M96 2006 swap

[oxfordm5]

Ok ..I have searched and have not found any thing conclusive on this swap it's a m96 from a 2006 boxster it does have the pump on the front 4-6 cyl head it's going to replace a M96 in a 2003 boxster S ..has anyone done this swap and can advise on things to look out for ?

Thanks

[Gelbster]

Read Wayne's 996 swap -Pelican- it may give you some ideas.
You will have DME issues for sure.

[Qmulus]

Well, technically the three chain engine from a 2006 Boxster is an M97, which is virtually identical to a late M96 used in the '03 S. I assume that the '06 engine is also a 3.2 from an S. There are some detail changes, like the larger IMS bearing, but other than that you would be hard pressed to find any differences between them. In '07 they went to 3.4L and Vario Cam Plus, which would be a little harder to deal with, but likely still doable.

Seeing that your '03 S and the '06 S both used ME 7.8 engine controls, you should not have issues, with the one exception being that the '06 _may_ use an extra solenoid to control a valve on the intake T. The "fix" is to simply use the intake from the '03, which is interchangeable.

So, use the long block from the '06 with your existing harness , engine controls, and exhaust, and most of the rest from the late M96 would work (should be most everything short of the intake T) and you should be good to go. That said, I have NOT done it myself, and the shop that I saw do it didn't tell me all of the details.

If I were to look for a stock engine replacement for my '03 S, I would definitely look at an '05 or '06 M96 M96.26. Then again I would probably get a late (three chain) 3.6 M96 for my car if I was going through all of that work.

While the engine is out, I would also swap in the 987 airbox.

YMMV

[oxfordm5]

Read Wayne's 996 swap -Pelican- it may give you some ideas.
You will have DME issues for sure.
Thanks for the reply Gelbster, Yes i have read the swap guide ,, from what i understand is there should be no problem as its still a 3.2 and all i would need to do is hook the brake booster vacum to the pump on the front of the cyl head .. I can deal with any physical modifications that need to be made i'm just not equipped to re program the DME

[oxfordm5]

Originally Posted by Qmulus

Well, technically the three chain engine from a 2006 Boxster is an M97, which is virtually identical to a late M96 used in the '03 S. I assume that the '06 engine is also a 3.2 from an S. There are some detail changes, like the larger IMS bearing, but other than that you would be hard pressed to find any differences between them. In '07 they went to 3.4L and Vario Cam Plus, which would be a little harder to deal with, but likely still doable.

Seeing that your '03 S and the '06 S both used ME 7.8 engine controls, you should not have issues, with the one exception being that the '06 uses and extra solenoid to control a valve on the intake T. The "fix" is to simply use the intake from the '03, which is interchangeable.

So, use the long block from the '06 with your existing harness , engine controls, and exhaust, and most of the rest from the M97 would work (should be most everything short of the intake T) and you should be good to go.

If I were to look for a stock engine replacement for my '03 S, I would definitely look at an '05 or '06 M97. Then again I would probably get a late (three chain) 3.6 M96 or M97.

While the engine is out, I would also swap in the 987 airbox.

YMMV

Awesome ,, this is what i was hoping

Thanks so much

[Gelbster]

Originally Posted by oxfordm5

Read Wayne's 996 swap -Pelican- it may give you some ideas.
You will have DME issues for sure.
Thanks for the reply Gelbster, Yes i have read the swap guide ,, from what i understand is there should be no problem as its still a 3.2 and all i would need to do is hook the brake booster vacum to the pump on the front of the cyl head .. I can deal with any physical modifications that need to be made i'm just not equipped to re program the DME

Make sure you investigate Variocam/Variocam Plus before you make a big decision?
How VarioCam and VarioCamPlus works - A Primer - 6SpeedOnline - Porsche Forum and Luxury Car Resource

[Qmulus]

Originally Posted by Gelbster

Make sure you investigate Variocam/Variocam Plus before you make a big decision?
How VarioCam and VarioCamPlus works - A Primer - 6SpeedOnline - Porsche Forum and Luxury Car Resource

I am not sure what you are getting at as his '03 S has the infinitely variable VarioCam ME 7.8 just like the '06 S. That is the nice thing about having a '03 or '04 Boxster. Neither has "plus" with valve lift. That came on the '07. You CAN run a valve lift "plus" late M96 3.6 engine with the Boxster 7.8 DME as the outputs are in the hardware. You just need to add the solenoid control wires and program the DME for the engine with 996 code. It is actually quite simple.

The extra pump on the M97 is a vacuum pump. Porsche went with a vacuum pump for the brakes on the M97 supposedly for better braking in high altitude and track conditions. It might necessitate some change to vacuum line plumbing, but doesn't make much difference.

