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I took the engine out of my 1978 928 in order to:
- fit new cilinderhead gasket(s)
- replace oilpan seal and plug (won't come off)
- do the clutch release lever bushings
- clean engine bay and do something about the rust on crossmember side brackets (whatsitsname) and fix pvc protection stuff where applicable.

I know, all (or most) of these jobs could have been executed with engine in car but seemed rather difficult. Especially the oilpan seal replacement. Taking engine out was rather easy looking back. Approximately 10 hours of work.

Other jobs that should be performed right now?
- should I replace release bearing and ball bearing at crankshaft end?

Furthermore I would really like to shine-up the aluminium valvecovers and cilinderhead and top of the engine. Is there some magical stuff that will make this an easy job without the need for dismantling the valvecovers (so keeping camshaft in while cleaning)?

Thanks

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Bill Ball

Also, all engine seals (front and rear main, oil pump, cam covers, cam ends). Might as well do the WP/TB unless it was recent.

If you are pulling the heads for headgaskets, the valve covers and cams must come off.

How many miles on the motor? Obviously, this would be the time for a valve job with new guide and seals.

Richard S

Reseal the whole engine...easy to do with it out of the car. Buy a complete gasket kit, it should also have valve seals in it. Might as well put in new motor mounts....if you want to go with the newer style mounts you will have to bolt in a newer style crossmember as well, otherwise use the old style mounts. Replace or rebuild the rubber fuel lines. Replace the rear main seal, as well as the bearing back there. Replace all the rubber vacuum lines. To clean the engine block, I used Castrol Superclean.

Rich

kjurkic

consider powder-coating the covers & intake; not too expensive, easier to keep clean

Ken

mark kibort

save some money and also boost your power by 30-50hp.
I have a brand new (almost) 4.7 liter ready to ship. (its a euro short block) so you can go to bigger valve heads if you want. it will save you all the clean up labor, it has new rings, seals and bearings.
if you plan on keeping your car awhile, this could be a good way to go.
$1500 and its yours.

Mk

glork98

Check the motor mounts and engine dampers. (shocks) The dampers should be stiff when pulled. If the metal parts of the mounts are firmly attached to the rubber then those are OK.

Re-sealing the whole engine is attractive. It also can lead to leaks later if not done well. If you're not a very good mechanic then only fix what is leaking.

The cam towers and intake need polishing with abrasives to get a shine. This requires complete disassembly and good cleaning afterwards. There is no magic in a bottle for this.

A good time to replace the clutch master cylinder and other clutch parts. It's out anyways, right? At least the plastic liner for the upper ball stud.

The torque tube needs to be removed to replace those bearings.

Mark, He is in THE NETHERLANDS. That's in Europe. Cripes.

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Car has collected 90K miles in all of its 29 years of life.
I collected some parts along the way of ownership...
- new waterpump in stock, but waterpump on the engine was changed two years ago (less than 2000 miles) together with timing-belt
- full engine gasket set in stock
- new rollers in stock but were changed on the engine recently (see above)

Now the oil pan will be off tomorrow, but will I be able to rest the engine while the pan is off? Perhaps with the extensions that normally sit on the motormounts resting on wooden blocks on either side? will there be anything protruding from under the level of the casting?

mark kibort

sounds like you are on the way to an "almost " new car! i didnt notice you are from europe! forget about our new engine. shipping would cost as much as the car!
MK

69gaugeman

blue hose for clutch,

kjurkic

Take the opportunity to redo the the upper control arm bushings if they are original. Upper ball joint also should be considered. I just did mine with engine in and all accessories attached. WAYYYYY easier without engine.

HTH
Ken

Ad0911

Hi guys,
A lot of good tips I have seen here as "WYAIT" jobs. A couple of questions though:
1. Upper controlarom bushes do not have any play in them. Replace anyway?
2. Torquetube bearings replacement as a precaution? I don't recall the torque tube making any noise.
3. Ball joints are fine (including rubber). Can be renewed anothertime I guess. Not too hard?

Shift rod coupling at the rear doesn't show any play. Can you tell by feeling if there is too much play in it or is this impossible to tell by feeling alone.

What definetely needs to be replaced are the front struts. Although shocks and springs are good, the struts were very rusty. I would rather buy some good used struts. Are the later models (S2, S4) interchangeable with my old model?

Bill Ball

Leave well enough alone. Having the engine out makes removing the upper control arms a bit easier, but you have no reason to replace them. Take the opportunity to probe the end of the TT with a straightened wire coat hanger to check the position of the front bearing. It should be about 10" back from the front. If it is significantly further back (I've seen 30"), and you've felt any significant vibration through the shifter, rebuild or replace the TT.

Ball joints are very easy with the right tool to press out the ball.
http://www.toolsource.com/ball-joint...r-p-94669.html

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You may be right on the A-arm bushings. Even when aplying a lot of force there is no real play visible. The rubber does not show cracks. I'l leave them for now. The TT will be out for bearing replacement although it didn't whine or anything. Just seems like the right moment to do the job. The first bearing is back 11" which seems normal. I've got a number of tools to press out the ball joints but I think I'll just replace the rubber covers (which still look 100% fine). I suspect these have been changed not long ago. The rear coupler for the gearshift rod is new, has been replaced, but the protective rubber cover is torn so needs to be replaced.
At last I'll have the chance to use the tools I have bought from a local garage (neighbour) that went bust. I also got the full wheel alignment tools with turning plates etc. Seems like fun to use it after assembling the front suspension again!

Bill Ball

On a 5 speed, the TT is so easy to remove, having the motor out offers little advantage. I would have left it alone, but that's just me. My TT is original and doing fine at 185K miles.

chewy8000

Take a moment to thank yourself for not becoming part of the "work on the motor in the car" club. It makes things a hell of alot easier to pull it. I unfortunatley wasn't smart enough to do it.