Blue boxster resurrection project

[Homeoboxter]

Everlasting boxster project: I haven`t touched the thing for a while, and now instead of progressing forward, I took a step back and split the crankshaft bearing housing to take a peek into the main bearings. Luckily they all are in fantastic condition. Maybe I`ll check the clearances with plastigauge just in case, but there`s no apparent sign of wear.
Here are a some pictures:

[Hirsch990]

Glad to see an update. I was wondering what was going on.

[Homeoboxter]

Yeah, every project is getting delayed since the little one arrived. Hopefully the Boxster will run at least when he gets the license Thanks for keeping track of the progress!

Originally Posted by Hirsch990

Glad to see an update. I was wondering what was going on.

[Homeoboxter]

Update: I was a bit too optimistic last time when I said everything inside the crank bearing housing was in perfect condition. I lifted off the crankshaft and took a second look. I discovered a few things:

1) The most shocking is this by far:




I assume this piece was already missing in the factory, otherwise I can`t really see how it could have escaped from here without getting jammed in between the journal and the bearing. Must have been a late Friday session on the assembly line when this got through quality control. Actually, if it was just fine for 100k miles, I might as well put it back, right?

2) I still could find pieces from the plastic chain tensioner pad that fell apart. This little thingy is a real pain in the butt. Make sure you replace yours in time! Makes a lot more sense to replace these regularly than any IMS update.



3) One of the thrust washers seems a bit more worn than it should be. Looks like it got mixed with some plastic from somewhere, or just burnt, I don`t know.




The other one, that`s not pushed by the crank when the clutch is being operated, seems brand new.



4) When the casing was machined, these ugly burrs should`ve been removed I guess. They come off easily and can cause damage anywhere they get to. German precision, where did you go?




More to come once I received the parts.

[Qingdao]

Originally Posted by Homeoboxter

...4) When the casing was machined, these ugly burrs should`ve been removed I guess. They come off easily and can cause damage anywhere they get to. German precision, where did you go?
...

I interviewed for a position at Mercedes Benz Vans last year (its a local production facility). One of the interviewers said "Perfection is an unobtainable goal; we just do the best we can." LOL

[Homeoboxter]

Originally Posted by Qingdao

I interviewed for a position at Mercedes Benz Vans last year (its a local production facility). One of the interviewers said "Perfection is an unobtainable goal; we just do the best we can." LOL

So I assume you didn`t take the job

[Homeoboxter]

I received all the parts for the crankshaft assembly, so I put it all together last night. A pair of new bearings, oil spray jets, one thrust washer and new bolts.

Old vs new bearing shell:



Old vs new thrust washer: the new one has three of those oil pockets, otherwise it`s identical. This was the only version available.



The 14 bolts for the bearing carrier are the TTY (torque to yield) type, so it should be replaced at every reassembly. Out of curiosity, I quickly looked at how much the old bolts were stretched by lining them up on my work bench and placing my straight edge on top. No difference. I might as well just reuse them, it`s more reassuring to use new bolts though.





I flushed the oil galleries of the bearing housing and the crankshaft oil channels thoroughly by injecting gas using a large syringe.




New oil spray jets/splash valves.



I don`t what`s the proper way to guide the splash valves into their bore without damaging them, I used a pencil that I sanded off to match the size of the jets. To avoid filling the little hole with graphite ( don`t ask how I know this) I wrapped it in a piece of rubber glove material.





Looking good.