Zero10

Out the bottom, no question. I've done it both ways (huh huh, he said both ways...) and out the bottom is way easier. If you go out the top, you risk bending the hood latch, scraping up the frame rails, and lots of stuff, as well as the exhaust headers must come off. I installed my 951 engine from the bottom, complete with crossmember and crossover pipe, it made the installation about a 7-8 hour job instead of like a 20 hour job. Plus, it's 10x easier to work on the exhaust with the engine out of the car.


Now, for a clutch job... you don't want my opinion. In a N/A, I would say pull the motor, then change the oil pan gasket, and any other leaky gaskets you couldn't get at because the engine was still installled, then re-install the engine. Yes, it does turn snowball a little bit with all of the 'while you're in there's', but it's the better way to go in my opinion. For a turbo, leave that damn engine where it is, because it sucks to get in/out

TD in DC

OK guys.

What little side jobs should I do when I swap the motors?

Thanks,

TD

Scootin159

No Kidding...I did just that, and found myself either having to reinstall the whole flywheel/clutch/bellhousing asslembly, or jamming a 2x4 into the crankshaft & hoping for enough torque to break it free.

I ended up learning a cool trick on here though. I first removed the cam housing to ensure all the valves were fully closed. I then turned the engine to BDC & fed about 10' of 1/4" soft nylon rope into the #1 cylinder through the spark plug hole. I then just turned the crank until it stopped & applyed torque to remove the bolt. I wouldn't reccomend this if you aren't doing a complete teardown though.

Zero10

I jammed a board into the crank because the oil pan and everything was off when I figured out I needed to remove the crank pulleys... whoops

Other side jobs...
Reseal balance shaft covers, oil pan gasket, front/rear engine seals, etc.
Rod bearings?.. Depends how far you want to go.

Geo

I think out the top or bottom seems to be a fielder's choice.

I had EVERY intention of dropping my engine out the bottom. But when the time came and I look at all the stuff I'd have to disconnect to drop it, I decided to pull it. Came out easy peasy with the bellhousing in place. I did have the radiator and just about everything else out.

I've never dropped a 944 engine out the bottom (but have on my Sentra and G20). But from all I've read here it's a toss-up with some folks having very definite opinions (both ways).

M758

What you consider to be "little"

For me I will not put a motor in any of my cars that has not been fully dissassembled and resealed. I may or may not re-ring, but all else will at least be inspected and cleaned.

So for me that is

Pull the pan, rod bearings, main bearings, balance shaft housings, rear main seal, (everything in "crankcase gasket" kit)
head gasket, waterpump, and all front seals. (everything in "head gasket" kit)
often the head will go out for an inspection and refresh.
Clutch if needed
lifters if needed
crank drilling (if not drilled)
oil pan baffled.
motor mounts if needed.

LtReid

Does anyone sell a engine rebuilt kit? And also if you were rebuilding your engine (n/a) what aftermarket porsche parts would you throw on there to make it a tad bit faster?
Discuss

StoogeMoe

I'm in the same boat of transferring and engine from one car to another and rebuilding it. The engine has about 120k miles on it.

What I was wondering if I tear down the engine and find the rod bearings to be in perfect shape, should I stop there and leave the main bearings alone? Or is it wise just to go all the way and do them also. I'm worried that I might mess up the sealing of the girdle or the oil pump to the block. I know you guys are going to say "For crying out loud, you got that far, what's a couple of extra bolts?"

Also, where are you guys getting your bearing sets / rebuild kits from? How much is all this stuff approximately?

TD in DC

I bought bearings from Paragon. IF you are already there, you might as well replace, particularly with 120k, at least that's how I would view it.

M758

Well rod bearings are rather simple... Pull the pan and do the rods.

The mains require the crank to come out. This means oil pump off too. I figure it adds about 4 hrs to the job if the engine is out of the car.

Porsche-O-Phile

Is it even possible to do the mains with the engine in the car? I imagine it would be a horrendous beeyatch unless the engine were out and on a stand so it could be easily inverted.