Swapping engines

[JFP in PA]

You need to also understand that bore scoring is almost nonexistent on properly maintained 2.7L engines, and that it tends to be more pronounced on the later GDI engines rather than the port injected versions.

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

You need to also understand that bore scoring is almost nonexistent on properly maintained 2.7L engines, and that it tends to be more pronounced on the later GDI engines rather than the port injected versions.

And Jack Raby says M96 engines in general are less susceptible to bore scoring, largely due to the use of cast pistons rather than forged. So let me ask you this — in view of those facts and given the engine I'm working on, would YOU remove the sump cover and scope out the bores? Unless you talk me out of it, I'm inclined to do it, because (1) the engine's out of the car, and (2) I'm trying to make it as bulletproof as I can.

[JFP in PA]

As you are in the position to be able to do it, I would go ahead and check it. If you didn't, you will always have it in the back of your mind when it is less easy to do it.

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

As you are in the position to be able to do it, I would go ahead and check it. If you didn't, you will always have it in the back of your mind when it is less easy to do it.

Very true. It would probably nag me. I'll save it until last, though. At this point I'm about to measure and mark the cutout, following the old adage, "Measure three or four times, measure again, say a prayer, cut once."

[tcoradeschi]

“I cut it three times, and it’s still too short!”

[LoneWolfGal]

Managed to pry the old bearing flange loose with two flat-blade screwdrivers and a lot of swearing. It was stubborn, I kid you not. What did I use to protect the crankcase from being gouged by the screwdrivers during the process? Popsicle sticks, the mechanic's friend.



The exposed bearing doesn't look too bad — so far.



Extracting it will have to wait until tomorrow, due to other demands on my time. The bearing puller is ready for action.

[Gilles]

This looks like a suspense movie, where you always want more... LOL Thank you for sharing! :-)

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by Gilles

This looks like a suspense movie, where you always want more... LOL Thank you for sharing! :-)

Wait until I get to the cam chain wear pads* ... then you'll see suspense.


*a.k.a. Variocam timing-chain guide-rail pilot ramps

[LoneWolfGal]

I finally found time to pull the bearing yesterday after dealing with other demands on my time, including taking a cat with cystitis to the vet. The bearing puller uses a 24mm nut, but my wrench set only went up to 18mm. Once again, a big metric crescent wrench saved the day. It required considerable force to remove the factory dual-row bearing, as Jake Raby warned. I was expecting to hear a gunshotlike **crack!** when the puller overcame the wire lock, but a soft metallic sigh was the only sound it made. What a gyp!



A couple ounces of oil seeped out of the hole when the bearing came out. I was prepared and caught it with an improvised catch basin. I'm going to send an oil sample to SPEEDynamix to be analyzed. It doesn't cost all that much and should be informative. An analysis can reveal an engine's entire history, according to oil expert Lake Speed, Jr., the man behind SPEEDynamix.



As expected, the bearing looked, sounded, and felt perfect. The bearing's wire lock did not break but remained intact.




Now I need to order the IMS Supplemental Toolkit from LN Engineering, necessary to install the Solution's bushing. (I've stopped calling it a bearing. It's a bushing, folks.) Renting the kit from LN is free for Solution buyers with a hefty deposit, $509.95 worth of hefty. (Which is interesting, in view of the Supplemental kit's list price of $299.) While I'm waiting for it to arrive I'll be busy, carefully measuring and marking the cutout for the notch, and then grinding, filing, and otherwise machining the notch itself. Photos to come. The next installment will also feature my patent-pending method for sealing the IMS opening to ensure that absolutely zero aluminum particles get in there while grinding. Stay tuned.

[LoneWolfGal]

Since the bearing I'll be removing is a factory dual-row job, it doesn't have an external snap ring. It has an inaccessible wire lock and I hear tell it requires considerable force by the puller to break it. When it happens it's like a gunshot, they say. And the bearing will likely leave behind wire-lock remnants that'll need to be cleaned out, a job for my telescoping magnet. Hey, I'm looking forward to this episode.

After I get the bearing out and the opening sealed, I need to elevate the engine and slip two 2x8s under the sump cover, which will provide the clearance necessary to get my right-angle grinder under the bell housing. Most of grinding will be done from underneath, like in Raby's PCA video. It affords the clearest view of the cutout's outline as I'm working. I plan to take photos of the entire process — at the risk of documenting "... and here's where everything turned to **bleep**." But risk comes with the territory and I'm not a scaredy cat.

[maxnine11]

Have been following along your journey with great interest.
Glad to hear that you went with The Solution instead of the other options.
(That is what I chose without hesitation for my car) Pay once-cry once or whatever that saying is.

But, it is a "plain bearing".
Not a bushing.

