1980 Porsche 924 2.0 Lux - Shonky Rocket [update 13/7/22]

[Sweetpea]

You killed it you rotten sod!
If the motor in the car is repairable could we be in for another twin engined build?

Sorry, I'll shut up now...

[stevek]

Sweetpea - I know, . I don't know how you would twin engine a 924, the transaxle kinda takes up the other obvious space in the boot.

I'm up to my eyeballs in other stuff at the moment so am struggling to find time (and enthusiasm) for the Porsche. Honestly the timing couldn't have been worse for this problem. I'm trying to remortgage my current house onto a buy to let and buying another house with my girlfriend (Danai). There's been trouble getting mortgages sorted for various reasons so its been taking a while. My girlfriends tenancy on her flat has run out so we had to move all her things to mine but there isn't really space here. Anyway enough moaning hopefully it'll work out.

So the engine I picked up on Saturday is still in the boot of the Focus because there simply isn't anywhere to put it so its travelling around with me in the work car. I have already got Danai's furniture in half of one mates garage and my old Toyota temporarily stored in another friends garage so I'm running out of favours!

I took the cam cover off the engine during the week for a 5min look. First impressions aren't too worrying...



I don't really know what I'm looking at with engines but even I know this cam is toast...

1st pair (nearest fire wall)...


2nd pair...


and the worst of the lot is this one on the left (one of the 3rd pair)...


I guess there are two big questions. 1) Whats the cause and 2) Where did all that missing metal go?

On the plus side I can still turn the engine over by hand with a socket on the crank pulley. Surprisingly the engine can just about start and run with a bit of gas. I don't know whether to pursue with this engine or look to the other 2nd hand engine..

-Steve-

[Sweetpea]

Jul 16, 2016 10:54:31 GMT stevek said:

Sweetpea - I know, . I don't know how you would twin engine a 924, the transaxle kinda takes up the other obvious space in the boot.

Also the front engine would drive the rear wheels and the rear engine would drive the front wheels. Could be an entertaining machine. We just need somebody mad enough to build it.

Jul 16, 2016 10:54:31 GMT stevek said:

I guess there are two big questions. 1) Whats the cause and 2) Where did all that missing metal go?
-Steve-

Somebody please correct me but I think camshafts tend to be case hardened. Once you've worn through the surface the lobe underneath would disintegrate quickly. I'm not sure what 'quickly' means exactly though. I take it that bar across the top is a Pinto style spray bar? Not clogged up is it?

Where'd the metal go? If you are lucky it's in the oil filter or stuck to the sump plug if it happens to be a magnetic one.

[stevek]

Last Sunday morning (before having a run out to The Northern Retro monthly meet) I decided to get the cam out and check whether the spray bar was blocked. With the cam out it was clear the cam followers have taken a beating...



And the spray bar wasn't blocked, it was disconnected! This little plastic elbow connects the spray bar to the oil feed, well it should (5p for scale)...



...such trouble for such a small piece.

Having identified the cause I was now happy that the problem wasn't the oil pump or a blockage inside the block. I decided the best plan was to swap the cam and followers out of the spare engine I had bought.



Keeping everything in order...



Then I removed the damaged lifters...



and popped it all back together...



I did the valve/cam timing, which is an easy enough job on these cars. There is a marker on the cam pulley to indicate piston 1 TDC which you line up with the pointer on the cam cover. There is a window in the bell housing which you line up with the -0 marker on the flywheel. Then its just a case of putting the belt on and turning the engine over once by hand to check the markers still line up afterwards. It took me a couple of goes but its not hard.

I refitted the distributor and set it to approximately the same angle as in a picture I took earlier.

I didn't have time to test it as I ran out of time..

Steve-

[stevek]

On Monday I refitted the battery and tried to start it. Cough, wheeze, splutter and BANG. It was just a back fire but it didn't half make me jump, it blew a pipe off the inlet manifold.

It turns out there is more to refitting the distributor than just sticking it back on, quite obvious in retrospect but not at the time. I found out you need set the engine back to TDC then line the rotor arm up with another marker on the distributor body as you fit it. I had one false start because I misinterpreted the instructions and used the wrong marker, but once I had been corrected by porsche924.co.uk/forum/ it started right up.

I only let it run for about a minute because I was conscious I still had the old oil in it. I dropped the oil and changed the filter before running it any longer.

It was running quite lumpy and rather stuttery, but it was only running on the static timing at this point so I ordered a timing light.

-Steve-

[stevek]

The timing light was delivered on Thursday so I set to it...



It's really hard to get a good photo down there with the strobe going so I've added some annotation...



You can just about make out the actual '0' mark and the shrouded '+10' mark on the flywheel. Remember this is with the engine running at 950rpm and the timing light strobing in time with spark plug 1. Because of the timed strobe the markers appear as a static image and a slight rotation of the distributor body allow you to position it as desired. As you can see I have set it to about +7 degrees ignition advance. The manual says to set it at +10 but that is for 98ron fuel. People have had problems with pinking on regular unleaded so recommend retarding it back slightly unless using posh unleaded.

With the timing set the engine was sounding pretty sweet, well as good as rattly solid lifter engines ever can.

