Beautiful! What are you using for the cleaning?

I got soaked the large parts in diesel oil for days, then oil mud comes off easily using a brush. Burnt oil gunk and grime on the pistons came off using Barryman carb cleaner.
This is the best stuff, it`s expensive though, so I couldn`t get soaked everything in it. Barryman also pretty well intermixes with water, so you can just wash it off with pressurized water even in the sink, so you get a very nice and clean surface to work on.

Thanks! I am trying to figure out what the best method is for cleaning the exterior of my transmission.

Pressure washer after soaking in some strong detergent would do it. Good luck!

I started working on the head last weekend.
Valve removal:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1545108983.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1545109089.jpg

Few more parts cleaned:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1545109123.jpg

Luckily my wife didn`t see this mess I made at the sink :)

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1545109173.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1545109197.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1545109216.jpg

Excellent!
Used egg cartons work great for keeping those lifters from getting mixed up....

Got my head back on and other side comes off by the weekend....

Nice! I think I`ll have some time to reassemble the heads too, just received the new seals. Using egg cartons sound like a smart idea :cheers:

During the holidays I had some time to work on the heads. The valves and seats needed a little resurfacing, so I added some grinding material on the valves and started the procedure with a conventional lapper.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546206640.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546206657.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546206668.jpg

I shortly realized this would take forever for all the 24 valves, so I looked for a somewhat quicker solution and I came out with this super-special tool using a piece of fuel line from my motorbike and a few hose clamps:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546206693.jpg

About 30 sec spin for each valve does the trick. Make sure you lube the valve guides before doing this.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546206720.jpg

Before/after conditions:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546206768.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546206779.jpg

After another thorough shower in the sink the head is ready for reassembly with new seals.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546206842.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546206881.jpghttp://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546207013.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546210002.jpg

One side done.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546210022.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546210040.jpg

I use oven cleaner with a pressure washer.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

:eek:

Go, man, go!

:cheers:

The brown material on the engine and transmission from the factory is a corrosion inhibitor for the alloy.

Reassembly of the short block is coming along slowly, got the spacers for the IMS from the machine shop. Finally I ended up using just the small ring and not the large spacer. The bearing is a dual-row ceramic hybrid which is narrower than the orignal dual-row, that`s why the spacer is necessary. The bearing will be held in place using a snap ring.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546708687.jpg

The bearing went in easily after heating up the shaft with a heat gun and putting the bearing in the freezer for a few hours. I put the IMS assembly together just to see if all works fine.


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546708975.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546708998.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546709057.jpg

I plugged the dipstick back in as I wanted to see how the oil level relates to the IMS.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546709144.jpg

Here`s the end of the dipstick in the sump. The wrench is placed roughly at the maximum oil level. The oil level is over the the IMS. Note that it`s upside down.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546709315.jpg

Max level shown from the IMS side:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546709603.jpg

This level belongs to the minimum mark on the dipstick:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546709640.jpg

The cavity of the sump and in the center cavity with the IMS share the same oil level as they are connected through these holes:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/ww1546709884.jpg

I might be missing something, but what this suggests is that the IMS runs in oil even when the oil level is at the lowest mark. This might be obvious for many of us, however, it came as a surprise for me, since there`s been suggested that the IMS bearing is lubricated by oil vapor after the original grease filling is gone. Apparently this is not the case and a dual row bearing with removed oil seals should work fine as a replacement of the original.

Excellent information....

:cheers:

No, because when you drive the car there is no constant oil level in the engine (acceleration, braking, corners). The oil is swapping around in the engine oil pan and in the engine. And the hotter the oil is, the more it swaps, because of the lower viscosity. Also when the engine runs oils level is also not constant, because the oil pump circulates the oil and the oil is also "splashed around" (maybe there is a better term for that in english) in the engine.

Regards from Germany,
Markus

Thanks, Otto!

Hey Marcus,

Thanks for your comment! This is a show&tell thread, I`m just sharing pictures while rebuilding this engine and some thoughts that come up along the way. Whether or not you find it informative is up to you and depends on your interpretatation ;)

I agree, during driving the oil mass is floating around the crankcase, it`s unlikely though that this would negatively affect a ball bearing that otherwise at least half way sits in oil, unless you are speeding around in a rondabout for an hour. As for the circulation, after the engine stopped, most of the circulated oil remains in the oil galleries, this ensures that the oil gets to the plain bearings at the first revolution of the crank upon start. If it was otherwise, the plain bearings, that require constant oil pressure all the time, would be starving at every start leading to bearing failure shortly. Thus, I think the amount of oil that flows back after the pump stops is almost negligible. Or, on the contrary, the level in the sump may even rise a little bit when the engine is running, due to the scavanging pumps pumping the oil back to the sump from the periphery.

