Engine Rebuild
#1
Racer
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Although I resisted, I am now in the process of having an engine rebuild to resolve oil leaks that were noticeably increasing over the past year. When I bought my 964 a little over two years ago, I only needed to add a ½ qt every 1000 miles or so. Recently, that had worsened to about 1 qt every 750 miles. When I had a suspension upgrade in March, the mechanic told me the oil problem was very serious and dramatically insisted on a rebuild. I didn’t believe him. So I took it to another guy, who I have since gained a huge amount of trust in, and together we agreed there were enough indications to drop the engine. One of the other reasons was a big reduction in firmness in the clutch, which would be much easier to replace with the engine out.
My Targa is a 1992 with just over 80,000 miles. Since I plan to keep the car indefinitely (I’m very loyal), I just figured I should go ahead and get this over with. My leakdown results were all pretty close to 90% (almost 10%). Cylinder #1 had a significant leak at the seal with the case, and my chain boxes were big leakers. There was also a very good chance that the front main crank seal was leaking. My garage floor was getting messy despite my oil mat, and I was concerned about oil on the exhaust.
I went by today to see the progress. Engine is out and breakdown is underway. I got to see the clutch come out and it was obviously ready for replacement. Like a dork I forgot my camera – I had wanted to get pictures and post them. Mechanic pointed out a number of minor related issues; fortunately, the flywheel was in good shape. He explained how he would fix the notable degradation in the fork, pivot shaft, and spline.
Well, I’m “in” (top end rebuild and clutch at least). I have a short list of “while you are in there” upgrades planned, but nothing too major. BTW, my mechanic is not in favor of head porting and prefers a modest cam upgrade instead. Comments?
So, I’m taking a financial hit while suffering without my all-time favorite toy just when the weather is begging for a drive. I hope to have the car back in mid-June. Can’t wait! Will also get the suspension readjusted (correctly this time).
Wish me luck! Any comments/suggestions are always appreciated.
My Targa is a 1992 with just over 80,000 miles. Since I plan to keep the car indefinitely (I’m very loyal), I just figured I should go ahead and get this over with. My leakdown results were all pretty close to 90% (almost 10%). Cylinder #1 had a significant leak at the seal with the case, and my chain boxes were big leakers. There was also a very good chance that the front main crank seal was leaking. My garage floor was getting messy despite my oil mat, and I was concerned about oil on the exhaust.
I went by today to see the progress. Engine is out and breakdown is underway. I got to see the clutch come out and it was obviously ready for replacement. Like a dork I forgot my camera – I had wanted to get pictures and post them. Mechanic pointed out a number of minor related issues; fortunately, the flywheel was in good shape. He explained how he would fix the notable degradation in the fork, pivot shaft, and spline.
Well, I’m “in” (top end rebuild and clutch at least). I have a short list of “while you are in there” upgrades planned, but nothing too major. BTW, my mechanic is not in favor of head porting and prefers a modest cam upgrade instead. Comments?
So, I’m taking a financial hit while suffering without my all-time favorite toy just when the weather is begging for a drive. I hope to have the car back in mid-June. Can’t wait! Will also get the suspension readjusted (correctly this time).
Wish me luck! Any comments/suggestions are always appreciated.
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#4
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Redo / reinforce the engine mount bar thing ?
Redo the engine mounts with the wevo mounts ?
Redo the heat pad over the engine ?
Redo the oil lines on the motor ?
Redo the fuel lines on and around the motor ?
Get the engine tin powder coated ?
Upgrade the valve covers ?
Flow bench the butterfly ?
Get into the engine compartment and clean / detail it ?
Take out all the tail lights and clean up and paint ?
Take out the oil tank and clean it and repaint it ?
Redo the engine mounts with the wevo mounts ?
Redo the heat pad over the engine ?
Redo the oil lines on the motor ?
Redo the fuel lines on and around the motor ?
Get the engine tin powder coated ?
Upgrade the valve covers ?
Flow bench the butterfly ?
Get into the engine compartment and clean / detail it ?
Take out all the tail lights and clean up and paint ?
Take out the oil tank and clean it and repaint it ?
#6
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Redo / reinforce the engine mount bar thing ? I have seen where these have shown problems - thanks for the reminder. I'll take a look next visit.