-Steve-

[stevek]

Although at this point it was running well for piece of mind I wanted to check the tappets adjustment.

This basically involves checking the gap between the cam and the lifter with a feeler gauge and adjusting them with an Allan key as necessary...



This resulted in a very messy scrawl on bit of paper...



That's not the final rendition of the scrawl either. Initially I wasn't getting the desired result when backing off the three that were too tight hence the 'no change' written on that sheet. After turning the engine over on the starter a few turns to settle everything out they came within spec too. This was a proper head scratcher while I was learning it but is pretty easy once you get whats going on.

-Steve-

[stevek]

[BT]

Well done! Nice to see you've got it sorted and back on the road again despite the trying times, at least you have a spare head and bottom end in the shed.

Reminds me, I really need to replace the timing belt on my 944 (looking at your timing marks and reading about setting the dizzy appropriately had refounded my concerns of bending valves).

[Sweetpea]

All that mess for a small plastic pipe that, arguably, should never have been plastic. Mind, I suppose it easily lasted the expected life of the car.
I think I've got some 3/4 BSP galvanised elbows in the garage if you want to replace it with something more solid?

Well done for getting it going again.

[shin2chin]

Well done chap, good to see it on the road. My 924 is all dusty and folorn waiting for me to finish building my workshop.

[stevek]

BT - I believe the 944 timing belts are quite a bit more complex, but some one has made a YouTube about it so that might help?

sweetpea - Annoying little fault indeed, but not a common one as far as I can tell. I'll just stick with it and hope for the best.

shin2chin - Cheers. A new workshop sounds exciting, once that's built you can wash the 924 and get those bike carbs singing.

[stevek]

Last time I checked in I had just fixed the engine, after that I just spent a few weeks just driving locally to see how things went. It was fine so after a couple of weeks I took a run up the A1 to my parents near Scotch Corner as a longer test because I wanted to go to the Gathering in it the following week. It behaved fine so we were on.

So August bank holiday was The Retro Rides Gathering, the Shonky Rocket behaved its self and I had a brilliant weekend. 



Full write up here if your interested: retrorides.proboards.com/thread/192771/month-late-rrg16

Just a couple of weeks later I went to Goodwood Revival. I didn't take the 924 as that would be torture for so long in the stripped out shell. Its the first time I've been and will definitely be going back, Its flipping amazing. Not a single 924 to be found though, and just a solitary 944. Quite a few 911's among the millions of e-types though. Oh and there was the Porsche 550RS Spyder that sold for £4.6 million in the auction. It was hands down the best car event I have been to, even the dressing up is quite fun.

When I got back I ordered these little treats to hopefully fix a couple more annoyances with the Shonky Rocket...



-Steve-

[stevek]

I'm still catching up a bit because about 2 weeks ago I fitted the new shiny hatch pins. The hatch has been popping open on one side, then it rattles and becomes VERY annoying.

One was looking rather canted over and although it was the other latch that was popping open I thought this might be the cause...


Stripped off...


I had to cut one out...


Put it back together with the new ones and adjusted them...


It was latching OK on the driveway but as soon as I pulled out for a test drive it popped open . And no amount of adjusting it MANY times made any difference.

[stevek]

A couple of days later I picked teddy up off the floor and decided to find out why. Well it can only really be the catch can't it?

Drilled the rivets (?)...


And knocked it open at the seam with an old chisel...


Ahh that'll be the reason...


That's a lot of wear on that catch and its worn a curved groove...


I'll give that a quick buzz...


From the back I could still see the profile to file it down to...


And then flatted it off on top...


The bolts that hold it to the car nip it all back together so I didn't bother joining the halves any other way...


And you know what, It works!

-Steve-

[darrenh]

many success !!

did you go period dress at the revival ?

[stevek]

Yeah a different outfit each day. More 'in spirit' rather than completely accurate to the era but I made the effort. It certainly adds another dimension to the day.

[Sweetpea]

Nice fix. If there was a "Project Portia Award for Fixing Something That Should Be In The Bin" I'd send you one.
But there isn't so you can't have one. Sorry.

[stevek]

Sweetpea - If that award did exist I couldn't have one anyway, they would be all lined up on your mantle piece.

[stevek]

And just when we thought things were all sweet and rosy it breaks again!

I got into stop start traffic at all the traffic lights in York and the temperature gauge went very high. But it cooled down a bit while moving so I wasn't overly worried, I though the fan might have failed. I stuck the heater on (that heater fan bodge is still working!) which helped lower the engine temp a bit so I was able to limp it to a carpark.

The fan was running but all the coolant had gone from the header tank and it was hissing steam from here:



It looks like a hose to the heater matrix (actually it looks like a curly pigs tail).

Access is awful but I managed to Duck tape it (yes that jazzy tape is genuine Duck brand) and chuck a liter of mineral water in to get me home.



And to cap it off when I got home the radiator cap broke (I know its not on the radiator but that's what we all call it isn't it?)...


I think all the air in the system cooling had vacuum stuck it down hard so it broke when I pulled it out.

I know its not that big a deal but I'm fed up with the stupid car right now.

-Steve-