Cheers, Greg

Ya but I would think most IMSB failures are happening on cars that are never tracked or put into situations where G forces are going to move oil away to the extent SB454 describes. What about windage trays? Not doing their job?
It would be interesting to have a window into the sump to see where the low oil level is when the engine is at full song....

Otto

Great pictures. I sometimes regret scrapping my bad engine, just to be able to see and understand the kind of stuff that you are displaying. :cheers:

You should, perfect stress relief :)

Yesterday I tackled a bit with the starter. Not that it really needed obvious attention, just if it`s out I thought I look into it.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1547623708.jpg

Came apart easily. No need to replace anything, after some cleaning and regreasing everything can go back together.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1547623972.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1547623997.jpg

Transmission gears run on needle bearings. Pretty thoughtful.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1547624039.jpg

This is kind of odd, grease seems to be migrated from the gears while sitting during the 11 year long nap..

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1547624058.jpg

After a bit of cleaning:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1547624989.jpg

Planetary gears regreased:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1547624510.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1547624529.jpg

A 24 mm socket helps holding the brushes during reassembly.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1547624773.jpg

Done.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1547624584.jpg

Homeo, you do nice work, my friend. I'd let you work in my garage any time. (If there were room, of course, haha)

I am usually so pressed for time to get the current project completed (either because I need the garage for another project, or I'm trying to hit a track day, or whatever) that I rarely take the time to do these types of "just because I'm holding it in my hands already" items.

Kudos you you. Patience, perseverance, attention to detail. All good skills that are too rare at my house. Haha


Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

Thanks! I just check everything on the way as I don`t want to pull apart everything again when it turns out something failed and I missed it. This engine design doesn`t seem to allow you to fix anything easily with the engine in the car. And I have a tendency to get lost in the details that just makes all my projects last forever :)

Ok, so I`m still stuck finding matching rings for the car. First here are some pics of the ring gap measurements I made:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548033835.jpg

I pushed down all the rings all the way to the bottom and meaured the end gaps with a feeeler gage.
Here`s the result:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548033959.jpg

I couldn`t find specifications for this particular car, but based on other German cars with similar bor size (e.g. BMW) they are way out of specs. The side rails for the 3rd rings look pretty badly worn in particular:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548034577.jpg

I`ll do proper measurements for the wear with a bore gauge once I receive it from Amazon. The bores look fine though, and I think a fresh ring set will make a big difference. Problem is, I can`t get one for the 2.5L engine. There are available aftermarket sets for the 2.7 engine, but they are listed as non-matching for the 2.5L, and I don`t really understand why, since the two cars have the same bore size (85.5mm) and the thickness of the rings seems to be the same too (1.5; 1.2; 2.0 mm):

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548035192.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548035220.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548035235.jpg

Can someone confirm they are identical?

I didn`t like the idea that the IMS is air-tight sealed and the only way for depressurization is through the bearing. Also, the engine shouldn`t allocate energy into spinning about a liter oil got caught inside a tube. So, I drilled a hole through the IMS. Here the pressure can be released and the oil that got stuck will be drained by centrifugal force.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548129166.jpg

Still no progress on the engine at all, I`m waithing for the rings to arrive. Fortunately this car has many other things to tackle with so I don`t get bored. The alternator made this not too healthy squeaking noise when spinning so I decided to rebuild it. In retrospect, it wasn`t worth the time, but if all goes well I`ll have a refurbished original BOSCH alternator.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548560629.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548560646.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548560680.jpg

Few Philips screws hold the back panel.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548560695.jpg

Could`ve been useful to spray the bolts with WD40 or similar.. Result: one broken bolt and one with stripped head. Next time!

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548560753.jpg

The two halves came apart anyway:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548561317.jpg

I can counterhold the shaft with this bit but how to get access to this silly recessed nut?

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548561978.jpg

After a quick visit to the hardware store I came up with this:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548562052.jpg

Unpullied:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548562341.jpg

What a disaster..

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548562397.jpg

Drilling out the broken bolt:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548562938.jpg

The threads didn`t survive the removal so I drilled them through, tapped and inserted two helicoil threads in.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548563055.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548563076.jpg

This is the rebuild kit I`ll throw in. Not a bad deal for $25.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548563164.jpg

I also invested into this ($8):

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548563258.jpg

Works pretty well for the bearing on the back.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548563358.jpg

For the front one I needed some additional tools and I had to remove the outer race:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548563418.jpg

Leftover of the old slip ring now can come off:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1548563667.jpg

Reassembly is coming soon.

I love your write-ups. It makes me want to tackle those projects I’m always hesitant to start. Thanks for taking the time to document all your efforts. BTW, you must have some workshop and supply of tools!

I`m glad you enjoy reading this project, I hope it`ll help others as well to do a similar job with fewer mistakes than I make :) I just work in my garage, I accumulated a bunch of tools for other projects over time and just order new ones along the way.. That`s why it`s taking so long!

