Hey all,

I've got an '84 944 with 180k miles on it. The car still drives pretty good but idles irradically and I think the oil pan gasket has gone bad. I was planning on purchasing a motorcycle later this month which will free up the 944 (my current daily driver) and allow me to have it torn apart for a moonth or so.

I'm a computer programmer so I've never really 'got my hands dirty' but I love cars especially Porsches and I hate not really knowing what's what when talking to my mechanic. Last week I purchased the haynes workshop manual, given the proper tools and a lot of patience plus a help from my dad and a few friends I think I should be able to get things done in due time.

One of my main concerns was reaidng that the engine needs to be removed from underneath the car and that the car will need to be lifted atleast 21 inches off the ground. So I guess that eliminates using a crane to hoist it out from the top. And most jacks only go up to 17". So, what's the best way to do this in your home garage? I wish I had one of those lifts my mechanic has

Another thing I was curious about, is this overkill for a car that runs pretty good overall? Am I just talking crazy? It does have a lot of miles on it and I'm kind of really excited to do it but maybe I don't know what I'm getting into here

The best way to determine if it needs a rebuild is a compression and a leakdown test, the other thing to watch for is the warm oil pressure, if it is below 2 bar, especially if it is down at 1 bar, this will give an indication of the condition of the crankshaft bearings.
If your compression is low, and you have low oil pressure, it's time for a rebuild, and at 180k miles, it's probably getting close to time.

Thanks for the info. Also, whats the best way to remove the engine? I've read you should ently lower it onto a piece of cardboard or carpet and then drag it out from underneath the car. Does anyone have any reccomendations for car lifts or jacks that will lift the car higher than 21 inches so that I can get enough clearance.

Find a few big guys that live near you.

Nah, just kidding.
To lift the car, the best thing to do,is to drive it up on some 6-8" ramps, then use blocks of wood with a floor jack to get it up high enough (you will need the 6-8" you gained with the ramps for blocking to raise it high enough), then place some tall jack stands in the appropriate locations (can't think of where right now).

That is sort of a ghetto way of doing it, but for us without extra-high lift jacks with extra-low clearance, it's my best solution.

You know you need a rebuild when you throw a rod bearing like I did. I start on my engine next week.

This guy pulled his motor from the top. Maybe you need to remove the hood before doing this. I'd go this route vs under the car.

http://www.944s.com/944engine.htm

The link you posted doesn't work

I checked with my mechanic, he pulled my 944S motor through the top with the hood on.

About the link, I just clicked on it, worked fine.

Lets try the photo:

I have 4 944 na and race one in I class PCA. Have done 2 motor swaps and a recent valve job. My advice is to do a rod bearing job. It will renew the pan gasket at the same time, and do a valve job. There is nothing special about the heads. I took mine to a well reccomended local machine shop. Have them put in new valve guides and seals, check the springs and valves. You can mill about 20-25 thousandths if needed, less to clean up. All can be done with the engine in car. If you find that the cylinders are marred up or scratched, you can still pull the motor then and haven't wasted much effort or time. I really doubt you have any ring problems. I pulled both of mine out the top. Once with bell housing attached once without.

Terry
Kiss Oil Coolers
944oilcooling.com
84 na I class
86 na my driver
87 na sons driver
84 na bringing back from the dead

Uh... yeah.

Place the jacks a few feet back under the chassis. The Sentra SE-R and Infiniti G20 (both cars I have extensive experience doing swaps in) both are designed to have the engine removed from below. They require abotu 24" to slide the engine out. I've never had a problem with commong 3T stands by placing them at the rear control arm mounting points. Think about it.

17" at the control arms = a lot more at the core support.

let me tell you how i got my engine out when i had to replace it:

i jacked up one side of the car right behind the front wheel well [a lot ] and then i put a stand on it, then i jacked up the other side and put another stand there. there was a good 25" of clearance that way. after that, the jack was pulled aside and the engine was removed from the bottom.

Trymorris wrote:
I have 4 944 na and race one in I class PCA. Have done 2 motor swaps and a recent valve job. My advice is to do a rod bearing job. It will renew the pan gasket at the same time, and do a valve job. There is nothing special about the heads. I took mine to a well reccomended local machine shop. Have them put in new valve guides and seals, check the springs and valves. You can mill about 20-25 thousandths if needed, less to clean up. All can be done with the engine in car.

Hey if you dont mind email me on the details of this procedure. I lost a rod bearing at the track and lucky for me everything stayed inside the engine. I'm really not in the mood to pull the whole engine.