[Trak Ratt]

924 Turbos are undoubtedly the worst car I have ever had the misfortune to work on! It’s little wonder they didn’t hold their value very well. I wonder how many mechanics’s kids have gone to college off the income generated by “hourly shop rates”
There has not been an easy thing I’ve worked on since I got it. Well I guess the seats came out OK, but they ARE just like the 911s. I was even able to bolt in my racing seat from the 911 w/o any problems. Of course to remove the front carpeting I had to take out everything in front of the rear seats.

The real issue is not that any one component is poorly designed or requires special tools. It’s just that nothing is easy to work on, none of the fasteners are easy to reach & you need to take most of the front components off to even change the timing belt. For example there are 2 small heater hoses on the back of the engine that are next to impossible to replace w/o removing the head & turbo! Even for a 23-year-old car this sucks! I finally got the turbo & waste gate out of the beast after only 3 days of dismantling but I ended up having to cut off most of the mounting nuts & will now have to replace a lot of studs. I’m thinking it would have been easier to pull the engine!

I’ll still soldier on w/my plans to race this beast but I’m seriously thinking about welding the hood shut when it’s finally together & simply drive it until it stops! The good news is that I can get nearly $80 in scarp metal out of it

[estrellajon]

Sounds like a nightmare to me . I may just go with a 951 for my second Porsche.

[type954]

i wonder if i should rethink my search for a 931

[Doug E]

" ... welding the hood shut ... " now that would definately make for an interesting pit stop during a race. I can just picture a crew standing there trying to figure out how to open that sucker up

[Trak Ratt]

Why oh why would anyone actually want to get a 931? Oh sure they were fast in the early 80s, but 16 sec. 1/4 miles are BORING in the 21st century. The ventilation systems suck, & the steering wheel is way to low. No power steering may be OK out on the Autobahn, but try it w/225-50s in the pits! Unless you can find the rare 4-wheel disk brake car you will out run your brakes in even a short DE. Early transmissions are fragile, middle years are stronger but individual gears I hear are $1K each! Late model 931s used the Audi trans so better. Most cars didn’t come w/rear anti-roll bars, & all came w/smallish front bars.

It may be just an Audi engine but it only was sold in this country in the 924! Turbo heads are different too. Engine parts are hard to find, & expensive when you do. Parts for the CIS are getting scarce & expensive so you may have to learn to live w/cold & warm starting problems. Different size valve adjusters are as scarce as hens teeth & priced accordingly! Air filters & gas filters are special order… this year. Vapor lock is a real problem in early cars. Waist gates use an unusual 3 bolt flange, all header pipes crack, then crack again in the repaired area. US cars are held to about ½ the boost of Euro spec cars & you will have to dismantle most of the engine compartment to replace the pop off spring. And alot of that stuff comes off from under the car! There are about a dozen hoses less that 2” long, that have different angels & tapers that must be replaced as all are at least 20 years old! There are more “banjo” fittings on the oil system than a blue grass festival in West Virginia! Unless you have access to a lift forget working on the car… the human body doesn’t bend that way!

That said, let me know if you find one in good condition & don’t buy it (Boy do I got it bad )!

[estrellajon]

Geez Dave, your description on this 931 problem give me the heeby geebies. . Makes me want to sell my 930 to avoid all that just in case it gets to that point of not finding parts. :P