removing cross member under oil pan

[944-85.5-white]

on a 944 85 N/A is there a way to support the engine after removing the engine mounts cross member, without using a engine crane? is it possible to do a complete rebuild without removing the engine? piston rings main/rod bearings, balance shaft bearings seals/gaskets etc. removing every part one by one. i don't have access to a hoist to lift the car 21" and remove the engine from the bottom. removing the engine from the top appears to be too risky. whats left.

[Techno Duck]

You dont need a hoist to get the car that far off the ground, you just need a set of jackstands tall enough.

Anyhow to answer your question, yes you can support the engine from above. You will need a piece of chain (make sure its of good quality to support the engine weight) and two endlinks rated to atleast 400lbs each. You will also need a few 2x4's as stand offs on the strut towers. Now the material you use here is totally your choice. You can either get a very heavy duty wood support beam long enough to fit across the strut towers. My friend and i used a piece of super strut, which is available at Home Depot. Have them cut you a length which is long enough to reach across the towers. Whichever material you choose to use, make sure it can support roughly 6-700 lbs. The super strut stuff is readily available and really strong, plus cheap.

Anyhow connect the endlink and chain to the front engine hoist ring, you may need to take out the airbox and j-boot to get more space. Now wrap the chain over the top of the SuperStrut or wood beam and across to the rear most engine hoist ring. Get the chain as tight as possible and connect with the other end link.

Ive got a picture of how my friend and i did it, but i need to get them from him. If you can wait until tonight i can post it up.

Now regarding the work you want to do. Rod bearings are defenetley do-able, however the piston rings require removal of the crank girdle and i do believe you need to take the entire crankshaft out as theres not enough space to get the piston and connecting rod out. You will have to anyhow to get to the main bearings. Now i am not speaking from experience here, but i did ask about this and everyone basically said the same thing. If you want to do the main bearings or piston rings, take the engine out and put it on a stand. The two very good points brought up were the crank girdle needs to be sealed perfectly or you will get no oil pressure. The other is that the crankshaft weighs approximately 40lbs..and you are going to be holding this thing over your head while you get the girdle lined up and into place.

[944-85.5-white]

i was thinking the same idea but you added more usefull info, then what i was thinking. i'm going to cut and paste your reply for my own use .

thanks

[944-85.5-white]

sure i can wait, i gathering all the info i can before taking on this project.

[924Sman]

Doing the removal is one thing but you will also need good measuring devices to check the crank specs on the journals etc. It is easier to remove and place on engine stand to work the bottom case and most assuredly easier to mount the oil pan and the slippery gasket for it.

Re ringing is another issue also as new rings will require a new cylinder surface, honing to machining depending on cylinder wear/taper. If the rings are not blowing by leave them alone because the rings and the cylinder have one common wear pattern or well "seated" together. New rings on an old cylinder wall just is not the way to go.

You can rent a hoist/cherry picker or under car engine jack as well as taller car jacks. Not hard to raise the car enough to do the needed work and well worth the extra expense. Check around.

Dal

[Techno Duck]

[Britwrench]

If the engine requires a rebuild, the first question is; why?

If the answer is yes and there are enough reasons to justify the rebuild, then the engine needs to be removed.

Main bearing replacement is an engine out job.

[944-85.5-white]

it doesn't need it now. but it will someday. i plan on keeping my 944 for long time. it has 173,000 miles on it now. and i'm just gathering as much info as i can so i will be prepare when that day comes. thanks for the pictures.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

If it makes you feel better, there are many, many 944s out there with WAY more mileage than yours has with original internals. These engines were WAY ahead of their time and are probably even more robust than a lot of the new stuff coming out today. Case in point: My 951 has about 194,000 miles on it. Original rod & main bearings, original pistons, original rings, to my knowledge original head gasket. Perfect compression across all cylinders and never an internal engine problem. This is on a turbocharged engine. I've heard of one case where a 951 has over 350,000 miles - never been cracked open. If/when the day comes, you'll be able to deal with it. The operative phrase in 944 ownership is "have a spare car and do your own labor".

[944-85.5-white]

i hoping to get many more miles out of my 944. yes, i too have heard stories of 944s and other model porsches getting up to 300,000 miles. the day's of rebuiling your engine at 60,000- 80,000 miles are over.