Engine is OUT! What else should I do?

[Mark Howard]

Hi guys! Just finished my first engine drop on my '88 911 to repair some oil leaks. I got some techincal assistance from my mechanic (how many mechanics do you know that make house calls...for free!) We removed the engine and cracked the tranny loose from the case in less than 3 hours. Feels great to have done this without breaking something!

Looking for guidance on maintenance items to perform while the engine is out. Here is my list of projects we will be doing this week:

Rear main seal (leaking)
Oil pressure sender (ditto)
Breather gasket (again, ditto)
Complete clutch kit
Flywheel including pilot bearing
Main tranny shaft seal (not leaking, insurance)
Shift rod seal (leaking)
Oil cooler seals
Both cam oil lines (leaking)
Cam tower gaskets
Fuel connecting hose (connects b/t the FI rails, dry rotted, dangerous)
Valve adjustment/spark plugs
Replace alternator shaft bearings (rebuilt last year, Chinese bearings)
Steam clean engine, tranny, engine compartment

Any other thoughts? I did the sound pad already.

[Jim Sims]

Check valve covers for flatness. Check breather housing for flatness. Replace engine mounted oil thermostat o-ring and install new oil temperature switch if your car is so equipped. Install new injector seals and intake runner to head gaskets. Replace breather hose and S-hose between oil tank and engine mounted oil cooler. Clean engine mounted oil cooler. Don't forget new flywheel bolts and CV joint gaskets. I would also drop sump plate and look for any debris so this means a new sump gasket kit (2 gaskets, new aluminum washers and drain plug gaskets). I would also suggest new gaskets for the valve covers; get the kit with the nylock nuts and new washers included. Do not use nylock nuts with white plastic insert (will creep at engine temps); instead use the OEM style with black, blue or brown plastic inserts. Check your heater air hoses and ducts including those to the heater valves. Check sparkplug wire air sealing disks. Check throttle linkage bushings and boot sealing linkage to car body; any return springs there you might want to replace? Check boot between tranmission and body. Check speedometer pickup on transmission. Clean and coat all electrical grounds with dielectric silicone grease. Clean and examine wiring harness for damage. Have fun. Cheers, Jim

[Kevin Stewart]

Did you say 3.6, just kidding, dont forget to use anti seize, Kevin

[Eric Coffey]

New oil return tubes? New timing chain/master link and ramps? (ramps probably Ok, as chain doesn't touch them, but they're not that expensive). Also, Depending on your budget, and how many miles are on the car, you might also consider getting the heads done (valves, guides, seals, resurface, etc.). Since you will already have the engine out, getting the heads off isn't that much further away. Then you can send them off to a machine shop (John Walker, German Precision, etc.). It would probably cost around $400-$700, depending on what needs done, but that's a lot cheaper than $4K-$5k+ to have a shop do it down the road. Also, regarding the clutch, if it hasn't been done yet, do the G50 clutch release shaft and fork update. Lastly, for aesthetics, you might want to have the fan housing, fan, and maybe the valve covers bead blasted and/or powder coated/painted.

[Bill Verburg]

If you need rear shocks, now is the time to do it.