Valetudospeedste

Okay, this will probably be a banable post..lol I am a long time Porsche enthusiast, first one was my childhood dream car an '87 911. Currently I own a 2003 Porsche Boxster, I love this car and drive it all the time. Two years ago the engine failed and I replaced it with a remanufac. unit and it has held up fine thus far, but I must admit there is a fear every time I get behind the wheel.

Long story short, is it possible to drop in a cheaper to maintain/replace daily driver engine from another model car sort of how Porsche 356 replicas use VW or honda engines? I'm not worried about speed anymore in my old age(30's)lol, but will miss the sound of course. I also don't wanna ruin the chassis by having to have the chassis refabricated, I do plan to put the real engine or upgraded boxster engine back in eventually.

Has anyone done this or know anyone who has?I just wanna enjoy my car without worrying about the engine all the time even though I grandpa it! And the fact even a used engine costs as much as the car is worth is enough to start taking xanax.

Thanks guys,

Anxiety Rob

Valetudospeedste

Another question, is there a warranty company out there that will sell warranties for older higher mileage boxsters with less than 100k?

Macster

Relax.

If you are really worried about the engine buy a lottery ticket every drawing. The odds are about the same you'll win the super jackpot about the same time the remanufactured engine dies and needs to be replaced.

AFAIK there no inexpensive drop in aftermarket replacement engine.

In the very few instances where a replacement engine is necessary a used engine sourced from a similar MY car is about the cheapest there is though if this engine proves to be less than healthy this can be an expensive lessen in used engine selecting.

If you can find a company that sells any real warranty for these cars with high miles this tells you the odds are in your favor the warranty is not necessary. If the failure rate was very high the company could not be a viable business selling this warranty coverage.

But that there is no company offering this coverage is no reason to anticipate engine doom.

Give the engine reasonable servicing and drive the car. Be sure to pay attention to the little things, like a "small" loss of coolant or a noisy water pump or anything out of the ordinary.

More engines die from a severe coolant leak that results in engine overheating with resulting head or block damage than from outright engine failure.

If you really need something to worry about as a car ages what becomes a more likely bringing the car to a premature end is not a failed engine but being involved in an accident.

BTW, my 02 Boxster has just about 260K miles on its original engine (and clutch). No magic potions. No gatherings with the dark forces at night to ensure engine longevity. I just drive the car and give it reasonable servicing.

So, relax. How about you take the car for spin? That always relaxes me.

Sincerely,

Macster.

mwood

There are Boxsters out there running Subaru turbo 4 conversions. I've seen one that was set up for track days...cheap, aftermarket STi support allows easy horsepower, compared to Por$che upgrades...

If you search, you can find conversion kits.

For me, given my car's low miles and maintenence history, I have no interest. But, if I was looking at a car that required a new motor, I'd consider it, for sure.

edited: I had some brain fade. The car I drove was not a Subaru conversion, just a gutted/prepared Boxster. I've only seen the Boxster conversion.

Macster

Oh, I forgot about the Subie engine. In my defense I have only a very very brief exposure to any info about this engine in a Boxster and one reason why I never bothered to gather any more info is the idea of a Subie engine in my Boxster made me cringe.

A co-worker has a Subie and it suffered a burned valve though. They are not bullet proof engines but they are pretty good.

But someone, speaking for myself mind, would have to hold a large gun to my head to get me to give up my F-6 Boxster engine for a Subie F-4 engine even though the Subie engine is turbo-charged.

Might add that I came across a recent article in a UK published Porsche mag about a tuner -- Ruf? -- in Germany who has developed a small V8 (with a flat plain crank al la Ferrarri) for the 991 911.

More displacement. About the same weight. Lower CG. I can accept the 1st two claims but the last one.... DOHC V8s are rather heavy on top. Those big ol dual cams sitting on top of 4-valve heads with heavy exhausts and such.

Sincerely,

Macster.

mwood

No doubt, the H6 M96 Porsche is a sweeter motor and I love the feel and power delivery. But, it is hard to argue with the bang for the buck of the Subie, if you're looking at a new motor for an early Boxster.

For me, I might consider the Subie solution, but would end up doing a swap to a motor from a 996 or 997 (which I'm sure would set me down the slippery slope of modification). I'm not certain, but I believe the later M97 motor requires more work, as lowering the engine about an inch is required to fit the Boxster.

kcpaz

I'm in the middle of doing two Subaru 4 cylinder conversions into two early Boxster base models. Both cars will have around 350whp and both will be street cars with A/C, power steering, stereo etc... It's not a "cheap" conversion, but if you're in it for the long haul, it's a good option.

mwood

Nice.

When I said there were conversions out there, I was thinking about the 914 kit that Renegade makes. I guess you're the guy who did the conversion on the Green race car with the modified bodywork? The guy in my region (SFR) who used to have the prepared Boxster I referred to above (which is now in Texas) was, I think, interested in getting the adapter plate and some other stuff from you, but ended up selling the car.

Any plans to market a kit?

kcpaz

Yeah, the green car was the test mule for the basic components of the kit. It was 100% successful and is still working flawlessly.

These next two cars will solidify the reliability of the kit in street form and prove that you can have a converted car that acts exactly like a stock car... but with more horsepower.

The "basic" adaption kit has been available for a little while, but I haven't actively marketed anything heavily other than what you can find on online forums. I was waiting to have a street car done with a less radical intercooler system. Something that can be used every day.

Darkstar1

I think the Audi V8 Boxster conversion is interesting too...

mwood

I saw the build thread on the Audi V8 swap...very cool. But, looking at what's out there, including the Subie, it does seem like doing a 996/997 swap is the easy button and "cheapest". I thought the Subaru might be cost effective, but it sounds like the amount of fabricated, one off stuff eats up the savings on the actual motor + more?

kcpaz

If you add up the cost of both conversions (996/997 versus Subie) it's about the same (and might actually favor the Subie conversion a little). The amount of fabrication and "custom parts' will be greatly reduced in the "street" version of the conversion kit versus the "race version" that was done on the test car. The goal is to have a kit that can be installed by the end user with no welding/fabrication needed. The difference is in the replacement cost of the Subie engine if you ever have to versus the Porsche engine. A brand new OEM Subaru shortblock from the dealership is about $2000. Plus, general service items on the Subie engine are a lot cheaper and increasing horsepower is easy and cheap comparatively. I think it just comes down to "different strokes for different folks" and there will be a lot of people who will dismiss the Subaru engines simply because they are not Porsche engines... which I totally understand.

MikeBat

For a track car, I can see the advantages.

For a street car, with some IMS protection/peace of mind with a Guardian and an upgraded IMS bearing...I would prefer a M96.

xschop

2 questions...

1) What are the boxster engine dimensions?
2) How much space is between the boxster engine and firewall?

Dave H.

about 2-3"