What's going on with my 3.4 engine?
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Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Momence, IL
Yes, they recommend something called Driven 40 that has some sort of slippery additive in it. Doubt I'll try that. I know what needs to be done. Well, sort of. I'm leaning towards LN's nickie cylinders and their super-duper ultimate IMS fix. But I do have a couple questions. Back when my son was doing moto-cross, it became apparent that some people were having their cylinders recoated with Nikasil. I looked it up at the time and one place was in Montreal. I wonder if they could do it and if the Nikosil can be applied over the Porsche cylinder base metal. I know they do motorcycle cylinders and outboard motors too. I must look them up and ask them.
The other issue we commonly see are bores that are improperly honed (too rough) which will result in the engines losing ring seal and consuming lots of oil in a very short amount of time. Unless you own a profilometer and know what the finish should be, you really don't know if the cylinders have been honed properly.
Also, are Porsche piston rings designed for Lokosil compatible with Nikosil?
I've been rebuilding all kinds of engines for a very long time, but admit the M97 has some weird quirks, such as installing the opposite bank wrist pin clips and cam gear timing. Then there's torque specs I don't have. There's a lot of info out there, but I wish I had a good Service Manual to follow.
https://lnengineering.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=tkg
https://lnengineering.com/education/...brary/m96.html
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It's been a while, but today I finally got the Bank 2 Cyl. Head off and here's a pic of Cyl. 6 scoring. Should have the block split open by early next week. Now to figure out where to send it. I have been looking at the Canadian Rep for Hartech, but their website is mysteriously gone. I must call them to see if they're still in business. LN would be nice, but it involves sending the block halves across the border which means numerous transport changes and that means risk of damage. Just in a cardboard box? Maybe plywood and angle iron.... Anyway, just how much should one insure it for? Probably the price of a whole used engine... maybe $10K ???
By the way, many thanks to Harvey Ferris as he's been a great help with lots of technical info and advice.
By the way, many thanks to Harvey Ferris as he's been a great help with lots of technical info and advice.
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From: Momence, IL
Since you're in Canada, it's not convenient to have us send our custom block boxes to make shipping easy and safe, but we still have lots of people make it work.
What we used to tell people to do is to use a double wall box and box each case half separately with at least 2-3 min inches of rigid cardboard on all sides of the case half. Any studs and locating dowels need to be removed or they end up bursting through the box. I'd insure each box for market value for a used block - the last two used 3.8 blocks we purchased we paid between $3-4k ea. If you really want to cover your butt you could insure it for the cost of a new block from from Porsche.
Do not put both halves into one box and for sure do not put anything else in the box with a case half like the IMS shaft or anything else for that matter. You'd be amazed how people send their blocks to us and how much shipping damage repair we have to do. :-(
What we used to tell people to do is to use a double wall box and box each case half separately with at least 2-3 min inches of rigid cardboard on all sides of the case half. Any studs and locating dowels need to be removed or they end up bursting through the box. I'd insure each box for market value for a used block - the last two used 3.8 blocks we purchased we paid between $3-4k ea. If you really want to cover your butt you could insure it for the cost of a new block from from Porsche.
Do not put both halves into one box and for sure do not put anything else in the box with a case half like the IMS shaft or anything else for that matter. You'd be amazed how people send their blocks to us and how much shipping damage repair we have to do. :-(
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From: New Hill, NC
All I did was to tell him to keep going when he hit roadblocks.
Rebuilding these engines is difficult, especially for a first timer. Congrats on getting it to crank over and run smoothly!!!
Rebuilding these engines is difficult, especially for a first timer. Congrats on getting it to crank over and run smoothly!!!
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From: Western Washington
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No, I don't mind you asking. In fact I thought of mentioning it earlier but didn't.
The rebuild (not counting tools) was under $6K Cdn.... maybe about $5.7K Cdn. That's about 4.2K USD. Most of it was the re-plating and new pistons.
Special Tools? That's a tough one because some of the tools I bought wern't Porsche specific like the triple square sockets. However for the Porsche specific ones I'd say no more than $500 Cdn or $370 USD.
Now doesn't that sound like a great deal less than that $25K USD independent shop cost I keep hearing about. Mind you it is from start to finish which includes taking the engine out and putting it back in.
Before all of you go running to buy parts and tools, be advised that this has been the most frustrating car to deal with I've ever worked on. You need a lot of patience and stubbornness.... and time. Even the easiest task seems to take 4 times longer than you originally thought.
EDIT: I forgot to mention I only rebuilt the engine part affected by bore-scoring. For example I did not refurbish the cylinder heads. I did however install all new bearings, gaskets and typical re-build items. Also I bought a 4 post lift to raise the car. I don't count this as part of the cost as I've wanted one forever and I can use it for my other cars.
The rebuild (not counting tools) was under $6K Cdn.... maybe about $5.7K Cdn. That's about 4.2K USD. Most of it was the re-plating and new pistons.
Special Tools? That's a tough one because some of the tools I bought wern't Porsche specific like the triple square sockets. However for the Porsche specific ones I'd say no more than $500 Cdn or $370 USD.
Now doesn't that sound like a great deal less than that $25K USD independent shop cost I keep hearing about. Mind you it is from start to finish which includes taking the engine out and putting it back in.
Before all of you go running to buy parts and tools, be advised that this has been the most frustrating car to deal with I've ever worked on. You need a lot of patience and stubbornness.... and time. Even the easiest task seems to take 4 times longer than you originally thought.
EDIT: I forgot to mention I only rebuilt the engine part affected by bore-scoring. For example I did not refurbish the cylinder heads. I did however install all new bearings, gaskets and typical re-build items. Also I bought a 4 post lift to raise the car. I don't count this as part of the cost as I've wanted one forever and I can use it for my other cars.
Last edited by Eggbert; Jun 6, 2025 at 08:32 AM. Reason: Forgot to mention
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From: New Hill, NC
I'm going to chime in on that cost thing. I am linking below my summary article of my rebuild experience. And the first article (of many). There are obviously a range of answers of the "cost" question depending on your desired outcomes. As I note in my various articles on my rebuild adventure, it is complex. As a first timer, there is a lot to learn. I can promise you, after you look at all the factors, $20K is a very realistic target number. You don't really save much by doing it yourself, it just allows you to mentally allow for a few more "while you are in there" things.
https://newhillgarage.com/2024/03/09...d-conclusions/
https://newhillgarage.com/2023/03/02...ngine-rebuild/
https://newhillgarage.com/2024/03/09...d-conclusions/
https://newhillgarage.com/2023/03/02...ngine-rebuild/