Rudeboy's Engine Rebuild Thread

[Rudeboy42]

So as some of you may already know I've been planning on buying an engine to rebuild and put in my car. Well I got the engine on Saturday (2/13) and it's now in my garage ready to be torn into. The engine's out of an '87 944NA which is the same year as my car.

I haven't done much to it yet but here are so pictures of when I got it.[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]

I'm planning on taking my sweet ass time with this project, partly because of time partly because I want to make sure I get it done right the first time but mostly because of money, so don't expect me to update this thread everyday.

If you have any questions or advise feel free to let me know. I want this thread to be both helpful to myself and anyone else who is planning/doing an engine rebuild.

[Schumi]

A motor I rebuilt started out looking just about like that.



It's a fun and rewarding process.

[smokin_944]

That sure is perrrdy Schumi!

[Griffinroydonal]

Please tell me about the rims on your car. I am interested in the offset numbers / spacers used and other info. I know they are a 928 item but please take it from there.

[Rudeboy42]

Can anyone help me by telling me how to get the bell housing off? I read that you need to thread an 8mm bolt into the release lever pivot shaft but how? An 8mm bolt won't fit in there. Is there something I'm missing?

[Schumi]

It's possibly rusted shut.

Al alternative is the reach into the starter hole and undo the pressure plate bolts (requires turning the crank) and the pressure plate/bellhouing will all come off together.

Then a stuck clutch pin can more easily be extracted on a benchtop.

[HondaDustR]

It's actually a M6 bolt that threads into the shaft. Removing the pressure plate bolts through the starter hole works well. Then you can soak it in penetrating oil. I tried extracting it with the bolt, but mine was too stuck. A 1/4" punch and a BF hammer through the hole from the other end made quick work of it.

[looneybin]

Originally Posted by Griffinroydonal

Please tell me about the rims on your car. I am interested in the offset numbers / spacers used and other info. I know they are a 928 item but please take it from there.

i think those are either called Design 90 or Sewer Lids, can't remember
I also have seen them on 944S2's

[ghnat]

Sewer lids... I have them on my car.

[SolReaver]

try heating it and quenching with penetrating fluid a few times, then heat it and show it who is boss. They are pretty stubborn. Vice grips and a larg(ish) hammer usually does it. Dent puller is an option. If it is really stubborn, hit it with pen fluid and come back later. Clean the threads and make Sure that you have the bolt well in there before going too wild.

Correction / clarification, heat the area AROUND the shaft, quench the shaft, thread the bolt and go to town.

[Rudeboy42]

I tried removing the pressure plate bolts and it worked great. Thanks for the advise guys. The only problem I had with it was that one of the bolts got stripped and I had to drill the head off. I started drilling into the shaft too but I realized the head was the only thing holding it on. Anyways I pried the bell housing and it fell right off and my frustration from the past few days went away as soon as it hit the ground. Then I took off the flywheel and now its finally ready to go on the engine stand so I can get some real work done

As far as my wheels go they are sewer caps, I've also heard them called D90s or seven slots. I'm not sure what spacers are needed for them or much else because they came with the car. Personally I think they're ugly and I bought a set of phone dials from the guy I got the engine from. I'm getting rid of them as soon as I get tires for the phone dials.

[HondaDustR]

They would make good winter wheels if you get any snow in your parts. I never thought they were very attractive either. I'd definitely buy them if winter wasn't almost over.

[Rudeboy42]

Yeah I think I might save them for next winter. But I also might use them in the summer for autocross, if I decide to do any this year.

[wild man]

I hope the internal parts aren't as rusty as some of the stuff on the outside looks. At least you don't have to worry about the block having pitted cylinder bores.

P.S. I don't think porsche would appreciate use of the term "sewer lids" to describe their 928 wheels. I'm sure that they would prefer if you would use the term "manhole covers".

[Rudeboy42]

Anyways, back to the engine... I finally got it on the stand today after a quick trip to the hardware store for a longer 19mm bolt.
[IMG][/IMG]

Once it was on the stand I vacuumed out the rats nests under the intake manifold. then, I took the exhaust manifold off, which was extremely easy with the engine out of the car. And just now I took off the belts and rollers along with the water pump. I did this a few months ago on the engine that's in the car. Since I knew what I was doing it took me all of a half hour to do.

