Leslie 928 S2

So yesterday Kevin finished tearing apart the front of the engine, and removing the water pump. What he found was not encouraging.

It appears that the brand new (as in, not rebuilt) water pump Kevin installed was a defect, and the impeller shaft started to back out of the pump into the block on the inside, as the impeller itself did a number to the front of the block.

Check out the deep recess of the shaft on the new pump as compared to the original pump that was removed from the car.



The impeller cavity is still serviceable, perhaps, but the two pistons on the right bank that rise above the block deck on the inside side only, and deep scoring on cylinder #8, were, Kevin feels, a sign that it's time to rebuild the engine with bigger cylinders and pistons, and find out how badly the block is warped from overheating it.

The temp gauge never came on, always read good, and never alerted us that there was a problem. A minor flaw to having the temp sensor at the top of the cooling system. It doesn't always tell you if the water is not circulating.

When he installs the spare engine, he's going install a temp sensor in the block plug, so this never happens again. Thank goodness we hung on to that other euro block. We'd be so screwed right now if not for that.

Here's the water pump cavity picture we posted when we bought the car back in March of this year, so we know it wasn't like this when we got it...
(original post)


Here's the water pump cavity damage....the timing belt was always kept on the loose side of the kempf tool because of the marginal timing pulleys, but that apparently did not help.





And the damage to cylinder #8....
(as viewed from the passenger side of the car)


(and as viewed from the driver's side)


(driver's side)



The cherry picker arrived this afternoon. That gets assembled tomorrow, and then the car gets pushed out of the garage by Kevin and me, the engine retrieved from under the shelf at the back of the garage, and the car pushed back into the garage for further disassembly.

The engine is just about ready to come out, so it should be on the hoist by the end of Monday at the latest. Anybody need a doorstop? (J/K!!)

Then he'll install a new oil pan gasket and rear main seal on the spare engine just to ensure it stays leak free for a while and get everything put back together that he can. The killer part will be the wait for the new water pump and gasket, which should arrive at the end of this week with luck. Ugh. Another week!!

After that, it's just putting the finishing touches on things and doing a compression test to see how much boost it can take.

Then the cleaning and polishing...of course.

Then a big sigh of relief, a moment's rest, and on to the house work and the furnace work and the yard work for the fall!

Soooo...anyone want to go for a drive in a few weeks?

belgiumbarry

good luck with the engine swap !

Leslie 928 S2

Thanks, Norbert....you make it look so easy in your big beautiful garage!

Wish it could be that easy here too.

BC

Is that a 5.0 or a 4.7?

Leslie 928 S2

4.7...

BC

You gonna keep it?

Leslie 928 S2

For now, yes, until we decide what we're doing...we are considering boring it out, as mentioned earlier. But if we change our mind, you'll be the first to know!

Don't you have enough parts?

Hey, I don't think you're allowed to have any more disassembled stuff, are you? Isn't that a violation of the 12-step program or somethin'??

I think it might be time for you to call your counselor now, right?

BC

Ah, simple misunderstanding. I can put stuff TOGETHER - and engine building falls under that heading. Also, part swaping is fine as well.

I am technically only attempting a full stoppage of "total dis- assembly" with no clear plan after all the pieces are labeled in boxes.

belgiumbarry

oh... yes, i see in the first pics... ok, your workshop is limited....
but i also will move my lift from the big shop to my barn at house so i can heat it better ( = cheaper ) in winter... i still need the big one for my other project... a sailing boat...

Leslie 928 S2

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrendanC

Ah, simple misunderstanding. I can put stuff TOGETHER - and engine building falls under that heading. Also, part swaping is fine as well.

I am technically only attempting a full stoppage of "total dis- assembly" with no clear plan after all the pieces are labeled in boxes.

I see the distinction!

And how are you doing with that? Are the urges unbearable??

Quote:

Originally Posted by belgiumbarry

oh... yes, i see in the first pics... ok, your workshop is limited....
but i also will move my lift from the big shop to my barn at house so i can heat it better ( = cheaper ) in winter... i still need the big one for my other project... a sailing boat...

Oh...to have a barn! Lucky you!

Jadz928

Leslie,
Seriously sorry about your engine troubles. It's great that you have a spare short block to use. May I make a suggestion? Instead of using the 4.7 shortblock for this one, find a 5.0 to use. You could have a SC'd Euro Hybrid for short $ and minor mods to the pistons. Then you could save this spare 4.7 block for the '84 Euro. Just a thought.... wish you well on the rebuild!

Mrmerlin

bummer about the engine, I would suggest that you use a fresh rebuilt pump and put some loctite green slip fit on the impeller it will soak into the cavity of the shaft/impeller and assist in locking

Imo000

Maybe it's me but I don't see any damage to the block by the waterpump. I've looke at the pics hard but didn't see any contact point on the new impeller or on the block, what am I mising?

toofast928

Leslie,
Spill the beans..... What vendor did you buy the water pump from?

Mrmerlin

the last block picture of the H2O seating area has a worn spot from about 5 o clock ro 8 o clock its not really anything to worry about I have seen much worse and they seem to work fine