jej3

Curious how long it has taken average ability folks to do an Intake Refresh? My durametric foound a Knock Sensor 2 fault and I'm speculating I am on the road to needing to do a refresh.

Would like to have a sense of how long it has taken folks to do this as I am unsure if I should get on this right away or do SITM and then worry about it.

Thanks!

jeff spahn

Weekend if you don't plan on powder coating and all comes apart well. Not that bad a job. Be sure to duct tape (or get the cover plates) over the intake ports on the heads so you don't lose anything. Get Dwayne's writeup. Makes it super simple.

Reddog2

You don't want to hear this, but mine took a few months - 6 I think. In my own defence I only worked on it part time and over the winter/spring and lots of starts and stops. Also did a few other things while in there. Doing it again, I could do a lot faster.

I did do powder coating, including the valve covers. Also struggled with broken valve cover bolts . Had injector issues with leaks upon reassembly. Exxon Valdex scale oil and sludge in valley. Also - I am in Canada so any parts required out of US took their time getting to me.

Well worth it though.

syoo8

Trey, keep in mind that Jeff is an expert...

It took me a long time on my S3- three months- because every time I took something apart I found something else that needed to be replaced or thoroughly cleaned. If I didn't powder coat I'd say it would have taken me at least 10 days. You end up finding something that's broken and then need to order a part. I think a weekend is really pushing it. (Unless you're someone like Jeff.)

My 2 cents. Good luck- all in all it is a really fun job. I would highly recommend doing the powder coating. You're going to be doing all that work anyway- why not do it right?

Adamant1971

I would do it after SITM, so you can take your time, powder coat, clean, clean and clean.

But if you are all set with parts and not coating, a weekend is totally doable.

linderpat

Pretty much the same for me too on the 86. Not 6 months, but several. It was a beautiful engine bay when done. EVERYTHING was cleaned and spotless, all rubber replaced, etc. See this link: https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...and-after.html
The prep is what takes time, but the actual work to put it all back together is a long weekend. I am doing my 78 right now, and am several weeks into it, with several more to go. I am also doing the water pump timing belt job at the same time, so everything is torn up.

Get all or your parts before you start, plan to buy more while working as you see what else you'll need, and assume you will buy specialized tools once you get into it as things break, or don't come apart with a typical screwdriver, socket, wrench etc. I have tons of tools, many of them rarely used, but when you need them they are there and worth their weight in gold.
Good luck and post pictures.

SeanR

I usually bill it out at 6-7 hours and after the last several I think I've been ripping myself off as it's taken a lot longer than that.

Important part is you change everything that you can't get to easily when it is together. Don't skimp on the parts, take your time and double check your work. Plan on taking it off at least once after you think it's right

linderpat

Here are a couple more pics after I cleaned up the remaining small things like the cross brace, oil filler car, res cap, etc.

jej3

Very nice, Ed. Thank you, everyone! I'll probably use SITM to collect ideas for what I want to do. Hopefully the intermittent knock sensor fault won't cause any problems.

chitown928s4

Just having done intake refresh, cam cover gaskets and powder coating took about 6 hours break down. 10 hours reassembly. Add another 6-8 hours cleaning the engine cuz theres a lotta oil buildup under the intake. Why wouldnt you clean her. Not including cleaning and degreasing for media blast another 4 hours. Giving her a bath and pressure washing after PC another 6 hours. Allow 25-36 actual hours of work. Half that if your skipping PC...but while your at it. Its a very rewarding endevour.

James Bailey

The knock sensor will just retard the ignition timing so minus a few horsepower...no real potential for damage running that way and it is not going to make it stop running. Do the job after the meeting then fix whatever else breaks as it comes apart or needs attention plus get it nice and clean. No need to create DRAMA working toward a deadline, you are not filming a car show !!

MainePorsche

Exactly what Sean says.
Make a list of what you want to replace and service while the 'lid is off' BEFORE you even remove the first nut. Get some Loctite 574 for the fuel line flanges for the re-install. Set a diligent pace for yourself - don't rush. Most importantly, be methodical.

linderpat

sorry for the hi-jak, but don't these go together dry? Or at most silver antiseize?

jeff spahn

I used silver anti seize cause that's what the instructions on Greg Brown's fuel hoses said to use.

worf928

FWIW, On an S4, I usually quote 12-18 hours for a Full Monty intake refresh. That includes intake, water bridge, filler neck, fuel lines, ground cleaning, minor harness repairs, new vac lines, sending injectors off for cleaning, and every replaceable limited-lifetime part. The variance is due to how dirty stuff is, how long I spend cleaning, and how hard it is to get some of the stuff apart (speed sensor in particular.)

This does not include disassembling the flappy for powder coating or replacing the throttle plate axle bearings nor pre/post prep for coating, etc.

The S3 takes a bit longer than that. There are more bits and it takes longer to put back together.