Cayman 3.4 engine into Boxster S 3.2 - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Just a noob with a pitiful request for guidance to info. I just bought a 2001 Boxster S 6 speed manual trans.Previous owner spent lot$ with Pelican for upgrades/parts. The engine developed awful rod knock within a few days of purchase!Babbitt bearing(?) swarf in the oil pan and spin-on filter. A rebuild will cost more than I paid for the car .Very depressed. A sympathetic buddy found me a 2006 Cayman 3.4 Tiptronic engine with only 8000 miles for only $3000 with all ancillaries but the DME -it is for a Tiptronic and mine is a 6-speed. Got Bentley, Wayne's book ,read all I can find on this engine conversion .It seems all I need according to Wayne's helpful write-up is: 1. 7.8 DME & modify the pin-out of the connector on the Cayman motor.But is it really that straightforward? 2. ABS controller & connector from a 3.4 Cayman 3. My flywheel +clutch +6 speed trans will fit O.K.?? I already have the trans. out of my 'dead' car and was about to drop the engine & start tearing in to the knocking engine when the Cayman alternative was offered.Yes, I do all my own wrenching but complex electronics is an alien world for me. Please tell me what I should do -rebuild or do the swap? I already have a 'delicate' situation with the wife because of the money pit I have stupidly bought, so I don't want to screw things up further by installing an engine that won't work or produce a car w/o ABS ...I don't need a detailed explanation(although that would be great!). Just point me in the right direction. As I said ,I've got Wayne's piece just about memorized because I have read it so many times! Either way it will make a great write-up for this Forum.

http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/26065-3-4l-motor-swap-underway.html Good luck.

Talk to Jake Raby....

If I bought a Porsche that developed a "death rattle" knock within a few days of purchase, I'd be confronting the seller about it. Even with an "As-Is" condition. And then I'd contact a State agency if I didn't receive any satisfaction there. And an attorney next. Just sayin'................ TO

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Thank you -great link ! It seems "Tholyoak" and "Insite" are the Forum go-to guys for this subject. In the link there is mention of a video to show the DME conversion procedure. Wow I do hope Insite does that! It would make him an everlasting god in the Boxster world !! As time goes by and more engines fail and more swaps are attempted,this subject will become ever more popular!

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Nope.. I don't do any conversions. All my work is internal, making that OE 3.2 into a 3.6 or 3.8.. I've done one conversion, that was one too many. Taking an engine out of one car and putting it into another doesn't captivate me.

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what is the maximum displacement which can be made out of a 2.7l engine?

Getting the car to shake hands with the motor in a friendly way is doable. Getting the car to satisfy Calif smog nazis may be a lot more difficult. If you tell them about the swap it will probably never be approved by a referee cause they hate hp increases. If you don't tell and hope to fly under the radar, a DME reflash is a red flag, different exhaust manifold is a red flag, intake mods are a red flag etc. If it were mine, I would find another 3.2 with identical DME software requirements for a car I planed to keep street legal in Cali.

Thanks for the advice guys -it has helped decide to just rebuild the old motor- assuming the damage is limited. When I showed the oil pan to a local Porsche expert he proclaimed it was debris from a failed IMS. "But it has an LN IMS -fitted less than1 year ago",I whined. He was undeterred by the fact. I asked why a failing IMS would release non magnetic phosphor bronze-like swarf . He breezily suggested I have it flat-bedded to him. I didn't ,I just came here instead.Yes ,I am still looking for a Porsche engine rebuilder in Pasadena/S.California.

Find a used motor and install it, it's not hard. Rebuilding yours will cost way too much. Or part the car and walk away.

A few ides: I could buy a correct year/displacement used(107,000 miles) engine from LKQ on EBay for $3700. But although it may run, it is a total gamble on how long it would run before needing the same rebuild my current motor is begging for. The reason for my interest in the '06 Cayman engine was it has only 8000 miles(yes eight thousand) and has the later year upgrades like VarioCam-plus ,big IMS etc. But the unknown(to me)electronic mysteries of converting a Tiptronic engine harness/7.8 DME to a manual 7.2 DME body are overwhelming. If that challenge frustrated Jake, I am humble enough to listen to his advice. If someone had a plug & play kit for the electronic/DME issues I would jump at the Cayman 3.4 engine.

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This is the best advice. I would phone up the seller and see how receptive he is to some kind of settlement. If no satisfaction then mention getting the services of a lawyer. You don't have to hire the lawyer right away but just the mention of a lawyer may scare him to do something for you. Then if no satisfaction then think of whether you to want to hire a lawyer or just swallow the loss and move on. I hate to hear of this kind of cr-p.....G.

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I would also agree. If the engine dies shortly after purchasing, I would be very suspicious. Yes, it could be a coincidence, but.....

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contact BYProdriver as he is in socal maybe he can help you.

Thanks for that helpful suggestion-I'll follow up. I also found a fellow Brad Roberts in Alta Loma who may be able to help.

And if you need someone to R&R the motor, I can probably help you out with a OE motor removal and replacement when the time comes.

That is very kind. Just the sort of gesture that makes the $ pain of this sad situation better. The P.O. is a decent guy & I belive him when he says he had no clue of the impending doom. Just time to man-up. But without the help of this Forum it would be overwhelming. My engine will drop today or tomorrow -hopefully with a tall jack beneath it ! The real challenge is the engine rebuild. I have found a special ,rebuild tool kit that others have used on EBay for around $360. That helps! My last practical experience of this kind of engine work was on headless(monoblock=block+head cast as a single unit so no headgasket!) turbo diesel engines. That was a while ago and we made the engines so had all the tools and skills -both are now lacking for the current project!

I can relate to this thread from the seller's viewpoint a few years back. I had never seen the CEL come on while the engine was running in my old 99 Miata. I sold it in the morning to this gal and the boyfriend was with her. A few hours later I get a call from the new owner and she says in an assertive voice " I have the CEL lite on. What is it about this car you are not telling me about?" I said that I had never seen the CEL lite on before which was true. I told the owner before me and the Pres. of the local Miata club. They both offered to go down and read the codes. The boyfriend must have settled her down and later fixed the offending O2 sensor. If it was me that sold you your Boxster I would have refunded you some $$$ but not everybody is like me. Guy.

Here is link to a post on this Forum where the car had exactly the swap we are discussing.So it is doable -the question is: 1. how to deal with the electronics? 2. and is a Tiptonic O.K. for a manual recipient ? If someone covered this in all the vital details, plese tell me. http://986forum.com/forums/boxsters-sale-wanted/47049-2000-boxster-996-3-4-engine-swap-located-souther-california-77k-orig-miles.html

That 3.4 engine is from a 2001996. If I read you correctly you were thinking of installing a 3.4 Cayman engine. The older 996 would be a more compatible swap. Same displacement but quite different w electronics.