Boxster Engine Swap, who's thought about this? Options

[seanery]

This seems cheap and made me wonder what is involved and has anyone done it?

Ebay Boxster Engine/Trans

Let's hear it engineering-type people!!!

[anthony]

Last we heard, Brad said he was working on it. It sounds like a great solution for 914s and should be alot more economical than a 911 six + 915 transmission.

[Bleyseng]

Yes, but some of us don't want to lug around all that water in the car. I'll stay aircooled and dream of a 3.6L.
Geoff

[boxstr]

I have to agree with Geoff, I'll stick with my Boxster to haul that motor and H2O , and my 914-6 to haul that motor and oil around.
The Boxster motor on ebay is a 97, one of the years that had the problems , my 98 had the noise problem and was reoplaced free by PCNA. I would rather search for a newer motor 2000+ to stuff in another car.
CCLINCAMP914

[Mueller]

Decent price, but the rust on the flywheel,clutch and bottom of the bellhousing is odd. Also the way everything was taken off and thrown in box, who knows how much little things are going to be missing.

[Mueller]

I'd rather do this swap:

Audi/VW W8 motor and tranny

This would be a cool swap. The transmission could be used as is, but I'd remove the endhousing unit used to drive the rear wheels when installed in the original car.

If you look closly at the transmission, it has drive outputs on the side just like our transmissions.

[Brad Roberts]

I will do it and the car will be driven to this years MUSR from SF.

Porsche didnt let any of the bad engines be sold from the dealerships..so this one had to have been replaced if there where any issues with it.

This one semi worries me.... the brain is gone. The engine wont start with another brain. I would have to try and get one that was coded..

I can buy a complete setup for 5k right now with brain and I pull it out of the car. I'm trying to clear my plate so I can get started on the project.

The 2.5's have a throttle cable... everything after that is fly by wire.. I would rather deal with the throttle cable.

I welcome comments on this... water doesnt scare me.. never has. I dont see a way to get 225hp in a 914 any cheaper.

B

[TimT]

Are used Boxter engines cheaper than a used 3.2?

[Brad Roberts]

I can buy 2.5 engines all day long at 3500$ (205hp) 4K for the 3.2 S engine (250hp) and 4500$ for the 3.4 996 engine (300hp) all of them bolt up to the 3 Boxster trannies.

The key is: they are all low mileage engines with 20-30k on them.

Oh.. everything I listed above is bone stock numbers. We have tested a header muffler combo worth 12-15hp.

B

[jonwatts]

That was my next question, B. Do the Boxsters benefit from aftermarket exhausts just like the 911s do? I would think so since they're both from Porsche.

Anyone have any good websites that talk about problems with Boxsters? I'm on the learning path as I think one would make a great learning car for the wife and I (since the 914 won't be P-powered).

[Brad Roberts]

Right now.. the biggest issue:

First measurements show the inside control arm ears to be very very very close to the valve covers.

Like..I may have to move them out (ok here..wifes car has GT flares and 1inch spacers right now anyway) I would narrow the shaft on the 914 control arm and move the inside ear over 1 inch.

The Boxster engine/tranny is pretty damn wide.

Jon, look for porsche petes boxster board.. or the one I frequent: boxsterracing .org or something like that.

B

[Mueller]

The cam sprocket hump on one side will be really close to the trailing arm tab and on the other side; the coil-on-plug might be really close. I think while installing the engine, if you move the motor forward as far as possible and then up you will clear the tabs...then bring the motor back for mounting.

[boxstr]

My 98 Boxster had 19967 miles when the motor let go,that was Dec 31 2002. If you bought a motor with low miles that was wrecked before the motor let go, well you are stuck with a very large boat anchor.
I am not saying that this job can not be done, it is just gettting a motor that is going to give you more smiles than frowns.
CCLINCAMP914

[seanery]

for the money a 3.4 996 motor sounds like a decent deal.

I'm looking for a 3.2 for the race car. I am not in a big hurry though
cause it'll cause me a lot of work on the white car. I think I'm
gonna put the 2.7 from the race car in it and make a sleeper.

Do a five lug with 6x16" fuchs & boxster brakes but no body mods, etc...

[Brad Roberts]

Craig,

What are the signs that a Boxster engine is going bad ?? Most of the places I want to buy the parts from will give me a warranty. They also happen to have a ton of these sitting around....so a replacement would be pretty hassle free.

B

[boxstr]

I had no signs that the engine was going bad, it just went. I read as much as I could on Porsche Petes Boxster list and the other Boxster forums. It seemed that it was pretty much the same , boom gone. I spoke with the regional director for Porsche Cars NA and he said that there were a handfull??? of cars that have had the problem in 97,98,and 99. There may have been a few in 2000, but those could have been 99 production cars with service date in 2000.
If you are getting a warranty with the motors that you are buying then I would not worry, as long as they will honor the warranty. If I were you I would look for the newest Boxster motor I could buy.
CCLINDAMPCAMP914

[boxstr]

Two of the problems that the PCNA rep told me were Intermediate or cam sprocket gear coming loose, and cylinder seperation, the barrels would loosen and causing the piston top to hit the valve bending it or them and loose of compression( the problem on my Boxster).
cclindampcamp914

[r_towle]

From what I heard from a Porsche Service Manager
regarding the Boxter Engine was this.

The problem with the motors was that the machine that pressed in the cylinder sleeve (which is one continuous tube in this machine) and then cut off the sleeve, was miscalibrated.

the machine was cutting off the sleeve to long (more than several 1000ths) and the fat part of the rod, where it attaches to the crank was hitting the bottom of this sleeve.

So, the crank was hitting the sleeve, driving it into the head....This is why the engines were put into boxes and shipped back to Germany...

The blocks were usually trashed, along with the heads...

Even the dealers were not allowed to take these engines apart, and if they did the warranty work, the engine went back to Germany.

So the chances you are getting a trashed engine is all dependant on where this engine came from.

If you get the serial number, call PCNA and check if it is original, or a replacement motor.

I cant remember the date, but as of a certain date, the machine was fixed and all engines sisnce have been fine as far as this problem goes...

Rich

[Brad Roberts]

Thanks Richard.

I'll have the engine I'm eyeing checked out.

B

If it's like buying used honda engines, they usually give you a "start up" warranty. which means if it starts, then it works. doesn't mean that it has to run right. haha.

A friend of mine bought one of the bad batches of E46 M3's. In the year he has owned the car, already went through 3 engines. haha. all the same problem with the blowing up rod(s). BMW dealers have been replacing all of these "internals", but not the entire engine. Strange