Swapping engines

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

Stick with the LN procedure and ignore Pelican.

I reached the same conclusion after encountering the contradictory information. I have come to view Jake Raby as the authority when it comes to IMS bearing replacement. However, Pelican has some useful information about other procedures.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

I reached the same conclusion after encountering the contradictory information. I have come to view Jake Raby as the authority when it comes to IMS bearing replacement. However, Pelican has some useful information about other procedures.

Jake and Charles Navarro invented the sport, encountering multiple ways not to do a retrofit before they found the optimum solution to the problem that even Porsche originally said was not possible. Several others, including Pelican, tried to come up with simpler or cheaper DIY ways to address the problem, all of which cut corners and led to problems, some fatally. The problem for the indie shops doing retrofits was always the teary-eyed customers that flat bedded their cars to the shop after screwing up the project, only to be told that their engine had to come out and apart to fix what they had done to them with these simpler and cheaper techniques.

Probably the dumbest was an early (Wayne Dempsey days) Pelican procedure that did not use ANY cam holding tools, but instead used Allan head set screws threaded into the back of the engine case thru the IMS flange bolt holes to try and hold the chains by putting pressure on the gear on the rear of the IMS shaft in a vain attempt to lock the chains. Unfortunately, that rear gear is pressed on and slip prone, resulting in that gear being pushed forward on the IMS shaft, and the shaft suddenly jumping upwards and to the right due to the tension on the chains. When this happened, cam timing was lost and there was no way to reposition that gear without taking the shaft out of the engine. We probably encounter a dozen or more cars in this condition that were brought to the shop.

Long story short, there are a lot of wrong ways to try and attempt this retrofit, and one proven right way that now even Porsche has adopted. Do it right and you do it once; do it wrong and you will be spending some serious $ to get out of the hole you created.

[elgyqc]

My comment was in the context of replacing the chain tensioner pads, which it is logical to do if the engine is out of the car. If only the IMSB is to be replace one lock would be enough.

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by elgyqc

My comment was in the context of replacing the chain tensioner pads, which it is logical to do if the engine is out of the car. If only the IMSB is to be replace one lock would be enough.

Ah, that makes sense, Grant. I do plan to replace the Variocam wear pads after the IMS bearing, and I've borrowed the official kit, which comes with its own set of cam locks.

[LoneWolfGal]

I've been notified that my "IMS Solution Bearing Replacement Kit for Dual Row IMS 97-01 Boxster 911 Models" has shipped! Let no snowstorm or other act of God delay its delivery (or there will be whining).

[LoneWolfGal]

While waiting for the Solution to arrive I've been researching bore scoring, second only to IMS bearing failure in causing catastrophic failure in Porsche engines. I own a borescope and had planned to eyeball the cylinders through the spark plug holes, as I have done with conventional engines. However, I've learned from LN's pre-qualification procedure and from videos at flat6innovations.com (Jake Raby's company) that this method is not sufficient, that one must remove the sump cover and examine the cylinders from underneath. D'OH! There is a ray of light, though. It seems M96 engines are less prone to bore scoring, because the pistons are cast rather than forged (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7idZe6qAtg 9:45).

So I'm idling in neutral at the moment. Perhaps my almost OCD-level perfectionism will force me to unbolt the sump cover and have a look. But doggone it, as I've complained before, making this new engine bulletproof is like yanking a piece of yarn on a sweater. It's only 1 pm here on the West Coast, but it feels like beer thirty. And I don't drink.

[LoneWolfGal]

In the interest of settling the questions about which and how many cams to lock, here are a couple excerpts from LN's IMS Solution installation manual:

"Lock right side (when facing flywheel) camshaft in place using IMS pro tool kit camshaft timing jig. Use the shorter cam lock on 5-chain and longer one on 3-chain engines."

[Note from LWG: The exhaust cam is not specified above, but an accompanying photo shows the bottom cam, the exhaust.]

"Some installers prefer to lock camshafts on BOTH banks of the engine. This is a practice that is not required, and is a matter of personal preference. With the crankshaft, and one bank of camshafts locked, all timing chains will be held tightly in the proper position for a successful IMS Retrofit procedure."

[JFP in PA]

And just make sure you make the opening large enough to be able to get a socket on the fitting with the trans in place as if anything ever happed (fitting comes lose, etc.), you can service it without removing the trans. Several people only made the opening just large enough to install the flange cover with the fitting installed, but not enough room to get a socket on it or turn it, which means you are pulling the trans out to get at it.

Always plan ahead...............

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

And just make sure you make the opening large enough to be able to get a socket on the fitting with the trans in place as if anything ever happed (fitting comes lose, etc.), you can service it without removing the trans. Several people only made the opening just large enough to install the flange cover with the fitting installed, but not enough room to get a socket on it or turn it, which means you are pulling the trans out to get at it.

Always plan ahead...............

Yes, I plan to make the notch a millimeter or two larger than the socket, so marking the cutout will need to be accurate.

[JFP in PA]

If you are thinking about using this for the bell housing slot for the IMS Solution oil line, let me make a suggestion: WIth just the new flange set loosely in place, make the bell housing lip location with a marker, then drill a small pilot hole to start, increasing the bit size until you are at the opening size needed. Then trim away any excess material first with a fine hacksaw, and then clean up and bevel the edges with these bits.

