Questions and Answers

Porsche 944 Overheated And No Lights Q. I just bought a 1984 Porsche 944 in Atlanta Georgia and drove it down to Orlando Florida last night. This car has had superb maintenance from what I can tell and have been told. Also it definitely looked like it by the receipts and how it appeared. For the first 16 yrs of its life it has been owned by a Porsche mechanic.

The problem is that I drove the entire way at 78 mph for 6½ hours nonstop. I didn't think it would be a problem. The car drove fine and it didn't show to be hot. Well 25 minutes before I got home I stopped for gas. Got the gas and noticed that the headlights would flip up but the lights wouldn't come on.

The car sat idling for about two minutes while I checked it out. In the meantime about a gallon of antifreeze came out. I checked but didn't see it leak from any of the hoses. I suspect that is came out the overflow but don't know for sure. Well I couldn't get water but had a gallon of the mixture in the trunk and threw that in. It didn't completely fill the reservoir but was it right below the minimum level.

I let it cool for a while then decided to drive it home. I drove it home last night, in which I had to hold the high beam switch the whole time in order to have lights. I watched the temperature gauge and it showed hot but not in the overheat zone. I got home turned the car off and looked for antifreeze spillage. Nothing there.

This morning I checked all the hoses and they seemed to look just fine. Still haven't figured out the light situation either. I checked all the fuses and tried to tell if any of the light plugs got loose during the drive. Also one of the lower white lights were out but I doubt that had anything to do with it. I haven't driven the car since.

I understand that these cars are temperamental but I am completely discouraged. I can do basic mechanics myself. Please Help! First time Porsche owner.

Thanks,
Jill

A. Did you hear about idiot who got arrested for stealing Police cars? He saw the 911 on the back and thought they were Porches'. Now you know why I gave up on being a standup comic.

Anyway, as for the overheating. It may be either the thermostat or radiator cap got stuck and caused the overheating. So I would recommend replacing both the thermostat and radiator cap.

The thermostat is located on the inlet side of the water pump and can be removed without removing the water pump by using a specially bent pair of snap ring pliers. After you get the thermostat replaced. I would recommend a cooling system pressure test to be sure there are no leaks.

As for the lights, fuse 1, 2, 3 and 4 supply power the left and right low and high beams. So I doubt that all four fuses blew or all four lights blew at the same time. The fact they the high beams work when you hold the switch in demonstrates that the lights themselves are working.

So, the only possibilities left are the light switch itself, or the wiring. My money would be on the light switch.