There is another vid where they show the setup of the degree wheel IIRC. It is done just like you would with an old fashioned analog degree wheel: piston depth before and after TDC with the median being exactly TDC. I actually think the digital degree wheel is just a little OTT, but the setup is cool. No adjusting the wheel etc. just measure depth BTDC, press button, turn to same depth ATDC, press button again, done.

 

Thats how i did mine with a dial indicator in cylinder #1 then 180* for cylinder #3

 

Did you go and buy the european brand silicon sealant for the valve covers or did you just use auto store Permatex type?

 

Yamabond #4 from the yamaha dealer 13$

 

Looks like a good product. I'll give it a go. I should have my motor back by Wednesday according to the shop.

 

Ok I finally have my motor back with the cams timed properly. I'll share what I've learned about timing them with the dial indicators. Apparently the timing specs are a big secret for some reason and it is not in the service manuals. Porsche factory as well as several shops I called were being dicks about it and would not tell. Stomski apparently does not know either but he does know the GT3 specs. My shop called a race team they are friends with and got the specs and I was able to confirm them with Mark and Tim who were helpful. I think it's BS that this is some type of secret so here they are: 110/110. I think it is the same as the GT3 cams. The exhaust cam is direct to the chain but for the intake cam you have to set the position on the crank and you have to advance the variocam all the way forward to the stop and set at 110 in that spot.

I'm going to start putting everything back on my motor so it shouldn't be long now.

 

It is sad. Honestly, I find with most things like this on higher end cars are protected secrets. The worse part is it isn't because it is more difficult to understand or do. It is because if the knowledge becomes obtainable shops loose business. If you can successfully protect the information from being distributed and concince everyone it is too hard to do and only you(insert shop name here) can do it because you are specialized with special tools. But it also turns the enthusiast community into obe that woukd rather throw money at something than grab a wrench and learn. I recently had a local Oregon Porsche specialist who is quite renown and highly regarded refuse to sell me a couple of $7 differential carrier shims. I get it, he may need them for another job perhaps. But sell two shims to an enthusiast seems like a blatant dick move. Especially when acting like a dick about communicating it. Just a clear divide in our community. The people who pay and the people who do.

 

Yah I can understand it from their perspective. Engine builders are probably hoping it fails and this thread becomes a cautionary tale. . I'm really confident that it will run great though. I've seen a few DIY top end builds but I think I might be the first guy to do a bottom end on here. It is the same as the old 964's so not a big deal with plenty of info on it IMO.

 

With enough planning, research and patience their is really no reason to fail. Many of the shops are are using people to build the motors without any formal Porsche training. So without the training on this engine the first build they are learning just like you. And they are not necessarily any more capable.

 

It may be that the person doing the actual assembly has little more experience than brnrdtns, but in nearly all shops there will be a very experienced tech looking over his shoulder and making sure that the assembly is done properly.

I honestly don't think that secret cam timing specs are designed to keep engine building in money-making hands or that there are builders lurking who are secretly rooting for brnrdtns motor to fail. The fact is, Porsche motors are a little less widespread than Chevys or Fords and quite a bit more expensive. So you simply won't find as many DIYers building a Porsche. And if you do some shopping around, most builders will be somewhere around a happy median with their prices. Of course there are those that charge (much, much) more - because they can - and some who charge less, but they usually shaft the customer on parts (used, sold for new or cheap sold as OEM) or machine work (charged but not performed)(like Motor Scheister - are they still around?).

The p-tax that nearly everyone involved with Porsche parts or service charges makes everyone wary, but there are no conspiracies...

Brnrdtns, I built my first Porsche motor 20 years ago almost exactly like you are now. And a year or so later I started working at an indy P-shop in Germany where I built motors regularly. I learned quite a bit at the P-shop, but the motor I built still runs well. From all I've read here, yours will be the same.

 

I don't think it a matter of conspiracy. It all comes down to knowledge and it's power. I'm just saying that until someone like our members here do it and share and we keep drinking the Porsche coolaid about only trained shops being able to build these the shops have the power. Even though any one of us here can research, dig in and be successful doing it ourselves. Anyone can throw money at a problem if they have it. But it takes a real enthusiast and some fearlessness to actually learn about it and do it yourself. And that is more admirable than a shop in my eyes. And the community benefits, not just the person saving a few $$ doing it themselves.

 

Well I think I screwed up. I can't get my chain tensioner on. One is really tight and one is loose. I suspect that I mixed up my chain guides or installed one inverted and I'm going to have to start all over with the cams. Dammit! You can see in the pic that they are different.

 

I had thought that you were not supposed to rotate the engine backwards when doing timing because of the variocam plus, or is that OK when just finding true TDC? I kinda stopped watching after the TDC part since I used the Porsche tools and already understood the bank out of phase stuff from doing timing on 996 NA

 

They never rotate it backwards. I dont see why it would be a problem though.

 

In the uTube video they appear to do so when hunting for TDC...I'm asking if that is a problem or not

Now specifically when trying to set the timing: Why would this be a bad idea? Well the vanes in the variocam plus would move internally but meet no resistance, lacking the ability to put pressure on external housing actually on the chains, until they hit the max degrees of the other side and contact metal. So rotating backwards could set (bolt down) at an incorrect position.

The point of variocam plus is that the non-compressible oil (controlled by solenoid) is able to adjust the intake cam degrees by applying pressure (or fake "walls) to the internal vanes.

I guess that's the point of the factory tools in that they allow the techs to more-or-less not need the dial gauge setup when setting the timing w/ the engine in the car, as long as they don't spin the crank backwards.