Thankfully this car didn’t come with a factory alarm so I’m hoping it’s not something I should have to mess with, I watched your video where that’s how you got your car up and running was by bypassing the alarm box.

This is the exact situation I’m experiencing except it’s intermittent. Sometimes it’ll charge by itself sometimes it’ll need some encouragement (after initial startup) I haven’t had an issue where the car stops charging while I’m driving. Sounds like before I take anything apart I need to check continuity at the exciter wire. Once it starts charging it charges perfectly and the car runs totally fine.

@@TakeFlightGarage yeah I'm wondering if you have corrosion at the 2 wire plug that sits on the firewall above the brake booster... Only other place would be where the wire connects to the back of the instrument panel and uses that bulb for resistance. I need to rewire mine directly to the bulb so I don't have to rev the engine when i first start it up but it works. I accidently got a turbo alternator, I have a video of how I had to modify it. So it's the 110A and I think mine originally was the 90A. Same issue but I ended up frying mine by sending too much current to the exciter post

@@Northern944 I’m definitely going to start there. Thank you!!!

@@TakeFlightGarage no problem dude! Hope you get it sorted

This is insanely helpful thank you, I’ll check for 12v at that plug! Let me answer your questions: This car has had LEDs in the dash for over 3 years, but only for the dash lighting signals and brights indicator. All other warning bulbs are filament still, including the alternator warning light. This alternator is new as in about 2 weeks old. I ordered a manufactured Bosch unit from pelican parts that came with a pulley assembly and voltage regulator installed. I ordered it after one day my original alternator failed and the car left me stranded. It also took out my battery which was also 2 years old (they don’t last long in the heat out here and after being totally discharged it couldn’t be brought back) After the install the car fired right up and all issues seemed to be fine, until this new issue popped up about a week ago. It happens intermittently and only after the car sits for some time. When I start driving or if I leave the car alone the alternator excites and it will start charging properly 14v on cold start 13.5v once warm and with all accessories on ac hazards headlights fogs defrost cameras etc the minimum voltage comes down to 13.3. Resting voltage on the battery is 12.76. The only time it’s being discharged is after initial start when the alternator decides it doesn’t want to excite.

You’re right which is unfortunate. It’s frustrating because the problem is intermittent, so when it charges, it charges great. I don’t think there’s any lazy way for me to go about it I’m going to have to pull the alternator and get it tested. I did have an issue finding a battery so I’m curious if the incorrect size battery can have these symptoms too.

Your suggestion is what I’m leaning towards as well however it was new with the alternator.

Yeah it’s time for a daily lol she’s letting me know in several thousands of dollars of ways 😂😂😂😂😂

I’m gonna pin this so people see that thanks for correcting me 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Yeah but I’d have no way to reannodize the wheels. I’d have to buff em constantly to keep em looking fresh. I could mount polishing cones so it polishes the lips while I drive 😂

Thanks seagrams. I’ve spoken to a few places so far it’s either looking like an all gloss finish because trying do two finishes in powder coating is going to be extremely difficult from what I’m hearing. I’m starting to think these wheels are just going to have to be replaced, I haven’t been able to find anyone who is willing to refinish them. Everything I’m hearing so far is that people want to experiment with them which I’m just not comfortable with, and it’s sounding like it’s a crapshoot if the cleaner etched all the way down into the aluminum.

Thank you for your advice I really appreciate it. Tomorrow is gonna be a busy day of calling around to see who might be able to help me out! I really thought it would’ve worked too even the company who’s cleaner I used reached out to me with tips and nothing worked.

I did my best and it didn’t even make a dent at this point I’m starting to think that the cleaner etched though the anodized layer and may have even compromised the aluminum alloy underneath. I won’t know until these wheels are completely stripped either chemically or via media blasting to see if the aluminum underneath hasn’t been scarred. I tried everything. Sanding polishing buffing I took a dremel with a polishing wheel to it and it didn’t do anything.

@TakeFlightGarage hmm.. I can tell from your vids you are attached to these particular wheels, so I dont suspect you want to take the chance of damaging them. When I say sand I mean with a much lower grit to get through any coatings down to bare aluminum(dont attempt if your not sure), then increase grit to the polish level you want , then clear coat. I think you mentioned 1500 was the lowest you used, that's more of a polishing grit and doesn't remove much material. My 86 951 has the phone dials which I will be refinishing how I mentioned above because I got some weird results just polishing, almost looks like they are white wheels with silver paint.. idk.. i think i read somewhere that white phone dials where an option.. these cars are so old, no telling what others did to them, lol.. Im just trying to get it on the road now, so wheels will be in the future at some point. Your car looks awesome, thanks for all the vids, have been very helpful!

Thanks Tim! Btw I loved your video series comparing the 944 to the boxster I feel the exact way driving my 944!

@@TakeFlightGarage 944 is just a blast to drive no doubt about it. Those who know 944s, no explanation is necessary, those who don’t know and haven’t driven no explanation is enough.

