My '98 Spec Boxster's motor died at the track last year, and I bought a good used '97 motor from a friend while I have the old one diagnosed. Moving accessory parts from the old to the new.
There are a few interesting differences in the '97 and '98 engine blocks. The oil cooler interface is one, and I've used the Porsche adapter plate to put a new '98+/ S/996 taller oil cooler on the '97 block, which does not expect the flat-bottomed plate of the '98+ oil coolers (it expects two of the feeds protruding and extending into holes in the '97 block -- the adapter plate provides these). The '98+ oil coolers also have a vent line nipple and a hose leading to the coolant tank. The '97 block instead has a hard line coming off the oil pump housing that I believe is for the same purpose, to vent air bubbles from the water lines at the highest point on the engine -- which it turned out is actually the oil cooler, so they changed it post-'97.
My understanding is that these serve the same purpose. I supposed I could "Y" the lines together. Or, perhaps better, there is a Porsche part 99610711900 "stopper" that would appear to block off the vent line opening on the '97 vent line opening on the oil pump housing. This seems like the best option -- but I can't tell how to remove the line there in order to replace it with the stopper plug. Any ideas?
Attached photo -- red arrow points to the '97 vent line location top front of oil pump housing, yellow arrow points to the vent hose coming off the oil cooler. The first one does not exist on '98+ engine blocks -- the oil pump housing has no opening there, it's just flat. Removing and plugging that line is the idea here.