Best of luck with the rest of the journey.
The best part of Boxster ownership is driving the car. Hopefully the car rewards you for you perseverance and investment!

cheers

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by maxnine11

But, it is a "plain bearing".
Not a bushing

Hmmm... Jake Raby or Charles Navarro referred to it as a bushing in one of their videos. It sure looks like a bushing to me. JFP?

That aside, thanks for the kind words.

[LoneWolfGal]

While we're on the subject...

A Kansas-based company named Huyett supplies a huge selection of bearings, bushings, and fasteners of every description for a multitude of applications. They consider bushings and bearings to be fasteners... which spins my head around. Anyway, they weighed in on our question on their site:

Bearings and Bushings: The “Difference”

Many explanations will simply state that there is no difference because a bushing is a type of bearing. While this isn’t untrue, it is a surface-level answer because it invites the notion of, “if A is B and B is C, then A is C.” In other words, if bushings were a type of bearing, then subtypes of bushings would also have to be a derivative of a bearing, which isn’t true. Bearings are not the “parent” part.

Bushing is more of a generic term that catches most of the single-component members of this fastener family. Many bushings bear loads or allow for rotational movement, and many bearings reduce friction; all of these parts will alter the size of a bore. So why even distinguish between the two?

There are a few specific fasteners that are definitively a bushing or a bearing based on the definitions above. Beyond these few, the difference between a bushing and a bearing at a practical level is how it is used, not how it is designed. Since fastener manufacturers, distributors, and hardware stores cannot predict how you will use a part, their names for the fasteners are somewhat arbitrary.

https://www.huyett.com/blog/bushing-and-bearing-difference

Interesting, huh? Just out of curiosity, when I get a chance I'm going to email Huyett and ask them what they would term the Solution's application in M96 engines.

EDIT: Emailing them was a good idea. Unfortunately, I didn't anticipate that Huyett would have no email address. That's what you'd call "old school." I guess a website was leading-edge enough for them.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

Hmmm... Jake Raby or Charles Navarro referred to it as a bushing in one of their videos. It sure looks like a bushing to me. JFP?

That aside, thanks for the kind words.

Mechanically, it is a bushing that is serving as an oil fed bearing.

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

Mechanically, it is a bushing that is serving as an oil fed bearing.

Generally, if there's high speed and/or high load its called a bearing. Think main and rod bearings. They are really bushings, but given their application they're called bearings. The same would apply to the solution.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by piper6909

Generally, if there's high speed and/or high load its called a bearing. Think main and rod bearings. They are really bushings, but given their application they're called bearings. The same would apply to the solution.

Think of the small end of the connecting rod on an old style V8 engine: to allow the piston wrist pin to properly float, the small end of the connecting rod has a bronze sleeve bushing pressed into it with annular oil groves in it to permit lubrication; when in operation, that sleeve becomes an bearing.

What it is is all a matter of semantics: a mechanical engineer would call the Solution a bushing because of its design features; in function, it is an oil fed bearing.

[997_986]

The picture with the oil is interesting. As the oil level drops when the engine starts, this small amount leaking out is proof that the bearing really only lives from its grease filling during operation.

[piper6909]

I wonder why they didn't use a regular internal c-clip that you can install and remove with snap ring pliers. That will be a justifiable cause for some serious curse words if you have to remove it. I can't remember the last time I've seen one of those, but I think I know the trick. You probably do too, but it wouldn't hurt to reiterate it.

Do you see how the clip has a slit at the 8:30 or 9:00 position in the picture? That is not a straight cut for a reason. If you pry it apart there, you'll see that one end comes to a point on the outside and the opposite end has a point on the inside. I think your best chance is to insert the end with the outside point first. It has the best chance of staying in the groove while you go around the horn pushing the rest of the clip in. Good luck!

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by piper6909

I wonder why they didn't use a regular internal c-clip that you can install and remove with snap ring pliers. That will be a justifiable cause for some serious curse words if you have to remove it. I can't remember the last time I've seen one of those, but I think I know the trick. You probably do too, but it wouldn't hurt to reiterate it.

Do you see how the clip has a slit at the 8:30 or 9:00 position in the picture? That is not a straight cut for a reason. If you pry it apart there, you'll see that one end comes to a point on the outside and the opposite end has a point on the inside. I think your best chance is to insert the end with the outside point first. It has the best chance of staying in the groove while you go around the horn pushing the rest of the clip in. Good luck!

Thanks, Al. And using a small flat-blade screwdriver to guide it around the groove supposedly makes it easier. That's the technique I'm going try to employ after breakfast and I'm properly psyched. LIke you, I wondered why they didn't just use a standard snap ring. But then, I also wondered why they didn't use a standard torx or allen for the transmission fill plug, instead of requiring a triple-square bit.

[LoneWolfGal]

I must comment about the quality of LN's products. Beautifully machined, they are almost works of art, worthy of a place on the mantel. Here's an exploded view of the installation tool and the bearing as it's installed in the shaft: