Part 15

Enough about brakes and weight reduction, back to ITB EFI conversion.

During close inspection after dyno tuning, I discovered that the electrical cable from the wide band O2 sensor interface unit (14Point7 Sparten2 Lambda Controller) had swung down and was resting against the left header and the cable insulation had melted through on one side (Ouch!). The ECU was still getting a valid air fuel ratio (AFR) signal so I wrapped the wound with electrical tape and added more cable ties to keep the cable away from the exhaust header. Then I proceeded with test driving and auto tuning as I described earlier, but I knew I would need to come back and address the burned cable issue with a more permanent repair.

It's almost Christmas, the 911 is parked and covered in the garage to wait out the winter so it's a perfect time to make improvements to the EFI wiring. I had three items in mind: Correct the O2 sensor interface unit cable and add a connector between the O2 sensor interface unit and the ECU connector block, add a connector between the throttle position sensor and the ECU connector block, and replace the EFI switched power connector (power is sourced from the relay that originally ran the blower motor).

First, I bought a Weather Pack moisture resistant connector set and crimping tool for 12-20awg wire, 1/2/3/4/5/6 pin connectors. When the connector set came I read the directions and then practiced making several mock up connectors to get down the technique for properly crimping the wire and moisture barrier to the pins and then assembling the pins into the connector bodies (male and female). Only when I was able to make proper, reliable connections with the practice pieces did I start working on the EFI wiring (it took me three tries to get the technique down, plus one more sample on a multi pin connector before I was ready).

I decided to start with the single pin connector for the EFI switched 12V.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703318100.jpg

Next, I cut the three wires from the throttle position sensor to the ECU connector block and installed a three pin connector.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703318381.jpg

Finally, I went to work on the O2 sensor interface cable. First I removed all the existing cable ties and removed the electrical tape "bandage" from the melted portion of the cable. Then I cut the cable on both sides of the melted portion of the cable.

Before I proceeded, I re-read the documentation for the 14Point7 Spartan2 Lambda Controller to review the function of each of the six wires in cable. When I originally installed the O2 sensor controller the wiring schematic from Al at x-faktory showed four wires connected (power, sensor ground, sensor heater ground, and linear sensor output signal) and two wires no connect (simulated narrow band output, and sensor temperature LED output). After this review, I decided to install a LED so I could monitor the O2 sensor temperature. One failure mode of an O2 sensor is the sensor heater failing and this LED output will let me know if that happens - the LED blinks slowly if the temperature is low, blinks quickly if the temperature is high, and stays on if the temperature in okay. So on the ECU side of the O2 sensor interface connector, I stripped back the cable sheath about 12 inches and I installed a six pin female connector and clipped the blue sensor temperature LED output wire. Next, I made up a ground wire and connected it the frame of the electrical panel at the left rear of the engine bay. Then I installed a two pin female connector for the clipped blue sensor temperature LED out wire and the LED ground wire I had just installed. I then re-wrapped the O2 sensor interface cable with electrical tape allowing for the two LED wires to branch off the main cable.

I installed a six pin male connector to the O2 sensor interface side of the interface cable. I soldered a blue LED to two wires and installed a two pin male connector (the positive LED output is attached to the longer LED lead and the ground is attached to the shorter LED lead). I used adhesive backed cable tie mounts and cable ties to re-install the O2 sensor interface unit and route the O2 sensor interface cable up into the engine bay through the hole in the rear engine mount that was originally used for the secondary air injection air pump plumbing. I slit a piece of vinyl tubing lengthwise and installed it as a grommet for the hole in the rear engine mount. I used adhesive backed cable tie mounts and cable ties to secure the O2 sensor interface cable and the sensor temperature LED to the rear engine mount.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703322840.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1703322840.jpg


I checked and rechecked all of my wiring connections. I checked to make sure the fuel line connections to the fuel rails were tight. I installed the velocity stack / air filter / rain hats. I lowered the car off the jack stands. I connected the ground cable to the battery. I connected my notebook PC to the ECU with the TunerStudio application running. I turned the ignition switch on - checked for fuel pressure and no fuel leaks. The blue sensor temperature LED was blinking slowly (low temp - engine isn't running). I opened the hand throttle a bit and checked for neutral, then cranked and started the engine. After about 5 seconds running the blue sensor temperature LED was on steady (okay temp) and the TunerStudio gauge cluster showed the system was operating properly. I cracked the throttle a couple of times to verify the throttle position sensor was operating properly. I ran the engine for about 15 minutes then shut it down.

