The Porsche is best it has ever been

Earlier this year, Carolyn and I took the Porsche 944 Turbo to Prescott Hillclimb to take part in the Bugatti Owners Club Members ‘Drive Thru’. This non- competitive and very well organised event (which marked the re- opening of the hill) was run under the government’s Covid-19 regulations and proved to be a huge success. I was pleased at how well the car felt during our two climbs, its handling in particular, although I did get the impression that the engine was down on power.

Thanks to a run of decent weather, a few weeks later I decided to give the 944 Turbo another good run. I checked it over, topped up the engine oil, checked the coolant level and the tyre pressures – I even drained the transaxle oil and refilled it, but more on this later. And I polished the car until it gleamed. Sadly, despite all this preparation, the journey proved to be somewhat shorter than I’d planned. Driving along the A40, the engine started hesitating. Panic set in slightly as I was in the outside lane at the time. Thankfully, the engine picked up and I was able to continue on my way, but only for another three miles or so. Then the engine gave a loud cough and stalled. Fortunately I was able to freewheel into a car park.

Thinking it was the DME relay (which switches on the ECU), I swapped to a spare I always carry and tried to coax the engine into life. It would start, then die, exactly as it had when I was experiencing the fuel pressure issues I reported upon (and cured) some time back. Realising that this wasn’t something I could fix at the roadside, I called the AA.

Twenty minutes later, the AA van pulled into the car park – always a welcome sight when one is stranded. Having discussed the problem with Darren, the AA operative, it was decided that the best course of action would be to tow the 944 home. Then Darren had a brainwave. A time-served mechanic, he remembered that the mechanical Bosch airflow meter as used on the 944 and many other cars of its era had a habit of playing up when they were getting long in the tooth. He pulled the plug from the meter and asked me to try starting the engine. It started, and it idled. He then reconnected the plug, whereby the engine not only started, it actually ran, albeit a bit on the rich side.

Darren, who kindly followed me home just in case I suffered another breakdown, suggested that I get the airflow meter refurbished. Excellent advice as it transpired. The very next day

“Darren suggested that I get the airflow meter refurbished. Excellent advice as it transpired”

The Bugatti Owners Club ran a ‘Drive Thru’ day at Prescott Hillclimb. A non-competitive event for road registered, road legal cars and stage 1 of a staged plan for the reintroduction of events, it was a great success, huge fun, and saw a terrific variety of cars attending.

An exchange Bosch airflow meter was needed as Martyn’s wasn’t working at all well, and on closer inspection it appeared to have been tampered with. To say that the car has been transformed thanks to the replacement is an understatement!