mr2by4

I did manage to get it all back together. Got ready to do a road test and now the shift linkage has popped loose. I am praying that I can get it back secure without removing all of the suspension and exhaust components. This has become kind of frustrating! I want to road test my new motor! Maybe tomorrow...

I am doing my final re-assembly and the sheet metal brace does not seem to be lining up correctly. Seems like I have less than 1/8 of an inch more width than the holes in the brace will allow. Its not much, but more than a wiggle will cover. Is there a trick to this? Do I just need to get a pry bar or strap on the supsension to pull it back in line to install the brace? Is this a bad sign that there appears to be about a 1/8 of an inch of mis-alignment between the right and left subframes? Please don't tell me that I need to take the muffler and cat pipes off AGAIN! thanks! Sorry about the extra "p" in the title. Not sure how to edit titles of threads...

Do you know how many times I looked at those and thought, "well all of those are connected" The small plug at the bottom lacks the cam lock so it was not obvious that it was disconnected until I started trying to pull things out and put them back in. I suppose the lesson here is that sometimes you should not trust your eyes. You need to put your hands on it to be sure. Thanks again! Just as an afterthought, Boy is a Boxtser loud with only the headers on and both of the engine panels out. Suprisingly loud , in addition to combustion sounds, is the air pump.

Fuses were fine. So was clutch swicth. Reaching a total stand still I decided to go back over everything I could and found that the smallest of the looms attached on the bottom of the ecu was not entirely plugged in. Pushed it all the way in and checked all of the other plugs one more time and it cranked. Took a minute to build fuel pressure and then fired. Runs just fine. Now to put the mufflers etc back on! Thanks for all of the suggestions. Sorry it was such a stupid mistake, but happy that it is solved!

So would this signal completely kill the dme prior to start-up? (ignition, injection and starter) I aks b/c with the ignition on I cranked the motor with remote starter switch on the starter terminals and it would not fire (no fuel, no spark) I am going to check this switch and those 2 fuses and if that does not fix it, I am going to take it by RUF to have them hook the DME up to the computer. Thanks!

Yes, thats very helpful. That is what I suspected, but what about it? The car is a MY2001 Boxster S, the motor and engine harness are from a MY2000 Boxster S. They should be 100% compatable. I am using the dme and immobilizer from my car. Does the clutch safety just disable the starter or the entire DME(fuel, ignition etc)? If it was the clutch switch should jumping the starter have gotten me running? I talked with two shops today and they are convinced that it is not the immobilizer. Since the door locks and remote are working. They insist that there is no reset of the immobilizer. Should I just take in the DME(the whole car) and have them look at it?

Same old DME. If I disconnected it. will it need to be reset to the immobilizer? I will check those fuses. Other than checking that I had power at the starter, I have been saving those things for a last resort. I don't want to know what Porsche charges for a fuel pump!

No clicks, just nothing. I don't see that the angle of the engine n the body would affect the ECU. The car will start on a hill. It will aslo run with spacers of unequal size front and rear (such as in a 3.4 swap).

I am not getting fuel. I am not getting spark. I am not energizing the starter. It appears that everytihng is hot (I can jumper the starter) but no fire. So the fuel pump relay is not my primary concern. I will use this process to verify fuel pump function if I can get the car to respond to the ignition and it still will not fire. Thanks!

Are you saying the bolts that mount the transmission to its y-braces or the bolts through the transmission mounts should have torque verified? This sounds insane that it would result in total engine (ECU)immobilization, but I am willing to give it a try. Thanks

Well I tried the negative cable to check grounds. No luck I tried to bump the starter at the terminals to see if it would turn over. It cranks but no fire. Not sure if I am getting fuel or not. Does not smell like it. I am guessing that whatever is trying to keep me from using the starter is blocking the FP as well. HELP! Is it possible that the engine block(or other security) feature of the ECU has kicked in since it was disconnected?

I suspected a safety switch like clutch interlock, but it was not affected by the repairs. I suppose it could have just been bad luck. Thanks for the suggestion about grounding the motor to the battery. I will try those both.

I am stuck in my install of a used 3.2 liter m96 motor in my 2001 Boxster S. Donor was a 2000 Boxster S. The motor is back in the car and I attempted to start it before I put the exhaust, muffler and assorted braces back in place. My logic is that if I had problems I could save those steps in pulling the motor back out. I have a couple of coolant leaks to address, but the big issue is that the starter does not engage. Key in the ignition, power is on, accessories are on, turn the key and no change at all. Is there anything that must be done from an electronic standpoint to reset ECU when the motor has been out or switched? I have checked the battery and it is good. Even tried to use a jump box to help and still the exact same response. Key turns but the accessories and lights continue and no starter. So here is what I have done. I reconnected the two fuel lines on the firewall driver's side. I reconnected the fuel rail return line at the rear of the engine bay passenger side. I reconnected the power steering lines. I have reconnected all coolant hoses. I reconnected the harness to the ECU. I secured the harness ground in the trunk. I plugged in the AFM. I reconnected the GP 14 to the chassis beside the secondary air pump. I reconnected the b+ terminal wires. Plugged in reveres sensor switch. Reinstalled slave cylinder on the transmission Reconnected secondary air pump. Plugged in engine bay fan and secondary air pump to engine harness. Reinstalled AC compressor and reattached fun clutch wire. Reconnected brake vacuum booster. What am I missing? Is there some devious reason why the mid pipes and muffler would need to be installed? Thanks

