Can you run the engine without the transmission in place?

I just replaced all the clutch parts in my [phone removed] including the RMS and IMS Retrofit Double Row I messed up the RMS installation and had A significant leak.I located a tool that made it near impossible to screw up and properly installed the RMS. if it is ok I would like to test run the engine without having the transmission attached.I will have the dual mass flywheel attached so I can start it

i ran mine up to temp to check for coolant & oil leaks around the oil cooler and AOS just to be sure before mounting the trans. On starting I instinctively pushed the clutch pedal and blew out the slave cylinder, but otherwise not a problem.

Quotes source post: 17850874

I'd like to check for leaks after ims/rms as well - how do you prevent the Slave cylinder blow out since the clutch is needed to start the car? Does the flywheel need to be on to idle car and check for ims/rms leaks?

You can�t start it without the flywheel, and I would guess that the clutch pedal switch wil need to be jumped, or the starter solenoid would need 12 v applied to the start lug.

You can run the engine all you want with the trans removed... When these cars were new we had a lot of RMS leak trouble ( the RMS was revised about 6 times) . There were other leaks also in the area from the IMSB cover seal and the encapsulated case bolts on the rear. So the standard procedure was to replace the RMS and the IMSB cover seal along with the encapsulated bolts, then install the flywheel and run the engine for 1 hour with a special powder dusted on the area, then remove the flywheel and inspect the powder to see if it shows a leak forming... NOTE :: as mentioned do not press the clutch pedal while trans is removed. this is the leading cause of blown slave cylinders...

Quotes source post: 18511340

Good info - Did they jumper the clutch switch to start the car or is there a less invasive way? I started to put things back together without testing thinking the LN engineering IMS instructions and RMS should reduce chance of oil leaks.

@Porschetech3 , Don't you need one of these, or something similar in order to safely run the engine without a transmission? I would think that supporting the engine with just a hydraulic jack might not be the safest.

Quotes source post: 18514023

It will have no gearbox, and no wheels attached. What can happen to the car with the engine idling away with the engine supported by 2 engine mounts and a jack from underneath?

I get it now - you idle the car and keep the clutch pressed when running the car w/ out trans.

Quotes source posts: 18514023, 18514177, 18514182

That Official Porsche Engine Support Fixture is the cats meow, and is most useful when on a lift and raising the car up and down while the transmission is removed, or to move the car outside for a few days with no transmission.. If working on the floor on jack stands, a jack/jackstand will work just as well. Or when working on the lift the tall jack stands will work but you can't let the car down unless you support then engine with something other than the tall jack stand... All dealerships have that Official Porsche Engine Support , but only have one of them....we had a second one made from a 2x4 with two metal backets bolted on for a back-up if the Official one was in use or supporting an engine/car that was outside waiting on parts.. This is true . You don't touch the clutch pedal while the trans is out....you can trip the clutch switch with your finger to start the car or jump the wires with a paper clip...but NEVER touch the clutch pedal while the trans is out, you will blow the slave cylinder apart..

Quotes source post: 18511340

I recently discovered that my 996.1 engine has the engine number stamped in the usual place however all it says is M96/1 then below that is AT, there is no engine number. from some on line reading i understand the AT to mean exchange engine that was likely a factory replacement. I also read that the RMS issues early in the 996 model life eventually lead to a Porsche Factory exchange program due to these leaks, does that sound right? or make sense in regards to your experience? most people that have a factory engine replacement on the 996 also have an engine number stamped on it. mine however doesn't i am just wondering if this means its an early engine in the exchange program or was the tech supposed to stamp or etch the original engine number into the block. Thanks in advance Gary

Quotes source post: 18514439

Good info regarding the clutch switch! I ended up putting the trans back in cuz there were quite a few things I wasn't sure about when starting the car w/ out the trans. No signs of oil so far after 20 or so miles - fingers crossed.

