Dharn55

Philip - Call Suncoast in FL. Their price for the 3.6 is also $8,500 and they will take the 3.4 core for a 3.6 engine. The only difference is you have to pay the core difference between the 3.4 and the 3.6 which is a few hundred dollars. Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!

No way will a 40 offset work on the rear of a NB. The lower the offset number the farther out the wheel is. Spacers will only move the wheel farther out. Go to 1010 tires and use their offset calculator and compare the stock 65 offset to a 40 offset. Won't work.

Boy, that the only person who I have heard say that 3.4's were more reliable than 3.6's. If you read the articles, etc. and look at the history I think the 3.4's were much more of a problem. The IMS has been revised 5 times and the newer ones are supposed to be a big improvement.

I have a simlar set up in my 2000 Cab, Focal 100KPs in the dash, 100CA in the rear and 5WX in the doors. I have the crossovers and a JL Audio 6 channel amp in the trunk. For the dash you will need to run new wiring. The Focal KPs are seperate mids and tweeters, with seperte leads for each from the crossovers. The stock speakers/wiring only have one lead as the tweeters use a resistor. For the rears I used to stock wiring as the 100CA's are coaxial, no crossovers. The stock door wiring is useable for the 13KS, which is basically the replacement for the 5WS I used. The stock amp and wiring is set up to run these as subs. However, the stock amp is way underpowered for the Focals. You will probably want to replace the amp to get better sound.

I bought an adaptor from Becker America so that I could run RCA cables to the new amp rather than using the stock wiring, a cheap part. I did splice into the wiring harness at the old amp location to use the door and rear speaker wiring. PM me with your email address and I will try to get a copy of the wiring diagam off my manuals CD. With the older version of Adobe it was easy, but with the newer version it is harder to copy the pages. Worth a try thoough.

Talk to Fabian Roock in Atlanta (http://www.roocksport.com/main/tuning.php) he is doing them and may know someone in CA. I know he uses the 3.4 engine harness which he puts on the 3.6 engine, and the 3.4 DME which he has reprogrammed, then adds some electronics to manage the variocamplus. With all the Porsche shops in CA I would think that one would be doing these conversions. You could always ship your car to him and them fly out and drive it back. The cost to do a 3.4/3.4 swap is usually $1,500-$2,000, and he wants about $4,000 to do the 3.4/3.6 swap. So the cost to upgrade is about the same given the lower price for a 3.6 from Porsche.

Given that a 996 with a bad engine is probably worth less than $10,000, and the cost of a new engine is in the $10,000-$15,000 range, it is still alot cheaper than a Turbo at $35,000. If you got $10,000 for your "dead' car, that still is another $25,000, or about $10,000+ over a new engine. BUT A TURBO WOULD SURE BE NICE!!!

Try this place

ufoMotorsport

PH: (562)633-5911

ufo.c2turbo@yahoo.com

I think they are in Long Beach or near there. They have rebuilds on Ebay all the time $6,200 for a long block, $6,500 for a complete engine, require a core deposit which is "refundable" and give a 6 month warranty. I talked with them once or twice, say the also do an IMS update. No references yet.

I have the oil/coolant intermix in my 2000 996. Haven't done anything about it yet, been sitting in the garage for 3 months now. Before you replace the engine you might want to have a leakdown test done, if it is a bad head gasket or a cracked head you could repair it for less that the cost of a complete rebuild. Recently I saw a post of one of the misc sites from a Boxster owner who had the oil/coolant intermix (although he said only oil in the coolant, not vice versa) and was told by the dealer and a mechanic that he needed a new engine. Ended up replacing the heat exchanger (oil cooler) and gaskets and that was the only problem. That is a cheap fix. However, if the engines are run for too long with the coolant in the oil it damages the bearings. I drained my oil and replaced it, have driven the car about 5 miles and seem to be getting some coolant in the oil again. Have never gotten a real explanation of how the coolant get in the oil (oil is under higher pressure than coolant so it usually is oil the the coolant. I am going to have a leakdown test done soon to see what is shows, hoping to not have te replace the engine, probably wishful thinking.

Also read this article

http://www.hartech.org/docs/buyers%20guide...%20part%204.pdf

From the section here on the reliability of 996 engines. Long read, but lots of info on 996 engines and the problems.

If you want a Porsche Reman try Sunset or Suncoast for the best pricing. Unfortunately the cost of the 3.4 through them is now $11,010 plus the core deposit, which you should ge back. A 3.6 is only about $8,400 and a 3.6 X.51 is only $9,600. Don't ask why, seems like a rip off to me. There are some who are putting 3.6's in 3.4 cars. Some additional work involved. Roock in Atlanta has done several, uses the 3.4 wiring harness and ECU on the 3.6 engine, reprograms the ECU and adds some electronics to control the variocamPlus. Charges about $1,500 more that the cost of a straight 3.4 swap, but that is offset by the cost of the 3.4 vs. the 3.6. I bet someone is CA is doing it too. With the Porsche reman you get a 2 year, unlimited mileage warranty.

I have spent the last 3 months doing research so I have some more info if you are interested. I share your frustration. Good luck!!!

PET shows a part number of 996.552.425.00 for the blanks. Not sure if this is the gloss or the mat finish. I think you 2004 should be the mat finish

Probably should be in the 996 forum. In any case, all tip switches are the same size, and the blanks are all the same size, so they shoulf fit properly. The problem may be that you are using a boxster part. In boxsters (at least the early ones) the tip switches were mounted on an angle, so perhaps the switches were slightly different. I will check in PET.

I have used my 2000 C4 every winter since I bought it in 2000. With the summer tires it is scary to drive in ice and snow, but with good winter tires it is great. With the PSM and ABS it is better than my 4wd For Expedition until the snow gets too deep, then it will high center on the snow. I use Dunlop Wintersports, but Dunlop, Michelin, Pirelli, Blizzack all make good winter tires. Get a good pair and go for it, you will love driving it in the winter/snow.

I think the switch is meant to trigger a relay, not directly power the lights. This is the way most TIP switch work. Unfortunately I can't find the footwell lights on my wiring diagrams.

Togivlie - Where did you get your rebuilt engine. When I googled Strausse I got Strausse USA in costa Mesa and they said they don't rebuild engines, they only use OEM remans.

You can buy the piece from Porsche, but it is unbelievably expensive, for the "Comfort Seat" the part number is 996-521-141-05, Savanah beige code is ESG, price is $978.56. For sport seats the number is 996-521-993-02, Savanah beige code is S30, same price. I have one for the comfort seats that I found on Ebay a few years ago, a off'brand dealer was selling alot of Porsche parts the had somehow collected. I think I paid about $60 and was going to replace the worn side bolster on my car. Unfortunately it was sitting in the basement on a workbench and some PVC primer got splashed on it. Now it has some purple spots I haven't been able to get out.

I would check out a good upholstery shop, they should be able to replace the piece and stain it to match for alot less than the Porsche piece.

Wondering if anyone has experience with this shop in the LA area

ufoMotorsport

PH: (562)633-5911

This is the add on Ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-996...emZ190254514009

They say they have a "proprietary" fix/upgrade for the IMS on the 3.4's

With the recent demise of my 3.4 engine (2000 C4 cab with 50,000 miles) due to the oil/coolant intermix I have done alot of research on options and pricing. Thought I would share the information I have gathered.

Pricing on Remanufactured engines from both Sunset and Suncoast

3.4 E-gas $11,010.06/$2,229.63 core charge

3.6 $8,543.78/$2,336.81 core charge

3.6 X51 $9,600.73/$2,566.24 core charge

Shipping seems to be $300-$400 each way to Chicago area. Remember that the core charge is refunded only after the core is returned to the dealer, then returned to Porsche and torn down to see if it is "rebuildable." I am not sure what impact a cracked cylinder head or cracked liner has on this refund, although Porsche does not seem to want to tell anyone what the problem with the engines are. Does anyone have any knowledge of how Porsche handles this.

Also, Suncoast says you can use a 3.4 core on a 3.6 engine, but you get the lower credit for the core return, so this could be a couple of hundred dollars.

R&R of the same engine (i.e. 3.4 for 3.4 or 3.6 for 3.6) seems to run from $1,500 to $2,500 depending on dealer or independant. Upgrading from a 3.4 to a 3.6 cost more. Roock quotes $4,000 to $5,000+ for a turnkey. They also said the price togo to a 3.8 (997) would be about the same. There was a 3.8S engine listed here in the classified for only $9,010 with a core charge of $2,376, but I have not checked this out with a dealer.

Other options, flat6 innovations is offering a rebuild, including new sleeves, and a proprietary IMS upgrade (they say better than Autofarm) for about $14,000. There is a shop in the Los Angeles area (not Motormeister) that has 3.4's foir $6,500, with a $2,500 core deposit, refunded if rebuildable, some reductions if a head is cracked, or a liner. 6 months 6,000 mile warranty. They say they check all heads and blocks for cracks, and have a proprietary upgrade to the IMS. Don't know too much about this one.

Of course there is always LA dismantlers, but there are alot of question and comments about these guys, and their pricing is almost what a remanufactured engine goes for.

I ahve been keeping an eye on the used market, and there seem to be engines (some new) that come on the market on a regular basis, but they also go real fast. There was a party on the classifieds here that had 3 3.6 engines, supposed to be new or almost, $11,000 for all three, or $3,500, $4,000 and $4,500 seperate, but he sold them in 2 days to a party that bought all three, I got there a few days later and they were gone. I would have gone for the $4,500 3.6 still in the crate, but too late.

By the way, I went to the dealer where I bought the car in 2000, and they said there was not way Porsche would help if the car was 8 years old.

Hope this helps others with engine failures. There seem to be alot of posts in the last few weeks.

On 996's the seat motors for for/aft and height adjustment drive a plastic encased cable with square ends. One end fits int he motor, and one fits at the "gears." These break pretty easily. However it looks like the backreat adjustment is a direct drive motor. The part number for the backrest motor should be 996.624.321.00. (4$186.xx list price) It is probaly worth taking the seat out and looking at it.

My wife was driving my 2000 C4 Cab (50,000 miles) on Thursday when the temperature light started flashing. Had her turn the car off and turn it back on, no flashing light so she drove it home. On Sauturday I went to drive the car and the light was flashing again. checked the coolant tank, empty except for some "mayonaisse), then the oil, looks like chocolage milk.

I guess it is my turn. So how do you determine if it is a head gasket failure (I should be so lucky) or a cracked cylinder liner? Is there an easy way to differentiate?

The worst is that I had an extended warranty, but it ran out last January. Too bad it did not happen a year ago.

What year is your car. I have the amp from a 2000, replaced mine. It was the upgraded HIFi system with speakers in the doors, not the Bose, but the amp might work. Let me know what you need, it is yours for the shipping costs. Also, you see them all the time on Ebay.

Ironically, if you paid for the engine replacement you would get a 2 year warranty, but if it is replaced under the CPO it ends when the warranty ends. However, if you just bought the car from a dealer with a new CPO (not a preexisting one from a previous sale) you should have both the 100,000 mile limit and some significant time from your date of purchase.

Do bears sh...t in the woods? And if no one is there to smell it, does it still stink?

I bought two for my cab from Carnewal. Both worked great for six months or so, then both stopped working. Switching the polarity did not help. Put the old red ones back. Still trying to figure out what is wrong with the LED units. Looks like it is $200+ down the tubes.

Does the light in the switch come on? If so it would indicate that the switch and relay are still working. check the vacumm lines where they T off the main, at the resivior tank, at the little vacumm switch, etc., If there is a disconnected line or a leak this would prevent the system from closing off the by-pass at the cans.

I rolled my fenders when I had a set of 10x18 w a 48 offset, running 265/40/18's and they still would rub. With a 36 offset, 19' wheels that are 11" wide rolling the fenders won't fix the problem. I know that some are running a 48 offset with a 265/3518 or 275/30/18 and say it works. Maybe even a 19" wheel, but no way with an 11x19 wheel with a 36 offset.

Try this site http://marksink.com/tire_wheel_offset/offset.html

it has an offset calculator that shows you are moving the wheels out 42MM.

Spacers WILL NOT HELP!!! The higher the offset number the farther in the wheel is, so your wheels at 36 vs the standard 10" wheel at 65 are much to far out, and you have 11" wheels. Adding spacers will decrease the offset, moving the wheels farther out and make the problem worse. Sorry but the only real solution is to replace the wheels.

I wondered the same thing when I saw the ad on ebay. When I checked the Bilstein web site the first number did not match to anything, but the second part number matched to a set of PSS9's price at $849.00 new, but no fitment was given.

Seems kind of fishy to me.

Ive been looking for coilovers and I saw these PSS9's on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...em=150240483908

In the picture he has 2 different model numbers

F4-BM5-6803-H1

F4-VM3-5252-HO

Where the actual model from what I can tell should be F4-GM5-8846-H0

I contacted the guy and he said they are legit with less than 600 miles. It seems to me like total BS. I have Billsteins with 10K miles on my M3 and they dont look that beat up, I dont understand how there could be different model numbers for the same set, and even worse model numbers that dont seem to match up to anything.

It all to fishy to me so I will stay away. Is there something Im missing?

I have done the dash switch on my car, also use the light on the switch to show when my spoiler is up in conjuction with a spoiler switch. The biggest functional difference between a switch install and a 4 stalk install is that with the stalk you can set the speed/gong, which provides for an alarm if you exceed a specified speed, prbably not something many would often use. This fundtion is not available with the dash switch. Also the stalk is easier to use.

I found a 4 stalk on Ebay last year and will be upgrading to the stalk version this spring.