I either chickened out or cheaped out. Not sure which it was. I have a 3.2 on the way. Now that I know the difficulty of the swap, I will be on the lookout for a 3.4 or 3.6 to move up if the price is right. BTW a lift makes dropping the motor a time consuming, but very straightforward operation. Doing it on jackstands is a violation of the laws of nature. I commend those of you who have done it(some of you time and again)!

I am looking at a couple of motor options including outright pruchase of recycled motors and rebuilt motors. Istooks and Mayo here by me will do rebuilds, if the "core" is decent it is not too expensive. I was thinking about doing a rebuild myself using the same machine work guys that both those local shops do, but I think I would rather be driving the car than working on it! the 3.4 and 3.6 options would be recycled motors

It is true that if you hunt you can find motors less than $5k. My 3.2 was running, but with metal in the oil filter and a faint rod knock that would increase with engine temp. I am not sure I would call that "running". I would be happy to sell you my motor for parts. Sounds like your motor's crank is ok and my cylinders etc seem to be in good order. In reality though, I am also looking at if it is worth parting out my motor instead of sending in the core. Shiping on my core is $250 or so which means I would only need to sell $800 worth of parts to be ahead and my heads etc should all be in good order, manifolds, cats etc etc also all present and should be in usable state.

What happened to you 3.2L engine? How many miles were on it? Now would be the best time to consider a 3.6L engine from a 911. 3.2 has 85k miles. Low oil pressure, may have had to do with oil seperator issue, or may have been due to some sort of abuse. Problem with a 3.6 is that it requires more ecu headaches, new gauges etc etc to get it working. Now if you are suggesting putting my manifolds onto a 3.6 block and heads, Good idea! But the question remains, how well would that work? Would it be worth the extra money and effort? What would the ecu do with the extra displacement?

I have a MY01 Boxster S with bad 3.2 liter motor. I have an option to purchse a 3.4 longblock for the same price as a complete 3.2 motor assembly. What would the repurcussions of trying to put my intake etc onto this 3.4 liter motor be. I would not get varioram, but would mot need to rewire for varioram. I would not need to space my motor down since I would be using stock Boxtster manifolds and tb etc. Would I still need to reflash my ecu? Is there any reason why my plenums etc would not fit the motor? What am I missing? Why is this a bad idea? I know I will miss out on some of the benefit of the 3.4 by losing varioram, but how much? Would I need to retune for the larger displacement, or would the close loop be able to compensate for a .2 liter variation over 6 cylinders? Would it not be worth the additional cost over going to a standard 3.2 if I don't get varioram? Looking for any input. Thanks

In answer to these an other questions, With the ECU unhoked from the harness, but the battery connected, you can: Open front hatch Open rear hatch operate the top All of these things were very welcome reveleations to me since I had to tow the car home in the rain with no motor etc.

I know that if my battery is dead/disconnected I can jumper the panel and open the front to access the battery. Can I do the same for the rear lid? I have dropped the motor, battery is disconnected, ecu is disconnected, ground wire loose on harness etc and the trunk closed on me while raising and lowering the car on the lift to drop the motor. Is it safe to use the jumper procedure? The front is still open, is it safe to reconnect the battery and just hit the button? Is there a manual access that I can use? (rear bumper is off, motor is out of the car) Thanks for the help!

I have dropped the 3.2 from my 2001 Boxster s and found that the intake manifold, tb, crossover pipes etc are rather oily. Does any and all oil in the intake cause suspicion of the oil separator? Car has 85k miles, and low oil pressure/possible rod knock, but certain damage to the bottom end. As I am tearing down the motor I will look for other possible causes, but is there a way to check if the separator is working properly with it outside of the car? I suppose ordering one from Suncoast is pretty cheap insurance for new motor, since its replacement will not be a labor issue with the motor out and torn down anyway. Thanks for any advice.

Will the emergency jumper panel work for the rear compartment as well? What if the wiring harness is disconnected? I was in mid engine drop when the motion of the car stopping on the lift caused the rear to slam shut with battery disconnected up front and wiring harness loose in trunk. Am I in big trouble? Will reconnecting the battery allow me to pop the rear? Will it be illa dvised with the ecu disconnected and ungrounded?

What happened to the original post?

Did you get the new top on? Are you still waiting?

Is the ECU reprogram a dealer only deal or will indpendent shops be able to do that? Does the dealer question this, or do they just care that you have the papers to the car? Like an evo intake or should it be a custom pipe and cone deal?