Porsche 944 project car - £free!
Discussion
Not exactly free, I did 5 days work for it but still a bargain. It is a 1991 S2 and has been standing outside for a couple of years, the catch being the engine is dismantled & sitting in the boot.
An engine rebuild on one of these can be megabucks I looked around for a replacement and found this fire damaged example.
I have now removed the engine, stripped the car & started stripping the engine. I found a big problem with the cylinder head - a large crack, into the waterway. This must have shown some severe headgasket type symptoms as the oil and water would have been mixing on a huge scale!
Fortunately the head from the other car looks useable. The cylinder bores and big end bearings of the donor engine look in good shape. The next step is to clean the motor and fit new gaskets everywhere (some have been damaged by the fire) before rebuilding it & fitting it to the white car. BTW, the S2 has a 3 litre 16v 4 cylinder normally aspirated engine - the largest 4 pot engine of recent times.
An engine rebuild on one of these can be megabucks I looked around for a replacement and found this fire damaged example.
I have now removed the engine, stripped the car & started stripping the engine. I found a big problem with the cylinder head - a large crack, into the waterway. This must have shown some severe headgasket type symptoms as the oil and water would have been mixing on a huge scale!
Fortunately the head from the other car looks useable. The cylinder bores and big end bearings of the donor engine look in good shape. The next step is to clean the motor and fit new gaskets everywhere (some have been damaged by the fire) before rebuilding it & fitting it to the white car. BTW, the S2 has a 3 litre 16v 4 cylinder normally aspirated engine - the largest 4 pot engine of recent times.
The donor car is due to go to its new home this weekend so I'll be able to collect the white car and start cleaning it (which I'm quite looking forward to - its filthy!). I've started cleaning up the engine ready for reassembly and the head will be going for a skim next week, plus maybe some welding. There is some corrosion on the mating face, I'll leave that decision up to the head guys.
MadRob6 said:
Saw this over on TIPEC or PCGB (can't remember which one). Looks like you have your work cut out for you.
My free Porsche project is dragging on a bit but slowly getting closer to being back on the road. Good luck with yours.
I've seen your project, luckily mine had new Porsche fuel pipes shortly before being taken off the road - saving me from the huge headache you suffered!My free Porsche project is dragging on a bit but slowly getting closer to being back on the road. Good luck with yours.
I finally have the white car home now and the head is back, first, a pic of the head - the finish is awesome & well worth the expense (gulp!), compare it to the previous pic,
Now the body work. I've started the cleanup & have done some before and after shots of the worst side. It still needs further cleaning & a polish but the car will be sitting on the drive for a while yet so there's no point doing the job twice, although being white & not green anymore should keep the neighbours happy.
Thats what I call dirty & you haven't seen under the bonnet yet!
Now the body work. I've started the cleanup & have done some before and after shots of the worst side. It still needs further cleaning & a polish but the car will be sitting on the drive for a while yet so there's no point doing the job twice, although being white & not green anymore should keep the neighbours happy.
Thats what I call dirty & you haven't seen under the bonnet yet!
Since you asked - the sump is on (new pickup & sump seals), the block is cleaned and painted, ,all new front end seals (crank, waterpump, balance shafts), the balance shaft housings have also been removed and resealed. I've seen a few 944's with weeping housings so it made sense to do them with the engine out. Waterpump, rear cambelt cover, oil filler and balance pulleys are on.
The cylinder head parts are all cleaned up & ready for assembly but I need a new battery for my micrometer as the valve spring shims are all mixed up so I need to measure the spring lengths. Then I need to spend some cash and buy a new clutch, rms, belt kit, engine mounts etc before refitting the engine. There are loads of jobs to do in the meantime (finish cleaning the engine bay, fit new heatsheilding etc).
I was in 2 minds about painting the engine but the fire has stained a lot of parts and it was just easier to paint them. Plus the few cars I've seen with painted bits look rather good anyway.
Evo, I have a Mk2 Gti as my daily driver (running a 20vt engine) which I would love to give the same treatment but everytime I open the bonnet it gets dirtier.
The cylinder head parts are all cleaned up & ready for assembly but I need a new battery for my micrometer as the valve spring shims are all mixed up so I need to measure the spring lengths. Then I need to spend some cash and buy a new clutch, rms, belt kit, engine mounts etc before refitting the engine. There are loads of jobs to do in the meantime (finish cleaning the engine bay, fit new heatsheilding etc).
I was in 2 minds about painting the engine but the fire has stained a lot of parts and it was just easier to paint them. Plus the few cars I've seen with painted bits look rather good anyway.
Evo, I have a Mk2 Gti as my daily driver (running a 20vt engine) which I would love to give the same treatment but everytime I open the bonnet it gets dirtier.
Overdue update - I have spent some time rebuilding the head but finally got bored after the 3rd pass with the grinding paste. Valve grinding is a very tedious task. Fortunately my clutch arrived which gave me something else to do. I also bought some other seals inc an RMS, oil cooler kit & a thermostat - much easier with the engine out!
