924Board.org

[manxchaz]

Hey guys,

been watching the board for a while and picked up some useful tips, but finally got around to registering.

Based in the sunny (not) Isle of Man, UK, and have a 1987 924s le mans and since buying the car 2 years ago I have completed:

Repair to the battery box (fiberglass for now but will probably weld in steel before too long - it rains a lot here)

new hoses and fan thermoswitch

repaired all problematic electrics (new indicator switch, new wiper switch, new passenger side window regulator and motor)

new exhaust

rebuilt all 4 brake calipers, and put in new discs and steel brake hoses (great braking control)

Other than that - the car works and is driveable and except for a few bodywork issues, is generally pretty acceptable (except for a very tatty drivers seat and rear seat)

however, I still have to:

1) Sort out the gearbox - the shift is very "sticky" and I often get stuck in gear (especially when changing down from 3-2 and 2-1). The car only has about 80k miles on it, but I suspect that almost all of these are "town miles" here on the (very small and twisty) island, and therefore have involved a lot of gear changes.

I suspect that the shifting problem is down to a worn shift lever pivot, and I will probably remedy this by installing a schnell short-shift kit. Has anyone installed one of these? How difficult is it to install with the usual hand tools, and does it make the shift throw too short for normal town driving? What's the quality like?

Any suggestions on what else my "sticky" shift might be? (preferably in order of expense to eliminate - I would prefer to try everything else before taking the transaxle off and having the synchros done)

I also have to do:

2) the front end engine service - new belts, water pump, rollers etc, as well as replacing all the front end engine seals.

I would be grateful for any advice or tips anyone has relating to doing these jobs in particular.

I have the Hayne's manuals for the 924 and 944, and don't have the p9201 tensioner or any special tools (flywheel locks etc). I have had a look at the Clark's garage site and it seems fairly straightforward (if a bit daunting). I have seen the Arnworxx belt tensioner kit and was wondering if anyone had any experience of these and what the quality and results were like (or any good i.e. cheap alternatives).

How difficult are these jobs? ( I am reasonably handy generally, but don't know a lot about engines specifically). Are there any special tools I will need or that will make the job easier and save some time and/or headaches (other than a p9201)?

At the same time as the belts I will do the oil change, filter, spark plug leads (plugs already done), rotor and dizzy.

If anyone has any hints or tips for doing these jobs, or things to watch out for when doing them I would be grateful to hear them.

A particular concern is a way to check the pulley alignment/timing is correct once the oil seals, sprockets and belts are re-installed. Can I just pull the spark plugs and turn the engine using a lever to check the alignment is correct? What am I looking for when I do this?

Anyway, thats quite a lot of questions, and if anyone can help with advice then I would be grateful.

Cheers

manxchaz

[Smoothie]

Welcome aboard.
I'd prefer to be from "Isle of Women", but I'm sure Isle of Man is nice enough, as long as there's only one as the name suggests...

[manxchaz]

Thanks smoothie for your quick response - I think there is an Isle of Women, but its called Lesbos and its in Greece

There is quite a lot of side-to-side play in the lever and very little fore and aft play, and it also leans to the right when in neutral. Perhaps its just out of adjustment? I also have the same problem with reverse as you describe - it requires a bit of a knack to get in, and occasionally out.

As for the Isle of Man, it is nice enough - and you can't beat the lack of a speed limit on the open road - and no speed cameras (although both of these are likely to change soon). Plenty of opportunities to test a car's handling on the mountain roads.

Will try what you suggest and will probably have a look at the lever as well.

Thanks for your help.

[gohim]

To replace the belts you are going to need a flywheel lock, balance shaft belt wrenches, belt tensioning gauge, and if you buy or borrow the P9201 gauge, you will need the calibration bar to verify that the P9201 is calibrated properly before using it. You will also need an torque wrench or wrenches that will read between 20 and 150 ftlbs (the most accurate part of a torque's scale is 80% of full capacity/scale).

There is no safe way to get around having the flywheel lock. You can usually find them available on eBay for $25-$30.

You can try using a couple of punches, and a large screwdriver in place of the balance shaft 2-pin wrench, but if it slips you will get hurt. You will also need a thin offset wrench to work on the balance shafts.

I would recommend the P9201 tool, but other people have used the much less expensive alternative "Opti-belt" or "Kriket", the other similar tools with satisfactory results.

You must set the engine to TDC before you lock it down with the flywheel lock. Then, you cannot rotate the crank, or the camshaft until the timing belt is replaced and tensioned IN EXACTLY THE CORRECT POSITION. t REMEMBER that if you rotate the crank the equivalent of more (1) camshaft tooth, or the camshaft more than 1 tooth in either direction, you will bend valves. No Ifs, No Buts, No Maybes, and No 2nd Chances.