[Rob 930]

A&F,

I'm sorry to see that metal. But I hope you won't get too discouraged.

Though it's possible that the problem started at the top end, as has been suggested, I believe it is more likely that it's a bottom end problem. Something with a rod bearing, most likely. At this point, it's probably appropriate to drain the rest of the oil and look at it. But no matter what the cause, that engine is going to have to come apart. With metal floating throughout it, everything has to be looked at and completely cleaned.

Probably the next thing I'd do is rotate the crankshaft by hand and see what it feels like - after pulling the plugs. To rule out top end issues, it would now be worth pulling all four valve covers and inspecting the rockers, camshafts, and what you can see of the valves. The "good" news about a bottom end problem is that perhaps the top end survived and just needs to be cleaned up and reassembled. The big, big issue with loose metal like that is that you need completely clean all the oil passageways, oil lines, cooler, and tank. One flake of remaining metal after repair will have you starting over again. To me, that's the worst part of a failure like this.

If the crank is hurt, it can be repaired. There are several people in the country who can do it. You won't need to buy a new crankshaft! But there's no getting around the fact that a rebuild is an expensive operation. The problem I have is that I look upon a problem like this as an opportunity (an excuse, perhaps) to do everything I can to restore the engine or perhaps seek performance gains. That's what is *really* expensive. Lack of self control at times like this is what costs the big bucks. I suffer from a very serious case of "while-we're-in-there-itis" which is a common affliction amongst car enthusiasts.

If your goal was simply to "fix" the problem and put it back as is, by "yourself," the cost to do so would probably be in the 3 to 5 thousand dollar range, assuming there was no huge damage to the engine case. It will likely involve a crank repair, rod reconditioning and/or replacement of a rod (with used parts), bearings, gaskets, rod bolts, ultrasonic cleaning of oil system components, and miscellaneous hardware, including a possible used oil pump. Maybe there's a piston and cylinder that got hurt too, but you could source a used one and be back in business. What gets expensive is if you replace all the pistons and cylinders, do the heads with larger valves and porting, add Carillo rods, lighten the flywheel, change cams, new high performance clutch, case machining, different exhaust, intake, and other mods. The cost could go up by a factor of 10!

Probably the best thing to do is to perform a bit more diagnosis, as discussed in my previous post, to see if you can better understand what got hurt and what didn't. Then think about it for a little while and don't rush into a solution. It may be that you would rather buy a running engine and sell yours (it's still worth quite a bit as is). Maybe it makes more sense to sell the car as is.

But I hope you'll fix it -- which is very satisfying and fun, but admittedly not cheap. Afterward, you'll have even more respect for how interesting and well thought-out these engines are. Every time you turn that key on, you'll have a great appreciation for what's going on inside, and from then on, you'll be able to maintain your car yourself. There will be no mysteries. But taking that step, if you haven't done it before, is a big one. Get Wayne's book on 911 engines. Read it twice. Connect with local people who have done this before. The Pelican network is amazing. Get their help. Borrow their special tools. As I said, consider it an opportunity. I rebuilt my first 911 engine, from a 1966 model, in 1975. It changed my life -- in the best possible way!

Rob