Part 15 continued

With moisture resistant connectors added to the throttle position sensor cable, the O2 sensor interface cable and the switched 12V supply I gain two benefits. I can now remove the engine / transmission without disturbing the EFI electrical wiring at the power distribution panel and the EFI electrical connector blocks located at the front of the engine bay and the EFI system is less likely to suffer moisture induced problems when driving in wet conditions.

Dan,
Keep up the good work and Happy Holidaze.
regards,
al

This is a great thread Dan and one I'm using to help plan my work on the same project over the winter. I had some questions for you as I begin to plan out the work:

1. In the beginning you mentioned that you drained all of the gas from the tank. What was the rationale for this? I don't know when/if my tank was replaced, but would rather not get into that mess unless I need to :) I assume I do not NEED to drain all fuel from the car, but will do it if I have to!

2. Do you have any pictures of the mounts you made (or purchased) for the new fuse block/bus and vacuum & fuel linkages? Trying to find something online that I could use as I really have no tools/skill to be fabricating anything like that :) lol

I'm sure I'll have a million more as I get deeper into it. Wish me luck! I'm gonna need it!! :D

NickW21: Do you have a reason to think that your gas tank has crud in it? If ain't broke, don't fix it.

I’ll add that the rear fuel filter is much higher than the fuel tank, so undoing the fuel lines to the engine will only spill fuel in the lines, not drain the tank.

That's for the feedback gents! No reason to think the fuel tank has crud in it other than it's a 45 year old vehicle and I've no record of if it was replaced :)

That said, I can't really afford to replace that now. So, I'll assume it's fine since I've no issues since I've owned the car.

I will say that "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" clearly isn't my MO, since I'm replacing a perfectly functioning CIS system with EFI :D

Do you know if the RHD/ X-Faktory ITB's would have the correct spacing to fit a Carb or MFI airbox on top? Would have to custom make a mounting plate but maybe it could work.

I think you'd have to go direct to RHD if you just wanted the ITBs. I'd probably look into PMOs or Webers if you're going to run carbs or other MFI. I saw a video recently, where this guy used a 3.2 intake on an EFI setup and he had to get spacers for it to work. I forget where he got them from, but if I find the youtube link, I'll post it here.

Not sure there would be any need for any custom mounting, though, since the engines work naturally with carb/MFI. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the question?

I'm just talking about using the OEM Airbox from either early carbs or an MFI engine on top of the RHD ITB's instead of the weber style carbon rain hats. I like the look of the Carbon rain hats but just think it would be cool if you could make it work. In the quote below the OP used a OEM Plastic airbox, modified Zenith airbox mount with PMO ITB's which I believe mirror weber carbs sizing.

early filters
 

The RHD units are straight, direct to head style vs the Weber/PMO manifold that reduces the spacing down to fit the throttle body spacing......MFI does this to some extent, as well.......so the RHDs would definitely require some custom work. However, PMO EFI/ITBs will work as shown in this thread.... and i have sold and installed EFI kits with PMO/EFI and early carb filter housings...just needed to make the baseplate holes larger if I remember right.

regards,
al



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1705704954.JPG

CIS to ITB EFI conversion
 

The airbox will not fit plug and play but as Al pointed out, the RHD parts are kind of modular and there’s a large baseplate that bolts on to the main ITBs that could be modified to accept the airbox. It’s totally possible and I’ve considered it but I don’t really want to spend $500 on an airbox just to find out.

