944 porsche wont start.

[DDaymach]

I have been reading many post and have found quite a bit of information regarding this vehicle. This is my first porsche so bear with me.

85 porsche 944 automatic trans. (vin 47)
Curent problem - no spark

History...
I pick this vehicle up for a mere $750.00. It was quite dirty from sitting out for a year but overall it was straight and rust free. Although...
This vehicle apears to have suffered severe curb damage (over curb then reversed back over curbing damaging/breaking... A/C turnbuckle, A/C housing, P/S bracket/balance shaft bearing housing and it had pulled the swaybar out of DS A-arm bushing.) I have replaced all of this and in replacing the balance shaft housing I found the Balance shaft belt broken. It and the timing belt have been replaced along with all the adjusters and guide bearings. The engine harness had also been chewed up by rodents. I replaced the engine harness as well.

I have checked.
coil power 12v both terminals
grounding out the negative teminal produces spark (I pulled coil wire off the distributor inserted stripped 12 ga. wire in it and then laid it on distributor metal housing. I grounded out the neg. on coil and spark)
I can assume the coil is good.
Turning the ignition on turns the fuel pump on and it continuouly runs. I can even hear flow in the engine compartment at the regulator end of fuel rail.

I pulled the cap off the front end of the fuel rail turned on ignition and fuel flowed out. I did not check for pressure yet because I didn't think it had anything to do with the spark.

In replacing the engine harness I found the timing reference sensor wire and the speed sensor wire connectors to be the same. The trans. housing has a "D" (rear)and a "B" (front)label in the casting and the harness had "DG" and "BG" on the pigtails. I have hooke them up "D" (rear) to "DG" (pigtail). I have not chec ked continuity but I assume it is labeled properly.

I installed the timing belt and balance shaft belt. The timing belt looked good but I replaced it anyway. The timing marks lined up on the cam and the crank was at TDC. I double checked this with dowel in the #1 spark plug hole. The balance shaft belt was installed per directions I attained here and instruction sheet. I figured I get some run time on them to seat the belts and then recheck tension.

I checked the DME relay by hand. I can feel it click when I turn on the ignition and the fuel pump runs.

I have pulled the DME unit and resoldered many of the connections but there is really no way for me to tell if it was good to begin with. I suspect this is my problem

[s3fella]

DME relay? Always worth carrying a spare on a 944.

[DDaymach]

The DME relay is working. It clicks and the fuel pump starts running. Is there a seperate circuit through it?

By the way... I have also diconnected the Alarm system and installed the appropriate jumpers.

[tr7v8]

Does the rev counter bounce when it is spinning over? If it doesn't then you won't have a spark, which is either flywheel sensors or DME or the wiring between it.

[DDaymach]

I was checking that out and I don't see any movement on the tachometer. I have ordered a sensor.

I pulled the DME relay cover off. There are 2 coils. One is energized by the ignition switch and the other is energized by the closing of the first coils switch and the DME itself. The second circuit powers the Fuel pump. I energized both coils independantly and they both work. This had to anyway because my fuel pump was turning on.

[pauljmcnulty]

Is it an early or late 1985 Auto? Square or oval dash?

[DDaymach]

It is the early 85. it has the oval dash

[thegoose]

DDaymach said:

It is the early 85. it has the oval dash

I think that's a contradiction - oval dash was from 86 model year AFAIK.

[MadRob6]

thegoose said:

DDaymach said:

It is the early 85. it has the oval dash

I think that's a contradiction - oval dash was from 86 model year AFAIK.

Half way through 85 I thought?

Anyway the cookie cutters suggest square dash. If the tacho needle isn't bouncing then it's probably the speed or reference sensor that's dead.

Have a look at http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/ign-02.ht... for info on the sensors.

[1point7bar]

MadRob6 said:

Half way through 85 I thought?

I had an '85 oval dash. The Porsche archives showed it as correct delivery spec.

Probably the hall sensors, no harm in swapping the plugs except one reads the ring gear and the other reads a grub screw (IIRC the auto has two grub screws).

[williamp]

I would also buy another DME relay and keep it in the toolbox. Its a common failure, and a cheap replacement. I would be confident its nothing to do with removing the alarm systm as they usually rely on cutting the fuel supply, rather then the ignition.

Are the spark plugs the right type and gap'd correctly? Are the leads in the right order (from memory, hard to get wrong at the plug end, but possible you could get wrong at the distributor end). Rotor arm ok?

[DDaymach]

Grub screw?

I replaced the speed sensor and there is still no jump in the tach needle. I have another sensor on order to replace the reference sensor as well. I also have another DME computer on order.

[pauljmcnulty]

thegoose said:

I think that's a contradiction - oval dash was from 86 model year AFAIK.

85.5, August 1985-on.

[thegoose]

pauljmcnulty said:

thegoose said:

I think that's a contradiction - oval dash was from 86 model year AFAIK.

85.5, August 1985-on.

Thanks, I thought I was right.

As we can now see from the picture it is indeed an early 85 car, with the square dash.

[MadRob6]

There's a grub screw on the flywheel for the reference sensor, the speed sensor reads from the starter ring gear.

[DDaymach]

I would have thought this to be oval but I have not seen another to compare. I thank you for all your input. Keep it coming.

[pauljmcnulty]

DDaymach said:

I would have thought this to be oval but I have not seen another to compare. I thank you for all your input. Keep it coming.

This is the later, Series Two ( as opposed to S2) interior, late '85 onwards. Being as it's not oval, and the early one isn't really square, it's easy to get confused!

[MadRob6]

It might be worth starting a thread on some of the American Porsche forums like Pelican Parts. There may be a knowledgable chap local to you willing to come and take a look (or even have a few parts to try swapping over) in exchange for some good old beer tokens.

[DDaymach]

The world is now local because of the internet.

[MadRob6]

I'd offer to plug the DME from my car in to yours but I can't quite squeeze it through the internet tubes