Will the '04 3.6L Fit Into A '99 996?

Does anybody know if an '04 996 engine will fit into the MY99? What about an '05 3.8L Carrera S? Or...dare I dream, a GT3 powerplant? I'm just trying to think of the long-term possibilities for my car.

it can be done with a GT3 engine. for sure and there is a guy on this board who id doing it at the moment i think. i cannot fine a reason why not for a 3.6 engine. do not know anything about 997S. but again i will ask you WHY? GT3 engine is a miracle. i think though that a cost of doing such a conversion will be that much high, which i thik it could be possible to straight buy a GT3. even if it is not chassis will not be a GT3 chassis, and not GT3 car at all 3.6 engine, you will have to spend loads of money again....not as much as GT3 conversion, because cost of used engine will be much less, ( i doubt you can eassily find a GT3 engine though...) but again loads of money for an extra 20 Hp...and probably less reliability - because a mod is a mod in the end of the day. finnaly 997S engine will give as much as GT3 engine.... why don't you supercharge your car? rocket less money bolt on i.e bolt off it wond be a fake GT3, not a fake pre -01 car with a 02- engine.. definetelly not a combination of 2 generations of porsches....996 and 997

If this is something you plan to DIY, and you have lots of time and money on your hands, it would be a great learning experience. If not, why would you want to spend over $15k for 20hp? What if you swap out the engine, then run into an RMS problem? Not the best way to add extra ponnies.

You also might have other issues. Like for example, your '99 throttle is cable-driven, whereas the '02s are fly-by-wire, will the '02 engine electronics work with a '99? Save yourself a ton of headache and buy the whole car.

Huh, I didn't know engine changes were THAT expensive.I would super-charge the engine perhaps, but this is very long-term thinking. In 1-2 years I'll be heading out to sea for a couple years...so I'll have the option of either selling my car or storing it until I get back. The MY99 996 isn't quite all I want in a 911 though, so the logical thing is for me to sell it. But I've become very attached to it and don't ever want to sell!! haha. I'm young though, and I think a 997 S or GT3 would be a much better car to take into my old age. I was just feeling out possibilities. Btw, Leon is my favorite movie! You've seen the European version, of course?

Hey HBacura when did you ditch your Boxster? I did not know you picked up a 996!

Probably becuase he wants his engine to last longer than the few years he would get out it SuperCharged. The NA 996 blocks were not made to endure the extra power that comes with supercharging (part of the reason Porsche still uses the 993 block for the forced induction 996TT and the strengthening of various parts in the engine and transmission when the extra 20 ponies were added in the NA 2002 models). I am personally waiting for one of these supercharged 996 rides to simply blow-up.

I have a 3.6L X51 in my 99 996 race car which I now run as updated to an 04 996. It made sense for me because of club racing rules but this is not a swap you want to make for the street. Trust me on this. Jim

I haven't ditched the Boxster, and I haven't purchased a 911 yet I do lurk the 996 forum often, and I have been doing a lot more research on the 996. A 996 with an aero II kit might be in my near future. As far as supercharging...I'm not fully aware of any problems that might occur, but I do know plenty of non P-car owners who have had 10s of thousands of miles put on their cars and no major problems noted except to replace the supercharger belt every 10-12k miles, but that is normal. Then again they are using screw type blowers instead of the centrifugal style blowers like EVO uses. But, you would think since little to no boost is applied in the lower rpm range, or under little load, the 996 engine would see little strain due to the blower. Only time will tell. Thank goodness there are members like Kirby and 1999Porsche911 out there.

I can dig Kirby he is pretty cool but the other guy is a "nutcase" . I have to wonder about how long the engine is going to last before it comes apart. Like I said a 20HP increase in the 2002 996 engine caused Porsche to make significant strengthening changes in the block and transmission to accomodate the only 20HP power increase. Something tells me that at some point in time any HP increase brought in by something like a supercharger with only a minimal amount of boost is going to cause something to break or worse, cause irrepairable damage. Finally, if Porsche thought the 996 engine was capable of such significant HP increases that comes with supercharging, why did they keep the 993 block for the 996 Twin Turbo?

Hey DoubleNuts: Thank god the world only has a few people like you with defeatist attitudes. Sorry that those of us who have good running 996's bother you. HBacura is correct that there is no or little boost unless you are running WOT. The 3.4 engine has no problem handling the effective compression ratio of greater than 18:1 at 7,000 rpm. I am very happy with my blower (especially when a TT pulls up) and have no problems because of it. But now that you have predicted that I will blow my engine...I don't know how I will sleep at night. Take a valium and chill.

Like I said "a nut case", I would love to see that!!!! A 996TT in a WOT challenge and watch your supercharged abomination ricer 996 leave a some parts on the ground . That would be a hoot! Like I've said at least two or three times before you've got a garage queen. Untill you have road coursed that thing for anymore than 15 mintues at a time on DE days and had it WOT with a TT down the front and back straights of the track, please save that kooky advice of yours where it belongs... hanging on the wall in your garage with all the other Jesse James Monster Garage failures! By the way HB Acura did not say that P-Cars had no problems,,, he said "... I do know plenty of NON-P cars owners who have had 10s of thousands of miles put on their cars ..." .