Hi NickW21,

I started off with the fuel tank just to make sure I had a clean fuel source for my new ITB EFI set up. As it turned out, the tank was clean but I gave it a detergent wash anyway. I did a sympathetic restoration on my late uncle's 356C in 2021 and that car had sat unused for 30+ years so a tank clean, etch and reseal was absolutely necessary.

Regarding the mount brackets for the EFI power fuse block, the fuel pressure regulator and the intake vacuum plenum, I used some flat 2 inch wide 1/8 inch thick aluminum stock I had left over from another household project. I bought the aluminum flat stock at Home Depot and I used aluminum because it is light and doesn't rust. The fabrication was really simple: drill holes at the top end of the bracket to mount item to the bracket, then drill holes at the bottom end of the bracket and in the rear shock absorber mount cross brace and attach the mounting bracket to the cross brace with sheet metal screws.

Good luck with your project!
Dan

Hi NickW21,

Here are a couple of photos I just took of the mounting brackets:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1705984239.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1705984239.jpg

Dan

Awesome. Thanks Dan! Did you replace your engine harness? I've got some sketchy wiring that's rock hard and since I'm doing an alternator replacement also, I already am in need of changing up some of the wiring. So, I might bite the bullet and get a new one made (or try making one myself)... I've finally got the "easy" part done. Getting the monstrous CIS out of the car!

Next step is to do some MUCH needed cleaning of the engine bay!!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1706302302.jpg

Hi Nick,
I did not replace the engine wiring harness on my car, but I did unwrap the harness and CAREFULLY modified / removed wiring that was no longer needed or repurposed (example: I used the blower motor power wire for switched 12V to the new EFI fuse panel) - I really spent a lot of time studying the wiring diagrams I bought before I started working on my car. You might try sending Al Kosmal a message as he knows of sources that can supply custom replacement wiring harnesses. All of the wiring necessary to connect the ECU to the engine (MSD box, Pertronix in the dizzy, O2 sensor interface box, ECT sensor, TPS, fuel injectors) was either supplied in the kit from Al or I made myself.

Dan

Nick,
If you are thinking of having an engine harness made, contact Dennis Powell....(timmy2 on Pelican)
He builds all of the harnesses I provide with my kits...excellent work.

regards,
al

+2
 

Dennis did a nice replacement harness for my CIS - to X-Factory efi change.
Do it again in a heartbeat.
:-)
chris

+1 on Dennis.

Have any pics of the engine bay with harness you could share? Always like to admire a clean engine bay :)

I am going to try on my own first. I really enjoy a good challenge. When that likely fails, I'll reach out to Dennis :D

Hi Nick,

I went out and removed the rain hats from the ITB's and took a couple of photos of engine wiring harness.

Harness connector that plugs into the back of the electrical panel in the left rear corner of the engine bay:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1706654741.jpg

Overview shot of the harness from the distributor running diagonally across the engine towards the starter:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1706654859.jpg

This shot shows the wires coming along the cooling fan shroud to the oil temp and oil pressure sending units:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1706654941.jpg

This shot shows the harness connecting to the oil pressure warning light switch and then heading out the back of the engine bay and down to the starter solenoid:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1706655073.jpg

Keep up the DIY spirit! :)

My car is running great after the CIS to ITB EFI conversion, but I'm not getting any younger and the engine and transmission have almost 72k miles so I decided to rebuild my engine and make it even more of a hot rod.

After talking with Al at x-faktory and Don at Don's Autowerks, I decided to go with 9.5:1 92mm JE pistons, 92mm Nickies cylinders, MFI S-cams from Web Camshafts with ARP studs and hardware throughout the case (not just the head studs) and use Ollie's Engineering for the case, crank, rod, and flywheel and Craig at G2 for the heads and cam towers machining work.

Before starting and at Al's recommendation I bought Wayne Dempsey's book "How to Rebuild and Modify Porsche 911 Engines 1965-1989". After looking through the book, I also bought Wayne's "101 Projects for Your Porsche 911" which has a detailed description of how to drop the engine/transmission out of the 911. Both books are available on PP (not a paid spokesperson :-)).

