I would have rotated the crank right there on the yard, if it felt good then seal the motor with new sleeves, mylar washers, o-rings, anaerobic sealant, belts pump, new rollers, and thrown it in the car. Don't for get the oil cooler seals.

But to answer your question, I wouldn't spend money on machine work, just parts. Change the rod bearing though.

I'm definitely going to replace everything you said and maybe more. I'm still open to suggestions on what to do since I haven't gotten into it too far yet and I'm not sure what condition the internal parts are in. I think that I still want to at least machine the head since I'll have the whole engine apart anyways and I want to do a very thorough job while I have the chance.

Has anyone else had any machine work done? Or think I should or shouldn't get it done?

I tried to take the head off today but I'm having some trouble. All the bolts came off fine but the head still won't come off. Does anyone have any advise on how to get the head off? Also does it have to come off with the cam housing on or can I take that off first? I tried taking it off first but it seemed like there was something holding it on from the other side.

The only other trouble I ran into was two more sripped allen bolts. If anyone else ever runs into an allen headed bolt with a stripped head(which you probably will), I recomend drilling it off with a 3/8in. bit. I've found it's the ideal size for 6mm allen bolts, which are the most common size on these engines.

hit it with a rubber mallet to see if you can break it free.

You might find this useful when you get around to installing the cam housing. Some good reading anyway. Go to their Tech Article Section,

Welcome to Dieter's Web site

Cheers,
Larry

I'd have the head machined. Should run you between $100-$200 depending on the going rate in you area and if you need valve guides. You'll want to ensure your head has the updated ball valve (oil) which it should if it's the proper head for the '87 engine. Check your cyl walls when the head isoff. If they are not scratched, I wouldn' bother with cyl walls, rings, main bearings unless you are planning to drop some coin and build something special. Once you pull that crank cradle, you need to know how to realign it to put it back.

Did you say that you removed the head bolts but your cam housing is still on?

Take a metal hammer and a drive pin at tap your Allen head bolts befor removing them. Sometimes it helps break the corrosion bond. It's to do with steel and aluminum in contact

Thanks that article looks really useful, I'll check it out again when it's time to put the cam housing back on.



Yeah I tried to take just the cam housing off first but it wouldn't budge. So, I tried taking the whole head off but had the same luck.

I tried to get the cam housing off again today by hitting it with a rubber mallet all around and gently prying it but, had no luck. So, then I just spayed the whole thing with penetrating oil and hung the whole engine upside down (with the head bolts on finger tight just in case it does decide to come loose). I'll try loosening it more the rest of this week and see if it'll come off this weekend.

BTW: Good call on using the punch to loosen bolts. I tried it out today and it worked much better.

If your cam housing is still on the head, then half of your head bolts are not accessible. Which means you removed Half of your head bolts all on one side of your head...which means you did not follow the sequence.

I'd suggest you stop working for a bit and spend some time on clarks garage reading about the proceedures related to the job you are attempting. You'll save yourself a lot of time, frustration, and money in the long run.

To answer your question, you need to remove the cam housing in order to access all of the head bolts. The cam housing Allen head bolts along the bottom outside of the housing and inside the housing accessed through the alum plugs on the top

Wow, I feel stupid now. I forgot about the bolts behind the plugs on the cam housing. I didn't look closely at the article on clarks garage at first, I just kind of skimmed through it. Normally I'm pretty good about doing research before I do work but, I guess I got a little over confident for a second there. Thanks for putting up with my temporary stupidity, I appreciate the patience.

Anyways, I got the cam housing and head off today with no more problems.:)
Then threw the lifters in marked containers filled with oil.

Working on this engine is starting to get addicting. If I didn't have to get up early tomorrow I'd still be working on it.

I follow this thread with great interest! For my own 944 I need at least a new head gasket but maybe more... So everything in this thread is very interesting for me.

However, you would really make my day(s) if you put some more pictures in your postings! I'd love to see how it comes apart and how it looks when it's getting back together.

Enjoy your rebuild!

Regards,

Koen from The Netherlands (360 miles from the factory where your engine was assembled probably.)

kvcuijck,

Look here for lots of good pics and write up on a rebuild too:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-924-944-968-technical-forum/487924-project-924-s-engine-replacement-2.html

Sorry about that kvcuijck. I've gotten a little lazy with my posts lately. I guess I've been getting too caught up in working on the engine, it's too fun not to.

Here's some of the most recent pictures:

This is the bottom of the cam housing with the lifter still in:
[IMG]<a href="http://s698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/?action=view&current=DSC00178.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/DSC00178.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>[/IMG]
I didn't have any problems with them falling out when I took the cam housing off but, it's a good idea to have someone help you catch them and remember where they came from.

Here's the the housing with the lifter out:
[IMG]<a href="http://s698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/?action=view&current=DSC00179.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/DSC00179.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>[/IMG]
They come out pretty easy even though they're slippery with oil. If you have any trouble getting a grip on one you can just turn the cam shaft to push it out a little further.

Once they're out make sure you know where they came from in the cam housing by marking them. Also, you have to keep them in oil because otherwise it takes a few minutes for them to get oil when you start the engine up again. And as we all know no oil = bad news. What I did to both keep track of them and keep them lubed was use eight small containers, individually marked, kept one lifter in each and filled them with oil. It only took about a quart of oil.
[IMG]<a href="http://s698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/?action=view&current=DSC00177.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/DSC00177.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>[/IMG]

These are the cylinder head bolts:
[IMG]<a href="http://s698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/?action=view&current=DSC00180.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/DSC00180.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>[/IMG]
[IMG]<a href="http://s698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/?action=view&current=DSC00181.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/DSC00181.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>[/IMG]
Remember to learn from my mistakes and take the head bolts off in the correct order! :rolleyes: And if the head doesn't want to come off at first gently pry the tabs on the sides. Don't pry the gap between the head and block because the soft aluminum can be damaged easily and the head won't seal properly anymore.

This is what it should look like once the head's off:
[IMG]<a href="http://s698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/?action=view&current=DSC00186.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/DSC00186.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>[/IMG]
From there the gasket shouldn't be too hard to get off:
[IMG]<a href="http://s698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/?action=view&current=DSC00187.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/DSC00187.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>[/IMG]

And here's what it'll look like once the gasket's off:
[IMG]<a href="http://s698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/?action=view&current=DSC00188.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv350/Rudeboy42/Engine%20Rebuild%20Pictures/DSC00188.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>[/IMG]

Hope this helps kvcuijck and anyone else who is thinking about taking their head off (no not that one) < too cheesey?

Anyways, if anyone would like any specific pictures feel free to ask, I've got plenty I still haven't posted.:)

@ddbach: Thank you for the link!

@Rudeboy42: These kind of pictures make my day every day ;) Did you run into area's that really need some work? How are the cylinders from the inside?

Go ahead and post some more pictures:)

Regards,

Koen

And?

How's the rebuild coming along? Love to see some fresh pictures ;)

Regards,

Koen

Sorry, I haven't posted in a while, I've been getting a little side tracked lately. I've been fixing some loose ends on other parts of the car so the engine project has been taking a back seat (a very small one, lol). Also it's been really nice out so I'm more tempted to drive the car than work on it.:D

Anyways, I'll get some more pictures up soon and let you guys know how it's coming along.

The picture of the cam housing with the lifter removed made me do a double take...is the tip of that cam lobe actually tapered off from wear on the rightmost third or is that just a reflection that makes it look that way?

Looking good so far. ;)

I think it's probably a reflection of the round hole you're viewing it thru.

yeah Aufenbahn is right it's just the reflection from the hole. That'd be scarry if it was that badly worn though.