I enthusiastically drove 160 miles to my nearest P dealer to get my 996. The car has been there since Sept 1/08.
The standard engine was replaced with the x51 and I must admit I am exited. However, I was hit with an 11k bill and that was with P paying 75% of the replacement on the original engine. The engine has a deeper throaty sound; however, due to the fact that it needs to go through its break in I didn't push it too hard. For the next few weeks the 997S will take a back seat, well kind of, since next week-end the 997 will be doing track duty at MSR. until I can get this engine up to speed and start pushing it.

 

Congrats on getting your car back! To clarify, your bill was $11k and Porsche paid 75% of your non x51 engine replacement cost. (I'm estimating that's about $7.5k) Does that mean the x51 motor would cost $18.5k to replace? I thought I read on this board that the x51 motor was only a little bit more than the normal one? Does the difference have to do with the core exchange since your car wasn't originally an x51 car?

 

Ren,

The Carrera Power Kit (esentially the X51 motor) was a $16,900 option you could order. That also inclused the PSE mufflers ($2,400) if purchased separately. Not sure if the labor to replace russo's engine was part of the 75% that Porsche paid.

 

I know the option was that much but I've read somewhere on here (of course I searched but I can't find the post now...) that the x51 vs the "normal" 3.6 was about $1k difference for the replacement motor. That's why I was wondering if the price was high...

 

Yes, there was a core charge, $2500.00. To clarify, they replaced the original engine with an x-51. It was recommended that I install a heavier duty clutch, about $700.00, no install cost. In addition, the ECM had to be re-programmed and was done by Evoms, another $1000.00. Furthermore, they had some difficulty in accommodating the compressor and hoses for the airconditioning; hence, some additional labor, about 8 hrs worth is what they told me, along with labor in the installation of the actual engine.
Remember, the x51 went into a 2002 C4Conv. The actual price difference between the standard and the x51 is about $1200.00, which of course I paid for willingly. In today's market, the actual value of the engine replacement is slightly lower than the actual value of the entire vehicle.

 

is there a picture of this new motor?

 

Ivan, I would like to take a picture but unfortunately as you well know most of the engine is too far in for it to be seen. I will attempt to take a few pics and post them.

 

Yea!

 

I was not aware that X51 motors came with an upgraded clutch. Can someone verify this with part numbers for stock clutch and the upgraded clutch?

I think it will be helpful for others who consider an X51 upgrade in the future.

 

Congrats russo. If I had to have the engine out/replaced on someone else's dime, I might consider this as well.

No clutch or aftermarket software is a part of the X51 kit as described below.

General: A parts set –”Carrera Powerkit”– is available to retrofit the standard engine with an increased performance of 254 kW (345 HP). The following parts in the engine are replaced, exchanged or modified to achieve this increased performance:

– new intake manifold with modified cross-section (material: sand cast aluminium );
– new intake pipe supports adapted to the form of the intake manifold;
– new exhaust manifolds with larger cross-section and optimized flow behavior;
– new cylinder heads with optimized, CNC-milled inlet ducts;
– new camshafts with larger valve stroke on the inlet side and modified inlet and outlet timing;
– inlet valve springs adapted to the enlarged valve stroke;
– modified partition box in the oil pan;
– modified maps for the DME control module.

The following steps are also taken on the vehicle:
– new underside panel in the transmission area;
– additional radiator in connection with modified front spoiler, except on the 911 Carrera 4S (996).

The higher-performance engine is also available as an option when ordering a new vehicles –
911 Carrera / 911 Carrera 4 / 911 Carrera 4S / 911 Targa – under Exclusive Option X51.

Software: In August 2002, the software for the PST2 was updated to version 14.0. After completing the programming of the DME control module, the control module is given a new part number for the respective country or variant (see also Point 8). The new number can be read out under the menu
item “Identification”.

 

Sounds great! Thanks for clarifying the price difference.

What's your "seat of the pants" dyno think about how she runs vs the old motor?

 

Not aftermarket, but a software change. No need for aftermarket if you're Porsche.

Suspiciously, Porsche is getting more horsepower and a number of changes have to do with airflow and software...

 

Right; the Evo flash russo had done wasn't a part of the X51 kit as delivered from Porsche