JFP in PA

More to the point, thermodynamics would predict that the energy required to separate hydrogen would be more than the energy released by then burning it. As this system adds both weight and complexity to the vehicle, plus generating nearly 20 amps is going to add to the alternator’s parasitic drag on the engine, this is starting to sound more like a perpetual motion device………..

I hate to let the wind out of your sails; however, I would not touch an aftermarket kit to convert any vehicle, much less a Porsche, to use ethanol. First, true "E85" vehicles have an entirely different fuel system in them, in some cases including a different fuel tank. All mild steel and certain alloy components must be changed for stainless steel, including the fuel lines that run the length of the car. The fuel pump and injectors are different, and it runs an entirely different DME mapping. Most aftermarket conversion kits sell for hundreds of dollars, OEM parts to do a real conversion sell in the thousands, without labor. And all you need it to leave out one part that needs to be changed, and the car will strand you, or worse. Ethanol has about one third less energy than gas, so to propel the vehicle in the same manner; you will need about one third more fuel. Fuel mileage? What fuel mileage? As for performance, I'd suggest you test drive an OEM E85 vehicle on gas and then E85, the performance sucks, which is why E85 has not caught on in the mainstream, and stations that sell it are few and far between here.

Logray is correct, it goes to the coolant tank; it is also very important as the oil cooler is the highest point in the cooling system, and any air remaining in the system will tend to collect in the oil cooler, considerably reducing its efficiency. Be sure it is connected.

You are kidding, right? Last time I checked, and it was some time ago, all they were offering was the "final solution" large diameter IMS that will not fit thru the opening in the rear of the assembled cases; you have to remember that according to Porsche, the IMS bearing cannot be changed without disassembling the motor anyway, so why offer the ones they know have problems. At that time, the OEM parts were between $750 and $1,000 for the bearing and new matching shaft (which has to be changed to use the larger bearing in an early M96), so this wasn't exactly the low cost approach. Pelican has been touting an "OEM Like" bearing kit, but has not released it the last time I checked. Lastly, why would you want to use a part that is known to lead to catastrophic failures, when there is another design, which costs less than what Porsche is offering, and has no record of a failure? Most of the cost in doing an IMS upgrade is in getting to it, the bearing itself is cheap by comparison,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

If the cams are in, or very near time, the engine should rotate (clockwise looking at the lower pulley); if you encounter any resistance, I'd stop right there.

Yes, the “interference” may have already "clearanced" itself by bending the valves out of the way, which is why we (and others) always bore scope one of these before doing anything..................

How was it blocked?

I have to agree with Loren on this, a heavy amperage line run off the battery and switched with an inline relay that sees voltage when the engine is running would be the correct (and safe) way to go. You may also have to add a capacitor in the line to dampen the current draw spikes, which a lot of other electronics in the car will not like..... I'd also suggest giving up smoking...........

An additional thought: When you replaced all the components, was the system fully evacuated and held under vacuum for a period of time? Reason I ask is that ambient moisture left in the system can freeze under certain conditions and cause the unit to over pressure................

The M96/97 is an "interference motor", meaning the valves will contact the pistons if the cam timing is off. This is what you are dealing with at the IMS bearing sprocket: This is the chain layout at the cams (five chain motor):

Cool, how do I know how many chains I have? And, do you have a diagram showing where the caps are? I would have to manually pull the engine to TDC to get the cams lined up.... I guess I would feel it if it was locking up... The caps are two bright green rubber plugs that are on one end of the cylinder heads. You will find one set on each end of the engine, they look like this: I really need to caution you on attempting to rotate the engine with the IMS bearing out; you are tap dancing in a mine field by doing this. If the engine has not jumped time yet, it most likely will when you attempt to rotate it…………..

The low pressure seems fine, 2-5 bar, the high pressure blows out at 5 bar. The line pressures vary with ambient temps, but using 68F (20C) as a reference point, you should have 1.4 to 1.7 Bar on the low side; 9 to 15 Bar on the high side. Without the correct pressure differential, the system cannot operate correctly or cool properly. The vent valve on the compressor is designed to open if the system over pressures, so it may be the source of your issues. Unless the system is being overfilled, I'd have to say the compressor is the problem as I do not think the valve is available by itself. A couple of additional thoughts: Are you sure that additional oil was not added to the replacement compressor? Reason I ask is that replacement units come pre-filled with oil from the factory; adding more oil will overfill the unit (common mistake). You are supposed to pull the oil plug and remove approximately 80 cc of oil from the unit to compensate for oil already in the remaining components (lines, expansion valve, fluid tank, etc.), assuming you are not changing them as well. Doing this will leave approximately 120 cc of oil in the compressor. Too much oil will cause the compressor vent to blow off to prevent the system from creating a hydraulic lock. If you are unsure of how much oil is in the system, it might be a good idea to empty the unit, measuring how much you get out, and then start over. The system is rated for 195 cc, +/- 15 cc for the entire system (you have to adjust for the oil that remains in the other components). If you are sure the correct amount of oil is in the system, I would pull all the refrigerant out, and carefully recharge the unit to the correct pressure differential for the ambient temp; if the system still vents, you need a compressor.

