well, i think i'm F...ed! bye bye 924 engine :(

[Obin Robinson]

it's looking more and more like i really blew the hell out of my 924 motor. all the "hey, maybe it's this really cheap and easy fix" things have turned up negative. i've thoroughly diagnosed the engine and it looks like the oil coming out of the dipstick is because of a broken piston ring. the only thing left is a leakdown test, which i will do fairly soon. the motor is sounding like hell, running like crap at anything under 4,500 RPMs, and oil is doing everything but STAYING in the engine.

so....

help me out with my options here:

1) anyone have a 924 engine for cheap (i.e. not a million bucks)

2) how long does it take to replace a 924 engine?

3) instead of getting a new engine... is it worth it to tear down my engine and replace the piston rings, or if i'm going to tear it all apart, should i just put a new/different engine in there, and then build up my current engine while it's out of the car?

4) any other suggestions?

thanks!

obin

------------------
A straight line is the most BORING distance between two points.

[stray15]

Would a 944 engine fit?

------------------
Porsche, Through and through
Tim
'83 944

http://community.webshots.com/user/strayer15

[Obin Robinson]

Originally posted by stray15:
Would a 944 engine fit?

physically, i think so. something tells me that the various modifications necessary to do so migh be more expensive than just buying a 944 though...

i'd need the 944 engine, intake, DME, fuel injection system, and ignition system... unless someone has a dirt cheap parts car, it might end up being a huge project.

thanks for the idea though. it might just be worth pursuing.

thanks!

obin

[Mrmerlin]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Obin Robinson:
thanks!

Hi Obin,it sounds like you have a problem, I am thinking that if you have a broken ring and your still driving the car that you might be trashing the block as a broken ring will most definitly be making a nice groove in the cylinder, now you mentioned a leak down test therew might be a chance that the piston moght have a hole in it, a compression test will show you this. as far as rebuilding your engine goes, I would look for another engine that is running and while it is out put all new seals and rod and main bearings in it B4 you put it in..... your old engine can then be disassembled at your leisure and then you could either keep all the old parts and junk it or rebuild it, i do not have any connections to a good 924 engine but i am shure someone out there does, I would think that an engine that is used might go for about 300 bucks or less, now someone made an interesting point about putting in a 944 engine that is almost too much work unless you have a donor car as you will have to change a lot of the fuelinjection parts and the fuel pump , also you will need a new engine harness/DME and have to integrate it into your old system at that point it might be better to just buy a late model 924 with a 2.5 litre already in it, I hope this helps keep us posted on whet the compression test shows.....Stan

PS Is the timing spot on did you check it with a timing lite and also look at the timing of the camshaft, possible that a pully is loose and making things run like sh..

[Blackfoot]

one word: v8.

[thamlin000]

V8 isn't a word....not in my vocabulary, at least.

Obin:
Sorry about the engine problem. What about a rotary? I know your goal is lightness, that could be interesting, challenging, but interesting no doubt.

[This message has been edited by thamlin000 (edited 05-13-2001).]

[Obin Robinson]

well, an idea in the back of my head is putting in a 924 turbo motor.. NOT the regular 924 turbo, but an aftermarket kit using Garrett turbos. my 924 is getting turned into a pure track-only race car that will only go from my house to watkins glen (about 30 minutes including traffic). it doesn't have to be a practical vehicle. while i consider different engines, i will finish stripping the interior of the car, and rewiring the electrical system. i might as well put the best damn engine in there that i can. i can't break the bank though.

obin

[Blackfoot]

tham, let me expand your vocabulary. v8 is an old norse word. it translates as "many various vegetables".



[This message has been edited by Blackfoot (edited 05-13-2001).]

[thamlin000]

lol

[AMCPorsche924Powerhaus!]

why put a 944 motor in, its like 1 second faster 0-60, more expensive to fix, more expensive to mod to get 1 second off your time. I see no point, unless its a 951 engine or a 3.0 litre

As for the engine, i have a block, but no pistons, so if you need a bare block i have one, since you could have torn up your motor.

Looks like the ole 924 "bullet proof" block is BS. Same goes for bearings, everyone has low oil pressure.

