The Houston 04 SE

[78F350]

Markus. I agree with what you posted, but want to clarify a few things.

Originally Posted by Smallblock454

...it's important to get the water out there a.s.a.p. Much more important than seats and other stuff.

At first the engine was not my priority because it had been in that condition for four months. As soon as I drained the water and oil, the condition changed and the internal engine was exposed to air. Then it became urgent.

...Maybe its a good idea to pull the oil pan before putting in new oil.

I would have pulled the oil pan, except that when I drained the engine, only two things came out: Clean water and clean oil. I think that there is minimal residual water in there now and I will flush more oil through, to clear it.

Seats: don't put them in bags. They need to dry completely. Best would be a warm, ventilated area without sun. Else you get must / mildew in the foam.

I have removed them from the bags. The purpose of the bags was to allow a mildew killing agent to seep into the seats without dispersing.

Check the ball joints and steering system for water.

Yes, soon.

...Problem with filling the cylinders with oil / 2 stroke oil ist that it's a flat engine.

Correct, they can not be filled. What I did do was spray 'fogging oil' into the spark plug holes until it flowed back out, then pumped some 2-stroke oil into both sides of the plenum.

vielen Dank

[grc0456]

I am rooting for a full restoration! These SE cars are the pinnacle of the 986, and it’s a shame when any don’t make it. Good luck to you!

If and when you get to that point, I would also address the IMSB (if it hasn’t been done). I recall reading that the SE cars tend to have higher failure rates on their single row bearings (possibly due to many became garage Queens), but I don’t know if this has been proven. In any event, it’s a good idea anyway.


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[GTA_G20]

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[78F350]

Yesterday afternoon it was 70 degrees and partly sunny. Then the thunderstorms came. After nightfall the cold front swept through. I can't complain. I accomplished what I intended to yesterday. By dusk, I had given the engine plenty of turns running the starter, with oiled cylinders and plenty of fresh oil in the case.

Today I am sore and it's a damp, windy 40 degrees outside. Sitting by my wood stove at the computer, it is hard to muster the motivation to crawl under the car. I really need to move it into the garage, but my 2000 S - Audi V8 swap project is filling that space. Wednesday I have a full day off. Then, I'll bolt the rear suspension back on that and switch the cars around.

Today? I think I should turn the engine a little more, then drain the oil. After draining, I'll put fresh oil in with a 50-50 mix of Rotella T6 and some Quicksilver 25W-40 marine oil (as suggested) for the additive package.

Some pictures from yesterday:
6 plugs removed.


Some oil and a very small bit of water came out of cylinder #1 and #3. The others were surprisingly dry.


Taking the cover off after a short rain shower.


The mess in my garage.

[itsnotanova]

Nice shirt! lol. That's great news about only one cylinder having water in it. Water doesn't really get in the journals because there's already oil in there when the car gets flooded. Rust inside the combustion chambers scares me more. I've dealt with four flooded motors and you'd be surprised by the lack of rust. In reality though, water in the electronics is a bigger problem. Have you checked the transmission yet?

[10/10ths]

What number 550 is she???

[Smallblock454]

Originally Posted by 78F350

At first the engine was not my priority because it had been in that condition for four months. As soon as I drained the water and oil, the condition changed and the internal engine was exposed to air. Then it became urgent.

Well, problem here is if the valves of a cylinder are open, the cylinder is exposed to air.

I think that is also why you have water in one cylinder, but not in all. If the water was really clean, the damage might be not that bad.

Primary problem in that case are the piston rings.

If the water wasn't clean, than we have a bigger problem, because all the debree is in the engine and that will cause major problems. So our major problem is not only to get all water / huminity out of the engine but also all debree.

In general i would say it's safer to rebuilt the engine; or at least pull the heads and oil pan etc. and clean everything up, just to make shure possible debree doesn't eat up the engine. As you know most M96 parts are made of alloy, not steel.

Hope weather conditions get better soon. But if you can work in a t-shirt it might be not that bad. Over here in Germany we have snow and below 40 degrees F. So no t-shirt weather.

Regards, Markus

[78F350]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

... Have you checked the transmission yet?

Not yet. Tuesday or Wednesday hopefully.

Originally Posted by 10/10ths

What number 550 is she???

The batwing is missing. Is there another way to find the number?
I did look up the build sheet:

Originally Posted by Smallblock454

... I think that is also why you have water in one cylinder, but not in all. If the water was really clean, the damage might be not that bad.

Fresh, clear water... like Evian. My guess is that the water entered the cylinder by the exhaust valve.

In general i would say it's safer to rebuilt the engine; or at least pull the heads and oil pan etc. and clean everything up, just to make shure possible debree doesn't eat up the engine. ...

I think I will take a chance on the engine without a rebuild. If a problem shows, hopefully it will not be catastrophic - then rebuild. I have magnets on my filter and will order a magnetic plug soon to catch debris.


Once I am confident in the engine, I intend to have a LN IMS bearing replacement.

Here's my video from turning the engine with the starter:
https://youtu.be/s5MqC3bWho4

[seningen]

Originally Posted by Smallblock454

Well, problem here is if the valves of a cylinder are open, the cylinder is exposed to air.