My preferential method is to use a rotary broaching tool once the pilot hole is in place. The broach is basically a very accurate hole saw type tool that makes a very clean hole of the right size in one move, but is rather exensive for a one time DIY:

[Gilles]

When I installed a BBI small crank pulley on my '07 987CS, I used a Dremel to file down the TDC marker to make room for the smaller diameter pulley, and I was very surprised how soft the block material was, as the Dremel bit grinded way the material very quick and easy.

In other words, go slowly so you don't grind more than you intend it..

[LoneWolfGal]

Found a better burr bit, one designed specifically for cutting aluminum without clogging. Also bought full-face protection, because grinding aluminum, unlike steel, creates flying shards that slice skin like little knives, according to a metal fabricator I know.

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

If you are thinking about using this for the bell housing slot for the IMS Solution oil line, let me make a suggestion: WIth just the new flange set loosely in place, make the bell housing lip location with a marker, then drill a small pilot hole to start, increasing the bit size until you are at the opening size needed. Then trim away any excess material first with a fine hacksaw, and then clean up and bevel the edges with these bits.

My preferential method is to use a rotary broaching tool once the pilot hole is in place. The broach is basically a very accurate hole saw type tool that makes a very clean hole of the right size in one move, but is rather exensive for a one time DIY:

I considered drilling and hacksawing, which I'm sure can provide a decent result. However, I have some experience grinding metal from working in a body and fender shop, and I want to try the right-angle drill and burr method. The same method was used in Jake Raby's video demonstrating how to install the Solution, and it resulted in a pretty nice notch after a minimum of thrashing.

I do like those broaching tools. My metal-fabricator friend has what he calls a broaching set, but it doesn't include anything that looks like that. They're expensive, you say?

[JFP in PA]

A set of metric or SAE common sizes from Blair/Haugen is about $75 on Amazon; larger sizes can get a bit more expensive:

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

A set of metric or SAE common sizes from Blair/Haugen is about $75 on Amazon; larger sizes can get a bit more expensive:

I'm a sucker for new tools, but as you say, they wouldn't be cost effective for a one-off by a DIYer. Still, I might come across (or invent) other projects for which they would be the perfect solution, so I'm glad to know about them.

[JFP in PA]

They have a lot of automotive uses; if you are faced with creating an opening in a metal panel, say a bulkhead, for a wire/cable or tube to pass thru something like a firewall or bulkhead, drills tend to "pull" on the metal, distorting it, which often requires going to a hammer and dolly to beat it flat so that a cable gland can seal it weather tight again. Rotary broach tools cut a flat, undistorted opening of whatever size is required in a single move, just run a deburring tool around the hole and install the cable gland and you are ready to make a weather tight pass thru with minimal time and efffort.

[LoneWolfGal]

A little interlude while waiting for parts to arrive...

I'm a DIYer and proud of it. There was a time, however, when I was semi-pro. My brothers had a shop where they rebuilt customers' engines, and I used to hang around and help. After a while they started depending on me. "Hey, Michelle. Pull the heads off that 327 over there," or "Run this block over to J&S and get it hot tanked." At one point they started paying me for my work. A customer needed his 283 rebuilt, but my brothers were jammed up, so they asked me if I could do the honors. After I knocked out that job I did other rebuilds. Mitch & Jerry's Automotive then had three mechanics. I was 17.

Fast forward to the present day. It didn't take me long to realize that much of my experience with conventional engines was not transferable to Porsche's M96. It was a humbling realization. I'm doing my best these days to play catchup. And thank God for DIY, or I couldn't afford to drive my 986.

I saw another woman mechanic on TV. Pretty and petite, she said, "Hey... I'm a car guy. Deal with it." I can relate.

[tcoradeschi]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

They have a lot of automotive uses; if you are faced with creating an opening in a metal panel, say a bulkhead, for a wire/cable or tube to pass thru something like a firewall or bulkhead, drills tend to "pull" on the metal, distorting it, which often requires going to a hammer and dolly to beat it flat so that a cable gland can seal it weather tight again. Rotary broach tools cut a flat, undistorted opening of whatever size is required in a single move, just run a deburring tool around the hole and install the cable gland and you are ready to make a weather tight pass thru with minimal time and efffort.

Dang. 2 days ago, I’d never heard of these, and now I gotta get me a set!

Conceptually not all that different from the holesaws I use in carpentry and much quicker than what we used back in the day, which were Greenlee knockout punches (drill a pilot hole, thread the two halves of the punch together thru the hole, and then pull the two halves together).

[JFP in PA]

"Tool Time................"

[LoneWolfGal]

Been reading and watching videos about bore scoring. The prospect of it — and low-miles engines are not exempt by any means, according to... Charles Navarro, I think it was — makes my hair stand on end. I'm almost afraid to pull the sump cover and have a look with a borescope. But I'll do it. And if I see any evidence of scoring or the beginning of it, I will switch to oil with high-temperature, high-sheer (HTHS) viscosity and with high levels of molybdenum disulfide, a.k.a. Moly. Which, according to Navarro and motor-oil expert Lake Speed Jr., will tend to protect a bore's surface and minimize the scoring's effects. That said, I'm hoping the cylinder walls of my 39K-mile M96 will be stunningly pristine. It could happen.