Carpokes

Hello All. I am a long-time reader of this forum but first time poster. I've come to this forum because of its grassroots down-to-earth format. I've also recently reduced my motorcycle stable and increased my garage space, so that allows me to store my 951 at home starting this spring!

I plan to give the car a refresh since it has been mostly untouched for a long period of time. Below is a list of what I've come up with to check on the car so far:


Before Starting Engine:

Inspect belts for damage / tension
Check oil level and condition
Inspect fuel lines in engine bay for cracks
Inspect fuel rail for cracks
Inspect tires for damage

Priority 1:

Change belts
+Timing belt
+Balance shaft belt
+Alternator and A/C belt
+Power steering belt
Change oil
Check oil system for leaks

Priority 2:

Inspect injector seals
Inspect fuel rail O-rings
Drain old fuel from fuel tank
Inspect fuel strainer
Engine temperature sensor wiring - repair damaged / exposed wire for the temp. sensor - known issue
Check cooling fans for operation

Priority 3:

Diagnose sunroof - in-operable
Rear bumper pad repair - 1 bolt rusted off
Side trim piece repair - the mounting bolt under the front of the passenger door seems to have disappeared, plastic is hanging loose
Gauge cluster refurbishment - send out for repair (Speedometer inoperable)
+Need to find vendor
Check operation of accessory switch - central locking system (red light always on)
Brake fluid flush
Power steering fluid flush
Bleed / flush coolant system
Replace distributor
Check battery condition - replacement part #?

A little more background on the 951: The clutch and shifter mechanism at the transaxle have been replaced, and the car has only driven a few hundred miles on it since then (2022). Luckily that expense is out of the way. The car also has a hard time starting / no-start condition when it is warm. This may be caused by the engine air temp sensor wire which has somehow gotten cut / disconnected per the above checklist. The DME relay is also original to the car when I bought it in 2010, so may need replacing. Also, many years ago the car was at an independent repair shop and there was a *small* fire event in the engine bay. I'm not sure what caused the minor mishap, but the result was a distributor cap, and an injector harness whose plastic parts became...melty. They are in a sad state, but the car does move under its own power. A/C and power sunroof have been inoperable since my ownership started. The adjustment nut for the handbrake cable is stuck; handbrake only engages at the very top of travel. Oh, and the rear speakers are connected to an amp mounted to the trunk carpet and are in boxes in the passenger footwell. So, the rear speakers seem kind of just plopped in the back seat. Currently running on an Autothority MAF and chips with a manual boost controller.

I had taken a step away from DIY repairs and car works to focus on other priorities while this car was in storage and I plan on changing that now that I have ample space to spread out in my own garage again (weather dependent; my wife's car takes garage priority in the winter).

Is there anything that I have missed on my checklist to get this car out of storage?
Any tips on tackling this project are welcomed, thank you very much for reading.

Welcome to the board! I love a good resurrection thread. I started with a car that hadn’t run in 10 yrs, so I’m familiar.

Was the car outside the entire 7 years? Was the car driven at all during that time?

In my opinion, if the car sat outside and never moved, I would do an engine out refresh. Would also consider new head gasket and head work. Chances are it’s tired and needs new seals and a skim. Good chance there is head gasket corrosion.

Engine out because it will make it 1000x times easier to get to everything. If that’s not in the cards then I would recommend taking everything out and just leaving the bare block in the car. Might seem daunting but with the internet you will have all the information you need.

Also, fix everything you can with everything out. If not, the car will nickel and dime you and frustrate you immensely.

Edit: removed mention of MAF. You already own it.

Looking forward to reading your updates.

Was the car outside the entire 7 years? Was the car driven at all during that time?

The car has been stored indoors, but not in a climate-controlled environment. It has moved from a home garage to an apartment garage, then to a steel structure storage unit. The car has been driven between storage locations and to mechanic shops in the 7 years, but not more than 500 miles total. Head gasket was performed shortly after I purchased the car (2011, 20,xxx miles ago).

The oil and coolant seem to be okay, but dirty. Since the car sits for a long time in between movement, there is a faint smell of burning oil when it is first brought out each time.

944m3 wrote: Wed Jan 07, 2026 10:43 am :


Engine out because it will make it 1000x times easier to get to everything.

Also, fix everything you can with everything out. If not, the car will nickel and dime you and frustrate you immensely.

Ditto. I bought mine in 2020 in a similar state and really should have just jumped in with both feet at the beginning as I ended up with the engine out in 2025 to clean up the last oil leaks and refresh clutch, head, turbo etc

Welcome aboard! I joined for the same reasons as you and turns out we were right! Very down to Earth DIY people here who are always friendly and helpful.

Sounds like you have a solid plan going on. I recently bought an 86 944 that had been stored for 10ish years and only randomly started/moved during that time. (I found this out after the sale) Expect all of the underhood rubber and plastic to be replaced, probably sooner than later. Assuming it's all original. While doing the timing and balance belt I would recommend changing out the cam, balance and crank seals too. You are already right there, it's cheap and easy insurance. Probably
I'm in for the updates

I suggest considering replacing exhaust header and intake header gaskets. They probably leak resulting in high CO emissions.

If you also take the cross over pipe off, install lindsey racing copper gaskets.

Belgian951 wrote: Thu Jan 08, 2026 1:14 am I suggest considering replacing exhaust header and intake header gaskets. They probably leak resulting in high CO emissions.

If you also take the cross over pipe off, install lindsey racing copper gaskets.

I’ve never tried copper gaskets. Is the idea that they will soften and conform to provide a better seal?

944m3 wrote: Thu Jan 08, 2026 6:24 am

Belgian951 wrote: Thu Jan 08, 2026 1:14 am I suggest considering replacing exhaust header and intake header gaskets. They probably leak resulting in high CO emissions.

If you also take the cross over pipe off, install lindsey racing copper gaskets.

I’ve never tried copper gaskets. Is the idea that they will soften and conform to provide a better seal?

Yep, should provide a better seal. And should be reusable!

My suggestion would be to change all the suspension bushings, motor mounts and transmission mount all at once. They really make a difference in the driving feel.

For the gauge cluster refurbishment I would recommend North Hollywood Speedometer (info@nhspeedometer.com). I'm going to use them to refurb my gauges and fix the broken OD. For $365 they'll go through everything and replace parts that need replacing. They have an Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/northhollywoodspeedometer/.