I think that is also why you have water in one cylinder, but not in all. If the water was really clean, the damage might be not that bad.

Primary problem in that case are the piston rings.

If the water wasn't clean, than we have a bigger problem, because all the debree is in the engine and that will cause major problems. So our major problem is not only to get all water / huminity out of the engine but also all debree.

In general i would say it's safer to rebuilt the engine; or at least pull the heads and oil pan etc. and clean everything up, just to make shure possible debree doesn't eat up the engine. As you know most M96 parts are made of alloy, not steel.

Hope weather conditions get better soon. But if you can work in a t-shirt it might be not that bad. Over here in Germany we have snow and below 40 degrees F. So no t-shirt weather.

Regards, Markus

The valve openings are only so big from a debris point of view.

It seems like you could vacuum out the cylinders through the spark plug hole
anything else left is likely to be harmless or disintegrate quickly.

Mike

[78F350]

I want to start the engine. It could still take me weeks before it's really ready, but running it up to temperature would be good to get the moisture out and get a better idea of the condition. Tell me what I need to do first. Here's a quick list:

• Immobilizer/DME/Key are in hand, ready to install.
• Starting on electronics - removal and cleaning today.
• Open the transmission drain to check for water. Soon.
• Take a fuel sample. Power fuel pump and sample at engine feed line.
• Find the coolant leak and fix it. Haven't even looked yet.
• Replace air filter, clean TB, MAF, and intake tubing.
• Fully drain or just replace the exhaust.

So... what else? I don't want to rush and ruin it all.

[RedTele58]

Originally Posted by 78F350

The batwing is missing. Is there another way to find the number?

Looking at your build sheet, it was probably #60. But - digging around at my shop in my big "pile-o-parts", it looks like the number now is going to be 0835/1953. I'd hate to see you get it all put back together and have a big hole on the console where the batwing goes. It might not be totally correct and purist true, but this will look much better.

I bought this several years ago off the board here, off a wreck, for a wall hanger, knowing it was as close as I'd probably ever get to owning a 550SE.

It's your now - we'll add it to the cup of coffee I owe you for the 2.5 long block.

Rick

[78F350]

Originally Posted by RedTele58

Looking at your build sheet, it was probably #60. But - digging around at my shop in my big "pile-o-parts", it looks like the number now is going to be 0835/1953. ...

That's awesome! Thanks so much. 0835 it is then!


Today I pulled out some electronics. The CDR23/amp/CDC4 are beyond repair. I'm really hoping that Fred shows up soon with some toys for us to buy: Infotainment System for Porsche Car [from CAD, prototyping to finish]
That is what I want in this car. Better than OEM.

I think that the switches are all going to be fine, but I'm going to replace the ignition switch and headlight switch since I already have spares on hand. Why take a chance.
I am going to take a chance on the Convertible Top relay. It looks good and it's easy to replace if it goes bad. About half the other relays looked bad internally, so they are All going in the trash. I pulled all of the fuses and cleaned out the holder. Many had signs of corrosion. Hunting down intermittent electrical problems can suck. Why take a chance... They are all in the trash.



The climate control unit was surprisingly good. Just some very light signs of water that I cleaned off with industrial strength alcohol and electronics cleaner. There's still a chance that the LCD screen is bad, but hoping for the best.

[MWS]

Pardon if this suggestion is beyond obvious, but if you get to the point when you would like to try to start the car, I would have all the nonessential electronics disconnected and then start adding them back in one at a time (or add "donor" components)....this way you won't be trying to chase gremlins throughout the entire electrical system, and should be easy enough to find if one component is bad.

Additionally, the per your pic of the climate board...even though there is no obvious corrosion, I would think the IC's would be toast, but then again, I might be wrong.

I said this before, but you sir are a braver man than I...and I salute you for being so.

[dghii]

Great ideas above.

I think this is going to turn out better than you expected when you bought the car. Your worst case to this project has not changed while your best case seems to be improving every day.

Best of luck!

[PaulE]

Did the 2004 550 SE get the 987 upgraded ignition switch and lock assembly, just like it got the 987 air filter housing? I know they changed over the lock and switch at some point after my 2003. I had mine upgraded to after my second failed ignition switch.

[10/10ths]

...what should I look for?

[PaulE]

Originally Posted by 10/10ths

...what should I look for?

On the ignition switch and lock? Sorry I don’t know. Maybe search for the parts by your VIN on a site like Sunset, and compare those part numbers to the part numbers for an 03 and an 05, and see what matches.

[78F350]

Originally Posted by PaulE

Did the 2004 550 SE get the 987 upgraded ignition switch and lock assembly, just like it got the 987 air filter housing? I know they changed over the lock and switch at some point after my 2003. I had mine upgraded to after my second failed ignition switch.

Actually, that's what I was working on today. The ignition and steering lock assembly is the same as previous 986s:

[rusty69911]

hanging for the updates, love this, hope the water wasnt poo water?? dont lick it to test...

[GTA_G20]

Question where did you pull your 550 SE build sheet. I have yet to see one like that