question about 8 valve heads

mike malad · 10-23-2005, 08:30 AM

Can an earlier 8valve head fit on an 86 or were there changes made. I am looking for a bolt on head for my 86 on Ebay and would appreciate any help.

nynor · 10-23-2005, 10:45 AM

i think there were changes, especially for the turbo. i'd try to get a matching year, just to be certain. also, try 944ecology.com. they offered me a good deal on a complete head. put an add on the used parts forum. i ended up buying one from another pelican member for a great price, worked beautifully.

mike malad · 10-23-2005, 02:31 PM

Thanks nynor, best case senorio is I would find an exact year match but have limited budget. I have a n/a 86 auto. I've seen a couple of bolt ons on Ebay for under $200 but dont want to get the wrong size.

ae1969 · 10-23-2005, 02:49 PM

They bolt right in.....

All the 2.5 NA and Turbo heads will bolt on to your car....

nynor · 10-23-2005, 02:49 PM

its not so much a matter of size, but they changed some of the water/oil channels year to year.

if you have your head off, see if you can find an exact match on ebay.

nynor · 10-23-2005, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ae1969
They bolt right in.....

All the 2.5 NA and Turbo heads will bolt on to your car....

are you sure? it seems that i've read a lot of debate on this subject.

ae1969 · 10-23-2005, 03:46 PM

There really shouldn't be any debate on this one?

They all use the same headgasket.

Note: Only 2.5 NA and turbos....

16v,2.7 etc dont obvoiusly apply...

I have an 89 Turbo, 86 Turbo head on my counter..... and they both fit the 86 NA... no issues. I had an extra 83 for a while as well. All relatively the same.....

Well the turbo ones are different.... but they will bolt on.

nynor · 10-23-2005, 08:35 PM

learn something new every day.

mike malad · 10-23-2005, 10:13 PM

thank you everyone for your input. I see that they will all bolt on including the turbo excluding the 87 on with 16 valve. The question is are all the N/A heads the same in cam duration? I know the turbo will have less compression but did any head change from 1st year 944 to 16 valve? since 150Hp did not change I assume that heads did not change?????? Any one???

AaronM · 10-24-2005, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mike malad
thank you everyone for your input. I see that they will all bolt on including the turbo excluding the 87 on with 16 valve. The question is are all the N/A heads the same in cam duration? I know the turbo will have less compression but did any head change from 1st year 944 to 16 valve? since 150Hp did not change I assume that heads did not change?????? Any one???

The engine got a power bump in 1987 from 150 to 158. It appears to be strictly due to increase in compression, but I'm not sure.

http://www.cantonia.com/specifications.html

Aaron

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Heads are the same - turbo ones have ceramic-lined exhaust ports and sodium-filled exhaust valves. Other than that I think the differences are minimal, if any.