"On a side note..... how involved is "re-allocation" ? I'm assuming it is done on the top end? " Camshaft "allocation" is an overly complicated process on the M96/97. In a nutshell, it requires holding the four cams in a fixed position in relation to the crankshaft, and then installing the cam drives (the OEM service manual takes about 15 or so pages to describe how to do it and the fixtures and tooling required, depending upon the model year). Not for the faint of heart; and it requires some pretty specific tooling. It is hard enough on and engine stand, a nightmare with the engine in the car. If one or more of the chains was damaged when it jumped, or if the sprocket was damaged, you are far better off pulling the engine................

Yes, there are multiple places (sprockets) where this can happen, depending upon if it is a three or five chain motor. I think you need to pull the cam plugs and look at where the cams are in relation to each other. One of the biggest issues you face is that the engine has only one position (TDC) where the slots in the cams line up, and with the IMS removed, you cannot rotate the engine. You may be forced to have to pull the cam covers, remove the cams (to unload the valves), and then try to get everything back to the TDC position, then start reassembling. But at this point, you do not know if it will even run (or for how long) in its current state. At this juncture, I really think you need to stop, bore scope the engine to see if it shows signs for piston to valve contact, which is a common phenomenon when an IMS dies. If that is in fact the case, you need to pull this engine and take the heads off anyway, so going through the cam allocation set up would be a total waste of time as it will need to be done a second time when the engine is reassembled outside the car, if it can be reassembled........

What high and low line pressures are you seeing when this happens?

Here are the values I'm used to seeing:

Being careful not to rotate the motor may not matter, the engine internals move due to the spring pressures on the cylinders with any open valves trying to unload, and there will always be open valves. This is why the correct procedure is to lock the engine at TDC with a pin thru the front crank pulley, then pull the cam plugs and attach the cam locking fixture before releasing the tensioners. I think you are already in trouble. I have had a couple cars flat bedded into the shop after their owners pulled the tensioners without locking the motor down; the result was always the same, the cam timing had moved and needed to be "re-allocated" in Porsche speak........ Three chain motors are more susceptible to this problem than five chains; but the five chains can jump time as well.

That is going to be expensive.................

The data is from the cam and crank position sensors, and comes to the Durametric software from the DME.

Not really. I do need to ask if you locked the engine at TDC, and locked down the cams before pulling the tensioners?

I'd still want to know why you are seeing 25 degrees of cam deviation, I have never seen that before......................... Both the intake and exhaust cams should have a straight notch in the ends, used by the fixture to hold the cams while working on the engine; these notches should line up on both cams if everything is correct.

Take your time; when doing one of these, there is no advantage in trying to rush it.

To be sure we are looking at the same values, this is what I was referring to on an M96 in a Boxster, which I think is a bit different view than you posted (sorry for the link, but RennTech would not permit me to post it for some reason): screen shot I think the view I am used to gives a better view of what the cams are doing, and you can clearly see the cam deviation values I was referring to. According to the OEM service manuals, these deviation values should not be outside +/- 6 degrees, unless something has come adrift in the cam drive. An additional thing you should look at it to trigger the VarioCam system using the software, just to be sure one of the solenoids isn't sticking.

I do not understand the value you posted, you should be able to see cam shaft deviation values in degrees, the values should be between +/- 6 degrees (often something like -3.8 or + 1.5); if it is reading "25" degrees of crankshaft, you have jumped time...................

P1340 indicates that the cam allocation value (read timing) exceeded the upper limit on Bank #1. If you have the Durametric software, you can check the cam deviation values, they should be less than +/- 6 and steady at an idle; if they are, the engine is sound and the cams where they belong. If the values exceed +/- 6 degrees, I'd first stop using the car until someone with the knowledge and tooling can look at the cam timing. If the cam deviation values are swinging back and forth at an idle, you have something very loose in the cam drive, possibly including the IMS bearing. If that is the case, consider your self very lucky, most engines do not live long enough in this condition to be observed doing this, but it is still salvageable as long as it is not run until it is fixed...............