I was continuing to have oil leaks from both the front and rear main seals on the 944 so I took it to Lee Autoworks to have this fixed once and for all. He found the crankshaft to having about 1.4mm of play which is well outside of tolerance which should be less than 0.4mm so we agreed to pull the engine out and have a closer look.
 |
| Engine out inspection on the 944 |
The thrust bearing had excessive play and since the engine was opened up anyway, I had him check everything else out. There was a tiny bit of wear in the conn rod bearings and main bearings. Nothing to be super concerned about but I opted to have it all replaced along with all the seals since I don't want to have to do this all over again.
 |
| Fresh parts are here |
I also took this opportunity to have the fuel pump, fuel filter, in tank strainer and hoses replaced so that I have peace of mind. I had no record of it ever being replaced and given the car is 33 years old I didn't want to have to second guess the fuel system so it seemed like a prudent thing to do. It did seem like it was replaced at some point so perhaps this was unnecessary but at least I know now exactly when it was done and it'll be happy for years to come. The crankshaft and camshaft position sensors also tend to go bad on these cars and given its age, I also had both replaced with new ones.
He also go to the bottom of why the car kept stalling or having a no start condition. The connector for the mass airflow sensor was loose causing it to sporadically disconnect. He tightened up the connectors so it would have a firm electrical connection and now it starts like a champ every time.
 |
| Engine back in and fully functional |
People say these engines are some of the smoothest 4-cylinders ever made and while it was fairly smooth before now I really understand what they mean. At any RPM the engine is hyper-smooth with good power delivery. Such a joy to drive!
Maintenance Update:
Mileage: 97,356
- 6 quarts Valvoline 20W-50 VR1
- Mahle OC142 oil filter
- New OEM fuel filter
- New OEM fuel pump
- New OEM in-tank fuel strainer
- New OEM fuel hoses to fuel pump
- New OEM main bearings
- New OEM thrust bearings
- New OEM connecting rod bearings
- New OEM oil pickup tube
- New OEM crankshaft position sensor
- New OEM camshaft position sensor
- Fresh antifreeze
- New engine seals
