1st drop & top end observations & questions

[KTL]

Be sure to check the cam housings for clean spray tubes. You don't want any of those pin-holes to get clogged with a piece of crud.

The reference sensor bracket does have only one sleeve. No worries there. Lucky for your yours came out of the sleeve cleanly? Sometimes that sleeve won't part ways with the sensor and you have to mangle things a little bit (destroy old sensor) to get it apart.

The split bushing on the release bearing is correct. See the complete tech bulletin for new style bearing



If the carbon bugs you, you can take it off. But when you think about it, it's just going to come back when you run the engine. A good "solvent" for getting it off is WD-40. Believe me, it works. Just spray it on and leave it for a few days and the stuff will scrape off easily. I have used other more nasty solvents and it's not worth the brain damage since you're not in a hurry.

[r-mm]

Thanks again Kevin - great info.

That split on the TOB interior bearing surface did look intentional but its great to have confirmation from The Bible.

I did a quick dry fit of the guide tube to tranny and it did not slip right into place. Guessing this is one of those parts that needs a bit of tapping into place? I ordered cap screws to replace the god awful panheads that I (thankfully) managed to get out after whaling on my impact screwdriver for a solid five minutes. Getting them out clean was immensely satisfying however.

[KTL]

No problem.

Guide tube is a light press fit into the trans case bore. How does that input shaft seal look? Now is the time to replace that one. It's much more prone to leakage than the pesky crankshaft seals. But it takes some patience to get that one out.

You have to be careful not to drive the seal into the diff housing because there is no "stop" or stepped flange behind the seal bore. You can beat on the seal and then all of a sudden, OH NO, it just disappeared on the shaft into the diff housing! No worries if that happens. You just open the diff side cover and take out the diff, then cut off the seal. Removing the diff is actually easier than removing the seal!

Those oval head screws are indeed a pain sometimes. But they're a necessary evil. The clearance between the guide tube screws and the release bearing is rather tight. I don't believe typical socket head cap screws will clear the bearing. The screws are just low strength M6x1.0 oval head or flat head with a countersink base. I just buy them at my local hardware store since they're really nothing special.

Don't be tempted to over-tighten them or loctite them. As you can see, they stay in place just fine. I've often had to use a drill bit and fluted extractor to get those out. The Phillips head just doesn't have the strength to hold w/out stripping. A trick to get better bite on the Phillips head is of course to use the right size screwdriver (rule of thumb: always use the biggest size possible) and put some grit paste on the tip. Valve lapping compound or rubbing compound for polishing your car works good.

It's tempting to use hex drive flat head screws but that can be painful later on for someone if they're hardened or stainless. 10.9 class screws are pretty darn hard if they have to be drilled. Ideally the goal is to avoid stripping the head. Hex drive are certainly MUCH more reliable than Phillips!!!

[JJ 911SC]

No wonder I could not remember seeing that split bushing when I did my clutch, 87-89 only.

Now that I learned something today, I can go home

[Smoove1010]

On that trans input shaft seal - I changed mine, but in the process of pulling out the old seal the spring from the back of the seal popped off and remained inside the trans. I ended up having to take the side cover off the trans, and move the diff out of the way to get that little spring out.

G50 Differential Removal - Need the Basics

Not really a big deal, but having to source the cover o-ring delayed the operation by a day. In retrospect, I should've taken the side cover off the trans, moved the diff out of the way, then tapped the seal out from the inside...

Either way, I'm glad I changed it.

[KTL]

Originally Posted by Smoove1010

On that trans input shaft seal - I changed mine, but in the process of pulling out the old seal the spring from the back of the seal popped off and remained inside the trans. I ended up having to take the side cover off the trans, and move the diff out of the way to get that little spring out.

G50 Differential Removal - Need the Basics

Not really a big deal, but having to source the cover o-ring delayed the operation by a day. In retrospect, I should've taken the side cover off the trans, moved the diff out of the way, then tapped the seal out from the inside...

Either way, I'm glad I changed it.

Geez......... I gotta get a life. There I am, with a lengthy post as usual, in your input shaft seal thread!

[r-mm]

Okay guys another mini-stumper -

PET shows that the upper hex nut comes off with the fuel line on this little 90deg section. But I CAN NOT get the sob to budge and don't want to jack anything up. Tips here?

[Lapkritis]

Kevin - We don't blame you living in Illinois after all... hockey season is just starting.

[scooterp7]

R mm I emoved mine yesterday. I put the regulator in a vise lightly and spun the nut off with my battery powered wrench. Worked like a champ. Hope this helps.

Scott

[r-mm]

Spent the evening re-studding the chain covers (removed the old studs for thorough gasket removal, replaced them with SS) and installing my newly cleaned and balanced fuel injectors. They went on nice a easy with a tiny smear of clean motor oil, per Witch Hunter Performance's recommendations.




Meanwhile I'm sort of agonizing over how to buy gaskets. A la carte or kit, and if kit Victor Reinz or Wrightwood Racing. My machinist is providing the valve stem seals so that is 12 things I don't need from a kit. If I go a la cart, its basically Victor Reinz stuff that's available. I hear many good things about the wrightwood racing kits... to be honest I don't really know what all those O-rings are for. Or are some of those washer? Can someone enlighten me?

