Open Road

My 89 S4 has about 160k miles on it and needs a timing belt job. I am the 3rd owner and have the maintenance records for the last 60k miles. As far as I can see it has never had the heads off for head gaskets.

I am considering an engine pull to take care of both jobs though that will put the car off the road for longer. OTH, I have a parts car with only 40k miles on it that I can swap in that doesn't need a belt but probably needs the heads looked at as well. That means 2 engine pulls of course.

I have a lift so the engine pull is a little less daunting if I have to do 2 of them.

Does anyone have thoughts on doing one job over the other?

Having R&R'd many 928 engines... and having done head gaskets without pulling the engine...

It takes roughly 20 hours to R&R the 928 engine (assuming you've done it several times before...)

It all comes down to your opportunity cost for not having that 928 available for use.

There is no question that doing an engine rebuild on a stand is *the* way to go. Everything is easier and takes half as long to do. However, you will eat up that savings by doing all the other things that are possible or so much easier when the engine's on a stand.

Thanks for your input dave. I appreciate the advice.

My inclination right now is to pull the engine, pull the heads and inspect the surfaces and see where I stand at that point. If the heads are going to need welding I'll pull the other engine and put it in the car pending the heads being refinished. If the heads don't need welding up, I'll just change the head gaskets and do the FOE harness and intake refresh and see what else might need to be done. I'll save the parts motor for another day. Since I also have to do motor mounts and a suspension refresh, the car is going to be off the road for a while no matter what. All of which should be easier to do with the engine out. Fun and games!

'89s are the last of the "solid heads" wherein the casting wasn't nearly as porous as that of '90+. This, based upon my experience.

That said, with the motor on a stand and the heads off there's every reason to take them to 'a head guy' for evaluation.

the pull part is easy. maybe I've done it too many times but I can go from an running 928 to engine on a stand in about 4 hours. The only reason I know this is there was a bet made (and won) on this. Bet was under 5 hours and I did it under 4 with 3 hecklers standing around and cracking jokes. At the 3:30 mark they decided to go get some food, and came back and the engine was on a stand. the only time I got paid $500 to work on my own 928. lol

Your comparison leaves out the second R in R&R.

title of the thead is engine pull...... the insall is implied.... it's the details....

maddog2020 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 10:37 pm title of the thead is engine pull...... the insall is implied.... it's the details....

"Installation is the reverse of removal"

Ever try to read a Haynes manual backwards?