Part 2 of 2
After pressure cleaning, all protective covering is removed… a variety of engine maintenance is completed… exhaust is installed with new oxygen sensor…transaxle is serviced and matted to the engine… fuel and oil filters are changed… electrical terminals are cleaned… now the engine is positioned ready to have the chassis lowered onto it.
With chassis close to the engine, the engine’s position relative to chassis is fine tuned… then tilted to allow the shifter rod entry to the center tunnel… the engine’s then jacked up and pushed forward in the chassis and engine mounts are aligned… engine’s secured… and operating connections are made but for oil plumbing which is next on the replacement agenda.
Deterioration of the old oil plumbing lines is clearly visible after pressure cleaning. Here’s the old s-hose’s connection at the oil tank. (Engine draws oil from the tank via this hose.) The soft sections of the hard/soft combo lines are also in “cracked condition.”
The new s-hose installed.
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Next, the two hard/soft oil lines connected to the external thermo will be removed and replaced. The top line running into this thermo is the scavenge line. The lower line connects to the oil tank. Separating these lines from this thermo… it’s not going well. Penetrating oil… does nothing. Needless to say anti seize was not applied between these parts by the factory. I’m guessing the factory’s agenda in not applying anti seize is to ensure parts staying together. It’s working!
Expanding the nuts with a torch is tried next. No success.
The external thermo has been tortured to death --- a.k.a. broken. The priority now: preserve the fitting nuts on the forward (cooling) section of plumbing. To do this, the entire length of oil plumbing under the passenger’s side of the car is removed. First the bottom side valance on the chassis is removed. Then there are a few retaining brackets that secure the pipes to the chassis that need to be undone…and the oil plumbing comes off the chassis. The plan is to torch the fitting nuts… then dunk them and thermo in room temp motor oil. Compared to water dunking, oil is less likely to fuse threads.
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The tortured-to-death thermo. In this case, the hard/soft line to the oil tank took the thermo’s threads with it. Imagine, these parts have been companions for 33 years. (My ’85 3.2 is in an ’80 Targa.) The hard/soft scavenge line is cut off just after this photo is taken to get it out of the way. While I’m going to replace the thermo, I believe Pelican offers a fix for snapped off threads like this.
With the thermo in a vice, a nut has been torched and is now ready to dunk…
Dunking releases one nut. Then the other!
Salvaged threads and fitting surfaces are far from pristine but they’ll clean up nicely due to the thermo’s softer metal. These take little more than half an hour to recondition with a pick and wire wheel.
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An external thermo.
The hard/soft scavenge line connection to the thermo has already been made. Now the line between the thermo and oil tank is going in. Oil flows from the thermo through this line into the tank… travels up an internal line to the filter… filters… then drops down in the tank. The hard/soft combo not only provides flexibility aiding in the installation of these lines, it provides needed flexibility in the connective link between the chassis and engine --- the scavenge line in particular. (Also the s-hose.)
A section of the oil cooling lines that run under the passenger door’s threshold. Arrows point to where two of a few retaining brackets go. (When rattling occurs on the passenger’s side of the car, it’s likely that one or more of these brackets is either loose or gone. There’s a rubber insulator in these brackets that deteriorates over time. With the brackets off, it’s a good time to replace the rubber. Common rubber hose can be used but it should be “dish-washer rated” a.k.a. hot water hose.)
The completed external thermo assembly…with anti seize applied.
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One oil line connection has not yet been made in this photo. Can you spot it?
Answer: The hard/soft oil line that runs from the engine’s scavenge pipe (yellow plug) to the external thermo.
The final step is at hand --- testing the parts and installations for leaks. If there are any… I prefer to face them now as opposed to later.
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An occasional onlooker to this build, "Bosco," has proposed a wager against the engine starting on the first cranking… “Ok.” Now, the moment he’s nervously been anticipating is at hand. While feeding the oil tank, I’m running through all necessary connections in my mind. Yeah… almost forgot... the battery’s ground. This would’ve been both an expensive and unfortunate error as my mind is also running through the notion of a few days in Key West paid for by BoscoFunding.
Ignition on... after a fuel system has been opened, it takes roughly 10 seconds for the system to pressurize. The fading of the fuel pump’s buzzing signals pressure is building. Bosco’s busy sweating bullets. After 12 seconds, the fuel pump’s now making a barely audible hummmm suggesting full pressure… I turn the key over. As soon as the engine starts cranking, my wagering companion turns to stone, surly tormenting himself over the expense should things not go his way. Me… I’m seeking the nano-second that tells of cylinders firing…
Key West is a wonderful drive-to from Miami especially on a blue-sky, topless day. Route 905 between Card Sound (Croc Lake) at the north and US 1 at the south is usually deserted... a beautiful, haul-f**king-ass tree-lined stretch of pavement. In Key West, the Gardens or Marquesa are small, nicely secluded upscale hotels one block off Duval. Lush, intimate pool areas in either place. And while I love kids, there’re no screamers racing around at either of these tranquil enclaves. On the daily decompression menu: bobbing calmly about the pool with cool rum in hand, hot sun over head, and nicely curved felines wading gently nearby.
After the external thermo opens and the forward plumbing to the trombone fills with oil (carefully feeling the oil lines ahead of the thermo signals when it has opened) an additional 3 quarts are fed the tank. The car’s now raised on the lift and the engine’s left to purrr for a while to give any leaks adequate time to present themselves. Bosco… he’s consoled with my offer to head for martinis afterwards --- he doesn’t hesitate to say “Yesss!” First, a careful combing of the job site seeking the smallest drop of bad news… and none is found ~
BACK END NOTES
This “oil project” was part of a larger project that took 5 weeks to complete and $7,000. The entire project will be divided into subject category posts.
The other work that was done (and is or will be posted) includes:
• Cooling fan & housing replacement including fan polishing and rebalancing
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/756244-fan-housing-85-a.html#post7500786
• Driver’s door replacement including stripping my old door completely and building the replacement door shell with the stripped parts
• CV replacement
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/756452-85-cv-replacement.html#post7502506
• Transaxle external servicing
• Fuel injection repair (1 cylinder stopped working 1 week before dropping the engine --- nice timing on this one!)
• Paint & body (front hood, bumper, valance and replacement driver’s door are prepped, primed and painted)
• Powder coating the Targa bow
• Repairing the front condenser blower
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/756440-85-front-condensor-blower-fix.html#post7502328
TOOLS USED (For Oil project)
Car lift, jack, motor cycle lift (to raise & lower engine), engine stand, range of box and open-ended wrenches, range of sockets wrenches including torques, flat and Phillip head screw drivers, pronged & grip plyers, scraper, grenade pins, small rubber hammer, cam sprocket retainer wrench, magnetic wand, metal collars (to seat main seals), metal hammer, acetylene torch, cam dial, 2 x 4, vice, 5 gallon bucket, parts washer, parts cleaning brushes (various), impact air gun, air gun, air compressor, 4 stands, pressure cleaner, hack saw, plugs & caps of various sizes, and swamp tray.
CONSUMABLES
Plastic gloves, rags, mineral spirits, spray brake cleaner, high pressure grease, acetylene torch gases, liquid gasket, penetrating oil, motor oil, water, plastic bags, tape, coffee, gas, water, replacement parts as will be noted, hand cleaner.
I’ve attempted to remember everything for the above but you can be sure I’m not perfect!