my87944s

After having mine stripped for refinishing, we found several small cracks. Nothing too serious, but in my opinion not worth taking a chance... Have you ever seen how poor the casting is on these things when the paint is removed???
Ive checked the usual, Ebay, the recyclers etc... none available.
Thanks,
Terry

nine-44

Are they cracks or casting flaws, possibly just cosmetic?

my87944s

The casting on this thing IS HORRIBLE!!! I personally have never seen such poor casting. Hell, ive taken apart 20 year old Hondas that had better casting... Even some old Chevys had better casting than this.
The thing that bothers me is where the cracks are... There are cracks at each of the four corners of the strip where the timing chain runs. They DO NOT go all the way through, but it seems to me that the walls of this thing are pretty thin.
I also found some VERY THIN spots in the grooves for the PORSCHE lettering. When i was cleaning them out, I got the pick caught a few times. And has anyone ever looked into the spark plug wells??? There are big bumps, some cracks, and extra material in there.
I will see about taking it and having it looked at by a machine shop. But thanks to YOUR suggestion i feel like I really dodged a bullet here. i dont want to get it all back together and have the cover fly off because of some cracks that i knew where there.

Jfrahm

I think being magnesium they are all like that.

-Joel.

Luis de Prat

I was going to say. Weight savings sacrificed the casting finish. Just be sure your cover gasket is fresh and put in new O-rings and washers, and you should be all right.

my87944s

Is it really necessary to replace the all the gaskets and o rings? I had intended to order these parts, but after taking it all apart, they appear to have recently been replaced (which makes me wonder why the tensioner almost seems to be original???)
In order to get things moving along, I have decided to just have the cover completely cleaned and painted. I should have it back Monday or Tuesday and will post some pics of the broken tensioner and cover.
Thanks all,
Terry

joseph mitro

the casting finish on mine was really bad, too. smoothed out a little after being powdercoated.

you could probably reuse the same o-rings (spark plug seals) and the gasket. i removed them a couple times before without leaking.

by the way, aren't these covers the same valve covers as used on the 928?

my87944s

YES they are stamped on the inside with a 928 part number...

Luis de Prat

Main reason for the new rubber washers is to apply correct torque afterwards when putting the cover back on. It's also very easy to strip the allen head bolts that hold the cover, so every little bit helps. I use a torque wrench for small applications. Amazing how little torque those bolts take.