vetter59

I am new to the 944 page, I am normally on the 928 page, but recently had a opportunity to buy a '88 N/A 944, that had pretty nice cosmetics, but has mechanical issues, for the price of a parts car, so I couldn't resist the temptation to dive in. The car was at a local independent repair shop, and was complaining about a engine knock, I am figuring the worst, which would be rebuilding the engine or obtaining a good used engine. This is what I have found so far.

vetter59

The previous pictures are of the #2 rod journal, and l/h side counter balance pulley, the belt was off due to the pulley bolt falling out, damaging the plastic shroud. Looks like I will be pulling the engine and doing a rebuild. Sorry about the upside down pic.

vetter59

A few more pics, before I cleaned it up some.

FRporscheman

Are you in Australia? All your pictures are upside down.

A rebuild can be very expensive on these. If you can find a used short block (or long block) it would be cheaper. Either way, good luck.

vetter59

I have never rebuilt a 944 engine completely, I do have a spare parts engine from a '84 with good crank and rods. I will save on the labor by doing most of the work myself.

FRporscheman

Well if you're determined to do it, you're in the right place. Do you have the factory manuals? They cover almost every detail.

Are you going to have any special work done or just do a basic rebuild?

konakat

The '88 has higher compression pistons and a better cam than the '84 engine, so it is worth at least saving those if the block is toast. If the '84 engine was built early enough, it will have forged rods, so that would be a bit of an upgrade to swap those in. You also might have a cross-drilled crank in the '84, so you may end up with a significantly more reliable engine.

FRporscheman

Make sure to check the tolerance groups of the pistons and block before mixing parts. On the pistons, the group number (0, 1, or 2) is stamped on the piston top. On the block, the stamps are next to the oil return galleries, there is one for each cylinder.