Surprisingly I found another problem, I had noticed the cooler takeoff has about 3 tubes worth of sealant on it. When I removed it I found a large crack, so the original engine will be donating another part. I've probably used more parts off the 'damaged' engine than the 'good' one now!
Surprisingly I found another problem, I had noticed the cooler takeoff has about 3 tubes worth of sealant on it. When I removed it I found a large crack, so the original engine will be donating another part. I've probably used more parts off the 'damaged' engine than the 'good' one now!
I swapped the takeoff tonight, fitting the one from the original engine which had the cam tensioner problem. When I took out the oil pressure valve I found, you guessed it, another problem! A tiny piece of swarf had become stuck in it, holding the valve open. This would have caused low (maybe no) oil pressure & could well be the reason the engine was stripped - its not the first time I've seen the exact same thing.
And here is a pic of the swarf next to a 13mm socket for comparison. It doesn't take a lot to ruin an engine.....
And here is a pic of the swarf next to a 13mm socket for comparison. It doesn't take a lot to ruin an engine.....
MadRob6 said:
With it being that easy to kill all oil pressure I wonder if that's what caused the big end from my S (the one with the comedy plate) to eject itself through the sump?
Where is the oil pressure valve located? I might whip it off next time I'm there and have a look.
Its on the oil filter housing, next to the oil pressure switch. You will see a 24mm bolt, remove this & the pressure valve is inside. If the 'S' has the early style valve it will have a plunger, spring & ball bearing (which will try and eject itself across the workshop when you undo the bolt - beware!). The early type don't fail in the same manner, usually the plunger wears & sticks in the housing (there will be marks indicating this).Where is the oil pressure valve located? I might whip it off next time I'm there and have a look.
Time for an update now all the snow is gone - it was (below) freezing in the garage! The cylinder head is finally assembled, here are some pics of the pitting on the valves & seats before grinding -
And lovely smooth (and out of focus) finish afterwards -
The amount of time it takes to refurbish a head cannot be underestimated,I reckon I spent more time cleaning than actually assembling. Fortunately I don't charge myself labour. Once the valves & seats were done I could temporarily assemble the head in order to measure the valve spring lengths, then determine where each shim should be fitted (the shims had all been mixed up when it was stripped). Then it was all taken apart again, cleaned again before final assembly. The finished head -
Thats another big step forwards, next up is actually getting the engine in the bloody car.
And lovely smooth (and out of focus) finish afterwards -
The amount of time it takes to refurbish a head cannot be underestimated,I reckon I spent more time cleaning than actually assembling. Fortunately I don't charge myself labour. Once the valves & seats were done I could temporarily assemble the head in order to measure the valve spring lengths, then determine where each shim should be fitted (the shims had all been mixed up when it was stripped). Then it was all taken apart again, cleaned again before final assembly. The finished head -
Thats another big step forwards, next up is actually getting the engine in the bloody car.
MadRob6 said:
Good to see some more progress. The head's looking really good, is there much more to do before the engine can go into the car?
Currently got the engine out my mine at the moment to change a few things like the oil cooler seals, sump gasket, clutch and belts.
Not much more to do really - just cleaning, cleaning & a bit more cleaning! Did you sort your oil blockage? Currently got the engine out my mine at the moment to change a few things like the oil cooler seals, sump gasket, clutch and belts.
Update - Its a runner! I took a couple of days off & got the engine all assembled, front brakes rebuilt, back on its wheels. Its always a nervous moment, no matter how many you've done in the past - oil pressure seems to take ages to build up and the tappets really do take ages to quieten down. When the missus got home I went to start it up and now the alarm is going off constantly! Aaargh! I'll add it to my list for tomorrow.....
JFReturns said:
No video of the first start up? 
Out if interest, why do the tappets make a noise when cold?
God no! All you would have seen on the vid is smoke pouring off the manifolds (caused by oil from the canted over engine) and heard the tappets rattling. They make a noise as they are hydraulic & take a while to fill up.Out if interest, why do the tappets make a noise when cold?
I'll try and get some decent pics tomo.
MadRob6 said:
Good work, glad to see you've got it running again.
Since you seem to know your stuff with these engines where is the best place to get my mitts on a new water pump without having to pimp myself out to pay for it.
I'm afraid you are going have to get pimping. Eurocarparts are reasonable but there is no such thing as a cheap 944 pump.Since you seem to know your stuff with these engines where is the best place to get my mitts on a new water pump without having to pimp myself out to pay for it.
MadRob6 said:
I figured as much, just was hoping for something less than the £250 I've seen around. My project has halted due to lack of funds at the moment but oneday I'll finish it.
Actually, just had a google, design911 and promax seem quite cheap. I've also run out of money..... Maybe we could double up on pimping?? Some ladies like that....Some pics for you all. The non-starting issue turned out to be an old alarm that had switched off the supply to the fuel pump (probably due to the central locking being used for the first time in years). That was quickly bypassed and I could run it up to temperature for the first time.
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