3.4L Motor Swap Underway!

[insite]

the quikcenter tool works multiple ways. first, purchase the version with the correct diameter and thread pitch for the bolt/stud you are drilling out.

if there is a portion of stud protruding from the surface, thread the quikcenter onto the stud. now it will guide your 1/8" pilot drill bit directly into the broken stud.

if the stud is broken off BELOW the surface, you can twist the insert until it goes into the fastener hole. now you can guide your pilot bit.

finally, if the stud is flush with the surface, they make a collar that you glue to the surrounding surface. the centering tool will fit into the collar and allow guided piloting.

the tool is great. my only complaint is that they're made of aluminum and are a bit soft. i had to do ten bolts & my quikcenter is pretty much toast. the good news is that it was eight whole bucks. it was a life saver.

[Lobo1186]

So once you had the pilot holes drilled what course of action did you take? Did you just keep increasing the hole with larger and larger bits until you reached the threads? or did you use a left handed bit?

you also mentioned earlier different methods of annealing and hardening did you actually do any of that? I just want to make sure I have the right weapons before going into battle on this one. So that if even only one bolt breaks on the headers what would be all the tools necessary to get that ******************** out. (god knows I hate easy outs and have not worked for me yet.)

[insite]

Originally Posted by Lobo1186

So once you had the pilot holes drilled what course of action did you take? Did you just keep increasing the hole with larger and larger bits until you reached the threads? or did you use a left handed bit?

you also mentioned earlier different methods of annealing and hardening did you actually do any of that? I just want to make sure I have the right weapons before going into battle on this one. So that if even only one bolt breaks on the headers what would be all the tools necessary to get that ******************** out. (god knows I hate easy outs and have not worked for me yet.)

tell us a little about what you are trying to extract. for me, the metal was so pitted and soft that extraction was impossible. i stepped up the holes to an oversize & tapped them for helicoils. two quick tips: do NOT use a cordless drill and step up in 1/64" increments (anything more & you will lose your center).

btw, i did try annealing & hardening. too much corrosion for it to make a difference.

MOST of the time, a lot of penetrating lube & some finesse & the header bolts come right out. i never had a problem before. the issue here was that the engine sat on a shelf for EIGHT YEARS after having been hit w/ some degreaser that likely didn't get washed off all the way. the alkalinity coupled w/ the elements absolutely destroyed the metal at the bolt / head interface.

[insite]

one more thing: the 1/8" pilot bit that comes with the quikcenter is junk; don't bother using it.

i recommend Irwin cobalt bits. i think they're available at ace. they're a bit more expensive, but they work a LOT better & get throught the metal in no time. use some cutting oil to help keep the bit cool & sharp.

[Lobo1186]

I really do not know what I am looking at quite yet as I have yet to start the project, the car is a 2001 base with 65k. I plan on hitting it with some PB blaster a couple of times in the days before I start (i dont drive the car every day so i wont be driving it with the pb on it)

I just heard that often the header bolts on these cars break so I just want to be prepared.

[BYprodriver]

I just tried the new Loctite Freeze & Release spray on some alignment pins. Worked great.

[chaudanova]

Originally Posted by BYprodriver

I just tried the new Loctite Freeze & Release spray on some alignment pins. Worked great.

Which local stores can you get this at?

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by chaudanova

Which local stores can you get this at?

Got mine at McFadden-Dale Industrial Hardware in Santa Ana $11.30

They have great inventory on metric fasteners also.

[chaudanova]

Originally Posted by BYprodriver

Got mine at McFadden-Dale Industrial Hardware in Santa Ana $11.30

They have great inventory on metric fasteners also.

Awesome, thank you for the tip!

[mikstew]

Insite, congrats on your build. Looks fantastic, and must feel fantastic to drive.

Just one quick question -

What exactly did you do with your DME? If I recally, yours is 5.2.2, and so is the DME from the '99 carrera you got your engine from. And I know two things that you did:

-Added ONE more wire (well two, with ground) to the boxster ECU to control VarioCam
-Flashed/chipped the ECU to the 3.4 program

Was there anything else you did, and what can you tell me about your flashing/chipping. I mean, what exactly is involved and where'd you get it done?

Thanks!

[insite]

mikstew -

i really just moved one pin at the DME to control the varioram flap. i had the DME programmed to the RoW (euro spec) 3.4L program. that's really it. i used the actuator for the secondary air system (RoW eliminates need for it) to operate the varioram flap. i basically swapped the wire from the secondary air DME pin to the varioram DME pin.

as for the programming itself? you need to take proof of ownership to a dealer & have them print out your immobilization codes. you send your DME, along w/ the codes, to someone who can program it for you (tholyoak).

[insite]

i had the oil from the blown motor analyzed. interesting results available here:

http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/28121-interesting-oil-analysis-blown-motor.html#post241353

[MikenOH]

One of the guys on the Cayman board had a connecting rod bolt failure--due to an over rev--on a motor that had about 40K. 7300 rpm for 1/2 second--boom.

