Tech Q&A - 1988 944 Na No Start Issue W/Tach Bounce

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December 2025 The December 2025 edition is online and ready to be viewed! READ DIGITAL EDITION 1988 944 NA no start issue w/tach bounce

asked on Sat 08/28/2021 1988 | 944 | Fuel System | Lebanon, TN | 103300 miles

Hello George,

I have a 1988 944 NA celebration series that I bought as a non runner. The car I believer has sat for at least 8-10 years and had it towed home. It will start for 2-3 seconds and then die, I do have tach bounce. Once it starts for a few seconds it will not do that again till it sets for 5-10min. Then it will do the same thing. A few weeks back though, it decided to start and run with the idle right at 950 where it should be. It ran great, the lifters started building oil pressure and it was purring. I drove it down the block and it had great power (for a NA). I could turn it off and restart it with no issues but after about 30min of this and me thinking its fixed it started sputtered and the gas pedal became unresponsive then it died. It has not started like that again.

The PO has replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel strainer, spark plugs (iridium), I've replaced the rotor cap, rotor, spark plug wires, speed and reference sensors, injectors, cleaned the throttle body, checked spark and its hot. I'm running out of ideas, also looked in the AFM there were grooves in the path and think I successfully shortened the arm length to have the probes run on a fresh lane but still no start. It almost acts as if it's getting flooded, I do have a gas smell coming out of the tail pipe when cranking it. Battery is fresh as well.

If anyone has come across this situation I would appreciate any tips.

thanks

attached file: 1250_2020011026_image_50428417.jpg

Expert Answer:

1. submitted by George Beuselinck [HV] on Mon 07/10/2023 02:10 pm

   I'm going to start with the basics: for your engine to run, you need compression, fuel, and ignition at the proper time. Sounds like one of these is missing.

   Since you had the car running recently, even for a short time, it means that you had the basics for combustion at that time. Something has changed. You will need to isolate the problem yourself.

   If you can crank the engine and it will start with starting fluid, you have a fuel problem. Check the fuel pressure for 30 to 40 psi at the end of the fuel rail. Use a noid light to check for injection pulse at each of the injectors. Pull the fuel rail and check for fuel flow from the injectors, they may need to be rebuilt.

   If the car will not start with starting fluid, it might be an ignition problem. If you have a spark at the end of the ignition wire between the coil and the distributor cap, it is an indication that most of the system is working. If the spark is not making it to the spark plugs, then you have a problem with the cap, rotor, plug wires or timing (the rotor may have moved on the rotor shaft).

   A reader suggested that the DME relay might be bad.

   There is a pretty good troubleshooting diagnostic on Clarks Garage website and there is a better one in the 944 Factory Workshop Manual. Good luck...

   George Beuselinck, 924/944/968 Expert, PCA National Tech Committee

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