FormulaRX

So many stories of blown engines with these Boxsters...I have an opportunity to purchase a really dirt cheap Boxster that has fallen victim to a blown engine and wanted to make it an affordable reliable daily driver. Has anyone swapped in an Impreza turbo engine or better yet the STI engine into a Boxster in place of the original engine after it has blown? Just wondering the possibility of this before I get in too far to back out

Moogle

Bad idea methinks

T Tanner

Buy the car cheap, get a good used Boxster engine $2,000 - 3,500 install it END OF STORY

Paul 996

better yet. get a 996 crate motor 3.4 300 HP bone stock. blow it up, buy another. I hear the 3.6 and 3.8s have been put in as well.

99firehawk

not gonna fit too well and cost alot to mate to the trans axle, used motor or 3.4+ will be cheaper

FormulaRX

how much do porsche crate motors cost? and how much would labor usually run average for the complete removal of old engine and installation of new engine?

bruinbro

Actually it will fit fine and the adapter would be a piece of cake.

I did a lot of research into this and the bottom line is the electrical harness fabrication would cost more than the engine. The 3.0 L 6 cyl motor is really tiny and would be great to stick into a Boxster. I passed as it was easier to rebuild my 3.2 motor.

IIRC Renegade Motors in AZ was in the process of putting an STI motor in a base 986, you might want to give them a jingle.

Bro

blinkwatt

Am I the only one who finds it distrubing to put a SUBARU engine in a PORSCHE car?

bruinbro

Maybe not, but have you had your 22k mile motor go Tango Uniform on you? I have, and did not relish repeating the experience with what is obviously a design flaw. If the harness issue hadn't reared it's ugly head, I would be blowing by the 3.4 /3.6 converison Boxsters merrily singing the Vapors tune "Turning Japanese".



Bro

99firehawk

5.5K OR SO FOR A BOXSTER ENGINE ABOUT 18-20 HOURS FOR INSTALATION AT MOST DEALERS

Doug&Julie

Considering the only two cars I'll ever buy again will be a Porsche or a Subaru, this idea is intreguing. However, for a Boxster, I'd rather spend the money for a 3.4 or 3.6 motor. I did seriously consider a WRX powered 914 at one time. Now that would be sweet!

986Jim

Yeah, but don't run the stock wiring or anything like that. Pick up a management system like an electromotive and run the engine off that. Then the car doens't have to worry about it anymore, NO CE lights no problems. A good used TEC2 can be picked up on ebay for $1500 and you can dyno a boxster pretty easily... You can make up a harness for next to nothing for an electromotive.. Also if you can get a WRX motor with the wiring harness plug an AEM EMS into it and rout the wiring inside the car. Again no need for the stock computer and run the stock wiring harness. You would only need to splice a few wires for things like oil pressure warnign lights etc.. be pretty easy.

I have swapped a 1.8T VW motor into a MK1 Rabbit. We did it all with the 1.8T wiring and an electromotive. The 1.8T is drive by wire so we used a Acura Integra throttle body with a throttle cable like the rabbit used. Its was pretty easy really. The management system made it pretty well a trouble free swap. You just seperate chassis harness and engine to two different things.

racer

I think the Subaru motors are more common for 914 conversion. Never read about anyone putting that motor in a Boxster, so it would be an engineering "trial by fire" scenario. I think a used Boxster, or crate motor would be a more effective replacement.

smlporsche

Actually the Subaru Boxer engine was a colaboration between Subaru and Porsche!!!

When we went to buy my wife's Legacy GT last year there was a big poster in the showroom touting this fact..

So not as far fetched as one might think.

porschedog

It might work from a plumbing & mechanical standpoint, but DMEs can be a problem with these engine swaps.