jeff spahn

also make sure when you pull the crossmember there is the starter wiring harness attached to it. have a helper hold that or prop on a box when you take it down. pay attention to routing of the wires if you pull them. don't forget to put the harness back in and zip tie it down to the crossmember.

jeff spahn

Put a new O ring on your dipstick tube too. They tend to leak. Don't retorque the connecting rod nuts or take them off unless you have new ones. They are a once on nut. If you do plan to do them I think it was a 14mm 12pt socket and a 2 stage torque sequence.
Wear safety glasses cause sand and grit will fall in your eyes when you take the crossmember down.
Pay attention to how the motor mount heat shields go on, sucks spending time figuring it out when you don't remember.
Takes lots of digital pictures as you go for reference on that kind of stuff.
Impact gun makes taking it apart super easy and fast. Ditto on impact ratchet.
Bag and tag bolts so you don't have any left over.

17prospective buyer

Thanks for all the replies guys, great insight. I'll be going to the local Napa to pick up all the universal/standard parts. Then make a list of what all i need and what all I can afford. Very interesting Jeff that those con rod end cap nuts must be torque to yield? 102ft.lbs for the upper a-arm bolts is alot but reasonable given how much differentiating load is concentrated in that single spot. I suppose I will also be doing some standard starter/starter control circuit tests. Voltage drops, solenoid windings test, and what not. What are the specs for the OEM starter, is it a PGR with permanent magnets or a traditional lap wound?

Landseer

What exactly is the plan?

There are no universal parts from NAPA. BTDT. Ok, maybe a pair of cotter pins for the castle nuts on the tie rods. And some dielectric grease to lube the rack boots. And some antisieze.

Use Volvo mounts, silicon OPG. If you have the solids, ditch them.

Good time for tie rod ends, steering rack boots, inspect the aluminum steering U-joint.

Exhaust pipe gaskets and 6 new nuts/bolts

Great time to do front rotors, pads, brake lines and wheel bearings/seals.

Starters are pretty much bullet proof and require no testing. Remove / replace.

Read the pros/cons of messing with rod bearings --- I wouldn't touch them unless the car has very high mileage or track history. If you do go there, check TSB's to confirm you don't have the defective nuts. There has been much written about the nuances of the available tolerances on the bearings.

Hilton

This should be emphasised.

You have to undo one of the two nuts on each upper control arm to remove the cross member - in fact the harder ones to get to. So undoing the other and removing the upper front suspension arms to replace the bushings is a good WYAIT.

Also - you're due some explanation on why solid mounts is not a good idea for street use. The point of the engine mounts is to reduce vibration through the chassis (which you already know given you're studying automotive stuff). If you replace the collapsed rubber ones with solid aluminum, then *all* the vibration goes through the chassis, which is significant with an uneven firing order like the 928.

Changing the collapsed rubber (hydraulic) ones for new rubber ones is one of the single most noticeable driveability changes you will make when fixing up a neglected 928.

fraggle

No one mentioned the ground strap that's down there. You can replace that with a generic part - I did!

Mrmerlin

how many miles are on your car?
If you have good oil pressure when the engine is at temp then i would not be messing with the rods
does the front end feel planted?
if it does I would not mess with any of the upper control arm bushings.
The only bolts that you remove for the engine bay connection to the suspension are,
the lower side brackets that tie into the A arms and the cross member,
you are not touching any of the upper A arm mounting bolts,
if you are loosening these bolts then you shouldnt be

Landseer

Right, just single bolt, each side, that runs front/back holding the crossmember to that bracket.
Out of 5 cars, I only replaced the A-arm bushings on one on them.

Imo000

If it has an atomatic transmission and you are replacing the oil pan gasket, have a good look a the thrust bearing too. However, if the pan gasket is good, replacing the engine mounts is very easy. Replacing the pan gasket will easily double the time.

And the specs for the starter is: If it works, don't touch it.

17prospective buyer

Alright guys. Well regarding the con rod nuts i never said anything about inspecting the lower end of the engine, i just thought it was interesting about the con rod torque specs. If they're "single use" then they must be either torque to yield or red loctited in there, but the latter makes no sense or they have metal integrity issues that Landseer mentioned. When i said "standard/universal" parts i just meant all the disposable things that some people have mentioned in this thread.

