Porsche 944 Engine Rebuild – First Startup

I did the first start-up on my engine rebuild yesterday.  Woo hoo!

I had a couple of interesting issues crop up.

I could not get the oil pump to prime.  I always check for oil flow at the filter as early as I can in the process. I was not getting any flow with the filter removed and cranking on the starter. Spark plugs removed to ensure good cranking speed. Thanks to a tip from PorscheDoc, found while searching the Rennlist forum, I applied 10 psi to the dipstick tube and got the pump to prime. Later, once I got the engine running, I got full pressure showing on the dash gauge. Lifters are still noisy as hell, as they have not pumped up yet.

Also, I studied the shop manual carefully regarding the plug connections at the firewall for the speed and reference sensors. During this and any initial startup, I have a fuel gauge mounted on the fuel rail to check for fuel pressure and I mount my timing light on the main lead coming out of the coil, to check for spark. I was getting a spark but it seemed way to slow. l I swapped the 2 plugs for the speed and reference sensors and the car immediately fired up.

Anyway, a ton of things to still do and having the World Cup games on the shop TV is not making me any more productive, but there has been some exciting games, that’s for sure. And the Tour de France starts today. Sigh!