The following are some photos of the drop and disassembly process (not all as I took many, many photos to have a chance of putting this Swiss watch of an engine back together).

Must have tools:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708202816.jpg

I removed the ITB EFI to keep it safe in the trunk and I removed the back bumper to make more clearance for the engine before I dropped the engine/transmission:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708203055.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708203055.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708203055.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708203055.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708203055.jpg

An important note: the yellow "foot" I used with my floor jack to drop the engine/transmission depends on the weight being balanced on the floor jack. The above photos show the engine with the muffler removed, but the muffler must be in place (if only loosely attached) to get the weight balance correct so the engine/transmission will drop down level. I initially tried the drop with the muffler off and the engine/transmission was nose heavy at the transmision end.
The yellow "foot" worked great at holding the engine/transmission steady and I was able to safely drop the engine/transmission by myself (on PP it is P/N PEL-PW-2563 and it is called "Engine/Transmission Removal Jack Adapter Tool, for 911 engine with sump plate").

Once I got the engine and transmission removed, I rented a knock down engine hoist so I could get the engine on the engine stand after I separated the transmission and attached 911 engine stand fixture to the crankcase.

Important note: I attached the 911 engine stand fixture to the 1,2,3 crankcase half. That was incorrect as the oil pump is bolted to the 4,5,6 crankcase half which needs to be rotated to the bottom and facing up when you go to separate the case halves so you can lift the 1,2,3 case half off and expose the crankshaft and intermediate shaft.

I did the engine tear down with the fixture on the 1,2,3 case half, then rented the engine hoist again so I could put the crankcase back on the floor, move the fixture to the 4,5,6 case half and remount the crankcase back on the engine stand so I could continue the tear down with the case halves separation and removal of the crankshaft (with connecting rods) and the intermediate shaft.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708205300.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708205300.jpg
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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708205300.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708205300.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708205300.jpg

Once the engine was on the engine stand, the engine tear down began starting with the camshafts. If your engine uses nuts to hold the cam timing chain sprockets to the end of the camshafts, then you will need a pair of special tools the get the camshaft nut loose. The tools are described in Wanye's engine rebuilding book. One tool is a double D shaped socket that holds the camshaft steady and the other tool is a beefy 46mm crows foot to grab the camshaft nut from the side. The tools are 1/2 inch drive and my 1/2 inch drive ratchet is 24 inches long and my 1/2 inch drive breaker bar is 30 inches long. With the ratchet attached to the 46mm crows foot and the breaker bar attached to the double D socket, I was able to hold the camshaft from rotating while loosening the camshaft nut by myself. I point is the nut is on pretty tight and you need a long lever arm to get the nut loose.

Once the camshaft nut was loose, I removed the nut holding the chain tensioner in place and used a pry bar to gently persuade the tensioner to slide forward out of the chain housing and disengage the tensioner sprocket. That released the tension on the camshaft timing chain so the sprocket, etc can to removed from the end of the camshaft.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708206930.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708206930.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708206930.jpg
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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708206930.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708206930.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708206930.jpg

With the cam sprocket, chain tensioner, idler sprocket, etc removed, I could remove the 5 nuts holding the cam chain housing to the case. But in order to get the housing off, the head/cam tower assembly needs to be lifted up about an inch so the cam chain housing can be slid off its mounting studs and rotate to clear the end of the camshaft.

But before removing the head/cam tower assembly, the oil return tubes need to be removed. Then you can remove the barrel nuts and their washers from the head studs. Once the nuts are removed, the head/cam tower assembly can be lifted up about 1 inch, then the cam chain housing can be removed, and finally the head/cam tower assembly can be lifted off the engine exposing the cylinders and pistons.

Next I removed the tin pieces that channel air flow around the cylinders. Then using a rubber mallet and tapping on the base of the cylinder I was able to slide the cylinders off the head studs exposing the pistons.