Early 99's have mechanical throttle, e-gas was added to C2 during 99 model year, with the introduction of 99 C4 IIRC.

You recall correctly indeed.

DoubleNutz, You're starting to sound like some of the other P-car "snobs" on the board. Just because one installs a SC, does not make him a ricer... With that said, most turbo or SC cars run into problems when their owners get careless and run too much boost for their given set-up. There are a lot of other factors that come into play in creating "balance" in a forced induction car. If the owner is careless in his modification approach, I agree that longevity will certainly be an issue. If not, I don't see why it is so hard to expect plenty of miles of enjoyment... Having owned a forced induction car for quite a while, I will say that the stress level can be higher, especially when you read forums with "doom and gloom" nonsense that you are preaching. Therefore, I will keep this car normally aspirated... to each his own...

Hmmmmm another one. Thirty-four posts later he is an expert on me, Porsche discussions I have had in this forum, and forced induction on Porsches. OK, so what color Fruit Loops am I going to pick out of my bowl in the morning? After-all you are the expert in Grid Computing the same is true of P-Car snobs here in this forum so perhaps you can answer that question, huh?

34 posts... yes... don't feel the need to pipe in for every thread... but if you feel that this somehow disqualifies my opinion, that's fine. Ooohh, I get it! If I pull your finger, all of your negative tension will be released, and we can all get along... Just lighten up a bit... not everyone shares your opinion, but that does not make them stupid... or ricers...

As owner of this thread, I hereby order you both to stop this tom-foolery. Now imagine that you are shaking hands. Ok. Now hug. Ok that's good. You can stop hugging each other now. Oh god... There's plenty of other forums on the web you can use to flame on one another. Here, we should just appreciate our mutual love of the marque. Be nice!

Mereel77: If you are comitted to spending the kind of money to put in a larger engine, you may have some fun just beefing up your 3.4. This engine is strong and consideratbly over built. There are many things you can do to get the performance you're looking for far less money and hassle. The simplest thing to do is to install a blower. ANY boost to the engine will increase your howrsepower and torque substantially. YOU are in control of how much boost to use. If you fear that boosting the 3.4 too much will damage the engine, you can use just 4lbs boost and keep the RPM limit stock. If you beleive, as I do (by experience) that the 3.4 engine can handle the increased boost, then you can go substantially higher. I know a 996 that has 25,000 miles on it and runs 8 lbs of boost at 7,000 rpm. This car is a monster as far as torque and HP! I only run about 6.3 lbs of boost at 6800 rpm and can tell you that the power is more than you need in a 996. You have to remember that the high boost is only being pumped into the engine at WOT. At normal cruising and acceleration the diverter valve is relieving the pressure back into the SC. Your car drives just like a stock car. But when you go to WOT...hang on and be ready to shift quickly. i.e. if you are cruising the highway at 100 mph, there is little to no extra pressure on the engine. I know of no other reliable method of turning your 3.4 996 into a TT performer without internal changes to the engine. It might be worth looking into. I would stay away from a more free flowing exhaust unless you're willing to give up bottom end torque.

Yes all of the engines can fit in a 99 996. The 3.6, 3.8 blocks are the same as the 3.4L blocks. The main difference between the engines are small differences in stroke and bore size. The major problem is that there is a big difference in engine management. It might be a dificult to change from throttle cable to E gas and you might need a new wiring harness. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it might get very costly. Your best bet for HP without super charging is to get the X51 package for the 3.4L. The factory claims only 25 HP, but many tuners I have talked to says it is way underrated and it more like 40HP or more. I'm not sure, but I think the 3.6 L is a stroke version of the 3.4 so you can put a 3.6 crank in the 3.4L with the x51 to get a few more ponies. It not the most cost efficent way, but it does work. The GT3 will fit but its a more involved conversion as the engine is even more different since they are based on a 993 engine. As for my opinon of Supercharging is that I'm sure the packages out there works fine for the street and few times most owners are gonna crank it up, but I doubt the engine will last under constant track, high rpm running.

Hug, hug...

Thanks for the info's. I am not interested in modifying my engine anytime soon. It has 75K+ miles on it and is a daily driver. I'm in my early 20's and barely scraping up the cash for the monthly maintenence on this car as is. I wanted to know this stuff because it will factor into whether or not I sell this car in a few years or keep it long term. If I decide to keep it long term, I will surely be rebuilding / replacing the engine one day. Then I could supercharge the fresh engine, or put in a later model entirely. That cable throttle does sound like it could be a big of a nuiscance though, doesn't it?

