944 broke down....Again

"K-Roll-PorscheTamer" (k-roll390)
07/01/2016 at 17:19 • Filed to: 944 life

I thought changing my aged and very worn out distributor cap and rotor would fix my problems. It didn’t.

Installed it before work today. Made my dad and myself peanut butter sandwiches. As I drove to work, the car just lost all power and the rpms dropped as I rolled down a small decline on my usual route. Pulled over to the side. FRAK!! -_-

I was fortunate to be the recipient of another act of kindness, as a man from Missouri helped me push my car into the driveway of a somewhat nice family who were seemingly confused by the situation even when I explained my plight. The kind sir also gave me a ride to work.

Because this is clearly something I cannot diagnose from my house now, I’m having it towed to my favorite shop (Munks) so I can work on it tomorrow and see if I can fix it with their help and tools and expertise. Tow should be here in 60 minutes.

That makes a total 6 times the 944 has failed me, and a record twice in less than a week. I'm not deterred though. This is a dream car of mine, and I won't let this stop me!!

DISCUSSION (13)

Spridget > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/01/2016 at 17:24

You could fix up the 911 and daily that . . . .

I’ll go ahead and post this for you:

Kinja'd!!!

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/01/2016 at 17:25

That’s the spirit to have! Just think how with every little thing you fix trying to find the true cause of your cars problems just means you have a more sorted and reliable 944 when you are done.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Spridget
07/01/2016 at 17:31

Smart and preemptive...

Leon711 > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/01/2016 at 17:34

I apologise as I haven’t been following the whole saga, have you changed/checked the ignition coil?

Urambo Tauro > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/01/2016 at 17:36

Huh. So it’s only stalling out when the engine is warm? And it won’t restart until cool again?

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Leon711
07/01/2016 at 17:38

No worries. I was pretty damn sure I checked it properly. I wouldn’t be able to start the car if the coil didn’t work. But it is possible that the coil might be going bad when the car is warm. But I’m in no mood or condition for speculative purchases. The coil is probably original, but I assumed since I wasn’t getting spark past the distributor cap and rotor, that those would be my culprits.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Urambo Tauro
07/01/2016 at 17:39

That seems to be the case here. It’s exactly what was happening with the 911 when it’s original coil went to crap.

EL_ULY > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/01/2016 at 17:45

try a bazillion break downS in 15 years of driving lols :]

Experience points FTW!

Urambo Tauro > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/01/2016 at 17:52

You know, there should be a pickup coil in the distributor that you might want to check out. I hear a lot of Mustang owners experiencing the same sort of failure on their 30-yr-old cars. The symptoms fit. You have confirmed that it’s a spark issue, right?

EDIT: Just saw your other reply. Yeah, I’d try to get a meter on it while the engine’s still hot. See if it tests differently from when it’s cold.

Leon711 > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/01/2016 at 17:54

I can understand, I needed a new coil for my MX5, new ones were around $475 (at current GBP to USD rate) so I ended up buying a used coil for $130. Too much cash for an old miata that over here is worth maybe $1500

Urambo Tauro > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/01/2016 at 18:16

Whoops, on second thought, ignore that. I just did some poking around online and it looks like maybe your distributor doesn’t have a pickup coil after all. Well, that’s different...

I see someone already suggested the ignition coil. Yeah, if you can get a meter on that while it’s still hot, you might find something. Temperature can definitely make worn-out electrical stuff act up.

JGrabowMSt > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/01/2016 at 19:25

The Magnum has been on a tow truck 5 times. SL has been on one.

The Neon was on a tow truck 5 times during the time I had it.

I don’t have a history of reliable cars. Don’t feel bad.

Die-Trying > Urambo Tauro
07/01/2016 at 22:48

pick up coil?? ignition module? or cam/crank sensor?