This is the engine I want to build up. The engine came from a 2.0 1976 912E. According to the PO, the engine was rebuilt around 100k miles, and the engine may have a total of close to 300k miles altogether. My initial thought was to just throw pistons and rings, but I've decided against that. So I'm taking it apart... piece by piece, my first engine tear down ever. The real trick will be putting it back together... and figuring out what to change, what to add, and what to remove.

lots of options to consider.... I'm trying to figure out what I want to build next too. I've built a few engines and they have bassically been stock with a little more omph. Now its time to strech.

since this is your first, maybe go with somethign simple as far as configuuation is concerned. Just getting the circlips out of the pistons will give you brain damage if you've never done it before! Baby steps....

As she arrived from Swap Meet

Removing the Flywheel... notice my little helper. He's 8!!!Click to view attachment

This is what my garage looked like BEFORE taking things apart. Don't ask my GF what it looks like now... she'll kick my A$$!!!!

You will do fine, if you are uncomfortable I hear Jake makes a really good

assembly video. Have Fun.

OOOPS, Battery died on camera. I'll have to post more tomorrow.

You REALLY need my video.. One missed bolt on tear down can cost more to repair than the video costs to buy! I go over every single teardown fastener and build it back up too- all very simple for the first timer!

does it include discussion/instruction on deck height and rocker arm geometry? if it does, i want one.

Not directly as it is made to keep the process very stock and general.

I am working on more advanced videos that will individually cover those aspects that will be used as video supplements..

I have posted a 9000 word Valve train geometry procedure article on my new forums- become a member and take advantage of it and many more like it as well, for free..

Thanks Jake,

This is definitely something I plan on doing... I appreciate the input.

C:>

If the case does not fall apart by it self there is a nut still holding it.
DO NOT use a screw driver to pry the halves apart.
Maybe a slight bump witha rubber hammer but not much more.

Or the dowel pins are rusty, or had glue put on them. I've had plenty of cases that are very hard to separate.

I posted a Where Are The Case Nuts? thread in the classics as well.

I actually saw that thread (on case bolts).. and I was planning on using it when I'm ready to split the case. Right now I've gotten 2 of the circlips and their corresponding cylinders off. Hopefully tomorrow (I have to work tonight) I will be able to finish taking the pistons off. Then I have to clear the work cart, and I will have to remove from the engine stand to split the case. Unless someone else has a better suggestion.

So far things are going WAY TOO SMOOTh... so I'm almost scared that I'm overlooking something.

I would strip the engine and then put the case on a bench and split it there. You

might have to rap on it a little with a rubber mallet to convince it to split. I than

put one half back on the stand for assembly and lower the other half on after

you install everything. If you need to, take pic's or video as you disassemble

your engine as referance. When you start to put the case back together pay

close attention to the torc specs on the case bolts, there is a small one that

holds the oil pick up in place and something real bad can happen if you over

tighten it. It's a blast have fun with it.

I watched McMark tear down an engine at his BBQ in about 30 minutes. IT CAN be a very smooth process. He then split the case with lots of pounding from the rubber mallet, while it was still on the stand. Not sure details of how it was on the stand...but it was clear the dowel pins were rusty. I hope to do this some day...good luck!

So far, I really haven't put THAT much effort into it... it's been a week's worth of "progress" and with a full time job, a part time business and a full-time relationship, I only get a few hours here and there.

Being my first time, I'd say I've got a total of about 3-4 hours into tearing it down. But I'm also trying to stay organized and labeling rods, pushrod tubes, cylinders, cleaning as I go (a big portion of the time spent on not getting TOO dirty), etc. I've also wasted some time finding and buying the right tools (i.e. to remove the circlips).

I can see how someone with more mechanical ability and experience could knock this out in no time... it's not that hard to take apart.

Putting it together, on the other hand... I think that's gonna take a while!!!

C:>

I have torn an entire engine apart in 20 minutes with air tools when it failed on the dyno and needed repair ASAP..

