awilli6

Hi gang,

I have an 87S4 with ~100k on the clock. I've done good so far with MM, brakes, wheel bearing etc. mostly bolt on stuff. In the next couple of months I'm looking tomgetnthe TB & intake done. I thought about doing it myself, but I'm no mechanic. How much and where can I take it to have it done. I'm in memphis and would be willing to go as far as Texas to the west and carolina to the east. If I did it and replaced virtually everything, how much could I save.

BTW, drove it to Nashville yesterday (3 hour drive) and she ran like a champ. Only thing, when I'm doing about 85-95 and hit the accelerator, the transmission doesn't downshift. It accelerates but not like it does when i hit it at 75 enough. The transmission doesn't shift again, even at 120+. It

Mongo

It's not hard to do the intake refresh yourself. There are Rennlisters here that are maybe in your area, and would probably arrange a TB-WP Party to help you out.

The intake refresh was actually kinda fun when I did it. You learn A LOT about your car and you can make the valley of the V8 squeaky clean yourself. Keep in mind you also have the chance to refinish all those old and paint chipping parts!

awilli6

My fear is I get it all back together and it doesn't crank. I really have no idea how an engine actually works. I know how some things work, but I don't know that this fires to make this spark to make that run

westija

I am in the process of doing my Intake as we speak. In parts only I already spent a bit over $1,000 and that does not include some parts that you may find bad and needs replacement (such as throttle position sensor, crank posiition, etc). Powdercoating adds more a few hundreds, depending on where you take it. If you add all the labor, you might double this, maybe more.
Some recent threads mentioned doing the TB and Water Pump would cost another $2k, can't remeber for sure.

Like I said, I am doing mine and am enjoying (for the most part) and learning a lot (all the time), and counting on renllisters' help to answer many questions, (I have a few outstanding around here).

Give it a shot and try yourself if you can take your time and do it with not much stress

Good luck

Mongo

Talk to Roger Tyson at 928s'R'Us. He created a shopping list of the things you NEED for the service. Do not skip any hoses and sensors. 90% of the stuff on there is mandatory.

finally!

IMHO gotta do the water pump and associated stuff
Might hit up Sean
Great work and great guy!

mickster

If you haven't done it already, check the Bowden cable tension. Not saying you shouldn't do a top-end refresh (and TB/WP) but try the small fixes first. How is your ATF level?

Avar928

I spent $2,500 on my intake refresh having an independent shop do it. He replaced the baskets, boots, some fuel lines, injector rings, some old crusted hoses, vacuum lines and connectors. Spent about $1,000 in parts with the rest into labor.

If I did it myself I could have done it for $500, getting all the parts from Roger and PelicanParts. I was new to wrenching so doing it myself seemed like a daunting task but now I'm bent on doing just about everything I can. I've saved thousands of dollars on labor and upmarked dealership costs on the same parts o.o

Timing Belt and Water Pump will snag you at $2,000-2,500. IF you need new cam gears, add an extra $1,000 in parts alone. I was quoted at over $4,000 for TB/WP plus front oil seal and new gears. Water pump alone had me at $700. I just bought one brand new for $290 PLUS the gasket, free shipping. I just need the belts, PKtensioner, front oil seal and I'm good to hold a TB/WP party and get it all done for $500 and some BBQ plus beer!

17prospective buyer

IMO an intake refresh is simply R&R, any technician or even regular civilian can do R&R. The difference is that a mechanic actually knows what each and every part of an engine subsystem does, and why it does it.

Just make a plan before you start ripping and a tearing. That's what i did when i took the motor out of my car, and right now i'm in the process of soda blasting my intake/cam covers/oil filler neck. When you make a plan, it's much easier to know where you are supposed to be going. Start with writing down the goals of your project, imagine how it will feel when you get this stuff done, then how you will achieve this, then what you need before you can start this project.

Don't let the seemingly complex 928 engine overwhelm you either. If you have a problem after it's all said and done, separate the engine into the subsystems that make an engine run. Then go from there and separate those subsystems to isolate the component/s that is causing the problem.

For your first projects on the car i would deffinitely and do it by the book the first time, from there you can then know what can be cut out of the procedures to save time that aren't necessary, or that don't apply.

Remember Rennlist will always have the answer to any questions you may have. There are very experienced people here. I am not one of them, i'm just an automotive student that wants to learn...

Above all, remember that there'll be an awful lot of removing 3 parts just to get to the one you were intending to R&R, which will lead into many other WYIT jobs.

Tom in Austin

Agree with above ... follow Dwayne's illustrated write-up, do everything that needs to be done (or can only be done with the intake off), ask questions here when stumped, and most of all, allow plenty of time to check and double-check everything to be sure it's right.

It's actually one of the easier major jobs on a 928 since you're not underneath the car and the stuff you're handling isn't too large or heavy.

Kevin in Atlanta

Write up is here:
Dwayne's Excellent Write-Up

rgs944

Dwayne and Roger will be your two new best friends if you choose to do it yourself. When you stumble just ask the experts on this forum. Just like the PGA tour. "These guys are good".