[KTL]

Originally Posted by Lapkritis

Kevin - We don't blame you living in Illinois after all... hockey season is just starting.

Yeah lets see if the Hawks have what it takes to do it again!

That fuel line nut just below the crimp collar should spin right off. Doesn't take much for them to be stubborn though. The compression fitting seems to allow for easy over-tightening that really makes the nut difficult. Happens all the time on the fuel filter elbow fitting.

Try rapping on it with a hammer. Striking works good to jar things loose vs. just leaning on it with heavy pressure. If it turns out to be a real bear & won't come free (not likely) you can cut the nut lengthwise to free it. I've got one of those exact fuel line fittings you can have for nothing.

As an aside I recall doing a strut assembly replacement awhile back on our LeMons BMW E30 "race car" during a race & we were struggling with getting the tie rod end out of the steering arm. Neither the pickle fork or press tool would pop it loose. Even heat wasn't getting it to let go.

Those types of connections always scare me because the tapered press fit of the rod end pin can be a tight one, despite the low torque on the castle nut, and a press tool with all that stored energy is a loaded gun waiting to go off. When it lets go, it can jump off the assembly!

Buddy Stefan (pro Jeep/Dodge mechanic) let us struggle with it for a while and finally had to step in. Grabs the hammer and just starts wailing on the steering arm, HARD. 3 or 4 few hard whacks at the loaded connection & it popped. "Gotta shock it!" he said. I'm sure he sees this on a daily basis.

Of course in Rus' situation here, we're not dealing with a hardened rod pin and steering arm. But a bit of striking still is my suggestion!

[r-mm]

I gave it a few taps with my 17mm box wrench but maybe I'll get out the body hammers and give it a few directed whacks.

Okay you can all breath again, my gasket decision - which is the last major purchase I need to make - has been completed. Wrightwood Racing for the win. I talked it through on the phone with a experienced builder who was not at all down on Victor Reinz but did remind me that its not just the valve stem seals which are viton, its all the O-rings such as the cam seal, throttle body seal, chain tensioner seals etc. Feels good to get the good stuff. This rebuild is one of the first operations I've done on which I haven't flinched for a minute about buying the right tools, chemicals, parts. My Alfa rebuild is a multi-year odyssey for which I can beg/borrow/steal/invent tools and techniques but the 3.2 rebuild is a get-it-done affair and I am eager to prove to myself and my friends and family that I can in fact pull it off and drive the car to Maryland for Thanksgiving. We shall see.

[JJ 911SC]

The difference in price ($95) is not bad either

7th & 9th down the page Patrick Motorsports | Porsche & Mid Engine Conversions

Not all seal are created equal as I found out... Post 8 shows the difference; Oil Cooler Seals Leekage with the Engine on the Wall

[r-mm]

Another topic I meant to throw out there for debate:

The A/C compressor and rear condensor are presently off my car. The cost and complexity of figuring out the right menu of improvements (and religious wars on this subject) made me decide against investing in "working" a/c. I survived the summer. Plus this is an occasional car for me and we have a Honda for terrible hot days. I'm really tempted to leave all those cast brackets off the motor on reassembly, and to strip the old hoses out while they car is up in the air.

The hoses would be replaced if I even decide to pony up for A/C so removing them is sort of a no-brainer. The brackets on the other hand... are those replaceable with the motor in? I believe the answer is no... what would you all do?

[JJ 911SC]

Of course I did not really need it with the top down all the time, so last winter I removed everything to do with the AC, brackets, hoses, condensers, you name it, except for the two 2 small vent in the middle of the console but if I can fit some kind of meter in that space, they are gone...

Being slightly south from here, I think that you can easily survive the summer without it, so rip everything out and enjoy the few more HP's from the weight reduction

[yelcab1]

Originally Posted by JJ 911SC

...so rip everything out and enjoy the few more HP's from the weight reduction

Technically speaking, you cannot increase your HP by deleting weight. But, you can improve the power-to-weight ratio and therefore accelerate faster, F=ma and all. And because F=ma, you cannot change the top speed of the car by just dumping the weight.

[Lapkritis]

What's the old saying, 100lbs is equivalent to 10hp? I just add boost pressure/lbs to compensate.

[r-mm]

Anyone re-hose this 90 degree line? I'm not loving the way this looks...



Also, on dropping the long a/c line from the P/S bay to evaporator I came across one fastener that was a nut on a stud instead of a hex head bolt. The whole assembly spins. Is this factory ? How can I get to the other side of it? See foreground...

[Smoove1010]

Originally Posted by r-mm

Anyone re-hose this 90 degree line? I'm not loving the way this looks...

Therein lies the problem with that hose. Len (BoxterGT) has a fix for that, not cheap, but a lot cheaper than the factory.

Many, many threads out there on this little piece of hose.

[Lapkritis]

Keep your pimp hand strong. Only way to keep those hose straight.