Using 90 deg curved pliers and a small flat blade screwdriver, I removed one of the wrist pin retaining clips from an outboard piston and tapped out the wrist pin with a punch and rubber mallet to remove the piston, then repeated for the other two pistons on that bank.

Repeat all of the above for the other side of the engine. Remove everything that attaches to the crankcase (breather cover, oil cooler, oil pipe, oil thermostat, flywheel, crankshaft pulley, intermediate shaft cover, etc.

Now I was at the point I described above where I rented the engine hoist and moved the engine mounting fixture the 4,5,6 case half. Then I proceeded to remove the through bolts and all of the nuts that hold the two case halves together and finally split the case halves.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708209579.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708209579.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708209579.jpg

Plastic wedges I used to help separate the case halves
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708209579.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708209579.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708209579.jpg

It is important to note that while I was removing items from the engine and taking photos I was also tagging and bagging all of the removed items. So I bought a couple of big boxes of zip lock bags: 1 quart size for small items and 1 gallon size for larger items.

It was at this point that an old friend of mine pointed out it might be a good time to get the transmission rebuilt given it was out and I was going thru all this work to rebuild the engine, so transmission rebuild got added to the list. I did some internet searching and contacted California Motorsports Inc. (CMI). Fortunate for me Ollie's Engineering and CMI are both located in Lake Havasu City, AZ so I could make one trip to drop off parts to both.

With the cases separated, I removed the crankshaft and the intermediate shaft / oil pump. I removed the connecting rods from the crankshaft. I got some giant zip lock bags and bagged the crankshaft and the case halves.

I loaded the trunk of my car with the transmission, case halves, crankshaft, rods, intermediate shaft, oil cooler and flywheel/pressure plate and drove from Milpitas, CA to Lake Havasu City, AZ (9 hours). Tim at Ollie's told me it would be 4 months to complete the engine work (middle of June) and Sean at CMI said they would complete the transmission in 8 weeks (middle of April).

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708211609.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708211609.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708211609.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708211609.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708211609.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708211609.jpg

nice work
 

Dan,
I admired your approach when you installed and tuned the EFI kit. you focused on learning and understanding the system.........and it turned out right.

And, once again, you have done the research, gathering the info required to gain an understanding of the work ahead....and then rolled up your sleeves and got to it.

Good luck with the project....you will very happy with the results.

regards,
al

With the engine parts at Ollie's and the transmission at CMI, it was time to turn my attention to the head/cam tower assemblies. The first step was to remove and bag each rocker arm assembly and label the bag with the cylinder # and I(ntake) or E(xhaust). Once all 12 rocker arms were removed, the camshaft was easily pulled out of the cam tower - I pulled the camshaft out carefully so as to not bang the camshaft against the journals in the cam tower.

Next, I removed the nuts and washers that secure the cam tower to the heads. Then using a rubber mallet, I tapped on the head studs of one head at a time to release the head from the cam tower. I repeated this process for the remaining two heads.

With the heads separated from the cam tower, I used a Dremel tool with an engraving bit to engrave the cylinder number on each head and either 1 or 4 on the cam tower in a non machined area.

I repeated this process for the other head/cam tower assembly.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708220615.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708220615.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708220615.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708220615.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708220615.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708220615.jpg

Next I carefully wrapped each head, rocker arm assemblies, and cam tower with bubble wrap. I put the three heads in one giant zip lock bag and the cam tower and rocker arm assemblies in another giant zip lock bag. Then I packed the heads, the cam tower and the rocker assemblies into a heavy duty cardboard box with plenty of packing material and used fiberglass reinforced packing tape to seal up the box. I packed a second box for the other set of heads, cam tower and rocker arm assemblies.

I took the boxes to my local FEDEX shipping center and had them shipped to Craig Garrett at G2 Performance in Grand Rapids, MI. Craig will do machining work on the heads, rocker arms and cam tower.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708221905.jpg

Head Stud Removal
 

I just realized a skipped over a very important bit of info: head stud removal.

