Engine removal
06-18-2022, 12:59 PM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Engine removal
Doesn't seem like much content out there on removing 987.2 engines. Anyone know if the mounting points and process is the same as 986 or 987.1? I imagine it's 95% there but just trying to plan ahead instead of reinventing the wheel. Remove with the transmission or remove that separately first? Believe removing together is most efficient. Any recommended "while you're in there" maintenance and gaskets to replace?
Basic steps (using a 2 post lift):
1. Disconnect - Coolant lines, wiring harness, bracing, intake, exhaust system, A/C & power steering, shift cables, half shafts, clutch slave (either remove trans now or wait), fuel line, sway bar, heater core, and AOS
2. Build platform (probably a furniture dolly on wheels with tire on top)
3. lower car so engine sits on platform and remove engine/transmission mounts
4. Raise car
5. Install engine back in reverse order
Could be missing some obvious steps, I didn't spend a whole lot of time making this list. But welcoming all tips and tricks.
Basic steps (using a 2 post lift):
1. Disconnect - Coolant lines, wiring harness, bracing, intake, exhaust system, A/C & power steering, shift cables, half shafts, clutch slave (either remove trans now or wait), fuel line, sway bar, heater core, and AOS
2. Build platform (probably a furniture dolly on wheels with tire on top)
3. lower car so engine sits on platform and remove engine/transmission mounts
4. Raise car
5. Install engine back in reverse order
Could be missing some obvious steps, I didn't spend a whole lot of time making this list. But welcoming all tips and tricks.
Last edited by mdf008; 06-18-2022 at 02:05 PM.
06-19-2022, 08:06 AM
#2
Rennlist Member
Because I removed the engine from my 987.1 I can remember a few things which might help. My third Porsche engine removal but always many years in between.
1 Power steering line couplers. They are “special” and located approximately under drivers seat under car, One uncoupled and the other wouldn’t, wound up being my most expensive PIA item. Take the belly pans off first and try uncoupling first step. If you fail, go get help before it’s all apart and you’re stuck. These coupling are permanent to expensive lines so you can’t just regroup and hit the parts store easily.
2 electrical connector to cooling fan right side of engine, hard to see.
3 refilling coolant after, need the special vacuum fill equipment.
You didn’t say why motor is coming out, agree that it’s simpler to remove with the trans. I did an engine replacement on the 987. Best advice from a Porsche dealer tech was to swap the harness off the original engine to the replacement. I did that and the replacement engine fired first try.
4 uncoupling fuel was easy but smelly, you’re dfi engine could be slightly different.
5 watch some u-tube videos on how to uncouple VW PORSCHE electrical connectors, the push then pull technique. Connectors get dirty and are very frustrating, they all need patience to get apart.
I replaced my coolant hoses and motor mount, both cheap. My front mount was completely shot, news ones are cheap.
and one last, the slave is lower than the reservoir so it’s gonna leak brake fluid if you uncouple it. Be ready.
1 Power steering line couplers. They are “special” and located approximately under drivers seat under car, One uncoupled and the other wouldn’t, wound up being my most expensive PIA item. Take the belly pans off first and try uncoupling first step. If you fail, go get help before it’s all apart and you’re stuck. These coupling are permanent to expensive lines so you can’t just regroup and hit the parts store easily.
2 electrical connector to cooling fan right side of engine, hard to see.
3 refilling coolant after, need the special vacuum fill equipment.
You didn’t say why motor is coming out, agree that it’s simpler to remove with the trans. I did an engine replacement on the 987. Best advice from a Porsche dealer tech was to swap the harness off the original engine to the replacement. I did that and the replacement engine fired first try.
4 uncoupling fuel was easy but smelly, you’re dfi engine could be slightly different.
5 watch some u-tube videos on how to uncouple VW PORSCHE electrical connectors, the push then pull technique. Connectors get dirty and are very frustrating, they all need patience to get apart.
I replaced my coolant hoses and motor mount, both cheap. My front mount was completely shot, news ones are cheap.
and one last, the slave is lower than the reservoir so it’s gonna leak brake fluid if you uncouple it. Be ready.
Last edited by jesseellington; 06-19-2022 at 08:08 AM.
06-19-2022, 10:58 AM
#3
Racer
Subscribed 
06-20-2022, 03:13 PM
#4
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Because I removed the engine from my 987.1 I can remember a few things which might help. My third Porsche engine removal but always many years in between.
1 Power steering line couplers. They are “special” and located approximately under drivers seat under car, One uncoupled and the other wouldn’t, wound up being my most expensive PIA item. Take the belly pans off first and try uncoupling first step. If you fail, go get help before it’s all apart and you’re stuck. These coupling are permanent to expensive lines so you can’t just regroup and hit the parts store easily.
2 electrical connector to cooling fan right side of engine, hard to see.
3 refilling coolant after, need the special vacuum fill equipment.