The other difference is no dipstick tube, but I think they just put a plug in the case where it was on the M96, so you just remove the plug and put in the dipstick tube.

[itsnotanova]

The coolant hose connections from the engine to the tubes that run to the front are different between a 2003 and 2006. When you go to switch that front coolant piece from the 2003 to the 2006, you'll mess up your timing. I had a customer go through what you're about to do. He bought a 2005.5 motor from me to put in his 2003. His mechanic almost messed up the motor but I was able to get a mechanic friend of mine who works at a Porsche dealer to walk his mechanic through the process. You have to lock timing or something like that before you can remove those pieces on the front of a m97. A friend of mine (Brad Roberts), had suggested that next time someone goes that route that they just make an adapter for the m97 coolant hoses to the M96 tubes.

Disclaimer; I'm just a knuckle dragging monkey that takes these things apart. I don't fix them. That being said, really look into it before you start tearing into the good motor

[Smallblock454]

Originally Posted by oxfordm5

Ok ..I have searched and have not found any thing conclusive on this swap it's a m96 from a 2006 boxster it does have the pump on the front 4-6 cyl head it's going to replace a M96 in a 2003 boxster S ..has anyone done this swap and can advise on things to look out for ?

Thanks

This is not a M96 engine, it's an M97 engine. You'll run into different problems.

Go for an M96 engine. Some early cars of the 987 had an M96 engine. It has 3199 ccm.

Regards, Markus

[Gelbster]

Originally Posted by Smallblock454

This is not a M96 engine, it's an M97 engine. You'll run into different problems.

Go for an M96 engine. Some early cars of the 987 had an M96 engine. It has 3199 ccm.

Regards, Markus

IF the part numbers on the DME are different? If they are not the same - define all the differences and their significance. Then detail how you will adapt to make compatible.
If the OP is proposing swapping engines complete with DME and all wiring ,that is different but maybe there are still issues ?
All I am saying is do the research first. Engine swaps in modern cars can become fiendishly complicated. And then there is the Smog Test issue. The new DAD machines interrogate for DME configuration+VIN. If there is a mismatch it is automatically flagged,fails and is Referee only. You don't want to go there inadvertently !
Markus is right. Keep looking for the correct engine.
But if the swap works ( & I hope it does) be sure to let us know because we need all the options we can get for swapping in replacement engines.
Good Luck !

[specboxCO]

I have done this. My 2003 has a 2006 M96 3.2 engine. As Qmulus said, its a simple swap, the only thing to change is the crossover T which has an additional valve on the 2006.

No other modifications needed.

[jsceash]

If you want you can put the 03 scavenge pump on the head an use the vacuum system complete from the 03. I put 06 heads on my 04 block this is how I got around the difference in the Secondary Air System.

[oxfordm5]

Great Info!

I originally was looking for a direct swap from an 03 or 04 however the salvage yards were all looking for between $6-8k for high mileage engines. I did find a low mileage engine from a 06 S with the 3.2 for $4k the engine will hopefully be here on Monday and I will do a complete write up on the swap and update this thread

Thanks

[Gelbster]

Originally Posted by specboxCO

I have done this. My 2003 has a 2006 M96 3.2 engine. As Qmulus said, its a simple swap, the only thing to change is the crossover T which has an additional valve on the 2006.

No other modifications needed.

This practical experience trumps all the speculative ramblings of others (inc.Me) !

[Smallblock454]

Originally Posted by Gelbster

This practical experience trumps all the speculative ramblings of others (inc.Me) !

Yes, if it's a M96 3.2, but not if it's a M97 3.4.

And if you have time, tools, skills and money to built an own engine version (mixup of M96 and M97)… go for it. But in my honest opinion this is more of an engine rebuilt than a simple engine swap.

Regards, Markus

[Qmulus]

I think one key here is that the '05 and '06 987s use the M96.25 (2.7L) and M96.26 (3.2L) engines. While these are very slightly different than the earlier M96s (specifically the '03 and '04 M96.23 and M96.24 "three chain" engines), swapping them in is not a big deal. I had misidentified the '05 and '06 engines as M97 in a previous post, which may have caused some confusion, so I have now fixed that post. I hate posting incorrect information of any type. That said, the later M97s ('07> 2.9L and 3.4L) had more issues to deal with, but some people have already made them work.

[specboxCO]

Originally Posted by Gelbster

This practical experience trumps all the speculative ramblings of others (inc.Me) !

I tell a lie - you also need one of the coolant hoses from a 987 to mate up with the slightly different outlets