When I pulled the crank out it was still so hot that I had to use gloves.. It was back together and running on the dyno in 2 hours- then it won 3 regionals in a row :-)

unfortunately I don't have your knowledge, expertise, air tools or a convenient workbench. Then again, I do have gloves for my surgeon-like hands... But I'm trying!!!!

first timer Becareful, the hidden case bolt willalways getyou, you pound too hard,a dn you break the case!!! it should come apart pretty easy IF YOU GOT ALL THE BOLTS OUT.

you need to remove the pistons before splitting the case. aand go easy on the head and cylinder fins, they can snap off, very fragile. the pistons dent or chip easy, treat them like you would fine china. use a soft wood drift to remove the wrist pins if they don't slip out on therir own (after snap ring removal, get a snap ring tool) if you need a drift to push out the piston pins, hold the piston in your hand, don't let it bang on the head studs, it can dent them.
l;abel and number everything, lifters, pushrods, pistons etc... you wanto know where they came from. use plenty of plastic bags and boxes for an organizedinventory of parts
don't toss the fragile pistons, heads, cylnders, cases around, pack them safely away until ready

durieng assembly, KEEP THINGS SUPER CLEAN. one chip of metal or grit of sand in the engine can ruin the rebuild

you will want to clean up every thing. never ever ever pry the engine case halves, cylinders, nor heads off at the seams. a screw driver is tempting to use to pry the case halfs apart, but you will damage teh sealing surface.

once it is all apart, you eaither send the parts out to be checked, or do it yourself. you'll need to measure the case bearing bores to determine the correct outer diameter of the bearings and make sure the bores are still really round, you will also need to measure the crank and rod bearing surfaces, to determine which inner size bearing to use (they may have been re-ground already, or may need re-grinding) you don't just want to buy new bearings, and hope they fit, you can seize teh motor, or suffer low oil pressure if you are not lucky. bearing are sold in over bore sizes as needed. cam selection may depend on if you run FI, or want ot switch to carbs.

the cylinders need to be checked for diameter, too big and you will burn oil, they should not have a ridge on the inside, they can be honed to fix the finish (which helps rings reseal. you need to measure the ring gaps, and ring groove thivkness,a dn make sure that is in tolerance. connecting rods may need balanceing, endi to end, and the whole crank, flywheel fan , pressure plate should be balanced. the pistons should be matched in wieght. rocker geometery need to be check, can be adjusted by changing push rod length. make sure they are straight. oil pump need be check, the gears have aback lash tolerane,a dn need the corect hieght, too much and you have low pressure = short life.

you will want ot check the heads for cracks, loose seats, excessive guide clearance, the heads should be cc'd,a dn deck hight figure to give the desired compression ratio for teh fuel, and induction system you pick. a good valve grind is needed., they should be lapped into t he seats.


the list goes on. yes you can ignore this stuff, slap some parts together,a dn end up with a hand grenade motor, a smoker, or a dud, you might get lucky, adn it will run ok.

Keep this list up to date on your progress, there is plenty of good advioce out here. Buy a VW rebuild book, most are for the Type I motor, but many of the concepts are transferable to the type IV motor.
take your time, as this is your fisrt motor . figure to do it right, allow at least four times the time you thought it will take, you will need to wait to measure things, have machine work done, wait for parts, and trial assemble,/disassemble again and again to get everthing right.

Best of luck on this project. let us all know how it goes.

Thanks for the words of caution. Amazingly enough, I have been labeling everything and trying to keep it all smooth and organized. I am planning on sending everything out to be machined... heads, bottom end, etc. Still haven't decided on crankcase (re-machined or new) and cam. I'm suspecting the Webcam 86a may be my best bet if I stay with 96 MM pistons/cylinders. I don't plan on changing the crank/stroke unless I have to... and I am hoping to have the case align bored and all machine work done by a reputable company.... speaking of which I'm happy to accept suggestions on a machine shop near the San Fernando Valley. I am also thinking about sending the heads to RIMCO... that's probably a ways down the road, as I plan on doing the bottom end, and waiting until I have the $$$ to proceed with the heads. I think since I have the 912E heads, I will have to get them welded for the air breather tube. Not sure if I want to use a smaller spark plug, but it sounds like a reasonable modification "while we're at it."

Len at HAM or Adrian at Headflowmasters for head work...guess you didn't see the head thread a couple of weeks ago......

