Engine Rebuild Cleaning Process, Need some advice please! Options

[Aayala]

Good evening y'all,

Making some progress on my 914 1975 1.8L project and I was wondering if anyone had some workflows or do's and don'ts of how to properly clean the engine case and parts? I work a full time job and only have some time at the end of the day or maybe on weekends (hopefully more soon been insanely busy with life) to get to working on this.

I think I am in a "analysis paralysis" stage where I do not want to do something to the engine where it will ruin it. My big concern is using a wrong cleaner, leaving it too long, not properly following steps that might cause some damage or rust to the engine case itself. And dealing with both steel parts and aluminum parts I want to make sure to get the proper products for both. I am planning on maybe sending this to a machine shop but need to get it pretty clean prior to that. I also was wondering if I should take all of the head studs out of the case from both sides to clean it? Any resources or if someone has done this would be greatly appreciated!

I was thinking of soaking it in a plastic tote with the simple green hd pro degreaser and then scrubbing to get most of the gunk off, rinsing off with water and possibly break clean, then drying either with a leaf blower or getting my hands on an air compressor and maybe applying some wd40 or engine oil to prevent any rust? I also do not know how long I will be working on this so if there is a proper way to store it while I do this work that would be great.

Appreciate any advice you might have! Pics of the current state of the engine case for reference.

[Ishley]

I’m not a fan of the soak. Some of those cleaners can be caustic and it’s an aluminum case. You don’t want anything that could damage the sealing surfaces.

[bdstone914]

I think Simple green will darken the case. Dawn dish detergent will cut most of the grease and crude. Case sealant will need a stronger solvent or gasket remover. Hope you plan to replace the oil galley plugs so the galleys can be cleaned. Still takes a lot of hand detailing. Dome shops have a big parts cleaner with aluminum compatible cleaners. I use a VW engine and trans rebuild shop to clean cases. Gets 95 % of the cleaning done.

[Aayala]

I think Simple green will darken the case. Dawn dish detergent will cut most of the grease and crude. Case sealant will need a stronger solvent or gasket remover. Hope you plan to replace the oil galley plugs so the galleys can be cleaned. Still takes a lot of hand detailing. Dome shops have a big parts cleaner with aluminum compatible cleaners. I use a VW engine and trans rebuild shop to clean cases. Gets 95 % of the cleaning done.

Understood. As far as rinsing it off afterwards simply drying it off really well should be fine? No rust or anything should come after cleaning it correct?

And I hope I can do that when I send it over to the machine shop so they are able to do that for me. I have not found any cleaners near the Austin TX area that have that. Or not that I have found anyway.

I did have a follow up question about the galley plugs... Do these look like factory? or do these look welded? I have a receipt from when the engine was rebuilt back in 1990 and they had a line item for "weld all oil galley plugs" Looking at these pictures below does this seem like it will be a problem?

[930cabman]

Welded oil galley plugs, that's a new one for me. After 1/2 century of mechanics wrenching on these things, just about anything goes.

[Superhawk996]

Welded oil galley plugs, that's a new one for me. After 1/2 century of mechanics wrenching on these things, just about anything goes.

And someone paid for that DAPO (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stromberg.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) So basically some hack decided that he was too lazy to properly plug them and decided to screw any future rebuilder down the road. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ar15.gif)

Always remember that “professional” doesn’t mean anything other than someone got paid to do it.

To OP - you’re probably better off finding another used case. Otherwise you’re going to have to drill and tap the galleys that are welded and that isn’t as easy now because it’s harder to locate the center of the galley bore now that they are welded. Not impossible but it’s a lot of added work.

Rebuilding without cleaning the galley is a risk I would not take.

[Puebloswatcop]

Wow, Thats a first, I've never seen them weded in like that. If you decide to utilize that case I would certainly talk to your machinist about removing those and tapping the holes for threaded plugs. If the case is a good solid case otherwise, it might be worth the cost, but it probably won't be cheap. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[cgnj]

Save a headache Scrap it. People have been able to source cases for and engines for free. I have never been gifted a free motor. If you need a case and can't get one locally, I have a few that Have been packed up. PM me if you can't source one locally.

