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Hi guys! I bought a clapped-out 997 turbo as my summer project while home from undergrad while I prepare to move on to medical school that needs a rebuild or an engine swap. The goal is to get the car back running which is going to take some work. It has metal in the oil but not a lot, but the cylinders look great and everything looks great, but only taking down the engine completely will say for sure, I have never worked on cars before, and id like to learn on rebuilding this care. Im not a super-smart guy but I am persistent and stubborn which is why I think I can handle the job. What are my engine options? I can always do a 3.6 Mezger from another turbo but I am curious what other motors can work? Is there a specific motor that can be swapped and have the best reliability? is $17,000 too much for a Mezger turbo with under 50K miles? Let me know if you guys have any ideas Here she is, and she's got good bones!
sure appreciate the help fixing the car up mint!
Last edited by Krinkachu; Apr 17, 2021 at 12:49 PM.
Reason: fixing in complete post that was accidentally submitted.
You are about to go to Med school, you scored a clean looking 997 Turbo for what I have to guess was a song, since you called it a summer project. And the neighborhood in the background looks pretty swanky. From what I can see, you appear plenty smart. I'd pull the engine and get to work. You tube is your friend. You'll have a beautiful car to commute to school in &/or probably flip it for a hefty profit if it's otherwise in good shape.
I paid $34k at 168K miles but it's very flawed, it needs to get refurbished radiators or upgrade radiators, it needs a throttle body as its all sorts of ****ed up, and lots of tiny stuff. It's in very good shape cosmetically but the mechanical things have taken a beating at 168K miles and are starting to fail.
Well, at that mileage it's no flip, but you are likely to net-out a great learning experience and have a car that you can have alot of confidence it after you complete it.
If that were my car I would definitely do ath the minimum a dry sump ls based large cubic inch v8. But realistically it’s going to be cheaper and easier to do a used 997 turbo engine. A built ls3 dry sump with a twin turbo kit would be my choice and a beastly machine.
What’s the oil pressure and how much metal is in the oil? Does the car run, or does it make a lot of noise when running? These engines are pretty reliable in the mechanical department, so it may be something simple. $17500 seems to be a good price at the present time for that mileage engine. I would assume a good core with no holes in the block would fetch $4500 or more.
Either way with 168k on the odo and 20 to 25 or an engine and ancillaries the wallet is going to get hurt. I agree that the best solution is to find a good front hit 997 turbo engine and replace when the time comes. Maybe it overheated?
As suggested above your 'easiest' option is to get a good user 997 TT engine. There is no easy engine swap per se; but there are some swap groups on FB that fit LS motors into the LS platform regularly. is it a tiptronic or manual? Swapping an LS may be a slightly cheaper option IF you can do all the work yourself including wiring loom modifications, Canbus issues, plus the price of LS motor, conversion kit from stuttgart muscle or similar; but if you factor in the labour time it is much more expensive.
A mezger is quite the motor to take on as a first rebuild project... requiring special tools for example cam timing tool that is several thousand $$$ unless you can rent it.
I would get a working used engine, fitting that will be a good training course for you then you can look at rebuilding your spare motor in your spare time and either keep it as a spare or sell it. But unless the damaged motor is rebuilt by a known 'quality' mezger shop then you will have a lot of trouble moving it on as not many people will trust a mezger rebuilt by someone without a solid background of doing them before. I know I would only trust myself or a select few shops.
Do you have any recommended shops in the midwest? I have heard of a shop in the Chicago Area named Eurosport? hears the URL of the business, I found them while doing some research the man I spoke with seemed very kind and was extremely patient with me.
https://www.midwesteurosport.com/
As suggested above your 'easiest' option is to get a good user 997 TT engine. There is no easy engine swap per se; but there are some swap groups on FB that fit LS motors into the LS platform regularly. is it a tiptronic or manual? Swapping an LS may be a slightly cheaper option IF you can do all the work yourself including wiring loom modifications, Canbus issues, plus the price of LS motor, conversion kit from stuttgart muscle or similar; but if you factor in the labour time it is much more expensive.
A mezger is quite the motor to take on as a first rebuild project... requiring special tools for example cam timing tool that is several thousand $$$ unless you can rent it.
I would get a working used engine, fitting that will be a good training course for you then you can look at rebuilding your spare motor in your spare time and either keep it as a spare or sell it. But unless the damaged motor is rebuilt by a known 'quality' mezger shop then you will have a lot of trouble moving it on as not many people will trust a mezger rebuilt by someone without a solid background of doing them before. I know I would only trust myself or a select few shops.
I think getting a running used 997TT motor and swapping it in is the way to go. I work on my old 911 motors a bit after taking Bruce Anderson's engine rebuild course 20 years ago. I've pulled lots of motors in 356's, 911's, and 930 turbos. I'm currently restoring a 67 Mustang from the ground-up with my son. I have lots and lots of tools, a hydraulic lift, and a big shop building on my property- but there's NO WAY I would trust myself to properly build a 3.6L Mezger motor. I'm a hard core car guy but properly rebuilding a GT3 or turbo Mezger motor is way out of my league.
OP- good luck in your endeavors, I'm about 20 years ahead of you, I went the same route professionally (Medicine). You are making a great choice!
Thanks! I grew up and fell in love with medicine watching my dad practice Neurosurgery which made me want to go to Medical School. I love working with my hands, building or fixing things, and taking things apart, and putting them back together. Seems I fit well in the world of medicine.
If you can source a good used 997 TT engine, and you have the time and the drive, with just a few additions to your tool box, you can do this work yourself. You can look at my, or other's, engine drop threads and see what was done in order to decide if you want to do it on your own. Rather than require the tools and knowledge to rebuild an Mezger engine, dropping and reinstalling is a much more realistic summer project. If you go this route, you will want to make sure at least some of the items (coolant hoses, coolant pipe pinning, replace plastic elbows) have been done or will be done since the engine is out of the car.
Good jack stands, a platform lift and some tool additions (eTorx, a Schwabben coolant fill tool - need a compressor), some manuals (parts and service) and the internet will let you do this in your garage. My first engine related project was pulling the head off my '77 Honda Accord in 1983 and I have progressed form there. I have had no formal training and have pulled 4 engines, replaced 3 heads, reworked 3 engines and done just about everything except alignments myself. It's a great hobby and offers me tons of positive reinforcement and feel good days accomplishing tasks.
997 engines were meant to be removed relatively easily since almost all work requires access you don't have while the engine is in situ, so it was designed that way. Other than a ton of coolant (try to save as much as you can if it was replaced recently) draining out, if you take your time and gather the resources, you can easily get this done over the summer. If you have any questions or need any advice, I would be glad to help.
Congrats on your purchase and good luck in your endeavors!
I always wanted to see a WRX STi swap into a 996 or 997.
I remembered this thread when someone else posted the guy's video who did a K swap in one, which is also rad.
I would rather drop to a 4cyl. turbo than go up to a V8 but I know most people wouldn't agree.
I actually really like the 718 4 banger turbo motors but I come from EVOs and Hondas before I had a 997, so...
I always wanted to see a WRX STi swap into a 996 or 997.
I remembered this thread when someone else posted the guy's video who did a K swap in one, which is also rad.
I would rather drop to a 4cyl. turbo than go up to a V8 but I know most people wouldn't agree.
I actually really like the 718 4 banger turbo motors but I come from EVOs and Hondas before I had a 997, so...
They are potent engines but my god do they sound bad (the 718's). People who compare them to Subaru engines are doing Subaru a disservice.
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Does anyone know 997 engine swap options?