Redo the engine mounts with the wevo mounts ? Yes, WEVO blacks
Redo the heat pad over the engine ? Yes, for sure
Redo the oil lines on the motor ? Inspecting for any indication - replace
Redo the fuel lines on and around the motor ? Ditto as oil lines
Get the engine tin powder coated ? Yup
Upgrade the valve covers ? No, they don't appear to be leaking - Blanchard grind and soda blast
Flow bench the butterfly ? Not sure what that is?
Get into the engine compartment and clean / detail it ? Absolutely - I'm semi-OCD
Take out all the tail lights and clean up and paint ? Hadn't thought of that, but I can do that myself, right?
Take out the oil tank and clean it and repaint it ? Also hadn't thought of that - I'll ask the mechanic
Redo the engine mounts with the wevo mounts ? Yes, WEVO blacks
Redo the heat pad over the engine ? Yes, for sure
Redo the oil lines on the motor ? Inspecting for any indication - replace
Redo the fuel lines on and around the motor ? Ditto as oil lines
Get the engine tin powder coated ? Yup
Upgrade the valve covers ? No, they don't appear to be leaking - Blanchard grind and soda blast
Flow bench the butterfly ? Not sure what that is?
Get into the engine compartment and clean / detail it ? Absolutely - I'm semi-OCD
Take out all the tail lights and clean up and paint ? Hadn't thought of that, but I can do that myself, right?
Take out the oil tank and clean it and repaint it ? Also hadn't thought of that - I'll ask the mechanic
Thanks very much for your great input!
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#7
Nordschleife Master
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_flow_bench
Painting behind the tail lights ? Sure you can do it .
Painting the tail lights ? Sure you can do it .
Painting behind the tail lights ? Sure you can do it .
Painting the tail lights ? Sure you can do it .
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#10
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Beyond the strictly technical elements, there are more subjective aspects to the decision of spending the time and money to drop a 911 engine. I don't see it as necessarily black and white unless something drastic has occurred. To me, there were enough factors, not the least of which was - I want to keep and enjoy the car, so I wanted to get this behind me.
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#11
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As part of this rebuild, I'm strongly considering having the mechanic remove the A/C. He seems to disagree with that though. However, as a Targa owner I really don't use it, which is kind of a no-no for the seals and such. I just see that big unused blob of weight back there and want to chuck it (although I would certainly save it). Any comments to tip me one way or the other? Thanks!
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#12
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I'm going to have to disagree on this one. I have the RS LWF and clutch and I also bought a brand new ISV (after several clean out attempts on the old one) and I have now been through three different Steve Wong chips. Result? My RS America still sometimes has a tendency to stall at lights or in traffic if I have the AC running. I'm not saying not to do the LWF and clutch mod. It really wakes up the throttle response and rev matching and it makes the car a whole lot more fun. But just be aware that it may come at a cost of having to manage the stalling tendencies. Everything is a trade off.
#13
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As part of this rebuild, I'm strongly considering having the mechanic remove the A/C. He seems to disagree with that though. However, as a Targa owner I really don't use it, which is kind of a no-no for the seals and such. I just see that big unused blob of weight back there and want to chuck it (although I would certainly save it). Any comments to tip me one way or the other? Thanks! ![ducking](https://rennlist.com/forums/graemlins/icon107.gif)
![ducking](https://rennlist.com/forums/graemlins/icon107.gif)
#14
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I'm going to have to disagree on this one. I have the RS LWF and clutch and I also bought a brand new ISV (after several clean out attempts on the old one) and I have now been through three different Steve Wong chips. Result? My RS America still sometimes has a tendency to stall at lights or in traffic if I have the AC running. I'm not saying not to do the LWF and clutch mod. It really wakes up the throttle response and rev matching and it makes the car a whole lot more fun. But just be aware that it may come at a cost of having to manage the stalling tendencies. Everything is a trade off.
![ducking](https://rennlist.com/forums/graemlins/icon107.gif)
![ducking](https://rennlist.com/forums/graemlins/icon107.gif)
#15
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As part of this rebuild, I'm strongly considering having the mechanic remove the A/C. He seems to disagree with that though. However, as a Targa owner I really don't use it, which is kind of a no-no for the seals and such. I just see that big unused blob of weight back there and want to chuck it (although I would certainly save it). Any comments to tip me one way or the other? Thanks! ![ducking](https://rennlist.com/forums/graemlins/icon107.gif)
![ducking](https://rennlist.com/forums/graemlins/icon107.gif)