[Aayala]

Yikes... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) Well that is not something I was expecting, super unfortunate. I doubt anyone knew about this but I was digging through the receipts and saw that and it stood out. This engine has already been rebuilt once in 1990 and then one of the cylinder head gaskets failed in 1993 apparently. I will post receipts below for anyone that is curious enough to go through these I know I have.

I have about 60 more receipts from this same workshop. Seems like they either were really picky or had good care of it.

This workshop is actually still in service in Austin!

I really would like to try to keep the case with the engine since I believe it is the original with the car. I would like to try to salvage this case if the only thing wrong with it are these plugs. I am really hoping that a reputable machine shop should be able to remove these. Yeah not expecting that at all but really would like to do this properly. I was thinking sending it to Europeanmotorworks in California to get this case inspected and hopefully tapped and plugged properly. I really would like to not trash this case.

On the right side, 7th row down you are able to see the line item "weld all oil galley plugs"
everything else seems to have gotten replaced with this rebuild. The only thing I found while dissasembling the engine was that the line item for hydraulic camshaft and lifters I do not think that those were in there. The lifters I pulled out of there seem to be mechanical. Everything else looks pretty new. I think the engine drove about 11k miles after the rebuild until 1996 until it stopped running.






Curious to what everyone else thinks about this. Really trying to make this work.

[930cabman]

It's very possible to save this case and I would give it a good try, especially if the motor was running decently. many guys will say to move on and source a "new case", that is always not so easy. I have 6 cases in my stash and at least a couple will need an align bore at minimum.

Maybe mill the weld down and .... Penetration of the weld will be a factor

[Aayala]

It's very possible to save this case and I would give it a good try, especially if the motor was running decently. many guys will say to move on and source a "new case", that is always not so easy. I have 6 cases in my stash and at least a couple will need an align bore at minimum.

Maybe mill the weld down and .... Penetration of the weld will be a factor

That is what I hope to be able to do, save this case. I would be surprised if a machine shop would not be able to grind the weld down and pull the plug out, but I will be reaching out to see what we can do. Worst case could you start with a small hole and progressively get larger to verify you are either in the center or not taking extra material out?

[mepstein]

I would let my machinists take care of it. Mill, drill, tap, done. If cost prohibitive, then look for a new case.

[Superhawk996]

It's very possible to save this case and I would give it a good try, especially if the motor was running decently. many guys will say to move on and source a "new case", that is always not so easy. I have 6 cases in my stash and at least a couple will need an align bore at minimum.

Maybe mill the weld down and .... Penetration of the weld will be a factor

That is what I hope to be able to do, save this case. I would be surprised if a machine shop would not be able to grind the weld down and pull the plug out, but I will be reaching out to see what we can do. Worst case could you start with a small hole and progressively get larger to verify you are either in the center or not taking extra material out?

There is nothing to “pull” out.

They will likely mill enough off to discern the difference between original case metal and the welding rod filler. Once they can discern the center of bore, they can drill and tap.

To do this isn’t going to be cheap. Most machine shops are going to be $100-$150 per hour. There are multiple set ups required (ie time consuming). Is it just these on the back of the case that are welded or did they do all of them that way?

I do most of my own case machine work. It’s not as simple as you think it is.


If you’re attached to the case for originality sake, consider keeping the case around as “spare” to sell with the car later. But to be honest, unless you have some sort of very special car, a future buyer isn’t particularly going to care and reward you financially for keeping this case.

“Matching numbers” behavior thankfully hasn’t penetrated the 914/4 world.

[Jamie]

It's very possible to save this case and I would give it a good try, especially if the motor was running decently. many guys will say to move on and source a "new case", that is always not so easy. I have 6 cases in my stash and at least a couple will need an align bore at minimum.

Maybe mill the weld down and .... Penetration of the weld will be a factor

That is what I hope to be able to do, save this case. I would be surprised if a machine shop would not be able to grind the weld down and pull the plug out, but I will be reaching out to see what we can do. Worst case could you start with a small hole and progressively get larger to verify you are either in the center or not taking extra material out?

There is nothing to “pull” out.

They will likely mill enough off to discern the difference between original case metal and the welding rod filler. Once they can discern the center of bore, they can drill and tap.

To do this isn’t going to be cheap.

If you’re attached to the case for originality sake, consider keeping the case around as “spare” to sell with the car later. But to be honest, unless you have some sort of very special car, a future buyer isn’t particularly going to care and reward you financially for keeping this case.