When I contacted Tim at Ollie's we discussed using Case-Savers versus Time-Serts to strengthen the attachment of the head and case perimeter studs in the magnesium case. The practice at Ollie's is to use Case-Savers on the 10mm head and case studs and Time-Serts on the 8mm case studs. I am having all of the case stud threads strengthened not just head studs. I also supplied Tim with the ARP 504-9501 911 & 930 Turbo Crankcase Stud kit to replace all of the existing case studs.

Back to head stud removal: After a bit of research I found the preferred method is to soak the threads with penetrating oil for some time, use a stud extractor, and heat the case around heads studs with a MAP gas torch. I applied this technique and was successful with all 24 head studs on my engine. I found that the studs came out easier when I applied heat not only around the surface of the case, but also in spigot of the case next to the stud.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708224823.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708224823.jpg

Waiting out the rain
 

While engine parts and the transmission are off-site getting worked on, I am hanging out in the garage on a rainy Sunday night planning my next "to do" item. I have ordered a bunch of parts, some of which have been delivered and others that I am still waiting on.

The next move, once we get a break in rain, will be to start scraping off old gaskets and cleaning parts to be ready for reassembly.

I also plan to completely unwrap, inspect, repair as necessary and rewrap the original engine wiring harness now that I have full access to it (something didn't have when I did the CIS to ITB EFI conversion).

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708315325.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708315325.jpg

Exhaust manifold studs question for the forum
 

Back 16 years ago when I installed SSI heat exchangers, I noticed that the exhaust manifold studs on heads 1,2,3 were different in appearance (the stud necks down / is thinner in the length between the threaded portions) from the studs on heads 4,5,6.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1708316119.jpg


This difference in studs leads me to think the 4,5,6 heads had been worked on in the past before I bought the car in Dec 2006. Not only are the exhaust studs different, but when I disassembled the heads from the cam towers I found residue of red crayon marks on the 4,5,6 heads, but not on the 1,2,3 head /cam tower assembly.

So my question for the experts is: are the exhaust studs from heads 1,2,3 (thin in the middle) original as installed by the factory?

I removed the intake and exhaust studs from the heads before I shipped them off to Craig for machining and the exhaust studs on heads 1,2,3 were much more difficult to remove than the exhaust studs from heads 4,5,6. In fact, one stud from head 1 and one stud from head 3 were "welded" in place and the studs broke in half in the thinned area of their length and that was with penetrating old, MAP gas torch heat and my stud extractor tool which worked so well with the head studs in case halves.

Tonight, I got busy working on the engine wiring harness. When I did the CIS to ITB EFI conversion, I removed no longer needed CIS components: warm up regulator, warm up regulator relay, cold start thermo switch, cold start valve, throttle switch. Since I had chosen x-faktory's Option 2 (EFI + ECU control of ignition timing advance), I also removed the factory CDI module. In addition, several years back Ralf at Don's Autowerks had installed a new higher output alternator with an integrated voltage regulator and had removed the original discrete voltage regulator. That said I cut and hacked on the engine wiring harness leaving no longer needed wires in the harness.

With the engine and transmission removed, I now have full access to the engine wiring harness so I could finally "clean up" the wiring.

Engine wiring harness as removed with the engine / transmission:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709187285.jpg

Engine wiring harness unwrapped:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709187340.jpg

Next, I dis-assembled the 14 pin wiring connector that connects the engine wiring harness to the electrical panel in the left rear corner of the engine bay. I made a diagram of the wire colors by connector pocket. Then I removed no longer needed wires from the wiring harness and the wiring connector:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709187759.jpg

Then I carefully re-populated the wiring connector and began re-taping the wiring harness. I only got partially done when a I ran out of black vinyl electrical tape:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709187991.jpg

Once I get more electrical tape and some plastic corrugated wire sheathing, I can finish wrapping and preparing the engine wiring harness for the engine / transmission installation. The plastic corrugated wire sheathing will replace the original wire sheathing for the wires that run down out of the engine bay to the starter and to the reverse light switch at the back of the transmission next to the speedometer cable connection.