Hey Folks,

I haven`t posted for a while, the project has slowed down a bit. Spring is near though so I better speed up this restoration. At last I received the ring set for the engine. It`s not identical to the original but I think they should be fine.

Here they are:
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1550205171.jpg

The second is different from the original in design, different solution for the same function:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1550205558.jpg

Top rings, old and new, side by side: no big difference in gap:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1550205680.jpg

Same for the 2nd ring:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1550205756.jpg

What was really worth the investment is the oil ring set: quite a bit of wear and deteroriation on the old ones. These rings were stuck in the piston groove in gunk.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1550205907.jpg

After a slight hone on the bores they have to be ok.

I made some progress on pinning the IMS too. I realized that there is some chance for each of the three gears to spin on the shaft so I decided to pin all of them. Although I couldn`t see any sign of rotation of the gears with respect to the shaft, I made sure they are all aligned. The gear tooth on one side has to be in line with the gear trough on the other ( I looked at several IMS pics on the web to confirm this) :

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1550206912.jpg

Not only the shaft but also the gears are made of some surprisingly soft steel that`s quite easy to machine.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1550207066.jpg

I tapped the holes with an M6 tap. I didn`t make the thread all the way through so the set screws will get stuck at the bottom.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1550207256.jpg

Here`s how they look, the gear on the other end is pinned as well. They are not tightened down, hence they are sticking out. I`ll need some good permanent thread locker to finish it.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1550207665.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1550207676.jpg

Hey,
Last weekend I gave a light honing for the cylinders to get them ready for the new rings. I used a deglazer that`s free to rent at Autozone. Here`s a few pics of the tools and the result.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1551333669.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1551333782.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1551333711.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1551333724.jpg

I'm loving this rebuild!

Any news? :)

Hi, not much unfortunately, I`ve been working on my other car and didn`t get around to the Boxster. Except for the belt pulleys, they didn`t have a healthy sound so I rebuilt them fresh bearings instead of buying new ones.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1553405209.jpg

A spark plug socket perfectly fits through the pulley and gets access to the bearing.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1553405231.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1553405246.jpg

I used SKFs instead of the original FAG products.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1553405276.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1553405291.jpg

After placing the bearings in the freezer and heating up the pulleys with a heatgun they slide right into their places after a few punches with a hammer. Make sure to use a socket that fits the external ring of the bearings.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1553405302.jpg

These should be good for the next 100k miles.

Just discovered this thread, I didn't even know that there was a "show-tell-gallery". You should put a link in the Performance and Technical section to share this experience.
Really impressive work!

Thanks! I didn`t know about the technical section :)

All right, back to the alternator, picking up where I left off a few months ago. Here`s the new slip ring fitted on the rotor:


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/11561886278.jpg


Make sure this little notch on the slip ring casing fits the slot on the rotor or else you will have to destroy the slip ring housing to get it off again. Don`t ask how I know...


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/21561886292.jpg

I soldered new wires in between the rings and the coil.


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/31561886309.jpg

Quick testing for continuity using a 9V battery and a knife from the kitchen drawer. Mesmerizing!

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/41561886323.jpg

Pressing the small bearing on its place using the big one:


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/51561886338.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/61561886352.jpg

The larger bearing in the set for the drive side was not the correct one, so I had to get a matching one:


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/81561886363.jpg

Pulled into the case:


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/91561886394.jpg

Finally spins freely with no noise.


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/101561886412.jpg

Old vs. new brushes:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/111561886427.jpg

This is a great post, thanks very much. You seem to approach this job with confidence and inspecting/rebuilding accessory components while they’re in your hands makes good sense. I wonder what your career field is.

Hi,

have you measured the cylinder heads to be absolutely flat? Most times it's needed to plan the surface, because they aren't 100% flat at all. And if the surface isn't absolutely flat you'll run into problems with leaking cylinder heads (oil and water). So all the effort will be worth nothing if you miss this step.

Regards from Germany,
Markus

Hi Markus,

No, I haven`t yet, but I was gonna drop it off at some machine shop to have it checked. Or I`ll just place it down on a glass table and meaure the gaps all around with a feeler gauge. I`m kind of far from that stage yet though.

Best,

Greg

I`m glad you like the post. This engine was totally untouched before me, had the factory dual row bearing and seemed to be perfect. Since I pulled it out and has 100k miles in it I will have to find some replacement. No LN update. Corrosion is not an issue here in California, also most of the engine is covered underneath so I`m not concerned about that. The engine parts that are coated are aluminum parts, that can be damaged by very aggresive corrosives, like salt as you suggested. But who uses a boxster in winter? No apparent damage on the pistons, I think they are good to go back. I`m an amateur hobby mechanic, my career field is biology related.

Cheers,

Greg