Yes, an engine stand would be just the ticket. I've used them before and they're great. Can't justify buying one, though, because I'm close to finishing the engine. After that I'm hoping I'll have no need for one for a long, long time. By the way, Grant, I'd like to check out your procedures for dropping an engine and putting one back in. How many times have you done that?

Congratulations, your project is moving along pretty good! :-) I was away for a few days and it was a nice surprise to see the cams on your workbench!

A while ago, I bought a cheap engine stand from Harbor Freight that I used it on the X1/9 (Fiat) and also on the Alfa Milano engines, but never use it on the 987 (never had the need, as it supposed to require an adaptor for the M96/97 that costs way more than the engine stand.. lol

I used a stand when I disassembled one, but it was tough getting the IMS out because of the bolt pattern. I have since seen pictures of them being used with the M96 but couldn't tell if they were using the special mount or just had better bolt positioning.
LoneWolfGal: it is remarkably easy to remove and install the engine--if you have a lift. With my now-1000-miles-away two-post, I just disconnected everything and lifted the car off the engine and trans.
Just reverse to replace--and watch that e-brake cable! I have done it 4 times, all but one by myself.
It is remarkably easy if you do it in unit with the transmission.

Like Newsguy in the previous post I have done four swaps. Since I have Quickjacks that have a lift height that leaves a bit to be desired I have worked out a complicated way to get the engine out. As I understand it you are using jackstands so the easiest way is to drop the engine and transmission then use the engine hoist to lift the rear of the rear of the car enough to pull the engine out. As Newsguy says, "I just disconnected everything and lifted the car off the engine and trans... and watch that e-brake cable!"
I haven't done it this way but one thing I would watch out for is that the front of the car can rotate on the jackstands as the rear is lifted, without slipping off them.

I prefer to remove the engine and transmission together, mainly because separating the engine and transmission and reconnecting them is a lot easier out of the car than under it.

Thanks, guys.

I'll definitely drop the engine and transmission as a unit (despite naively stating in an early post that I wanted to leave the transmission in, like I've done with conventional engines). I planned to drop the engine onto a low-profile dolly, but I've gotten the impression that, even if I remove the rear bumper cover and muffler (and fuel tank?), I'll still need more clearance to get the engine out. Bummer. What lift point would I use to lift the rear end of the car with a hoist? I have chains and a couple of beefy ratchet straps at my disposal.

I've been studying the chapter about engine removal in 101 Projects, which has a fairly comprehensive step-by-step how-to for disconnecting stuff in the engine compartment and underneath the car. I thought I'd compare it with other folks' procedures, as belt and suspenders. I also have the service manual. The videos I've watched tend to be superficial, skipping over lots of important stuff. Maybe I haven't found the right video yet.

Newsguy, I salivate when I look at 2-post lifts. It's a must-have tool. Someday...

The easiest way is to remove the rear bumper cover and muffler, the fuel tank is in the front of the car so you can leave that alone

D'OH!. I mixed it up with my Isuzu after being under it recently to fix the starter. What about my muffler bearings, think I need to replace them?

Those are wear items and a definite "while you're there" must! I think LN makes a "Solution" for them, too.

No, but be sure to buy some high compression floor mats and refill your blinker fluid......

The new LN environmentally friendly muffler bearing:

https://i.etsystatic.com/14029693/r/...86067_av7u.jpg

And look at that craftsmanship! I'm sold! :cheers:

This is the kind of next-level technical support that makes this forum what it is!

If the bumper cover is off you can use the bumper or the bumper mounting points... I think.

I used the Pelican instructions, the Bentley book and my own list that I revise every time I do an engine.
Here are links to my instructions on Dropbox
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ss2dbwsi1tlsvjvxaddik/Engine-Transmission-attach-and-verify-list.odt?rlkey=ms3vlhjb0ak51n1my6ebfpu9p&dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/12j4u0qhvvhmvlv19zhfo/Engine-removal-checklist.odt?rlkey=occnpqnq3dez5ic7mcvqy3awa&dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ptqvt6ya9b71i4xt06z1k/Notes-on-checklists.odt?rlkey=8zliunz2x4yolvung6isqqux7&dl= 0
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4tazjtr9sj3ndlz3n8eo9/Transmission-removal-checklist.odt?rlkey=xit5tht6b1kh5uji7bedze33p&dl=0

Got the compression tool this afternoon. Never one to work on something out in the shop when I can work on it inside in front of the TV and near snacks, I brought the cams in for the procedure. I ran into a problem right off the bat: My deep socket set only goes down to 9mm. I needed an 8mm, so I pressed an 8mm box-end wrench into service. It worked well until pressure caused the nylon washer under the nut to bulge, to the point where I can't get the wrench on it. If I had an 8mm deep socket I could probably bear down on it enough to seat the socket on the nut. As to why the washer accompanying the nut is made of nylon instead of brass or steel, that's a good question. Only two solutions to the problem, as I see it: (1) scare up an 8mm deep socket somewhere, or (2) use a metal washer under the nut. I lean toward (2), unless there's a compelling reason why I shouldn't. I invite your input.

