I know I should never say never, but if I'll do any more extensive engine work, it will be on a Subaru ej25. So much easier.

About 2 years ago, I had some breakfast then drove my Subaru to the shop, pulled the engine, had some pizza for lunch, installed an engine that I had prepared in advance with new head gaskets and a timing belt, then drove the car home for dinner. All hand tools, and the car on ramps. My tenant was using the lifts.

Even doing the head gaskets and the timing belt on those things is a breeze.

My brother's friend is a lot like you. He has a shop and they only work on foreign and Exotics.

This is where I'm at at this stage. It's as far as I can go without Special Tool 9632 to compress the VarioCam solenoid. (Actually, I could remove the cams and set them on the workbench, but I couldn't do anything with them without the compression tool.) I also need bolts for the camshaft retainer tool, since bolts don't come with the kit. I assumed I could use a couple 10mm cam cover bolts, but they're too short.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1745542096.jpg

At this point I can't detect any wear at all on this pad. In fact, it looks almost brand new.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1745543037.jpg

Other marques do have their own idiosyncrasies. Take my '98 Isuzu Rodeo 4WD (which I bought new and has only 47,000 miles on it). The starter solenoid began acting up with click-click-click syndrome. Once the starter's out, rebuilding the solenoid with new contacts and plunger takes about fifteen minutes. However, getting to the starter on 4WD Isuzus is a nightmare. To get enough clearance, one must either unbolt an exhaust header from the manifold or unbolt a motor mount and raise the driver's side of the engine. I chose to raise the engine, because there was too much risk of twisting off a manifold stud and then spending an hour or more under there with an EZ-Out. Not my idea of fun. Even with the engine raised there wasn't a heck of a lot of clearance, but I managed. During the whole process I swore at Isuzu's design engineers. I did. I cursed them soundly. Still, for pure aggravation, Porsche gets my vote.

The pads in this engine are made of a brown material, which I understood is the new, improved material, replacing black pads made of the softer, more wear-prone material. That, and the apparent lack of wear, leads me to wonder whether they've been replaced. I didn't see any signs that someone's been in there before, but perhaps they were extremely careful.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1745557777.jpg

I had another look at the pad through a lighted magnifying glass and still couldn't see much wear when I pushed the chain aside. Wish I could see the bottom pad, because they generally have more wear than the top pad. As long as I'm wishing, I also wish I knew if the engine had any cam deviation. If indeed the pads are the newer type and have almost no wear, it wouldn't make sense to replace them. I guess the only way to know for sure is to pull the cams and have a closer look. If the pads are fine I'll stick the cams back in and leave bank 2 alone.

JFP and other folks who've done this procedure, do you see anything wrong with my reasoning in my last two posts?

My only comment would be that you have come this far, you have the tools and the new parts, and the engine is out and accessible; this is the time to do any and all of the maintenance that becomes a real pain when the engine is back in the car, which could also eliminate any regrets later.

Here is a slightly fuzzy picture of the pads from my 3.2 S engine,

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1745696918.jpg

You will notice that one is almost like new and the other, on the right side, is worn to the point where the roller part of the chain is wearing away the pad between the lines where the links run. All the pads I've changed are this colour, like yours, and the new pads are more beige/white colour.

Apart from the pads, since now you have good access to these parts, I would carefully inspect the variocam units for rubber debris coming from the internal O-rings. They tend to fail in cars been sitting for a long time. You can take the solenoid off, pull the small piston out and look in there with a flash light. If you end up removing the camshafts to see the lower pads you can also test the variocam by blowing air into it and see how it operates. Good luck!

The cam retainer is now retaining the cams, with the help of a couple 10mm M6 bolts.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1745714924.jpg

Thanks, Grant. The solenoid compressor tool is supposed to arrive tomorrow and then I'll take the cams out, remove the pads, and snap a photo of them. The new pads are a lighter color, as you point out. I note the pads from your 3.2L engine look almost black.

Appreciate the suggestions, Homeoboxter. I bought a couple o-rings for the VarioCams on JFP's advice. Are those the internal o-rings you're referring to?

I can't argue with that. So far, I've followed your advice to the letter, including springing for the Solution (even though I kicked and screamed about it). As a result, I'll have the best 986 in the poorhouse!

No problem. Not sure which O-rings JFP suggested, I meant the internal O-ring within the variocam unit that disintegrates over time scattering green rubber debris all around the engine. If you dropped the sump, inspected the oil filter and found no signs of this, probably you are good to go. Just keep an eye for it because if it started to fail this is a good time to service it. These O-rings are over 20 years old and have gotten brittle by now. As far as I know they usually fail in cars that are not used for years perhaps because they get dried out...

Check out this thread:
https://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/77949-green-rubber-2.html

Maybe they were seals, rather than o-rings. The parts are out in the shop. I'll look tomorrow.

A little Sunday interlude to discuss raising the car. Problem: My supposedly low-profile floor jack isn't quite low profile enough to fit under either the front or back, a common and aggravating problem. My makeshift fix has been to run the car up on two 2x8s under each wheel. They provide enough clearance for the floor jack, but wood tends to slide on concrete, a PITA. Solution: these ramps at $27.69 per pair:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1745769607.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/MAXXHAUL-50699-Capacity-Profile-2-Count/dp/B0BMQYKLYJ/

The maximum height for my four jack stands is 19.5", which raises the car high enough to work underneath without it being claustrophobically tight. That will have to do until I can get a 2-post lift:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1745770923.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/APlusLift-HW-9KFL-000LB-2-Post-Floor/dp/B07F6591TR/

And then what a happy world this will be!

The bank 1 cams are out. Removal was easy and, for the most part, peasy. The exhaust cam lifters wanted to slide out, but I had a helper standing by to prevent it. I removed the lifters one by one and arranged them in order on the worktable. The cam caps and all the bolts are in labeled baggies. Without the compression tool to loosen the cam chain I can't inspect the condition of the bottom pad, but the top pad is more accessible and looks almost new. So there you have it.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1745797010.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1745797038.jpg

Just Curious: How many miles are on that engine?

Big advantage of an engine stand is that you turn the engine 90degrees so you are working with cylinders vertical and things don't fall out of the head!

39,901. Compared to 155,297 on the original engine. I was at Safeway a while back and met a guy with a '99 that had over 300,000 miles on the clock. It was still running strong, he said, and it sounded good to me.