I'm surprised no one mentioned this, I would check to make sure that the engine isn't stolen.

I'm originally from Crooklyn, New York. So I know a little about these things.

 

...who would steal a 944 engine?
and even if they did, how would you trace it? does anyone actually keep track of their engine number?

 

Believe me, NYPD knows the secret locations of VIN's that even the President of the United States can't find out. And they do have records that go back to the Stanley Steamer.

 

If this lady's a vintage German sports car parts thief, I'm Bill Clinton.

 

What are you talking about? Bill and Hillary are probably the two most honest people.

 

Ok, so getting back on track, Michael, what is a wideband? Also, can you explain the differences in the ignition system? I see that the s motor has a distributor similar to mine but I assume the coils were different (I'm not very familiar with this system as I haven't had to repair it yet). Also, what is involved in installing a MAF? Do I just need a PVC Pipe with a threaded fitting in it and I clamp that to the intake and splice some wires from the stock harness? Will the mgasquirt then recognize that it's not an AFM and act accordingly?

 

- wideband oxygen sensor measures a wider range of air-fuel ratios than a standard "narrow-band" sensor like the car came with originally. typically you'd need a separate gauge to get the readouts
- the 944NA has the spark timing and firing control internal to the DME and pulses the ignition coil directly when it wants to fire. the 944S/S2 have the spark timing inside the DME but the firing control (the power for the spark) is in a separate external module mounted behind the driver side headlight. so the 944S/S2 DME tells the spark module WHEN to fire and the spark module then supplies the actual electrical energy to the ignition coil. the ignition coil itself is the same part between NA vs S, but taking the firing control out of the DME is a hardware reliability/signals accuracy thing.
- you need an ECU capable of understanding a MAF. MS should be able to do it if you tell it so but I believe MS is natively set up for a MAP sensor which you just need to hook to a vacuum line after the throttle body.

 

Thanks Spencer. So to get this thing running (no DME or AFM), sounds like I'll need to buy the MS unit and the s firing control module and that's it? It doesn't need a maf or AFM? Will a vacuum leak then immediately make my engine not run? Do I slap a cone filter/stock air box (with pipe in place of AFM) on the intake and call it a day?

Sorry for all the questions, I appreciate your guys' help; I just want to make sure I know what I'm getting myself into if I buy this motor.

 

To use either the 944S DME or the MSPNP you'll need to rewire the engine as if the car were a 944S anyways.

MAP systems can compensate a LOT for even a major vacuum leak.
With a MAP converted NA you don't actually 'need' any plumbing before the throttle body.
I have a video somewhere from when I first installed my VEMS (similar aftermarket ECU running MAP) just blipping the open throttle body (no airbox/filter/rubber boot or anything attached).

Easiest to just get a pipe made to take the place of the stock AFM to connect the stock air filter box to the rubber boot though.

 

Yeah MAP is the easiest, that's what I run in my daily. I just replaced the AFM with a blank tube with a bung welded in for an air temp sensor ($10 GM part).

For ignition you can literally do whatever you want. You can drive the stock 8v coil assuming the MS has an internal igniter (usually they do). You can always run coil packs, that ended up being the simplest solution for me since my Microsquirt doesn't have internal igniters (LS1 coils, which have built in igniters). Ignition is necessary of course but you are always guaranteed to be have a solution with any option. Even a 944S igniter is easy to find, I have 2 sitting in my garage.

 

Michael, I will keep in mind that you have those. Sounds like MS might be the way to go here, despite the fact that it's 800 bucks. Anyone getting rid of their 944s megasquirt? no? haha

So with the MS I'll need to buy a MAP and thread it into the intake somewhere after the throttle body? Or there's already one there?

And same goes if I buy a wideband? where does that go?

 

You can save money if you assemble it yourself:
https://www.diyautotune.com/product/...assembled-kit/

For the vacuum signal I just spliced into the line that goes to the FPR/damper, easy peasy. You can take it from anywhere as long as it's after the throttle plate.

 

Oof. I can handle splicing a few wires, but the thought of soldering hundreds of tiny little points scares the living **** outta me.

 

This is really quite ambitious if you have never torn an engine apart before. I'm not judging your skills, it just seems like it would be better to buy something that you know is good to start with and avoid the pitfalls, that is unless you are getting this real cheap.

At the minimum I would want to hear it running, check the hot oil pressure, do compression and leak down checks and scope the bores before I even considered paying more than scrap value for a used engine of unknown mileage.

Honing these blocks is not a simple home garage task and if the cylinders are scored you are looking at more than honing. Specialized boring, expensive oversized pistons or sleeves will make this an expensive project. Then add in the price of engine management, harness, afm, it gets very expensive.

 

Mike, I wanted to pass on some information about 16V Engine swap just completed. 944S parts car to my 944S both 1987. First tested engine compression, I'll describe how: had not been run in five years or more, removed all the plugs and sprayed in penetrating oil, not a lot, let it sit about five minutes, then I put in about 10 drops of engine oil by dipping a screwdriver into oil bottle. Then cranked the engine for short time, waited, repeated 3 times. The purpose was to make sure the rings were not stuck. Process took 25 minutes. Then I started it and idled for twenty minutes. It now runs great and is in my car.