Also, it's amazing how ingrained right-hand thread operation is. A half-dozen times I caught myself turning it clockwise with the intention of tightening it and groaning when I noticed the nut was traveling up the rod instead of down. When I consciously turned the nut counterclockwise to tighten it, it felt... wrong. And weird. I suppose I'd get over it after a year or two, three years at most, of working with left-hand threads.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1745897912.jpg

Grant, that's exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks so much!

You're welcome. I should mention that there are points where the instructions lack clarity, especially because I did separate instructions for the engine and the transmission, so the cross over from one to the other needs some thinking. Also there are several references to my specific situation which do not apply to everyone (re: Quickjacks for instance). I did try to name the tools necessary at each step so you can roll under the car with everything you need. I would like to add to my garage a permanent helper who would run and get me that 11mm socket that I forgot before installing myself under the middle of the car on the creeper.

Unless I hear a "Don't do it," I'm going to find a small metal washer to use under the compression tool's nut instead of the nylon washer. I'd like to get those new pads in while I'm still young (relatively speaking).

Do it. It won't harm anything except maybe mar the surface a little, but it won't affect the tensioner or chain's function in any way. It seems to me like that hole has only one purpose, anyway, and that's for the tool. Maybe put a little oil between the washer and the nut.

Thanks, Al. A friend is coming over later with his flat washer assortment, since I don't have any washers that small. And oil is a good idea.

The work stoppage caused by a small flat washer didn't catch me by surprise. By now, I've come to expect it. It's a Porsche, after all. I'm used to having the wackiest stuff happen, things that made me cock my head to the side like a dog listening to an ultrasonic whistle. Don't get me wrong, I love the car. I especially appreciate how it handles. I've had 911 owners sneer at it, as they are inclined to do, but they blow a fuse when I suggest that the mid-engine design gives my 986 superior weight distribution and more predictable handling than a 911. They don't like that one bit. Not that I wouldn't have a 911. (Or ideally, an all-wheel-drive 959, which has the same rear-engine form factor.) However, I'm totally satisfied with my 986. I figure encountering oddball stuff while working on it is part of the cost of owning it.

After I obtained the metal washer for the compression tool I managed to get the VarioCam out — not without some difficulty, but any victory's a good victory.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1746053710.jpg

The bottom pad indeed had considerable wear, no doubt enough to cause some cam deviation:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1746053808.jpg

I snapped the new pads into place (after carefully inserting the o-ring under the bottom pad). Note the new material's lighter color.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1746053857.jpg

After an hour of trying to reinstall the VarioCam between the camshafts without success, I tightened the compression tool's nut a few more turns (using my little box-end wrench) to get a bit more clearance. However, the nut didn't seem to be moving on the rod. So I removed the tool, and then I saw the reason why — the threads had stripped. The compression tool seems to have been made of soft metal. You can see the spot about 3/4" from the end where the threads are flattened. The nut just spins at that point.

Addendum: I was using a small 8mm box-end wrench, not a ratchet, and it didn't take all that much force to tighten the nut. I've stripped threads before and it usually requires considerable force, unless the metal's soft. I'm going to contact the aftermarket parts company's customer service department and see what they have to say about it.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1746055011.jpg

Surprise! Yet another oddball work stoppage! And the $36 I paid for the compression tool is down the drain. That's bad enough, but I'm dead in the water until I get another compression tool. Time lost.

I was crossing my fingers that things would go smoothly from here on in, because I'm working under a time crunch: I need to have the car on the road by the end of May, because the owners of the house I'm renting are putting it on the market. I bought another house, but I hoped to finish the car here and drive it to my new place. The logistics of moving a half-finished car and another engine would be a nightmare.

I will overcome this latest wacko problem somehow, but in the meantime I say, damn, damn, double-damn hell!

Post mortem: The most likely way thread damage could occur in the middle of the rod is by tightening it to the limit of compression and then continuing to tighten it. But I was aware of the warnings not to overtighten it or risk breaking something on the VarioCam. I estimated the unit was compressed no more than 90 percent, judging by the tautness of my chain compared with the laxity of chains in videos I've seen. If I had reached the compression limit, I'd think I would have felt some resistance, more than when just tightening the nut. Perhaps the progressively increasing force required to tighten it was just too much for soft threads to handle and they gave out. That said, I have to acknowledge the possibility that I overtightened it, despite being very careful not to. Regardless of the cause, I'm going to need another compression tool. First, I'll see what the company that sold me this one has to say.