BTW, collecting more essential supplies for the engine re-assembly:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709188448.jpg

Funny how things escalate! My ‘74 911 engine is with Al now getting rebuilt to RS specs. It’s one of the “Current Projects” in Al’s posts.
Figured I’d have the transmission done at the same time. Since the engine was out, I started looking for a shop to paint the car. Dropped it off yesterday, to a shop in Scotts Valley, for a repaint in single stage Lime Green (current original color) Now I’ve got a 6 month wait for the car to be completed. Sure snowballed into a major project. We’ll have to get together after we’re both done and compare notes. We’re only about 15 miles apart.
Tony

Hi Tony,
Yes, in for a penny, in for a pound. Sounds like a great idea to get together. I’ll send you my email in forum message.
Dan

This is my favorite thread on the forum. Love the way you are documenting your work.

How accurate is the wiring diagram you purchased from colorwiringdiagrams.com? I'm trying to follow the factory Current Flow Diagram but with the mess of wiring that I am dealing with it is making it difficult to fix the PO's botch job.

Finished cleaning up and re-wrapping the engine wiring harness:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709248887.jpg

Next job is to clean up fan shroud, air ducting and engine tin pieces.

Hi TheBrokePilot,

I have found the wiring diagrams for my car from colorwiringdiagrams.com to be very accurate. The wiring diagram is on B size sheets (nice and LARGE) and it is in COLOR so I can actually make out which color wires are connected where. As I stated at the beginning of this thread, a detailed, color, easy to read wiring diagram is MUST for this job.

Good luck with your project!

I have always thought the cooling fan and fan housing on my car needed a refresh, but I just didn't know how it was put together (fan, alternator & housing). On pages 61-63 of Wayne Dempsey's "101 Projects for Your Porsche 911" there is a clear explanation, so I started by tapping the bolts that were exposed when I removed the inner air duct to gain access to the alternator electrical connections:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709321123.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709321123.jpg

That released the fan housing from the fan / alternator. I had already removed the nut, washer, outer pulley half and spacer shims from the front of the fan / alternator:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709321313.jpg

Then I suspended the backside of fan with some wood blocks with the backside of the alternator about 1/2 inch above the garage floor (being careful to contact the inner ring of the fan and not the fan blades - fragile, don't to break a blade and then have to buy a new fan). Then I carefully tapped on the threaded end of the alternator shaft with a rubber mallet and the alternator dropped down to the floor, releasing the fan from the alternator shaft. The alternator shaft is keyed to the fan with a woodruff key which I put in the labelled zip lock bag so I won't lose it.

Now the fan / alternator assembly is separated and I can get on with cleaning the fan and fan housing and hopefully restore their appearance:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709322080.jpg

You're really going all out on the engine rebuild, Dan. Pretty impressive. Hey, I had a quick question for ya. I took off my engine shroud and fan, etc. to do some restoration on them as well. I'm at the point where I am starting to put it all back together, but now with the EFI setup vs. the CIS. So, I was going through this thread again recently and noticed that I have a hole in my shroud with no apparent corresponding item to go into it. No plug or whatever is supposed to go there. I saw in one of your photos, that there is a hose coming out of that hole in your setup. Can you tell me where that goes? Does that hook up to the charcoal filter in the back corner of the engine bay? If so, that does not exist in my setup and depending on what it's supposed to be doing, I'll either need to get that hose or just find a suitable plug for it :)

Here's a picture of the hose I am referring to:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709409451.jpg

Hi Nick,

I was working on my daily drive (05 MB C55 AMG, I am the original owner) that has 212k miles and I am changing the driveline carrier bearing and changing the differential gear oil since both have not been replaced yet (front and rear wheel bearings and front and rear flex joints on the driveline have all been replaced within the last 50k miles).
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709420090.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709420090.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709420090.jpg



Anyway, back to your question. Yes, the hose connected the fan shroud on my car does connect to the evaporation charcoal canister. I think it serves as the canister purge source - fast air / lower pressure. Here are a couple of photos:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709420200.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1709420200.jpg