[Obin Robinson]

Originally posted by AMCPorsche924Powerhaus!:

As for the engine, i have a block, but no pistons, so if you need a bare block i have one, since you could have torn up your motor.

Looks like the ole 924 "bullet proof" block is BS. Same goes for bearings, everyone has low oil pressure.

how much for the block? is it in good shape? as for the "bullet proof" engine... mine was an exception... i ran that thing at redline or near-redline and i put A LOT of stress on it. it was at watkins glen twice and each time i spent most of my time at 5000+rpms. i also drove the car year round. the engine runs STRONG at high RPMS, because those are the modifications that i did to it. it's at low rpms that it is being sluggish. i think the piston ring was cracked after i had to move the car during the winter, but had really thick 20W50 oil in it. there's no overheating, or mixing oil with water, just a bad piston ring.

thanks!

obin

[Mike B]

You should try a post on 924.org...I'm sure someone near you has an engine...I have a crankshaft from an '80 931 if you need it...The motor comes out east...You could easily remove and install it in the same day...

[Mike B]

I see you already posted on 924.org...I'm sure you will get a response...Charles Ditmore always seems to have a warehouse of parts and I bet he has an engine

[Obin Robinson]

the thing that i'm really considering is porting and polishing the head while the engine is out. i would not mind sending it somewhere, but i'd rather do it locally.

anyone know of a good place to do this in upstate NY? all the places i know are much further away.

thanks!

obin

[Obin Robinson]

Originally posted by Planter91C2:
Obin, I remember you saying that you had an airplane hangar. If that is true you should try to obtain a mechanically sound cosmetically challenged parts car cheap. I'll bet that would be the best way to go in the long run and the most fun.

hmm, true, tempting. what also looks like a possibility is sending the car to watkins glen and parking it in a race car shop that Jess' uncle owns. it is 30 minutes from my doorstep and i can do all the work there and use a lot of big, expensive tools. the downside is that it's 30 minutes from my house, and not 30 seconds

still, a parts car might be a good idea.

obin

[p0r2chby]

Obin... here is teh fyi on a 944 motor listed in the for sale post's


86' 944na engine for sale
944 LT1
Junior Member
posted 05-13-2001 09:39 AM

90,000 miles complete with accessories including clutch assembly with less than 5000 miles
800.00

[Obin Robinson]

Originally posted by p0r2chby:
Obin... here is teh fyi on a 944 motor listed in the for sale post's


86' 944na engine for sale
944 LT1
Junior Member
posted 05-13-2001 09:39 AM

90,000 miles complete with accessories including clutch assembly with less than 5000 miles
800.00

thanks! but i found an engine! now all i have to do is prep my car for the engine, and prep my bank account too

thanks everyone... now onto stage 2.... any tips on swapping 924 engines? is the Haynes exact in the procedure?

obin

[lm6y]

And you were worried about doing a clutch!?! Seriously, hate to hear about the old engine, but glad to hear about the new engine. Check the old block, and if it's still good, just think of the possibilities.

[Obin Robinson]

Originally posted by lm6y:
And you were worried about doing a clutch!?! Seriously, hate to hear about the old engine, but glad to hear about the new engine. Check the old block, and if it's still good, just think of the possibilities.

heh, the 944 clutch job would be brain surgery next to a 924 engine. one of the thing i LOVE about the 924 is that the engine is so simple. i know engines inside and out, and you can do 90% of the engine swap from ABOVE the engine. a 944 clutch though... yecch!

in the meantime, i will spend all of my time preparing the 924 for the engine swap. the engine i'm putting in the car is a beast. i won't tell you the details, but it will be much better than the old one. when i'm done with the old one, it's going on ebay for like a buck or something

obin

[macreel]

Sorry about your 924 "blues". Forget the $1
'tho, I'll give you $2 + shipping, right now, sight unseen. Seriously, before Ebay I'd
like to chat, if you would?

Did you do a compression check,dry & wet?
What numbers (psi)? How about manifold vacuum gauge readings? What did the needle do; i.e., how'd it move/behave? You think it
is bad ring? maybe hole in piston? (Oil out the fill tube could be blowby) Any chips in the oil pan or drained oil? Do you have a magnetic oil plug? Valve & Ignition timing in spec? Hang in there.