More proof the compression tool was made of soft metal and therefore the defendant is not just a careless idiot who overtightens things. If it please the Court, I present the following photograph as Exhibit 1:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1746116313.jpg

Note the 6mm wide, 1mm deep channel in the shaft near the threads. The nut was full of metal bits from the damaged threads and therefore difficult to turn, so the defendant used a pair of small vice grips to hold the shaft. Apparently, the vice grips weren't cinched down enough, so they carved the channel during a single rotation of the shaft. A channel of this depth could not be created so quickly unless the metal was soft.

And so, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I submit to you that this entire fiasco resulted from too-soft metal and therefore LoneWolfGal is innocent of boneheaded workmanship.

The defense rests.

I located some left-hand threaded rod, M5x0.8 thread size, at Grainger:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1746122637.jpg

https://www.grainger.com/category/fasteners/threaded-rods-studs/fully-threaded-rods-studs?searchQuery=Left-hand+threaded+Rod%3A+M5x0.8+Thread+Size&sst=4&sear chBar=true&tier=Tier+4

One problem: They're closed on Saturday and late afternoon Portland traffic is suicidal, so it will have to wait until Monday. In the meantime I'll try to figure out how to open the convertible top manually so I can put the car into service mode.

For future reference, it is always a good idea to lubricate the threads on devices like this to reduce galling and stripping of the threads. When this tool is cranked down, there is a considerable load on the threaded areas as the tool is by design necessity smaller than it should be for the load on it. Any decent lube will do; penetrating oil, engine oil, whatever you have. I personally favor ARP's Ultra Torque Fastener Assembly Lubricant, which we use extensively, but you could even get away using anti seize compound to both protect the treads and make torquing easier and more accurate.

https://cdn2.arp-bolts.com/p/7.1/400/100-9911.jpg

I did use a dab of engine oil that was clinging to the outside of the VarioCam to lubricate the threads, but I wish I'd had some of that ARP Ultra-Torque product. I'll pick some up. I used to have some anti-seize compound but it got lost in the shuffle.

I was wondering if you were going back to the place you originally got the tool or get the Grainger allthread I told you about. It looks like Grainger's may be a harder metal. At least it's steel. Get a new left-handed nut. Grainger sells a bag of 50 for $1.61.
https://www.grainger.com/product/Hex-Nut-M5-0-80-Thread-22YK31

I imagine they are not high demand parts, so I'd make sure they have them in stock before driving all that way. You may have to order them in advance.

Still, it makes me wonder how the guy whose video I posted got away with using a modified aluminum rod.

Regardless, good luck. I hope you get past this without any more troubles and you have smooth sailing the rest of the build.

I'm definitely going to contact the company that sold me the tool and express my dissatisfaction. But before that, I'll let my friend the metal fabricator have a look at it, get his take.

Thanks for pointing me to Grainger; that was a good call. Their threaded rod has a tensile strength of 55,000. Wish I knew the tensile strength of the one I bought. Grainger's rod is one meter in length, so I could make ten 10cm-long compression tools out of it! Then I can dole them out to folks who are attempting the same procedure, along with a prayer book.

Update from Grainger:

Web Price
$6.66/ each
Ships from supplier. Expected to arrive on or before Tue. May 13.

May 13 wouldn't work for me. Unless...while waiting for it to be delivered I could drop the original engine. And if the rod still hasn't been delivered I could unbolt the transmission and bolt it on the new engine with a new clutchplate and throwout bearing. Which reminds me, are M96 flywheel bolts single use only? Haven't seen any references.

Maybe this place can get them to you faster?
https://accu-components.com/us/left-hand-thread-threaded-bars/409371-HTBL-M5-1000-A4?google_shopping=1&c=2&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAA ADI7_w57vz2S-a5EuY8ShHnKa0XBa&gclid=CjwKCAjwn6LABhBSEiwAsNJrjqz n0v3UBW_rck_eByirPhj6HkeKNTvzkQTYQLJGmKplfkA7lzsy6 xoCM6AQAvD_BwE

They are pricier, and 10cm long instead of 1 meter, but if they get to you in a better time...

They also sell new nuts, which I strongly recommend.

I just checked their site and standard shipping is 5 days, expeess is 3 days.

