shawn84&92

Update! I got the studs out. Because of the tensioner, I couldn't see that it sits on a perch, I thought it was solid.

What the guy did was put in studs with nuts on the bottom side of the perch and then nuts to secure the tensioner on top. The studs went all the way down and bottomed out on the head.

What I couldn't see was the nuts on bottom, were epoxied or some type of cold welded on to the botom side of the perch. I discovered the nuts when they fell off. Luckily, they didn't fall into the engine. What puzzled me was the expoxy material was metallic, I got it out with my magnet.

I am a little worried that he intentionally made the studs bottom out on the head, It looks like he was wanting to support the tensioner for some reason.

I am going to get bolts today and button it back up with new pads and hope for the best

I got new copper crush washers t the bolt store, they are a hair wider, but I think they will be fine.

Thanks for everyones help

shawn84&92

Back together and running!

Mark944na86

Congrats!

gtroth

Whew - that's great news.
Metallic epoxy looking stuff was probably JB Weld.

Jfrahm

Or that stuff that looks like robot dog poop. I always carried that on the dirt bike in case I tore a hole in the crankcase.

FRporscheman

LOL. Try owning a 968 and you might not feel the same way.

968 owners are not rich, they are poor, very poor. It's people on the market for a 968 who are rich.

Eric_Oz_S2

Mark, you should also get the timing chain replaced if it hasn't been replaced recently. The chain stretches and will prematurely wear and destroy the camshafts. They are under $50, but unfortunately I think you need to pull the cams out to replace it.

And, in relation to your later comment, I am amazed at how efficient Porsche are with their parts distribution system. I ordered a 968 M030 bar from them and received it in a few days, for less than what it would have cost me to fly out of the US from Pelican etc.

Mark944na86

Looks tricky. Is it possible to mark cam positions, chain position on sprockets etc. accurately enough to take out and replace the cams and not lose time, I wonder? Hmmm.

shawn84&92

Looks tricky. Is it possible to mark cam positions, chain position on sprockets etc. accurately enough to take out and replace the cams and not lose time, I wonder? Hmmm.

I have thought about that. If you marked the the cams in relation to a mark on the cam bearing, it looks llike it would be posible. If both cams had the timing marks straight up, it looks like it would have to be timed correctly, and there is only one sprocket tooth that would make the marks be staright up. Just a thought, I am no expert. thi is my thrid Porsche, but my first time to tear into one. I have done about everything you can do mechanically to Corvettes, so now I am hoping to learn about the Porsches.
Shawn

Jfrahm

I have done it. I measured and marked the sprocket and then pulled the cams, then put them back and measured the valve timing with a dial indicator as per the WSM. Actually I made a timing tape and did some alternative ways of measuring the valve lift and tdc and stuff.

Anyway I was pleased that when I got the timing right, my marks from disassembly lined up perfectly.
I did not know for sure that the cam timing was spot on from the get-go so it was good to double check.

It is not that hard to get the timing set using a dial indicator nor is it hard to get it back where it was using good, well-placed marks on the sprocket. I recently did my A8 timing belt by making marks and lining stuff up by eye and that also went well.

There are some good tricks to help with this.

The chain position and intake cam timing is set by the cam gears, it's either dead right or dead wrong and not hard to get dead right if you follow the WSM. All you can mess up is the exhaust cam timing via the adjustment at the distributor rotor, assuming you don't get the cams off by a tooth when you do the tbelt (which is usually caused by timing the cam without pre-tensioning the belt.)

It's not as hard as the manual makes it out to be. Porsche (and Audi) seem to make a huge Teutonic three-act opera out of relatively straightforward things sometimes.
-Joel.