Took plunge and removed engine!

[15psi]

Took the plunge and finally removed the 996 engine/trans in order to do a lot of preventative maintenance. Pulling the engine gave me the most access and should save me a lot of time and scraped knuckles.

Updates include: LNE IMS bearing, VarioCam pads and chains, AOS, Coolant tank, Oil cooler seals, Water pump, spark plugs, spark plug tubes and seals.

The “Engine Pull Party” stated Friday night with some other local Porsche owners from KCWS.org helping to prep the car. After a bunch of beer, and about 3 hrs later, we were about 80% done. 3 items were giving us troubles and we decided to call it an evening. I had a fresh team of helpers late Saturday morning to face our 3 hurdles, remove the bottom bracing, lift the rear of the car a little higher and drop the engine.

AC compressor- The 2 front bolts are easy to remove, but the top one is impossible to see or find. The illustration in the manual makes it look easy, but it is a drawing, not a pic. The only way to remove it is to drop the engine close to a foot that will allow you to get your head in there to get a real view and added access.
Vent tube- There is a vent tube that is on the passenger side of the engine. The manual says to pull collar in one direction and the tube will slide in the other. Nope. They forgot to tell you about the gray plastic collar that has to be removed.
Throttle cable- My car is a ’99 with a throttle cable. The manual said to twist and turn the connection under the car. Wrong. You have to unclip the box next to the coupling and slide the wire connect off.

I have to thank “Doc Wilen – local expert on everything Porsche” who was there to solve these 3 roadblocks and lend his supersonic wrenching. He was nice enough to put down the GT3 he was working on and come to the party to lend a very valuable hand. Thanks again!

Long story short- the engine dropped with little fanfare and we removed the transmission from the engine. I was very interested to see what the condition of the clutch was, hoping it wouldn't add another $600 to my expenses. But we had a little surprise. One of the allen head bolts was rounded and the mechanic simply used a chisel to “tighten it up”. WTF?? The good news was that when we got to the clutch it looked brand new- Yeah!!!! (funny-I don’t remember seeing a new clutch in the service records- but I’m happy – time for lunch and a beer)

Next we started replacing parts. The AOS was simple- a 10 minute job versus a couple of hours if the engine was in the car. I will cut into the old one and see the condition of the diaphragm. It was the original and is well past it's expected life. Coolant tank also was replaced in a couple of mins rather than hours.

Replacing the famous IMS bearing was next. I bought the LNE kit and borrowed Kyle’s IMS tools(slightly used) The IMS replacement is a piece of cake. (We spend 10x more time and effort to get the AC compressor out!) The "sour/sweet" moment is when you have the original bearing in your hand and it appears to be in “LIKE NEW” condition. (Oh yeah BTW, my ’99 has 101k, good service records, oil changed every ~5k, some track time, driven on a regular basis, and spent it’s life in CA. ) The RMS had been replaced about 2 years ago and was still not leaking. Doc noticed it was cockeyed but we decided to leave wel enough alone. The IMS bearing popped out with very little effort and you have to pay more attention to installing the new bearing to make sure you don’t start going in at an angle. Nice surprise was that the kit also includes the 5 case bolts that Porsche recommends upgrading. I had already bought 5

The 4 Oil cooler seals were next on the list and these were easy and just slightly messy. If these seals fail you will get intermix, makes sense to just replace them @ 100k.

Tonight I will replace the water pump and start on the VarioCam pads and chains. I am also fabrication the cam holders and the VarioCam compression tool. (DHarn- thanks for the drawings and all you communication on the VarioCams!)

More updates & pics to come….

And thanks again for all the local Porsche addicts that helped!

[Sneaky Pete]

Nice job and good write up! All the wrenching going on lately gives me thoughts of taking this project on.

[chsu74]

It would be interesting to see how many original IMS bearings come out in good shape with all these DIYs..

[ivangene]

99% would be my guess

once a bearing starts to fail they degrade rather quickly (esp if the issue is lack of lubrication)

the "fix" is not really a fix but rather a prevention of a potential issue (IMO)

[Sneaky Pete]

Originally Posted by chsu74

It would be interesting to see how many original IMS bearings come out in good shape with all these DIYs..

I agree with you. The recent work being done on the cars regardless of doing the IMS is giving me confidence on taking a major projects on....I'm starting to think I could do a clutch on my own.

[Dharn55]

The rear AC bolts is a bear the first time, but there is a simple way. Remove the heat sensor that fits between the 4 and 5 intake runner. then you have pretty much a straight shot at the bolt. Use a 13mm socket and a 6" extension. Put it in place before you put on the socket wrench. I use a 3/8" set for this. It is hard to see, OK you can't see it, but once you have done it the 2nd time is cake. This way you can take off the AC compressor before you drop the engine.

Its great that you got all this done. I am still thinking of going back in this summer for the LN bearing upgrade.

[15psi]

Thanks guys!
The 996 might be the easiest engine I've ever pulled (and I've pulled alot). And I think you will find more people electing to go this route. Pull the engine and replace the 'hard to get to' maintenance parts all at once.

I was looking at my hands today and thinking "usually after pulling an engine or trans, my hands will show at least a few battle scars, but they are perfect"

I'm liking this car more every day!!

[15psi]

Originally Posted by Dharn55

The rear AC bolts is a bear the first time, but there is a simple way. Remove the heat sensor that fits between the 4 and 5 intake runner. then you have pretty much a straight shot at the bolt. Use a 13mm socket and a 6" extension. Put it in place before you put on the socket wrench. I use a 3/8" set for this. It is hard to see, OK you can't see it, but once you have done it the 2nd time is cake. This way you can take off the AC compressor before you drop the engine.

Its great that you got all this done. I am still thinking of going back in this summer for the LN bearing upgrade.

Absolutely right, you have to remove the sensor. I wish the maunal was more clear in a few of these procedures.
I think most first timers will find it easier to do, as you start dropping the engine - allows for more working space.

I'm starting on the VarioCam tonight. Thanks again for your info!

[15psi]

Originally Posted by ivangene

99% would be my guess

once a bearing starts to fail they degrade rather quickly (esp if the issue is lack of lubrication)

the "fix" is not really a fix but rather a prevention of a potential issue (IMO)

I totally agree! It would be pure luck to catch it just before it failed. Sort of like not having a gas gage and having you car run out of gas just as you happen to pull up to a gas pump. Same odds.

If the consequence wasn't so expensive, it would be interesting to see how long these cars can run with the original bearing. Looking at this one, I'd say another 100k.

[RPMulli]

looks like these 996's are starting to get into the hand's of the DIY mechanics..... i be posting a fuel vent valve replacement soon when i get around to it...

[Shark Attack]

wow.. Way to go!

[goliver]

Great write up.

[redridge]

Originally Posted by r1de23

looks like these 996's are starting to get into the hand's of the DIY mechanics..... i be posting a fuel vent valve replacement soon when i get around to it...

+1.... like Kyle mention previously, this stuff isnt rocket science. Way to go on the R&R.

[Ahmet]

I get surprised by how easy things are on the 996 all the time. It's perhaps the easiest starter replacement I've done on a car newer than 1990 or so, and one certainly wouldn't think that from looking at it...

I'll be curious to see how many more bearings we'll see in fine shape as well, my guess is quite a few.

[Doug996InKC]

Oh... so that's how the AC compressor should come out. Man, I thought my Dad was going to cuss it out! Sorry I couldn't make it on Saturday for the more interesting work. Thx for the pics and for taking this on for the KC crowd to get a first-hand look at what is involved.