You didn’t say why motor is coming out, agree that it’s simpler to remove with the trans. I did an engine replacement on the 987. Best advice from a Porsche dealer tech was to swap the harness off the original engine to the replacement. I did that and the replacement engine fired first try.
4 uncoupling fuel was easy but smelly, you’re dfi engine could be slightly different.
5 watch some u-tube videos on how to uncouple VW PORSCHE electrical connectors, the push then pull technique. Connectors get dirty and are very frustrating, they all need patience to get apart.
I replaced my coolant hoses and motor mount, both cheap. My front mount was completely shot, news ones are cheap.
and one last, the slave is lower than the reservoir so it’s gonna leak brake fluid if you uncouple it. Be ready.
1 Power steering line couplers. They are “special” and located approximately under drivers seat under car, One uncoupled and the other wouldn’t, wound up being my most expensive PIA item. Take the belly pans off first and try uncoupling first step. If you fail, go get help before it’s all apart and you’re stuck. These coupling are permanent to expensive lines so you can’t just regroup and hit the parts store easily.
2 electrical connector to cooling fan right side of engine, hard to see.
3 refilling coolant after, need the special vacuum fill equipment.
You didn’t say why motor is coming out, agree that it’s simpler to remove with the trans. I did an engine replacement on the 987. Best advice from a Porsche dealer tech was to swap the harness off the original engine to the replacement. I did that and the replacement engine fired first try.
4 uncoupling fuel was easy but smelly, you’re dfi engine could be slightly different.
5 watch some u-tube videos on how to uncouple VW PORSCHE electrical connectors, the push then pull technique. Connectors get dirty and are very frustrating, they all need patience to get apart.
I replaced my coolant hoses and motor mount, both cheap. My front mount was completely shot, news ones are cheap.
and one last, the slave is lower than the reservoir so it’s gonna leak brake fluid if you uncouple it. Be ready.
All great advise, thank you! Will will see if I can get additional advice on the power steering lines from a tech. Engine is coming out due to bore scoring. After considering options, I am 99% sure that I will put a replacement 3.4L in. I have no idea if there is a market for my damaged engine but the core is cheap enough to consider keeping it.
09-06-2022, 12:46 AM
#5
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Followup - Engine out and replacement motor back in. I've got some experience with engine replacements on BMWs and once in an 07 Silverado but by no means a professional. Aside from being a completely different process coming out the bottom, it wasn't all that bad. @jesseellington, I re-read your advise and found it really helpful. I used new orings everywhere I could but did not replace the rubber hoses. My motor mount appeared to be in okay shape but I slightly regret not getting the power flex insert to help preserve it. It really came down to not wanting to wait while I had the help available to get it installed.
Blocked off a week and took me 4 days (3 of those were with a buddy) to get the work done. It was a balance between not rushing the job and not forgetting what went where and the process, but I would do the same timeframe again. Day 1, engine/trans came out. Day 2, mostly swapping engine wiring harness (donor was PDK which is a different harness) and getting trans switched over. Day 3 was install. Day 4 was buttoning misc things back up. I then waited a week or so for some parts to come, one of which was a cooling system vacuum so delayed all fluids until the following weekend. Got the power steering in and cycled the rack a few times, seemed to only take 1/2 L. Fresh engine oil, took every drop of 8L's. Cooling system took just over 5 gallons. Started up without a hiccup. Little bit of smoke from engine bay burning off whatever oils I transferred on the exhaust.
Some tips from this experience-
1. Do this on a lift. Yikes I cannot imagine doing this without one. Even a 4 post would probably work just fine but would be less comfortable to move around and check at various angles. I used a 2 post
2. There are tight clearances front to back to get the engine in. Have a good engine support on wheels to remove/install drivetrain. I used a 1/2 ton furniture dolly, 275W spare tire, and plywood on top of the tire. It was a thinner 3 ply thick that I doubled up and I would go thicker/stronger next time as it was really starting to bow at the time of install. A spare wheel/tire combo would certainly help but it was nice to have that little give from just the tire too. I also used a jack to support the end of trans as well.
3. Yes those power steering connectors were tricky. First one came out without much of a fuss. Next one, the inside one without a rubber bushing, gave some struggles. I ended up using a cheap thin wrench that must have came with a food disposer I think and used my bench grinder to widen the opening. It was the perfect tool with just enough rigidity to leverage the push connection while I pulled away on both sides. It wasn't a huge time suck but certainly the most difficult connector and would be annoyed at doing it again.
4. Not all electric harness connectors are equal. Some are easy with fingers, most were best assisted with a pick/small flat head. Some pulled while others pushed. A bit annoying at first. I probably wouldn't mention this tip if it weren't for switching over the entire engine harness. Lots of strategic thinking with that... I opted to remove the 6spd harness and install it one section at a time as the PDK harness was being removed to make sure all connectors were clipped in and routed over this and under that, the same way the Germans did it.