So you guys think some generic (Anchor Mounts from Ford Ranger i heard somewhere) rubber mounts will do the job? I completely understand the concept of vibration dampening in engines that corresponds with firing order generally. I suppose the solid mounts would be for high HP engines with extremely tight tolerances/VOC and a reinforced lower crossmember to go along with it?

Merlin: the car has 186 000KM on it (115 575 Miles), it seems to have been well taken care of all it's life, it's a 5 speed but i could still check endplay because it's a relatively easy procedure once the whole lower end is exposed, but i don't have a dial indicator, i suppose the maximum endplay feeler gauge would be a less accurate albeit good method as well, then gradually progressing to 0.008, 0.005" until i find one which fits in between the thrust bearing and counterweight/crank throw. Can i use the the generic 0.010" spec as maximum endplay? The engine started up after only a couple cranks, and it was sitting about 3 months without start. No blue smoke upon start. I never rev at all after a cold start to avoid bearing damage. The engine oil is always clean (amber) upon inspection, no air bubbles or metal filings). The only engine related service it needs are drivers side valvetrain cover and oil pan gasket. I cannot perform a compression test/vacuum test/leakage test/power balance test because i have not purchased any of those tools yet, but i told my Mum Christmas is coming.

Mrmerlin

OK thanks for the info,
I suggest to First call Roger and buy some of the Volvlo mounts and the silicone OPG.

Dont use the Anchors they are trash since they have now been outsourced to a less expensive vendor, a big batch of them have been installed and then soon collapsed.

Your thrust check isnt really needed as with the 5 speed the clutch is actually pulling on the thrust bearing instead of....... with the auto the driveshaft is pushing it towards the front and,
thats if the 5 speed shaft is correctly adjusted.

MAX on the thrust wear is .016in. nominal is .012in. new is .008in

I wouldnt mess with the leakdown test or compression test unless you have a rough idle or smoke or other things to give you cause to investigate, in other words if its not broke dont fix it till it is.
A vacuum test is of course less invasive.

Important to Also while your under the car make sure to check the rear driveshaft pinch bolt,
torque to 66 ft/lbs and put some blue loctite on the threads of the bolt ( I would bet its loose)


Test the steering rack bushings have a helper sit in the car with it running,
then turn the steering wheel about 2 inches each way.
While you look behind the front wheel , look at the sides of the rack see if they are moving in their anchor points,
if so then also get new rack bushings,
and order 4 sealing washers for the rack ,
and a new steering reservoir,
and replace the curved factory hose and short hose to the reservoir
Lift the front end and shake the wheels 3 to 9 o clock if you feel play then order new inner and outer tierods and rack boots replace both sides

Landseer

No we don't think generic Ranger / Anchor should be used. They are absolutely unusable since the company changed manufacturing methods in Asia. I have three sets that already need to be removed and replaced. Volvo V8 liquid filled from 928s RUS. I put a set of them on Jadz928's 84 Euro car and they work perfectly.

You don't need to check endplay for the 5 speed. If you insist, get a $30 digital Chinese dial gauge from Harbor Freight. Work great.

17prospective buyer

Merlin: Thanks for the info. I've made a list of things i need, i'll use 928srus for all my part needs.

I do think the engine may be running slightly rich, or could this be that i'm just not used to the emissions from my car as it has gutted cats (no catalyst material)? I figure it may well be timing related as well, as a generic shop did the TB/WP job and may not have set timing properly? Power band is no problem and it feels torquey as it should be. Although the throttle response seems very stiff as in at idle if i mash the throttle there's about a 1 second delay between RPM increase. The exhaust is not smokey whatsoever it just feels very humid/wet. But has a normal smell and as i stated the dipstick oil never had any significant aeration or cloudyness.

Mrmerlin

the timing cant be set unless the timing marks are off on the crankshaft and cams.
the computer controls all of the electronic goings on under the hood
the only thing that you can adjust
is the cam pulley timing with a Porken timing tool.

this is rather involved,
and if your not really handy with a tool set,
you ought to have someone that knows how to use this timing adjusting tool work with you the first time

Hilton

Stan, possibly this is a difference between RHD and LHD crossmembers?

There are two "ears" that go up off the cross member onto the aftward studs from the upper A-arms. Dropping the cross member involves removing the 22mm nut off that rear-most stud on the A-arm.