Best enging removal

[hpaulb]

Removing my engine due to it's seized. What is the easiest method. Out the top or the bottom. At the moment it's sitting over a pit. Seems the bottom but it looks like I would have to remove both control arms or move them out. Does this affect the alignment? Also removed the exhaust and head. Is it easier whole? How do you remove the torque tube?

[Eldorado]

if it's like the 944 at all, it comes right out the bottom easier than out the top.

what happened paul??

[hpaulb]

Saterday morning. Great clear road. 200 at 6K. 5 bar oil presure till I rolled into town. Dropped to 1 bar. Started ticking which soon turned into a knock. Home and cooled. Now seems siezed. Most coomon problem was oil pressure at high RPM's Still taking block out to see but people keep telling me the #2 bearing would have spun. Rebuildable? Replacement engines bring a dear price up here since there arn't many in the North. Lots down south at a 1/3 of the price.

Now reading the posts for an auto. There's reference to a retaining ring of some kind on the drive shaft. Anyone have a picture and more information???

[Razorback1980]

Not yet. But I'm getting ready to pull mine as well, so I'm looking for the same information.

[hpaulb]

Still looking for feedback on peoples stories for the easiest way to pull and engine as well as info on the locking pin for the torque tube in an auto.
On another note, how much oil does your Porsche use. I was going through the Porsche manuals and saw somthing scary. Oil consumption is 1.5 liters per 1000 KM's. Is this correct. If it is then I was indeed low on oil.

[nynor]

that seems really high for oil consumption. i know my '83 consumed nowhere near that much, and so far, my turbo isn't either.

[Razorback1980]

My 86 didn't consume much at all during the 20 years I drove it. Even at 280,000 miles, it didn't consume that much. But the only way to know if you were low on oil or not is to check it. It's usually good policy to check the oil on a periodic basis.

[armandodiaz]

I had my #3 rod bearing spin. It's had a low end knock for a while. I decided to fix it by rebuilding the engine while in the car(rings, rod bearings...). I had a nice tight engine. After driving it 100miles I started hearing the knock and within 5 mins it started cluncking. I was able to baby it home. I'm assuming the problem was a bad connecting rod or crank. So I'm looking for a short block.

As far as removing the engine, it's pretty easy. Support engine from top, lossen the front suspension execpt for the struts, and lossen brake hoses. Once everything is loose, make sure your front tires are on and touching the ground, loose 8 nuts on top of strut tower and roll your suspension to the side. The rest should be self expanitory.

[seaboltman]

Taking it out the bottom is stupid, i've taken two right out the top, with no problem.

[Dantilla]

Everyone I've talked to that has done both says it's much easier out the bottom. Either way is possible. Mine came out the bottom, but we cheated and used a lift. That's a no-brainer.

The easiest by far for me was removing the engine from a 944S that was damaged. Sawzalled off the front sheet metal, and pulled the engine strait forward.

The oil consumption listed is Porsche's recommendation for when the engine needs a rebuild. That's not nornal consumption. Just what is considered acceptable.

[VaSteve]

I'm taking it out the bottom using the insturctions on Clarks-Garage.com, which took them from the factory shop manual. For me it has the greatest chance of sucess that I will get it back together.

Armando's method seems cool, but looks like a lot of extra work un doing the struts that way...

[Slam]

Hauled one of mine out the top - just make sure the cooling fans and rad (and maybe the light bar) are out of the car first to give you more room. I didn't want to have to drag the motor out from under the car when I was done.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Dumb question, but how the heck does an alusil engine sieze?

[VaSteve]

Originally posted by Porsche-O-Phile
Dumb question, but how the heck does an alusil engine sieze?

Probably spun a bearing and the engine doesn't spin as free as it should because the rod end is out of round. I thought mine seized up...odd because I drove it into the garage. It just needed a little more oomph than my puny arms could give.

[Granite 944]

Originally posted by seaboltman
Taking it out the bottom is stupid, i've taken two right out the top, with no problem.

"stupid".........really!

Have ya ever done one out the bottom? I haven't taken one out the top yet myself, always out the bottom, butt, I've never said it was "stupid" to pull one out the top. Different strokes, for different folks I guess.

I've dropped 6 engines out the bottom........."no problem".

"Alignment". Yes you will affect the front alignment by going out the bottom. Can you reduce this risk of that? Yes. You must mark/scribe the control arms, and the crossmember well, IF, you wanna save yourself from having to redo the front align. Consideration must be given to the shape of your overall front-end components on whether or not its even worth the bother of marking/scribing. YYMMV.....experience and tool availability, also.

[Geo31]

I think it's a Fielder's Choice.

FWIW I've done several swaps on other cars and always out the bottom. I had intended all along to drop my 944 engine out the bottom. However, faced with the moment of choice I pulled it out the top. Easy peasy, although I had the radiator out.

I've followed just about every thread on this topic on Rennlist because I knew it was in my future. Both sides generally have strong feelings with a few who have done both. Best I could always tell it was simply a Fielder's Choice.

In my case I didn't want to dink around with disconnecting the tie rod ends from the uprights. Had the engine out faster than any other I've done (and I'd dropped a half dozen engines before this one).

[odie]

does any one have a good step-by-step for going out the top?

or know a link to a good detailed write-up about pulling the motor from the top?

[hpaulb]

By seize, I mean crank is tight and I'm not going to force it.
OK, here is what I'm going to do tomorrow. Out the top. Decision is mainly do to available equipment. It's over a pit but this only allows me to lower to the level of the planks or whatever I build up. I don't have the jack stand to lower and raise from below. I do have a chain hoist to do it from the top.
Now I removed all the parts I could to make it easier. Head, hoses, alt etc. and the rad so I don't smash it. I read next, is to chain it snug then lower the cross braise to allow access to the bell housing bolts and upper clamps and stuff (Auto). Then pull it forward to clear the torque tube shaft. Up and out. Then assess for self destructed parts. Cylinders looks good from the top accept one tiny scratch on #2 ?
Assumption is I'm only removing the main cross braise and none on the tie rods, ball joints etc that affect the alignment to any degree? Also need more information on this locking pin or somthing I read about on the torque tube/bell housing?

[iobound]

Odie, Excellence Magazine from 2001 had a step-by-step for removing the engine from the top. BUT it involved dropping the tranny and moving the torque tube backwards to make enough room to swing the motor up and out.

I removed my 8valve motor last month. I looked at both methods and opted for removing it from the bottom. But it was not easy since the entire front suspension cradle needs to be removed and everything anywhere near the bottom.

The good news is that you end up fixing things you've always wanted to but never got around to like: tie rods, engine mounts, various leaks, etc.

Best of luck to you!

[VaSteve]

Regardless of what clarks garage says, take off the Alternator.