Mereel, Actually the throttle body is no big deal. You can just unbolt the e-gas version on the new engine and replace it with your old one. They are the same and the computer doesn't care. Also, the 3.6L bolts right in. Unfortunately that is where the easy stuff ends. The 3.6 computer has several (10 I think) anti-theft/security sensors that are very difficult or impossible to duplicate or override when installed in your car. This also requires a new wiring harness. Getting the 99 computer to operate the 3.6 is equally as hard. The 3.6 has variable lift cams, different cam sensor rings and different cam timing shift points. The 3.4 computer can't handle any of these. Bottom line, I wouldn't count on putting a 3.6 in a street car. The smart thing would be to pick up a fresh 3.4 in the engine swap program. Personally I wouldn't hesitate to SC a 996 I wasn't going to track much. I'm not big on fast street cars (what a waste) but if that's your thing go for it. You might want to wait until you have a little extra cash for maintenance though. Jim

Jim, sorry to go a bit off topic here, but I've been wondering about something. You seem to be one of the most avid racers/trackers of the 996 on this board. My question is: what do you do about oiling? Do you install x51 w/the oiling upgrade? Have you ever seen oiling problems w/o this on the track? I ask because I'd love to track my car, but don't want to deal with grenading an engine (assuming it wouldn't be warrantied). I could purchase a dedicated track car for less than the engine cost Thanks.

Stiles, In my humble opinion, the oiling issue is just another thing for the whiners to worry about. They get bored with the RMS issue every now and then. The GS division (top street stock division) of Grand Am is dominated by 996s. The engines are completely stock except for air filters and exhaust but they run full race suspension and a spec Hoosier racing tire. The PCA club race at VIR was on the same weekend as the Grand Am race so I had a chance to talk to a bunch of the teams. They didn't seem to be having a lot of trouble with the engines and none of the ones I spoke to were using an oiling system. I now have the oiling package because it came with my x51 but I ran a 3.4L on the track a couple of years before that with no problem. I wouldn't give it a second thought. Take your car to the track and enjoy it. On the other hand, the internet is not the place to get technical information on your car. Much of what you read on this board is just plain wrong. You should really find a good independent Porsche mechanic and discuss it with him. Jim

Stiles I was told that the oil cavitaion problem was more with the earilier cars on race tires. Given the fact that yopu are not a hard core club racer and guys like Jim did not have problems, I doubt you would ever generate the G force to cause the problem. I say you are pretty safe until you start becoming like Jim, and by then you probably would have the X51 in your car by then.

I agree that the oiling is not a problem when tracking. To prove it, next time you take it to the track, watch your oil pressure. If you were having an oiling problem, such as no oil around the pickup, your pressure would drop. Even if your car was upside down, if you have normal oil pressure, then all areas of the engine are getting supply. I agree with JimB that these forums, although there are many people who really know their stiff, are full of people who know little about porsche, let alone any cars. Use our comments as guides and confirm recommendations yourself. Bottom line on the 996....it is almost impossible to kill.

I think you about summed it up perfectly.

Jim, thank you! for that reply. It's nice to get real-world data for a change. My one concern is that I can see an oil pressure drop on hard, sustained right-hand onramps. It doesn't go to Zero, but it drops to 2-3 bar (from 5+). Perhaps this is a problem with my car in particular (although I've heard of at least one other car doing this); I'll have the dealer check it out before I go to the track. What I don't know is whether this could actually cause any damage. My guess is that if I didn't have an oil gauge I'd be tracking the crap out of my car without any worries

If in fact you are loosing pressure on a corner, then you do have an oiling problem. My car does not experience that. However, make sure that the pressure drop is not because of a lowering of the rpm's into the corner. I would suggest that you take that same corner in third gear starting at 3,000 rpm's and accelerate completely through the corner. As long as you maintain 3,000 rpm or higher, your oil pressure should be close to .5 bar. It it drops much from there, you might have a problem with the pickup tube. The oiling system will not lose pressure under a maintained engine speed as long as there is a constant supply of oil being supplied from the oil pan. If there is any interuption in the oil supply, then the air that is sucked into the system will cause a drop in the pressure. (and the subsequent lack of lubrication to the engine while the air passes).

There are two 270deg onramps that are an easy repro of this for me. And yes, I'm really losing oil pressure. I can see it bouncing down from 4-5bar to 2-3bar, with constant/rising RPM. It doesn't manifest on "shorter" corners. Mind you, I'm hauling butt around this corner, but it's easily repro'd. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the amount of oil in the system either: full/empty/overfull. The one thing I might try is heavier weight oil (I'm running 0w40). Note that this phenomenon has been reported by at least one other rennlister (Jyoteen).

Then I would again say that it has to be the lack of oil going through the system. As long as the pickup tube is submurged in oil, it is a closed system and CANNOT lose increase or decrease pressure except with engine RPM. I run 0W - 40W oil in my car and do not experience the problem you are having. (oh, by the way, aren't those high speed right turns a blast?) I wonder if you ever had any work done on you oil pan where they may have cracked the pickup tube (oil suction pipe) so it's sucking air at low oil levels? I am only guessing, but I am stil convinced that if there is no leak in the oil system, it has to be that air is entering the system from the oil pan. Or could it be a bad oil/air seperator? There are to above the pan and maybe one of these is causing the problem? Maybe someone on the board had experienced the same problem and will shed some light on it. If you plan on changing your oil soon, remove the oil pan (simple job - get a new gasket first) and take a close look at everything. Especially the screened pickup tube. Make sure that the "bulkhead box" is in there. This helps reduce the splashing of the oil when cornering. I would expect that it would be there unless work has been done on it in the past. Let us know if you figure it out. Good luck.