AZChris

Hi this is my first post, I attempted to research my questions without much luck.

I recently picked up a 2001 S with 131K miles on Craigslist with a known motor issue. It has oil mixing in the coolant
but no coolant in the oil. I picked up a know good motor 3.2L from a 2000 auto car. My main question is do I need to
swap the engine wiring harness from my old engine over to this engine and are there any sensors that I need to swap
over?

My other big question is after pulling the torque converter and flex plate off the replacement motor (has 121K miles) the
rear crank seal looks like it has never leaked a drop and the IMS plate looks fairly clean as well. Should I replace the rear
crank seal and can I pull the IMS cover plate off just to look at the bearing without locking the crank and cams since
I don't have those tools?


Thanks for your collective wisdom!




My 01 Boxster S Craigslist find



My replacement 120K 3.2l engine with no cleaning and lite screw driver prodding for IMS cover numbers.


IMS cover after cleaning. I guess it's the original bearing in there.

Brian in Tucson

You'll need to swap engine wiring harnesses. And the alternator (manual has a clutch in the drive pulley, auto does not.) Vacuum lines are alittle different, use the ones from your old engine.So are the big vacuum lines for the brake booster.

I did an engine swap manual to automatic last winter. At times it seemed a difficult puzzle But All the wiring connections will only fit where they're intended. Expect to change the oil filler and the tube for the dipstick. They get really brittle. While you are in there, change the rear main seal. It's relatively easy and cheap. IMS bearing? Depends on how long you're intending to keep the engine. I think I'd probably change it.

Here's a list of what I changed 'while I was in there': Water pump, motor mount, plugs and coils, rear main seal, front main seal. filler and dipstick tubes. some coolant hoses...in addition, I put on a spin on oil filter adaptor, magnetic drain plug, and a undersized crank pulley. My replacement engine was a lower mi. (60k) factory remanufactured engine with an already upgraded IMS bearing and seal. As your engine is a bit higher mileage, I'd probably pull off the sump for inspection and a really good cleaning.



I'm 66, and at times it was quite painful. But I managed to figure it all out and the replacement engine runs fine. Good luck. Brian 52oh 31oh 9165

AZChris

Thank you for the help Brian! I had no idea about the alternator, vacuum or harness. I think my current engine has a spin-on adapter I can move over.
I guess I may just need to pull out my current engine and see what other parts I may need, I have no idea what the clutch looks like although
it feels OK but you never know until you look.