But then you only get one shot and if it strips out, you're back to square 1. I think going with Grainger and pulling the engine out while you're waiting may be your best bet

We never reuse either pressure plate or flywheel bolts, they are not that expensive and typically under high loads in use, plus the flywheel bolts are torque to yeild (torque spec + additonal angle) which automaitcally precludes reuse.


Amazon list the threaded rod with one day delivery: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078H6J4D3/?coliid=ISRITT0IKCK3V&colid=2HC5QQFJX9KXZ&psc=1&re f_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

uxcell M5 Fully Threaded Rod, 304 Stainless Steel, 250mm Length, 0.8mm Thread Pitch, Left Hand Threads

Great sleuthing, Al. I like Accu's product better than Grainger's. For one thing, they're stainless steel. For another, left-hand nuts, according to the customer service representative I talked with, are not available from Grainger, which is odd. I ordered a stainless rod and hex nut from Accu, shipping via FedEx. Delivery date is also 5/13, so I'm no worse off.

Appreciate the info. I ordered new bolts for the pressure plate and flywheel. I went with Accu instead of Amazon for the rod and nut, chiefly because Accu's hex nuts are stainless steel, whereas Amazon's are carbon steel.

JFP, I'll take a wild stab — you install only Genuine Porsche clutch plates and throwout bearings? Myself, I'll have to go with aftermarket, due to budget constraints. Are there any aftermarket clutch parts you recommend? I'm guessing in your shop you go the whole nine yards — new flywheel and pressure plate. Wish I could, but again, I don't want to have to move to the poorhouse.

We have had excellent results with the factory parts and generally only use them unless the customer request something special, only then if we think their choice is not going to lead to problems.

We replace the disc, pressure plate, all bolts, throw out bearing, and pilot bearing in a standard replacement. The flywheel only gets replaced if it is either severely heat checked or fails the factory "twist test" for the dual mass assembly.

Hello, I am really hoping someone could measure the distance from the engine/bellhousing flange to the flywheel friction surface on the M96 (I believe this measurement is the same on all variants) Should be about 50mm. be accurate to the mm.

I suspect a number of folks who hang out here have bought aftermarket clutch parts. Those who have, do you have any recommendations?

I have used the EPS disk on two cars, good price, no complaints.
https://www.europeanpartssolution.com/power-friction-clutch-disc
... with the new bolts, used flywheel and pressure plate.

I couldn't stop fiddling with the cams while waiting for the replacement compression tool to arrive, and I was struck by a Grant Hargraveish idea. First, I used a carpenter's clamp positioned on the new pads to fully compress the VarioCam. (And a C-clamp would have worked just as well, but I didn't have one large enough on hand.) Next, I threaded a heavy-duty pull tie through the holes for the compression tool and pulled it tight to keep the device compressed. Then I removed the clamp. The chain fit over the pads with hardly any trouble. Last, I snipped the pull tie and removed it.

Only one hitch, and I'm not sure it's a problem. I carefully kept the lighter-color chain links mated to the divots in the sprockets so that the cams would be in time with each other. I wanted to keep them both at 12 o'clock (while they were on the table). However, during the manipulation necessary to get the chain in place over the pads the cams rotated a teeny bit, to 1 o'clock, enough so the intake cam's link and divot are slightly apart, even though they're still lined up (see photo 2). I should have checked that before I snipped the pull-tie, because the cams can't be rotated without compressing the pads again. My question is, is it necessary to correct the problem so that both cams' links and divots are at 12 o'clock before they're installed in the head? Or can the cams be rotated slightly by hand after they're installed, with the cam tool inserted into the ends of the cams, the cam retainer loosely bolted in place, and before the double chain's sprocket is bolted to the exhaust cam?

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1746415306.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1746415346.jpg

The clamp/pull-tie method certainly works, but I'm going to wait until I have the compression tool to do bank 2's cams, so I can get my money's worth out of it.

LOL
Not original though, I think this is suggested in the Pelican instructions.

I don't have a spare engine at the moment (just sold it) so I am trying to visualise this. My understanding is the following...
WIth the crank at TDC for the cylinder bank in question and the slot in the end of the exhaust cam parallel with the valve cover mating surface (and/or - the cam tool installed in the ends of the cams) that cam is properly positioned. Positioning the second cam is a product of the number of chain links between the divots as you call them. You can simply count the links... or use the coloured links... or both. If I remember correctly with the compression bolt in place you can even reposition the cam sprockets vis-a-vis one another. You can move the cams once they are installed in the head before installing the cam tool and attaching the sprocket for the timing chain. With the cam tool installed in the ends of the cams nothing will move, but the divot for the exhaust cam is by definition in the right place. With the divots properly placed the slot in the end of the intake cam should be properly aligned also.
Hope this is clearer for the reader than it is for the writer.