretty sure there were markets where the 944 was sold without any O2 sensor at all.