What’s chrome wheel spray? I’ve never heard of that. Is it another type of cleaner?

It's a Chrome wheel cleaner / mild acid hence works on chrome wheels. It will make the outer porus section turn chalky white. Then you can re polish the wheel back to original finish before you stained the wheel.

@@rickmirabito7435 Oh okay I did buy some aluminum wheel cleaner I’ll give it a shot thank you!

You can polish anodizing 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🚘🚘🚘

I’ve been using it but it’s not getting it out. It’s been helping make it less noticeable until I wipe it down again but it’s not buffing it out.

I seriously thought about bumping to 16s just for an easier choice of tire but if I try to sell these in this state I’d be lucky to get half of what they’re worth. “Never Dull” so far has been helping(ish) Are the 17s a bit too big or does the car still accelerate pretty well????

@@TakeFlightGarage The 17s work great. I use 40 series tires on the rear and 50 series on the front.. The overall wheel and tire diameter are very close to stock. Just keep the old rims for now. They're only going up in value.

​@TakeFlightGarage going from 15" 60 series to 17" 40 series is a huge change. The tire/ wheel combo will be a lot heavier. It will ride harsher and tramline more. Having said that, 17's look great on the car. I have 17's on my car if you want to try them out you are welcome too (i'm in az). You can put them on your car and see how it accelerates (mine is turbo).

@@davidkaehele8910 I have 17 inch rims from a 993 using stock factory suggested tire sizes on my 1988 944 and they are GREAT! Tramlining is the result of tire tread design, not rim size. Avoid directional tires and you won't experience tramlining. Sure, the ride is a bit harder than when I had 16 inch Phone Dials on the car, but if you want comfort, get a Cadilac.

Not the ball but I have a fresh can of the aluminum/ mag polish and it’s not working for me at all. The compound doesn’t even turn black when I buff it. I think it’s because it’s not interacting with the actual aluminum because of the anodized coating on the lip

@@TakeFlightGarage interesting. Normally staining and all that should come out with a heavy polish and lots of elbow grease. If all else fails, check out alloy wheel repair specialists. They have locations all over the US

Any suggestions? I’m pulling hair out over here hahaha

@@TakeFlightGarage Bandaid, go to a Honda dealer, get the spray new bike in a can, s71 it shines it. 2 wet sand 800 grit, 1000, 2000 grit, then hit it with polish compound.

Been there my friend. Check fuel pressure. Verify 100% you have spark and fuel. Check the fuel pump remember it doesn’t kick on until the engine cranks passed 200rpm. Check the DME relay. Pop the air box cover and spray starting fluid in there and see if the car will fire. Check for tach bounce make sure your speed and reference sensors are good. Make sure your injectors aren’t clogged either. Those are the best tips I can give you off the fly for troubleshooting. I’ve got a video up on my Chanel somewhere going through some trouble shooting procedures

@@TakeFlightGarage it’s hard to to check for spark alone lol,ohh shit i didn’t even know it only kicked ok after 2k rpms,but it does start with starting fluid but dies right after,fuel pump/filter are new so is the spark plug wires/and spark plugs,dme should be good im guessing since it cranks and sometimes it turns on for like 4-6 seconds then just dies fuel injectors were stuck close but i got them to open up im guessing they’re bad already,I’ll check your other video for help if needed,i really appreciate it

@@cainvalencia3438 if the pump and filter are new and it starts on starting fluid I’d triple check that you put the pump in so that it’s flowing in the right direction

You can jumper the fuel pump at the DME relay and see if by forcing the fuel pump on if it will start

If it fires on starting fluid you 100% have spark so no need to worry about spark 👍🏻

I see you are a man of culture 🫡

Dude I absolutely love hearing stories like this. A memory you and your dad are gonna cherish for years. Passing your drivers test in it too is just a cherry on top. Preserve that car as much as you can!!!!

@@TakeFlightGarage Yeah it's been pretty sweet. My dad enjoyed rebuilding mine so much that he bought his own 944 and he's been rebuilding his from the frame up which has been quite the project but very cool stuff

This is absolutely rad to hear made my whole week with these comments. Can’t wait to see both cars out and about! I think I’m finally getting close to meeting a solid number of 944 people around the valley I’d love to get a drive going for all of us sometime.

@@TakeFlightGarage yeah 100% that'd be so cool let's make it happen in the future

First off congrats on the pickup! 89 is a great year. Where in the cabin is it wet is it the front or rear of the car? If it’s the front check the battery tray, it’s the most common rust point of the car and and can lead to water getting into the passenger side footwell. Check all the sunroof drains and stuff too.

@@TakeFlightGarage thank you i really appreciate it,it was in the passenger side front and behind the passenger seat both were soaking wet

@@cainvalencia3438 passenger side front absolutely sounds like the the battery tray might have a hole in it somewhere, and the other leak is a separate one most likely coming from the sunroof seal. It ages and dry rots and cracks and it’ll let water in.