5. Removing the clutch slave wasn't so bad but I expected a challenge reinstalling it. I opted to keep the system closed as that's one less thing to bleed. To install, it was a piece of cake doing it mid drive-train install. When the trans is close enough, you can stick you head in the transmission area and install the slave with a lot of comfort and leverage. The clutch slave line allows for a bit of flexibility. This would apply to just a trans removal for a clutch job or something too.
6. Use new orings for everything that is open. I did coolant, A/C, and intake manifold gaskets (only require to remove to get harness swapped). I couldn't find replacements for power steering and didn't appear to be any for fuel. Flywheel bolts are one time use.
7. Installing flywheel bolts was a process. I didn't use a factory tool to lock the flywheel and unlike many other engines, there was no big, centered crank bolt to keep the motor from spinning. Just looking at the smaller crank bolts was enough for me to not try from that end. So I made a bracket that bolted the flywheel (pressure plate hole) and the trans (top trans mount hole). The dual mass flywheel is spring loaded so I constantly had to undue my bracket and move the flywheel back otherwise the flywheel bolt holes would not align and if I tried to tighten misaligned, the socket would slip off the bolt head.
That about sums it up. Feel free to reach out with any questions. I enjoyed the job and would be excited to do it again (the financial part of the job was most certainly not part of the fun). If I were more courageous, I might have opted for a GT4 motor as that would, in theory, bolt right in and be less of a head scratcher than a 997 motor.
Blocked off a week and took me 4 days (3 of those were with a buddy) to get the work done. It was a balance between not rushing the job and not forgetting what went where and the process, but I would do the same timeframe again. Day 1, engine/trans came out. Day 2, mostly swapping engine wiring harness (donor was PDK which is a different harness) and getting trans switched over. Day 3 was install. Day 4 was buttoning misc things back up. I then waited a week or so for some parts to come, one of which was a cooling system vacuum so delayed all fluids until the following weekend. Got the power steering in and cycled the rack a few times, seemed to only take 1/2 L. Fresh engine oil, took every drop of 8L's. Cooling system took just over 5 gallons. Started up without a hiccup. Little bit of smoke from engine bay burning off whatever oils I transferred on the exhaust.
Some tips from this experience-
1. Do this on a lift. Yikes I cannot imagine doing this without one. Even a 4 post would probably work just fine but would be less comfortable to move around and check at various angles. I used a 2 post
2. There are tight clearances front to back to get the engine in. Have a good engine support on wheels to remove/install drivetrain. I used a 1/2 ton furniture dolly, 275W spare tire, and plywood on top of the tire. It was a thinner 3 ply thick that I doubled up and I would go thicker/stronger next time as it was really starting to bow at the time of install. A spare wheel/tire combo would certainly help but it was nice to have that little give from just the tire too. I also used a jack to support the end of trans as well.
3. Yes those power steering connectors were tricky. First one came out without much of a fuss. Next one, the inside one without a rubber bushing, gave some struggles. I ended up using a cheap thin wrench that must have came with a food disposer I think and used my bench grinder to widen the opening. It was the perfect tool with just enough rigidity to leverage the push connection while I pulled away on both sides. It wasn't a huge time suck but certainly the most difficult connector and would be annoyed at doing it again.
4. Not all electric harness connectors are equal. Some are easy with fingers, most were best assisted with a pick/small flat head. Some pulled while others pushed. A bit annoying at first. I probably wouldn't mention this tip if it weren't for switching over the entire engine harness. Lots of strategic thinking with that... I opted to remove the 6spd harness and install it one section at a time as the PDK harness was being removed to make sure all connectors were clipped in and routed over this and under that, the same way the Germans did it.
5. Removing the clutch slave wasn't so bad but I expected a challenge reinstalling it. I opted to keep the system closed as that's one less thing to bleed. To install, it was a piece of cake doing it mid drive-train install. When the trans is close enough, you can stick you head in the transmission area and install the slave with a lot of comfort and leverage. The clutch slave line allows for a bit of flexibility. This would apply to just a trans removal for a clutch job or something too.
6. Use new orings for everything that is open. I did coolant, A/C, and intake manifold gaskets (only require to remove to get harness swapped). I couldn't find replacements for power steering and didn't appear to be any for fuel. Flywheel bolts are one time use.
7. Installing flywheel bolts was a process. I didn't use a factory tool to lock the flywheel and unlike many other engines, there was no big, centered crank bolt to keep the motor from spinning. Just looking at the smaller crank bolts was enough for me to not try from that end. So I made a bracket that bolted the flywheel (pressure plate hole) and the trans (top trans mount hole). The dual mass flywheel is spring loaded so I constantly had to undue my bracket and move the flywheel back otherwise the flywheel bolt holes would not align and if I tried to tighten misaligned, the socket would slip off the bolt head.
That about sums it up. Feel free to reach out with any questions. I enjoyed the job and would be excited to do it again (the financial part of the job was most certainly not part of the fun). If I were more courageous, I might have opted for a GT4 motor as that would, in theory, bolt right in and be less of a head scratcher than a 997 motor.
Last edited by mdf008; 09-06-2022 at 12:48 AM.
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