Quotes source post: 18518105

Yes, IMS leaks were a big deal on the early 996's. Customers were complaining that their 80K$ Porsche was leaking oil on their immaculate garage floors.. Many a RMS was replaced and on the third time the engine was replaced.. The RMS installation tool was revised once to set a deeper depth, the RMS was revised a few times, and then a Go/no-Go tool was sent that if the tool was a No-GO, the engine was replaced.. The issue was inconsistent alignment of the crankshaft/carrier to the case bore of theRMS..The Go/ no-GO gauge was to detect if the alignment was so far out that the new revised seal would not stop the leak.. The RMS was revised a total of about 6 times with the last version being a PTFE Seal that requires a "dry installation" ... Yes the AT means a Factory Replacement engine... It's very interesting that yours has no serial number..very unusual. I have seen one 996 replacement engine that just had "996" stamped on it...lol...I would love to know the story behind that one...lol Take A picture of your engines stamp, I would love to see it...I'm sure there is a story behind it. ( but may never know the story behind it) ... It may just be a Factory Mistake , but just like coin collecting, a "defect" can be very interesting and sometimes even valuable..as in coin collecting the more rare the defect the more valuable...but in car manufacturing may not be valuable, but just interesting...

Quotes source post: 18518891

On the car itself, it seems very powerful, especially on cam.. but has a very nice linear torque curve from low down, i can be just ticking along at 60 and drop a gear to say forth and i'm doing 90 in no time., that may be normal but i was surprised for a car with 85,000 miles, however it has been very well maintained, the cam tensioners have been done for example, it is reported to be a dual row IMSB, that has been changed, as i was handed the old bearing, it is massive, i'm an ex mech/tech with some mechanical experience from the Royal Air Force and i would consider it a large roller type bearing. it is a 2000 model year with egas production date of February 2000. also the car was very high spec with a MSRP of $95,000 at time of purchase mostly Aerokit and leather interior packages, i wish it was a GT3 but if it was it would have likely been out of my budget.. i am not fooling my self that my engine is special, but it sure is peppy. I have driven one other 996 and it was pitiful by comparison. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Gary

Quotes source post: 18519911

Thanks for the picture, very interesting !! I also notice the stamping is not in the " Dot Matrix" style that all other M96 engine serial numbers are in... The one I saw with just "996" stamped on it was also plain metal stamping and not Dot Matrix.. I don't know the story behind these engines but my guess is that it is early in the engine program before things got "organized" after the "fire in the engine plant"...My understanding is that things were very behind on production and things were done " out of the ordinary for a while" ....( not that there is anything ordinary done by Porsche to begin with) .. I also notice your oil pan is the later one with "recessed bolts" ,..... the early engines had "exposed bolt heads" on the oil pan that got caught on curbs and caused block damage....The engine I saw with the "996" stamp still had the early exposed bolt heads pan on it... As far as the power of the engine, I don't think it is a special version, it's just that sometimes in production you just get an exceptional engine that ALL the tolerances are just happen to be perfect.... ( like a hand built blueprinted "stock" engine) ...

Porschetech3, I also noticed it was not dot matrix and not etched on by a machine, it occurred to me that hand stamping on cast material like that is not ideal and any significant hammering with metal on metal would not be desirable, i wonder if the "hand stamping" for want of a better description was done during the casting process of that block, which would also explain no engine number...

Quotes source post: 18520342

Another interesting tidbit is that the "AT" appears to be done at a different time/depth/pressure than the M96/01 , it gives the impression that the engine was slated to go into a production/assembly line car, then was needed as a "replacement engine" .... Most " replacement/rebuilt engines" I have seen appeared to be NEW and not rebuilt even though the price was much much lower than a NEW engine...

On further reflection i'm thinking the numbers were put on by hand which could account for the way the letters and numbers do not line up and the spacing looks random also. i think the oblique - forward slash has similar inconsistent depth as the AT does as well, your thought on it being a new replacement makes sense to me. Another thing the independent noted was that the gearbox was too clean, zero cosmoline on it.. and way at the end of the gearbox serial number was what appeared to be a hand stamped X in this format...G960010190// then a handstamped X , it is likely not related to the engine number as i have invoices that show replacement clutch, rms, imsb and this could just have been cleaned at that time. The plot thickens but likely means nothing at all lol

The "X" at the end of the gearbox serial number may or may not mean something... If the transmission has ever been rebuilt, the tech is supposed to stamp an "R" at the end of the serial number,,, Only four "R's" are allowed due to the "press fit" on the main gear stack is lessened each time the gears are pressed off the mainshaft...