After the engine was torn down, IIRC, he mentioned that that there is a consensus that these connecting rod bolts will strech over time and that this is really one of the big weak links in the motor for people that do track time and tend to run the motors in in the upper rpm band. His take away was to keep rpm's down under 7K--more in the 6500 range-- since the power drops off above that anyway.

Any thought on this?

[insite]

1) i doubt if a 7300RPM over-rev would cause a rod bolt failure by itself. the rod bolts in the cayman motor are pretty much the same ones in my 3.4L 996 motor, which has a 7300RPM redline. it works out to less than 6% more force (than 7100RMP), which will be inside the design limits for the bolt. risk from over-rev is generally to the TOP END of the motor, not the bottom. the pistons go faster than the valves can retract & a collision occurs.

2) reducing the rev limit will DEFINITELY reduce fatigue and stress inside the motor. force on the rods & rod bolts increases with the SQUARE of RPM's, so the effects become a lot more pronounced as the revs go up. at 10000 RPM, the accelration at the piston is around 250,000 fps/s. at 5000 RPM, you're under 65,000. you've halved the RPM's, but cut the force by 4.

if you drop your observed rev limit from 7100 to, say, 6700, the max forces reduce by about 11%. over time, this can make a difference. personally, i wouldn't bother. as i stated earlier, the functional rev limit is really dictated by the valvetrain.

Originally Posted by MikenOH

One of the guys on the Cayman board had a connecting rod bolt failure--due to an over rev--on a motor that had about 40K. 7300 rpm for 1/2 second--boom.

After the engine was torn down, IIRC, he mentioned that that there is a consensus that these connecting rod bolts will strech over time and that this is really one of the big weak links in the motor for people that do track time and tend to run the motors in in the upper rpm band. His take away was to keep rpm's down under 7K--more in the 6500 range-- since the power drops off above that anyway.

Any thought on this?

[Trinidad at Pelican Parts]

Thats a really nice upgrade. Are you tracking the car mostly or going to be your daily driver? Any plans to upgrade the brakes with the added power?

If you still have your core 2.5 I'm sure any shop heavy into the Boxster Spec racing would take it off your hands if Charles hasn't purchased it already.

Nice work on the swap!

[schoir]

Originally Posted by insite

i had the oil from the blown motor analyzed. interesting results available here:

http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=241353#post241353

What happened to the post with the wrong educated guess on the type of oil that was being analyzed? :dance:

Regards, Maurice.

[insite]

car is for weekends & track duty. brakes & suspension were done years ago. basically, the power was the LAST thing i addressed.

Originally Posted by trinidadatPelican

Thats a really nice upgrade. Are you tracking the car mostly or going to be your daily driver? Any plans to upgrade the brakes with the added power?

If you still have your core 2.5 I'm sure any shop heavy into the Boxster Spec racing would take it off your hands if Charles hasn't purchased it already.

Nice work on the swap!

[insite]

Originally Posted by schoir

What happened to the post with the wrong educated guess on the type of oil that was being analyzed?

still there; it's the last sentence in post #3

[schoir]

Originally Posted by insite

still there; it's the last sentence in post #3

Insite:

Thanks.

I was sure I remembered reading someone deducing from your oil analysis report that the oil you were using was most likely Royal Purple.

I must have been having a senior moment!

Regards, Maurice.

[insite]

ok, first track outing Monday. went pretty well, with a few lessons learned & some other observations.

first, WHEELSPIN. inside wheelspin is a big issue now. never was before. i will need to adjust my suspension to allow a bit more roll.

second, i am RUSTY! two years out of the cockpit took a toll! by the end of the day, i was turning some REASONABLE laps, but nothing i haven't beaten handily with the 2.5L. two my defense, i forgot to air up the tires before i aligned the car & it was toeing out under braking. that, coupled with the extra power, meant i was braking way too much. also, my tires are several years old & apparently hard as rocks.

third, HEAT!!! the 2.5L cooling system is NOT adequate for this motor in track conditions. it was only 84F out and after only about thirteen minutes full tilt, the car would heat up to 225F before i'd pit to let it cool. i was even shifting 300 revs shy of redline. i will be installing the center radiator, removing the AC condensers, replacing the supply lines to the motor with the 'S' version, and eventually, removing the AC compressor. i will also be adding some vents to the wheel wells to allow for better flow through the radiators.

all things considered, the car ran quite well. i was VERY nervous what with Byron's recent exploits......every little sound or weird smell produced visions of dollar signs dancing in my head. BTW, Byron borrowed a race car for the outing, which he did NOT blow up. thank god.

best TOD for me was 1:12:01 (best ever in the 2.5L was 1:11:11). i'll be back out there in may with a re-vamped cooling system. and hopefully some speed!