So here's what it looks like so far:
[IMG][/IMG]

[HondaDustR]

Looks cleaner than mine did. Cooling system looks promising given how clean the block is behind the water pump. The head looks cleaner than the rest of the block. I wonder if it was rebuilt.

[Rudeboy42]

Yeah I was happy when I saw that it was so clean behind the water pump. The rest of the block is about as dirty as I expected it to be. The only really bad thing is how many bug are in the engine. It's been sitting outside for the last three years so that kind of stuff is expectable.

I wouldn't be surprised if the head was rebuilt not that long ago. I was told the owner who's car the engine came out of took good care of it so maybe he wasn't lying. I guess I'll find out soon when I take it off.

[HondaDustR]

Hey that's a nice specimen, externally speaking! How would you like to clean this one?



Just make sure you do clean it before tearing it apart. It will be ALOT easier to keep the insides clean with all the dirt and grime gone and you won't be washing it into internal cracks and crevices trying to clean individual parts. Just duct tape the intake/exhaust and other ports leading into the engine and scrub away. Engine brite or super clean works well. Soda blasting is one of the best I hear if you have a compressor. Once you get inside, you absolutely must be obsessive about cleanliness at all times! I spent probably half the time put into my rebuild just cleaning, cleaning, bagging, wiping down, more cleaning after certain jobs, cleaning again. It gets even more critical when you get into final assembly. Assorted sizes of ziploc bags and a sharpie are almost a necessity for keeping the smaller parts organized, protected, and clean. Just one piece of grit left in the wrong place and you put a big scratch in your brand new bearings, cylinder walls, crank journals, etc. on startup. It doesn't take much.

Also remember nothing ever fell off the floor. I did alot of the work on the ground on top of drop cloths, unfolded cardboard boxes, paper shopping bags, etc. for exactly this reason. Stuff like pistons, main bearing girdle, cam, and crank absolutely should not be dropped. Not only for the obvious reasons of scratching precision surfaces, but especially the cranks and cams are maleable enough (and heavy enough) to be bent if they take any kind of a spill. Be careful and take your time.


Luckily it was much cleaner on the inside. You may get lucky with the head like I did. Mine was recently rebuilt, still clean outside, even had a waranty badge with the name on it glued to the side of the head. I just cleaned it up really well, did some minor porting/surface cleanup, replaced valve stem seals, and lapped the valves. It definitely had the exhaust valve guides replaced. They still felt a little loose but still in much better shape than the guides on my old head. She runs very strong. It's almost hard to believe it's just another 9.5:1 CR 8v motor after driving my old one.

[Rudeboy42]

So I cleaned up the engine today and I'm quite pleased with the results. I used a total of four cans of of NAPA brand engine degreaser.[IMG][/IMG]
Most of the grease came off but, there's still quite a bit of dirt left. I'll have to blow it all of with the compressor another time.

[Rudeboy42]

I just got finished taking the intake, fuel rail, wiring harness and most of the vacuum lines off. I was planning on just taking the wiring harness off quickly but, it turned out it was easier to get it off without the intake. It's exciting to see it without the whole intake on, it looks completely different now. I'll post pictures tomorrow when I have more time.

For now though I have a few questions:
1) Does anyone know where I can find a good diagram for the wiring harness? I did an ok job labeling where everything came from but there were a few wires I wasn't sure about and I'd like to have one around for when I put everything back together.

2) As more of the engine comes apart I'm starting to think more about what I should do for machine work. I'm thinking about sending everything to Lindsey Racing because they are very experienced with 944's. Does anyone else think this is a good idea? Has anyone else done this or know of an better place that they had a good experience with?

3) What should I get machined? Should I get the head machined or would it be cheaper to just buy a rebuilt one? Should I get the cylinders machined? I've heard mixed responses about whether they can or can't be machined. Can anyone clear this up? Lastly, should I get the crankshaft lightened or not? I've heard it makes for faster revving and better throttle response but reduces low end torque. Would it be worth it to do this since I'll be mostly driving it on the street?

Any advise is greatly appreciated, thank you.