I just went through a 2.0 rebuild with a very good porsche mechanic, he warned and I found out that the 2.0 heads are going to be a problem, they do not make new ones anymore so all you get are remanufactured ones, I have gone through 4 heads failing now, valve seats slaping out on the exh. side, I gave up and now installing a 6 cyl...

good luck on your project, hope you have better luck than I did...

probably you will then need to have all the seats redone by someone that knows what they are doing. a dropped seat can ruin you engine, and since they are unknown?????? I would assume the seats can be done right, but you got to find someone that does them right.

i have heard one right way is to cool the seats, and heat the head, and have it all machined so that it is a really big interfernce fit (when at room temp). I have heard of LN2 used to cool the seats, and use a small oven to warm up the heads.

this is best left to someone that will warrent them, if they stand behind the work, and have good references you should be ok. if any ole machine shop just trries to press new seats in at room temp, you proabably are going to have trouble later.

sorry i don't have recommendation, but that is what i have heard

Finding a good shop to do it with warranty, tough one to find.
I am in San Diego, there is only one place to go, they would not give a warranty due to past problems with the heads, they would review the failure, then determine workmanship or not failure, you know what there findings would be,, my wallet in there hand...

I'm sure we've all heard of Len... but Who's Adrian? does anyone have any comments or experience? where are they both located?

if you listen to jakes radio show this weeks and last, you would have heard the head special that is still in effect from len, if i needed heads done right now thats the path i would takelisten hear

Thanks... I'll have to make some time to listen to it today when I get home from work.

Adrian == Headflow Masters, AKA Audirac. It looks like his website is gone, now. I think he's in the SD area...

--DD

Some more pictures:

It's not so hard to take apart.... so far... I'm wondering if the uneven discoloration is normal? Darker on the sides than on the front and back (My terminology still sucks)

Another view of the pistons.

Here's a picture of one of the heads. Looks pretty clean, even though I didn't spend much time looking at it. The other head has a faint "bruce" printed on the inside. I'm guessing these heads were worked on recently.

Going a little out of order here.Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

After removing the oil pump. I wish I knew how to tell if this oil pump is good... or if I should go with a different oil pump. My thought is I would like to go with an external oil cooler when I rebuild, but I'm not sure how to plumb it.

So this is what it looks like inside!!!

Finally got it off the engine stand. Had to get the kids to unbolt it while I put it on the work table. Hopefully the plastic top won't be a problem when i rebuild.

I'm getting ready to take this case apart, but before I do, I'm wondering if I need to remove the studs, or if I should leave them on for now. I'm also wondering which side should go "down" when I finally open the case (after I find all 20 bolts)

I decided to take a couple of extra pictures. This is the left rear cylinder. Some day I will learn which cylinder number it is. The other pistons and cylinders look pretty much the same.

Reverse view. I'm wondering... can someone explain the different coloration? Is that "blow by" that causes the piston to turn dark on the sides? poor rings?

Top view of the Left Rear Cylinder

Left Rear piston and pin. A couple of minor scratches on the bottom. Circlip came out fairly well, but I'm wondering if I scratched stuff in some way I shouldn't have.

Left Rear Cylinder. View from the bottom. You can see the cross-hatching in the bottom, but it seems to be worn off where the piston was "active"

There's no reason to take the head studs off - they're genaerally good forever. The most important thing I would recommend is to have the galley plugs tapped and plugged. Especially the ones behind the flywheel as well as the 2 up front above the oil filter. After that be sure to remove the oil pressure pistons (bottom front, and possibly on side below cyl #2) and thoroughly flush out the oil galleys, as there will be metal debris. good luck and have fun.

Make sure you read my article on oil galley plugs- its posted on my forums.

I'm giving it up for the night. I thought I had all the bolts but I am not able to separate the case into halves. I'm either missing a bolt, or the PO used a chit load of sealant/glue to hold the case together.

Any suggestions on splitting the case?

Yeah, make sure you get all the bolts out. It's just that simple.

This is the weakest arguement for going to a six I have heard. Tell your mechanic that you can order brand new 914 2.0L heads from Porsche (PelicanParts has them) or have them rebuilt by HAM or get brand new CNC 914 2.0L from HAM. No dropped seats as HAM does it differently from how Porsche (VW) installed the seats in the first place. BTW if you were dropping seats its cuz you were running too hot of CHT's as they will fall out at 425F.

I would run away from this uninformed mechanic.