“Matching numbers” behavior thankfully hasn’t penetrated the 914/4 world.

In my non machining ignorance, what is the down side to using the welded plugs case if they are sound and not leaking?I've never rebuilt a Type IV engine and have no experience with such plugs and potential problems. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

[Superhawk996]

In my non machining ignorance, what is the down side to using the welded plugs case if they are sound and not leaking?I've never rebuilt a Type IV engine and have no experience with such plugs and potential problems. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

Garbage collects at the ends of the galleys.

Some of it is usually from prior engine wear and damage and is more like fine metallic sludge.

Sometimes it’s schrapnel from a prior failure.

Sometimes it is the debris loosened from cleaning of the case itself. Ie when case is soaking and being cleaned how are you going to ensure garbage isn’t going into the galley and not coming out?

Not being able to know what is in there and to verify that the galleys are clean prior to the rebuild is a no-go.

[Jamie]

In my non machining ignorance, what is the down side to using the welded plugs case if they are sound and not leaking?I've never rebuilt a Type IV engine and have no experience with such plugs and potential problems. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

Garbage collects at the ends of the galleys.

Some of it is usually from prior engine wear and damage and is more like fine metallic sludge.

Sometimes it’s schrapnel from a prior failure.

Sometimes it is the debris loosened from cleaning of the case itself. Ie when case is soaking and being cleaned how are you going to ensure garbage isn’t going into the galley and not coming out?

Not being able to know what is in there and to verify that the galleys are clean prior to the rebuild is a no-go.

10-4, always learning 914 stuff here! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif)

[Aayala]

It's very possible to save this case and I would give it a good try, especially if the motor was running decently. many guys will say to move on and source a "new case", that is always not so easy. I have 6 cases in my stash and at least a couple will need an align bore at minimum.

Maybe mill the weld down and .... Penetration of the weld will be a factor

That is what I hope to be able to do, save this case. I would be surprised if a machine shop would not be able to grind the weld down and pull the plug out, but I will be reaching out to see what we can do. Worst case could you start with a small hole and progressively get larger to verify you are either in the center or not taking extra material out?

There is nothing to “pull” out.

They will likely mill enough off to discern the difference between original case metal and the welding rod filler. Once they can discern the center of bore, they can drill and tap.

To do this isn’t going to be cheap. Most machine shops are going to be $100-$150 per hour. There are multiple set ups required (ie time consuming). Is it just these on the back of the case that are welded or did they do all of them that way?

I do most of my own case machine work. It’s not as simple as you think it is.


If you’re attached to the case for originality sake, consider keeping the case around as “spare” to sell with the car later. But to be honest, unless you have some sort of very special car, a future buyer isn’t particularly going to care and reward you financially for keeping this case.

“Matching numbers” behavior thankfully hasn’t penetrated the 914/4 world.

While I understand this might get a bit expensive, I don't think I even know where to begin by buying a case alone, pretty new at all of this and learning along the way. I am really hoping I can get someone to take it on and hopefully do good by it. That set up looks awesome, respect for doing your own case machine work looks very complicated and percise something I would rather have someone else do for me.

I am not even really sure what I would expect to pay or if someone has experience with a machine shop how much they charge for inspecting the case and doing any machining required? In this case I can assume it is more but what is a good baseline to expcect?

[Aayala]

In my non machining ignorance, what is the down side to using the welded plugs case if they are sound and not leaking?I've never rebuilt a Type IV engine and have no experience with such plugs and potential problems. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

Garbage collects at the ends of the galleys.

Some of it is usually from prior engine wear and damage and is more like fine metallic sludge.

Sometimes it’s schrapnel from a prior failure.

Sometimes it is the debris loosened from cleaning of the case itself. Ie when case is soaking and being cleaned how are you going to ensure garbage isn’t going into the galley and not coming out?

Not being able to know what is in there and to verify that the galleys are clean prior to the rebuild is a no-go.

I do understand this, and I do have a question. So these threaded plugs that everyone does a modification for, I see a lot of people apply locktite to the threads to almost permanently lock it in place. When rebuilding the engine and cleaning it out are these threaded plugs ever meant to come back out for future cleaning? or are they saying they prevent them from popping out with the oil pressure? Because if they are there "permanently" then you technically wouldnt be able to take them out if god forbid you had to rebuild it again... does that make sense?