Variocam solenoid troubles.

[AZ986S]

That's funny.
I had the exact same problem on the replacement engine I put in.
The cable was sheared off at the base of the solenoid, so there was no way to splice and solder... Had to replace the solenoid, but with the engine out, it was an easy job.
But with 1/2 in you might be able to fix it. Just make sure the solenoid did not take a hit and was damaged. That would be an easy test. If it doesn't work, then you will need a new solenoid, and they are not cheap...

[Brian in Tucson]

If I pull the core engine apart, I have two of them. Raby is talking about buying my core, but that's still undecided. Might be nice to pull it apart as practice anyhow & the max $$ I'd get from Raby wouldn't cover a pair of replacements. Gotta think about this, moving stuff from one engine to the other means I'm not hurting for something to do.

The guy at Raby (Jud) talked with me for over 1/2 hour about stuff I should be doing before I install the engine. Heck of a nice guy!

Thanks for the responses, btw.

[Brian in Tucson]

Originally Posted by AZ986S

That's funny.
I had the exact same problem on the replacement engine I put in.
The cable was sheared off at the base of the solenoid, so there was no way to splice and solder... Had to replace the solenoid, but with the engine out, it was an easy job.
But with 1/2 in you might be able to fix it. Just make sure the solenoid did not take a hit and was damaged. That would be an easy test. If it doesn't work, then you will need a new solenoid, and they are not cheap...

Did you use the holder tool? Do you have a holder tool? I wonder if I put the engine in my engine stand and tipped it on its side if gravity would be enough to hold the cams in place and not disturb the timing. Not too worried about getting it together leak free, but disturbed cam timing is on the list of nightmares.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Brian in Tucson

I wonder if I put the engine in my engine stand and tipped it on its side if gravity would be enough to hold the cams in place and not disturb the timing.

Not a chance.

[jvfante]

I happened to watch recently a video which may be helpful.

If you search youtube for "Porsche IMS fix 6" and go to 6:10 in the tape, he describes a DIY tool to lock your cams. The link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRmB53bALf8, but in case it doesn't work, do the search.

Having replaced a solenoid, in the car, I'd highly recommend doing your fix with the engine out of the car. You'll be much happier.

I'll try to include a frame grab of the tool to save you some time.

Hope this works for you.

[Brian in Tucson]

Originally Posted by jvfante

I happened to watch recently a video which may be helpful.

If you search youtube for "Porsche IMS fix 6" and go to 6:10 in the tape, he describes a DIY tool to lock your cams. The link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRmB53bALf8, but in case it doesn't work, do the search.

Having replaced a solenoid, in the car, I'd highly recommend doing your fix with the engine out of the car. You'll be much happier.

I'll try to include a frame grab of the tool to save you some time.

Hope this works for you.

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Thanks, Burner's videos are pretty awesome, aren't they? I'm gonna make a couple of those holders for when I "harvest" the solenoids. Probably this week. Thanks for the link. It helped. BTW, BOTH engines are out of the car!

[Brian in Tucson]

Got t he solenoid out, using a home made tool as suggested by Burner. He does make it easy to understand and it really was a piece of cake.