Mechanical Question

JRM1970 · 07-23-2009, 06:36 AM

OK, Continuing the engine tear down to clean it up, I took the intake manifold off and was going to remove the cylinder head to clean and possible paint it. Being a person with NO mechanical knowledge beyond basics, here is my question..

Can I take off the head and not have to worry about something not going back on or getting lost when I put it back on?

I really do not want to mess with the Pistons or valves or anything else internal unless I have too, or should I just leave it alone? All I want to do is remove to clean and put it back on.

carlege · 07-23-2009, 06:54 AM

set the crank at Top Dead Center before removing the cam housing.... Usually people remove the cam housing and paint or polish it... not the head. I wouldnt paint the head unless it was a show car.

Setting it at TDC will help when you re attach the timingbelt to the cam pully that way every thing is set on the car.

HondaDustR · 07-23-2009, 07:45 AM

I set mine to TDC + 90 degrees before removing the cam belt so the camshaft can freely rotate without hitting valves and pistons together while doing stuff like removing the cam bolt and rotating the cam to find the point of least tension between the lobes to make cracking the cam tower bolts loose easier. I just marked the cam sprocket and flywheel so getting it back together isn't a major trial and error puzzle.

krystar · 07-23-2009, 08:32 AM

if u have a 16v, the valvetrain and head are one assembly and u have the cover to take off and clean and paint all you want.

cover piece goldish type color in the light, it's prob actually silver

if u have a 8v, the cam tower comes off first with the cam and lifters inside, then the head with the valves comes off as a seperate piece. the cam tower is the part most visible. there's really not much of the head itself that's visible.

cam tower. just bare metal silver

JRM1970 · 07-23-2009, 08:38 AM

Krystar:
The second picture looks like what I have. The piece that I want to remove is what has the Porsche name printed on it and the turbo air intake. Got the intake off, but was a little Leary on the rest for not wanting to open up something that I could not put back on with out major surgery.
If I take this piece off, will I be able to put it back on without having to do anything more?

Thanks to everyone else who answered as well. I know what I am looking at, but don't always know the proper name for it.

krystar · 07-23-2009, 09:35 AM

to get the cam tower off, u'll need to remove the fuel rail, dizzy cap, set TDC, remove cam housing cap, verify TDC mark on the timing belt is aligned to the housing, remove the belt off the cam gear. remove the 10 or so hex-nuts on the outside of the camtower. then also the 8 or so hex caps and 8 hex bolts on the INSIDE of the camtower. then the thing will lift out, and u have to catch the lifters so they don't drop out of the holes.

all in all, if yer sole purpose is to clean it..not worth the trouble. get some heavy duty oven cleaner, medium fine steel wool and go to town on it. removing the fuel rail might be worth it though. just make sure u tape the injector holes so the cleaner doesn't spray in there.

Slam · 07-23-2009, 09:52 AM

HondaDustr's idea is a good one, but I agree with krystar that taking the cam tower off to polish it is a waste of effort considering what's required to put it back in and tension the belts.

That said, if you do remove it, it doesn't matter at all if you're at TDC or not. The valves will close when it comes off and you can rotate the crank any way you want. It's when you put it back IN that TDC matters.

Icey1174 · 07-23-2009, 10:54 AM

Taking the cam tower off is not that big of a deal. You will need to reset your belts. I did my belts myself without the tensioning tool. Maybe I am just the one very lucky person in the world or people just worry about the tension too much. I tensioned mine by hand. I put them on snug without stretching them or leaving any kind of slack. I will be replacing them again in the spring as it will be three years, Many people have also noted that if they use different tools they get different readings. A measuring tool is only as accurate as the person that is properly trained to use it and read it. And how much real experience do most of the people on here have with the tool? Not much although there are a few with a lot of experience. Improperly using the tool could cause more damage then common sense.

Anyway... the cam tower is not that big of a deal nor is removing the fuel rail. You did not need to remove the intake to get the cam tower off. Set the engine to TDC and double check to make sure everything lines up before you take it apart. Make sure you lock the flywheel. Spend the extra couple bucks on the flywheel lock to add some confidence.

This is a great time to replace belts, water pump, the cap and rotor, the rear cam gasket, the cam housing gasket and any leaky seals in the front. You can really get a lot of major preventive maintenance done all at once, Be sure to get an o-ring kit for the fuel injectors when you put them back in. This will keep them from leaking.

Read Clark's for the write up on it. I followed everything EXACTLY as listed and I was very happy with my results. I have never done any kind of engine work like this previously.

Good luck!

JRM1970 · 07-23-2009, 11:50 AM

OK. With all the above being said:

My intentions were to clean it only. It has some oxidation and water scale on it from time and I hate seeing a messy engine bay and blahhh looking parts plus the fact that I need to remove some items to repair bumper and fender damage and clean up radiator fluid that has sat for a year. I have the fuel rail off and the air intake, but nothing else.

But sitting here thinking about this after reading the posts, Should I go ahead and break it down a little further to check things out in detail?
This car has spent the last year in a garage without running. Granted I bought it from a Porsche mechanic and he said that for the most part, he made it so it would be able to set for a period of time with no problems... Should I just wait to get the parts i need replaced and see if it starts and trouble shoot from there? Or break into it and take the risk??

Icey1174 · 07-23-2009, 11:59 AM

Get the gaskets. Depending on when he did the pump and belts last you maybe be able to save some money and wait if they were recent.

There are many different paint schemes that people have used in the past. All colors, no colors, only the letters painted, everything but the letters painted. It will look nice when you are done.

speedracing944 · speedracing944's Garage

I would NOT pull the engine apart just to clean it. You could create may unwanted headaches. You can reach almost anywhere to clean with the intake manifold off. I would stop where you are, clean and then put back together.

Speedy

cvriv.charles · 07-24-2009, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedracing944

I would NOT pull the engine apart just to clean it. You could create may unwanted headaches. You can reach almost anywhere to clean with the intake manifold off. I would stop where you are, clean and then put back together.

Speedy

I totally agree. If it's not broken dont fix it. I mean seriously,... who cares if the engine is dirty. If it runs good leave it alone especially if it going to be your first time taking it apart.

If you insist on doing it,... I would seriously grab up every manual you can get your hands on and learn about the car before you start taking it apart.

Quote:

The second picture looks like what I have.

You should know what engine you have by knowledge not by comparing what you have to a picture online.

I'm not trying to be harsh,... but as many others are trying to do is keep you from creating a big problem. One little screw up could cost you,.... you car. To expensive to fix. Bent valves etc.

I dont know about you but that dirty cam tower looks pretty good to me. Better than a 944 parked in the backyard with a tarp over it. My .02 cents.

carlege · 07-24-2009, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cvriv.charles

I totally agree. If it's not broken dont fix it. I mean seriously,... who cares if the engine is dirty. If it runs good leave it alone especially if it going to be your first time taking it apart.

If you insist on doing it,... I would seriously grab up every manual you can get your hands on and learn about the car before you start taking it apart.

You should know what engine you have by knowledge not by comparing what you have to a picture online.

I'm not trying to be harsh,... but as many others are trying to do is keep you from creating a big problem. One little screw up could cost you,.... you car. To expensive to fix. Bent valves etc.

I dont know about you but that dirty cam tower looks pretty good to me. Better than a 944 parked in the backyard with a tarp over it. My .02 cents.

i care if the engine bay is dirty.
Clean engines are easy to work on..
Clean engines show possible problems leaky seals, and such easier
Clean engines Look good

Nuf said.... clean your engine. take your time if you take it apart. how else are you going to learn!

cvriv.charles · 07-24-2009, 01:35 PM

There are ways of cleaning a engine good enough to the point that you can notice oil leaks etc without having to tear apart a perfectly good engine.

He can learn how to rebuild the engine when it needs rebuilding. that or he can buy and rebuild an old engine and then sell it to someone who is in need.

Should I even ask if this is his primary car?!?!?

JRM1970 · 07-25-2009, 05:38 AM

CVRIV.
No this is not my primary car, its a project car that I will turn into a DD if possible. And I agree with what Carlege said about a clean engine and bay. It shows potential issues before they become an issue and it shows that you take care of your car.
By tearing down the engine, that is how I learn about it. Has been since I was a kid... But I do know when to stop and when to ask questions of a better mind base than what I have, Hence being here...

The second reason that I wanted to tear down the engine was to see what, if any, issues that were there before I tried a restart from it setting in the garage over a year. By pulling some of the bolts in the air intake manifold, I found some white looking corrosion on the bolt bottoms and threads that I am hoping was a sealant or protectant that the PO put on when he worked on it last. If not, this is a problem that I need to address now, rather than trying to start the car and making it worse.

As for knowing the engine parts. I have a general idea of what they are and where they are, but not the name. European parts and American parts I have found have a tendency to be called something different but do the same thing. I refer to a picture because it is the best way to tell someone who does know what I have in as little amount of time wasted to them and I do not have to guess at names.

No offense taken in the post, but I do have my reasons...

carlege · 07-25-2009, 05:41 AM

Get the service manuals. Study those the night before you take it apart.

Icey1174 · 07-25-2009, 05:50 AM

JRM

If this is not your primary car and you are interested in learning then by all means do. My P-Car was the last one driven. I bought it at an auction with no paperwork. I knew nothing about them. Good thing I got the car at a reasonable price. The body was real good and the interior decent. I have done a lot of work myself and it has unexpectedly turned into my very dependable daily driver.

Grandad#3 · 07-25-2009, 09:21 AM

One thing to point out on cleaning your engine. Never use Oven Cleaner on anything Aluminum as it is caustic let alone chance an overspray onto your paint job. There are plenty of proper cleaners. All you have to do is read the directions and warnings on the bottle or spray can. Why tear something down if it's not broken now. Believe me, you will have plenty of work on your car in the normal run of things. Clean your engine and compartment with the proper cleaning agents. A steam clean is the best there is for an engine and then you have to tape electrical areas so water does not get into it.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Cheers,
Larry