How to tell the difference between a 3.4, 3.6 & 3.8?

[itsnotanova]

I'm about to go look at a stash of Porsche parts a guy has. He supposedly got them from a friend and doesn't know much about them. He has two 3.6 engines. I can quickly tell the difference between a 2.5, 2.7, 3.2 and 3.4 from the outside but I've never seen a 3.6 or 3.8 up close. Is there a quick way to tell if the motor is a 3.4, 3.6 or 3.8 without looking at the serial number on the bottom?

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

I'm about to go look at a stash of Porsche parts a guy has. He supposedly got them from a friend and doesn't know much about them. He has two 3.6 engines. I can quickly tell the difference between a 2.5, 2.7, 3.2 and 3.4 from the outside but I've never seen a 3.6 or 3.8 up close. Is there a quick way to tell if the motor is a 3.4, 3.6 or 3.8 without looking at the serial number on the bottom?

Woody,

I believe that the heads on the 3.4 and the 3.6/3.8 engines have the engine size number stamped on the outside.

However, I am no expert (but I stayed at the Holiday Inn...) lol

[Gelbster]

Hey Woody,
Suggest you look on EBay at the M96 engines for sale. Some vendors post great hi-res photos. That may give you a visual clue ?
Interesting 'friends' your friends have ! If you get any coaching on how to stumble into a treasure trove of M96s, we'd all be interested .....

[itsnotanova]

I went and picked two 3.6 motors and 4 radiators up for $175. Both motors had something majorly go wrong with them. I'll share some pics tomorrow. I might be able to save some parts off them. The big bonus was the FVD Motorsport Oil Pan on the bottom of one. Score! I also found a quick way to tell the difference between the 3.4 and the 3.6. The 3.4 has one variocam adjuster and the 3.6 has two on the side of the head.

[steved0x]

Sweet! That fvd piece new is like $600+

[itsnotanova]

Yes! I hope it didn't get beat up too bad when the motor grenade.

[Gelbster]

Looking forward to seeing the photos of the post-mortem

[itsnotanova]

The guy only wanted $75 for the two motors. So if I guess technically I only paid 37.50 for the pan.

The new convertible M96 motor. Every connecting rod was broke in half and there was one I couldn't see from the top or bottom


This is the motor with the pan. It has the intake and everything still attached but it looks to be unsalvageable too

[BrokenLinkage]

Not to derail the thread, but are you gonna use the pan, or will it be for sale? If the latter, I might be interested.

[itsnotanova]

Sorry but I'm keeping the pan.

[Boxtaboy]

Curious...what advantages do that pan offer over the stock one?

[itsnotanova]

1) more oil, which helps keep the engine slightly cooler and less chance of sucking air on high speed cornering.
2) baffles help keep oil around the oil pick up tube

I plan on running an accusump too, but lots of spec guys are taking out the accusump and just going with a X51 pan

[Boxtaboy]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

1) more oil, which helps keep the engine slightly cooler and less chance of sucking air on high speed cornering.
2) baffles help keep oil around the oil pick up tube

I plan on running an accusump too, but lots of spec guys are taking out the accusump and just going with a X51 pan

Ah, cool. Thanks for explaining.

[Converse986Black]

WOW!! Scary pictures! Thanks for sharing the newly acquired knowledge as always! Congratulations on the deal to add to your already awesome engineered ride!! Love seeing you get deals, knowing the deals you continue to give to forum members and bailing them out of tough spots! Enjoy your weekend.

[geetee]

looks like aftermarket headers also

[itsnotanova]

Originally Posted by geetee

looks like aftermarket headers also

it had the factory 996 3.6 exhaust manifolds, but it did have ported heads

Kibbles and bits anyone?

[steved0x]

Wow whoever installed that pan used a s***load of sealant, looks like some traces of sealant in the oil pickup tube screen, how bad was it?

[itsnotanova]

I thought the same. Pan looks good with no damage