Tech Tips

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Tech tip-

Solving bad radio reception in cars with windshield antenneas.

Both my '86 and '87 have terrible radio reception. The `86 is needing a new windshield and I couldn't see spending the extra money for an anntenea windshield and ending up with lousy reception again. I found a powered antennae at Circuit City that is nothing but a small box, about 5/8” square by about 4” long. It has two wires, one for the antennae connection and one for 12 volts (which can be picked up at the retractable antennea power supply output on the radio). The box has an adheasive back and can be stuck on the dash or any window. I installed mine in the lower left corner of the old windshield to see how it works and will move it to the top center of the new windshield when it is installed. As installed now, it is next to the window post which I sure knocks down some reception. I think the wire is long enough to go to the back window, but if not, an extension antennae cable and addition power wire can be added to get it where you want. I can see centered at the top of the hatchback glass would be a good location too.

Before I would lose FM signal about 15 miles out of town. With this unit, not installed in an optimum location, I got a good signal over 40 miles out. In town reception is much better and it doesn't fade in and out around buildings and power lines as it used to. See photo for more info.

Tech tip-

Door stop/holder repair.

The lever that stops door travel and holds it open was getting so tight on my '86 that it was difficult to push it open or closed. It moaned and groaned and no amount or oil, WD 40 or grease would make any difference. I finally took it out and figured out how to adjust it for nothing.

Remove the door speaker and take out the cheese head bolts that hold the unit in the door. There is a bolt that pins the lever arm into the door jam holder that will need to be removed too. Remove it thru the speaker hole. Once it is on a bench vice, you can see that the same German engineers that designed the Tiger Tanks got onto this little unit. Inside the housing there are two “shoes” that slide against the arm and are pressed into the end of the housing by springs. For some reason on my unit, these shoes were so far up into the end of the housing that they were applying excessive force on the arm. Almost to the point that the more the arm would slide thru the shoes, the tighter they would get.

My fix was to get some small solid steel wire, about half the size of baling wire, (for all you farmers out there) cut it about ½” long and bent it in a “C' shape. I then pushed it into the end of the housing so that the shoes could not slide so far up the housing. I greased it all up and it now works perfect. Maybe my drawing will help but don't hesitate to call me for a better description. I think that once you get it out, it will make sense.

Tech tip-

Chronic overheating may be due to head gasket problems.

I have talked to many 944 owners over the last ten years as I have fielded questions about my kits. A number of these inquires have been from owners that are at their wits end on what to do about curing overheating and they wonder if my kit might be the solution. They have replaced the radiator, thermostat, coolant, hoses etc and have bled the system and made sure the fans were working. As I note in my information flyer, my kit will not cure overheating due to clogged radiators or other system faults. I have not been able to offer any other suggestions on what to do beyond the above until now.

In the process of doing a valve job on my racecar and talking to Jeff at 944racing.com to confirm my hypothesis, I may have found the answer and may be able to offer a solution.

The 944 block is an open deck water jacket type. The head gasket separates the water in the block around the cylinders from the water in the head. The flow is designed to leave the water pump and flow from the front of the engine to the back thru the block. It then passes thru four holes in the gasket on the back side of the #4 cylinder and moves up into the head where if flows forward to the front of the motor and out thru the radiator hose fitting (with the air bleeder) and on to the radiator. (If I have the flow backwards, the principle is the same)

What I found on my '84 race car and another engine I dismantled was that holes in the gasket had formed around the back of the #1 cylinder and that these holes would short circuit the water flow. Simply stated, the water was no longer forced to flow the full length of the block and the head to get out but could use these holes to circulate around the #1 cylinder, up into the head above the #1 cylinder and then out to the radiator. This leaves the rest of the block and head with diminished water flow and is reflected on the temp gauge.

I think that if on cars with original gaskets or that have a lot of miles and many years on replacement gaskets, and are overheating for no good reason, this could be the cause.

Obviously replacing the head gasket should be the last thing to do, only after the radiator is confirmed to be clean, inside and out and all the other items noted above have been eliminated as possible problems.

See photos below.