I just pulled the engine from a donor car for my 71. While I have the engine out of the car, what maintenance/inspections should I do? I'm not looking to do a complete rebuild, but would like to cover the basics before it goes in - wires, hoses, etc...


Thanks in advance.

check the torque settings on the head bolts (inside valve cover). i believe they get 23ft lbs of torque but double check that w/Haynes...

-pt

Okay, thanks.

Go ahead and replace the rear main and front seal if you have it pulled down that far and if you dont know the last time it was done.

NO... Don't do the above...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Find a manual first.

Look at the pics of the head studs.

You will see there are 8 studs that hold the heads on. (per side)

If you just pull the valve covers. And re-torque the 4 nuts. You will effectively be torqing half the head studs. that in turn may well TILT the head so it doesn't seal anymore.

the heads MUST be torqued in a sequence and ALL of the fasteners must be torqued EVENLY...

Furthermore.

I can't get accurate toque settings on a used engine.
(unless it was very recently rebuilt)

This is because the threads of the upper 4 studs, the washers and the nuts have typically a bit (or a lot) of corrosion on them. this is due to water, acid atmosphere, salted roads, age, rust etc..... These 4 studs are open to the elements. the 4 under the valve cover are bathed in oil. These very differant enviroments. (One clean and purdy, one covered in rust and gunk)

Therefore if you throw a torque wrench on all 8 nuts, the torque values may very well be over the place. (possibly very bad news)

I clean all the threads, and the washers scrupulously before any re-torquing. (have to IMHO)

And by the way. you must remove the upper sheet metal to get to the upper stud/nut combination.

And thats a bitch if done in the car.

Since your engine is out of the car. it makes this work much easier.

Personally, my suggestion is...

DON'T MESS WITH THE HEADS YET.

Borrow a spare tranny and spin the engine on the ground.
(tranny hold the starter)
Give the engine a compression test and see what ya have. post the results here.

If there is a problem. We can suggest a workable solutions.

If the engine is a known runner. I suggest you tune it up as best as possible. Change the oil. And run the hell out of it.

If ya have problems. Post the issues here and fellas smarter than me will help ya..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards,
Twystd1

I would add, changing the pushrod tube seals and any other seal that may be leaking. Check the clutch to see if you're better off to replace it now. And adjust the valves. The rest is basic tune-up stuff, plugs, wires...

Still have the fuel injection system? I would replace all the hoses while they are easy to get to. I did this with Babydoll, and found that the guy who last worked on the engine used 5/16" (7.9 mm) hose. Replaced it with 7 mm hose and voila, no leaks.

but please get the Porsche fuel injection hose and NOT the grey VW fuel hose. The Porsche stuff is much tougher, higher heat resistance etc so you won't have problems.

Change the injector seals

Thanks to everyone for your help. I have a Haynes manual. Is there another book you can recommend that will have more information?

Down load the 914 Factory Manual. Its online somewhere...its moves around.

Here:

http://www.icbm.org/erkson/personal/Porsch...nuals/index.htm

Looks like you need a case of brake cleaner to start with. Remove the fuel injection, label the connections!! and pull off the tin to clean everything! Especially around the cylinders as crap builds up around the them stopping cooling.

Replace the pushrod tube seals, oil cooler seals, front and rear main seals etc.....

What they said. Plus, if it isn't already obvious, I'd say replace all the vacuum lines. It's cheap and easy and saves a few potentially annoying problems later.

If you're looking for things to do, one thing might be the plastic bushing on the shift rod, wherre it comes out of the firewall; it's a very worthwhile job if your shifting is sloppy. As innocent as that thing looks, it's a PITA to get in (any secrets out there ?). You don't really need to have the engine out to do this, but it certainly can't hurt.

And while you have the engine out, you might want to get in touch with Dirk Wright; he can probably give you a few more pointers......

If you are willing to pull the sheet metal I still say torque the head bolts. Even if you have to clean up the corroded studs. By removing the sheet metal you'll be able to see if you have any leakage where the cylinders meet up w/the case & head.

Also, if you are pulling the sheet metal you might be surprised by how much muck gets stuck in all the nooks & crannies.

"While it's out" syndrome can lead to an awefully long list...

-pt

I'm starting to see that there is a lot that could be done. Thanks, everyone for your input. I have my work cut out for me. The good thing is that I'll get to know the engine a lot better. Bleyseng - Thank you for posting a link to the manual. That will come in very useful.