Originally Posted by neilll

The MPGs don’t bother me much but I did think it was good to note. I am curious to see if the change to rwd and the stock air box and exhaust changes things. My COVID driving has been minimal so it may be a while until that gets clearer.

Garrett I agree wholeheartedly about the 3.4s with 100k miles- spending $7-8k on one of those doesn’t make sense to me. I gambled a bit on my 3.2 but there were some assurances and the gamble was half the cost. But everyone has a different risk tolerance and purpose with their car. I have to imagine the target market for those motors are people who want to replace a busted engine and walk away. Easier to sell a running 996 for $15,000 than a roller for $5,000 I would guess.

Originally Posted by neilll

Hi All

This topic has come up a few times and people seem to talk about it with hushed understanding - you get why someone would cut their losses and spring for 92% of the stock engine but you don’t really want to admit it. Well I’m here to tell you about how I did it and I’m pretty happy.

I got my 2001 Carrera 4 Cabriolet for next to nothing with a blown engine on a sign of goodwill from someone who wanted to see it driven and not stripped for parts; it had just over 125,000. At the time I was working in public service and this was literally the closest I ever imagined myself to living the 911 life. I Even at one point debated between a 2.7 and 3.2 but ultimately a 3.2 with a recent IMS replacement popped up on EBay and I took the plunge for about $3,000 shipped to my door. The engine cost was covered almost exactly by selling the 944 I was driving at the time.

At the time I was pretty set on saving up for a 3.4 after getting whatever engine I got.

After I got the engine i originally ran it with the Boxster intake, fuel lines, and non stock exhaust because I was nervous about having the bosses drilled on the 3.2 head to accept the 3.4 intake and fuel lines. This was a big mistake- I ended up having to alter a lot of stuff to accommodate the Boxster accessories and placement but it was one of those situations where once I realized how much easier(even if a little terrifying) drilling the holes would be it was too late. I got the car running about 4 months after receiving it working on it really occasionally. I had to fix a few things over the last three years but more or less, everything worked without too much drama.

I never tuned the ECU because it ran pretty consistently without triggering any CELs. I averaged around 16.5-17mpg which seemed a little low. But I also mostly drive in the city. The car was really peaky and revved fast up high. Another side effect of not drilling the head is that my exhaust was not fantastic(Boxster headers and first cats to an x pipe style muffler and then exit) it droned super bad around 2,500rpm. I put about 7,500 pretty happy miles on the car in that setup.

More recently I decided to drop the engine and drill the bosses in the head for the intake and exhaust hangers spurred in part by oil leaking from the AOS(pretty sure it was the line that connects now that I pulled it out). I actually just got back from my maiden voyage after doing this work(I also converted to RWD) and took it very easy because I had so much pulled apart and want to take it easy for a bit to listen and feel for loose bolts and such. I will give it a drive or two or three to figure out if it actually feels faster but the math says it should be with the larger intake and exhaust from the 3.4. I long ago sold the original mid pipes/cats from the car because they were coolant and oil soaked when the engine kaboomed for the original owner to a cat recycler. So my car is pretty much everything stock but with the DesignTek 200 cell cats.

So that’s the story of a guy who was too poor(at the time) for even the cheapest 911, making it work with a donor car and a 3.2. Now a days I’ve moved into more lucrative work but still not sure if I’ll end up with another 911. Most likely I will keep an on Caymans(yes, a blaspheme like me would even consider a 4 cylinder) so I have a coupe and a drop top. But first I’m putting my money to other good uses. One thing is almost certain, I am no longer considering the move to a 3.4 - I would consider doing a full on rebuild of an M96 with nikkies and larger pistons but there is no way I’d replace what I have with a stock 3.4; just not enough difference and anecdotally the 3.2 has less chance of failure.

If you have any questions, let me know. I’m sure the car is better with the 3.4 but I also know that it sucks how many people part their cars because they don’t have the money for a Rebuild and the cost/risk of a used 3.4 is high so they don’t know what else to do. So I wanted to tell my story so people consider the option of a 3.2. It’s not for everyone but it certainly works.

Originally Posted by Marcocolombo

hello, I am having the same problem that you have encountered when you decided to swap the 3.2 into your 996. Mine is a 996 from 1999. And I would like to put in the 3.2 engine Boxster. Is there anyway that I can tap into your knowledge?
thank you very much
Marco

Originally Posted by neilll

I didn’t sell it, I got hit by another car and it sat in a shop for 6 months and they couldn’t source the parts and the damage was right under 50% of value.

Originally Posted by neilll

I didn’t sell it, I got hit by another car and it sat in a shop for 6 months and they couldn’t source the parts and the damage was right under 50% of value. I’m driving a new integra and waiting for the right time to get back into a 996(or Porsche). I was actually eyeing up another car with a blown engine 2 weeks ago.

But yes, without a Porsche I haven’t come around very often.

Marco, I accepted your friend request and am happy to help you navigate as best as I can remember. Realistically, if you’re willing to drill/thread those bosses(which I did at home with just a standard drill and tap with a basic drill guide) then it’s plug and play. One difference for your car I suppose is that you are potentially running a cable throttle and a different air meter- but as long as you carry over the hardware original to the car(not the new engine) you’re good.

Originally Posted by ZuffenZeus

Ouch... sorry to hear that man! That sucks. But glad to hear you're safe and on the road again. I assume the car was deemed a total loss by the other driver's insurance? Did you come out ok true market value? If so, I guess I'm a little right in that in theory you sold it to the the at fault insurance agency.