@@TakeFlightGarage unless it just went back Its probably from the same thing lol,it has been sitting untouched 12 years apparently but surprisingly it starts up

@@cainvalencia3438 man you’d be surprised these cars are troopers lol. Some oil some gas, 9/10 times a fuel pump and some injectors and a car that hasn’t run in 10, 15, 20+ years will fire right up lol

This car doesn’t have resistor packs. The injectors I bought didn’t come with resistor packs. I think you’re misunderstanding the original Porsche injectors themselves are low impedance, there’s no resistor pack that plugs into them.

Thank you!!!!

It was very messy, and now it’s slightly less messy 😅

Thank you! Been an ongoing work in progress 😅👍🏻

Unfortunately no, I had a personal account and I tried creating an account for TFG and 2 days later IG shut it down claiming it was a bot account lol so after that I just up and left. The closest thing l do use is my community page here on KZbin. Occasionally I’ll post updates on there.

I noticed while I was recording and new I had to take advantage of the opportunity 😄👌🏻

I’m so stoked I can’t wait to have them installed

Thank you!

Thanks for the correction! I meant that you were running +3% fuel but in my rambling fumbled my words by saying you were running position 3. I personally ran on -3% fuel for a little while during my initial driving with all the new tech and once I finally was able to get the OBD software up and running after a period of messing with fuel injectors (before ultimately coming back to stock) I also ended up at +3% as that’s where I saw the idle injector duty cycle smack at where it was supposed to be (2.9 milliseconds). My testing was far less controlled but there was definitely a change in performance after switching to +3% fuel. After every configuration I went out and did a 0-60 test and with +3% I saw on average about another half second reduced times (3 runs to try to mitigate human error of launches) I really really really need to get the car to a dyno to see what the numbers are so I can compare them to yours to make sure everything lines up! I’m sure you’re aware but the 944 community uses your car as the gold standard for a properly healthy running engine thanks to all the meticulous work you’ve done!

@@TakeFlightGarage Nice! The +3% feels about right for a decently running engine as far as I can tell from the feedback of others. If the engine runs better at the +6% or greater, there are probably some vacuum leaks going. I’d be curious to see the results of your HP gains… in truth, I’d also like to see what difference the Sport DME made if anything on mine, but I don’t feel like dropping another $100 at the Dyno. I know the DME doesn’t offer any built-in power benefits, but with the improved ignition response from a failing DME, that’s gotta count for something.

@@NC944er I actually had a question in regards to the ignition circuit of the DME. Something I took for granted after replacing both the DME and the AFM, my car had much better acceleration. I used to have a weird sort of hesitation on hard pulls/ in the upper rev range and initially I chalked that up to my 40 year old ignition coil. So there’s been an improvement, but I’d still like to replace the coil with something like an MSD blaster or something, but I haven’t because I don’t fully understand why or why I might not need a resistor on the coil and if I risk damaging my new dme by using it. It could be pointless now since the car does pull hard all the way to redline, but I can’t help but feel like there’s a tiny bit of performance left on the table by not upgrading the coil since 90% of the ignition circuit has been replaced.

@@TakeFlightGarage Yeah, so from what Joe of F9T explained to me, the most common failure point in the DME is that the ignition over-current protection gradually loses its calibration over time. This causes the ignition driver to heat up and soften the solder joints, which fatigue under vibration until they eventually crack. While this is happening, the ignition spark slowly weakens until either the ignition circuit fails altogether or the cracked solder joints no longer make good electrical contact and you’re left with a no-start condition. This explains why replacing our aging DMEs with Joe’s updated version results in the observed performance improvements. The second piece to consider is that European ignition cable sets like the ones used on the 944 feature specific value resistorized plug ends that limit the resistance on each cable to 3,000 ohms per lead. The Bosch engine management system was then tuned with these values in mind to maximize engine power and fuel efficiency, while minimizing radio frequency noise that can interfere with other on-board electrical systems. With that said, a non-OEM ignition coil with higher voltage output could put a strain on the ignition circuit and if that were the case, you’d want to add a ballast resistor to bring the coil output back within OEM range so that the ignition driver isn’t damaged. The MSD ignition coil appears to offer some vibration resistant windings for extreme duty applications, but outside that it doesn’t seem to offer a performance improvement over the OEM Bosch coils based on the specs. From what I’m seeing, the secondary coil on the MSD has a resistance of 4.5K ohms versus 3.1K ohms on the Bosch coil, so it would actually provide lower voltage output and therefore weaker spark. Given the discrepancy, and that the Bosch coils are quite reliable with a strong life cycle compared to the other ignition components, I’d probably just perform the resistance tests on the Bosch coil and see if they are within specification. If so, I’d stay the course and stick with the original equipment.

Excellent! thank you so much for the info, I’m looking forward to whatever content you have coming in the future surrounding your car your channel has been an invaluable resource for the entire community. I’d love to see a piece where you go over what about the 944 you gravitated towards and what lead you to buying your silver car and going all out with your restoration of it!