944 Turbo S Engine Rebuild Thread

[Eldavo]

While the inlet manifold was being levelled I popped over to see Simon who runs Therma Tec and gave him my old 16v gasket. I use his PTFE thermal intake gaskets on my 8v turbo engine and they’re brilliant as well as being basically dirt cheap for what they are - the last gaskets you’ll ever need to buy as they’re fully reusable.

He didn’t disappoint, and I picked up my CAD and laser cut gasket the following day. He’ll be adding the 16v gaskets to his website shortly but he already does the 2.5 & 2.7 ones here: https://www.therma-tec.com/ourshop/cat_1676184-944.html

The gasket is 3mm thick compared to the 1mm of the original and has a bit of squish so would take up any slight imperfections.


Also had a Mishimoto oil catch can delivered so will get everything reassembled today/tomorrow and hopefully go out for a spin Sunday afternoon.

 

[James0]

That link to the gaskets looks useful. I think i need to do the head gasket on mine this summer.

The cardboard inlet manifold gaskets are a bit crap on the 2.7 in my opinion and easy to deform.

 

[dlknight]

Great job - thanks for sharing the link Dave! [s1]

 

[Eldavo]

Great job - thanks for sharing the link Dave! [s1]

No probs - He’s just a nice guy with a bit of a hobby/interest. I’d buy one sooner rather than later as I suggested that he could charge double and they’d still be good value!

Interestingly - my oil catch can was £159 on Mishimoto’s website but £49 on their Amazon Shop, I ordered it at 19:00 on Thursday night and it was delivered at 08:30 on Friday

 

[blade7]

Are all 2.5 inlets the same size? Only inlet I've seen are on the 2.7 head and inlet manifold. For £20 I'd definitely fit these gaskets when I change my turbo.

 

[Eldavo]

Are all 2.5 inlets the same size? Only inlet I've seen are on the 2.7 head and inlet manifold. For £20 I'd definitely fit these gaskets when I change my turbo.

Yea - 2.5 8v N/A and Twbo are the same (I changed my 2.5 Twbo head for an 8v N/A head when I had it rebuilt).

2.7 N/A head has the oval ports, 2.5 16v 944S, 3.0 16v 944 S2 and 968 all use the same style one-piece gasket (although the 968 one has 2mm larger inlets as I was told this morning).

 

[blade7]

I knew the 2.7 ports are bigger, but seeing the gaskets side by side in your link, shows there's a massive difference. Doesn't make sense for only a 200cc increase in capacity.

 

[TTM]

The 968 gasket is different to suit the larger inlet ports of the 968 head.

 

[Eldavo]

I was at a workshop morning at Teesside Porsche on Saturday and had my car on the ramp to get some Porsche tech insight as to where my oil leak was still coming from.


Had a play with some powder spray and then bought some from Euros "Spy Dry” - it’s pretty cool stuff, a marble powder that shows up any fluid leaks.


Found that the Porsche guys were correct and that my banjo fittings were the culprits - they’re made for a Setrab oil cooler and use O-rings to seal. On the cooler these fit into machined recesses but on my modified console they don’t and weren’t sealing properly.


They we’re difficult to fit with the engine on a stand so in the car was going to be very tough so I bit the bullet and ordered an oil filter console seal kit and OPRV alignment tool from Partworks.de along with standard M22 - 10AN fittings and a new 90° hose end as one was a bit loose.


Bits have been arriving over the last couple of days and hopefully I’ll have everything I need to do the job over the Easter bank holiday weekend.


Removed the filter console tonight - not the most fun thing I’ve ever done, I’m leaving the garage floor cleanup and tool cleanup until tomorrow - also, coolant in your eye stings too!

 

[scam75]

Good progress, finding the culprit is a massive help when trying to fix it!

 

[Eldavo]

New banjo fittings "finally" turned up - only 4 days later than expected.


Decided to just use one and a straight M22-AN10 adaptor for the other line as it was pressing on the coolant hose from the water pump. Made up a new oil line with a forged fitting, lower profile and definitely no leaks. Also chopped another oil line shorter and swapped out the 90° fitting for a straight one to match the other adapter.


Used a Partwerks.de oil cooler kit with their OPRV alignment tool and the actual OPRV slid in like butter - tool was half the price of the OPC one, if anyone needs to borrow it then just drop me a PM (if you can work out how on this awkward system).


Whilst draining all the fluids I attended to a very slight weep from the water pump coolant elbow. The o-ring was a little compressed but luckily for me SpaceJeff Bezos doesn’t do Easter Sunday and my afternoon order of a big box of metric O-rings turned up at about 8pm - £15 bargain, I shall be repairing everything in the house that needs an o-ring for the next 25 years!

Also, realised that the elbow didn’t have the little turbo thermostat in it so dug out a spare (yes, that’s the exciting life of a 944 assistant register secretary) and hoyed it (see, I have picked up some Geordie vernacular) in a cup with some hot water to make sure it opened at the right temperature. Quick coffee too in my 917 mug.


Everything got buttoned up tonight, coolant and oil filled ready to turn the key tomorrow - fingers will be well and truly crossed!

 

[scam75]

Very good sir!

Interesting point about the little turbo stat, I definitely replaced it at some point in my early ownership, but have had maybe 2 coolant elbows since then and do not remember seeing it (or remembering about it!) when I done the last elbow. So it's almost definitely AWOL. I'm sure the last elbow is lying in my spares department somewhere, I will go stat hunting! However, I fear it may have gone to landfill with a previous elbow...........

I assume it's not a huge issue.

Stuart

 

[dlknight]

That OPRV tool is brilliant - is it just me? I loved dismantling the OPRV, cleaning and putting it back together and seeing how it worked! Simple things eh!

I remember something about the little turbo thermostat, you have to put it in the right way around, otherwise it won't open when it is supposed to. Don't ask me which way around though, can't remember!

 

[Eldavo]

It’s pictured the right way around []

Got the car started today and it was absolutely peeing oil out of the new banjo fitting. Closer investigation revealed that the design of the bolt is absolutely terrible, upper crush washer sits in a machined lip but the bolt narrows after the threaded section and provides zero support or alignment to the lower crush washer.


Removed it this afternoon, started a returns request for the banjo bolt and ordered a replacement steel banjo bolt along with some dowty seals to make sure they’re centred correctly.


Ending on a positive - oil filter console seems continent!

 

[TTM]

SO WHAT??? []

 

[Eldavo]

Huge delay due to the "UK Seller" of the steel banjo bolt actually being in India [] - full refund after nearly 10 days of false tracking numbers and outright lies. Got it back together on Sunday morning just in time for it to absolutely tip it down the rest of the day. Been away this week with work but the undertray and splitter are back on and it's sat on it's wheels so all being well I should get out in it this weekend.

 

[Eldavo]

You can tell I’m feeling confident though as I took the garage floor tiles and the undertray to the hot jet wash to clean all the oil off!

 

[blade7]

Looking forward to seeing it at Cadwell.

 

[scam75]

Good work, should be fun to get out!

Nothing worse than an undercover Chinese operation purporting to be UK based. Whatever you ordered probably disintegrated before it reached you.............

Stuart

 

[blade7]

Good work, should be fun to get out!

Nothing worse than an undercover Chinese operation purporting to be UK based. Whatever you ordered probably disintegrated before it reached you.............

Stuart

Ebay seems to be rife with resellers punting Chinese made auto parts on with a big mark up.