3.4L Motor Swap Underway! - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

insite · 12-02-2010, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAAY

Never mind. I missed the 540 post. Sounds like a vacuum leak. I had issues like this right after I did my 3.4 also. I just had leaks in the intake system and on the intake manifolds. I hope you get it all ironed out.

you're probably right......we shall see.

insite · 12-02-2010, 03:46 PM

ok, some progress:

oil leak diagnosed. i remember now i had waited to tighten the oil pressure sender because i didn't have a narrow enough wrench to get between the head & the sender. no worries; channel locks worked wonders.

funny noise diagnosed. the power steering lines were still cavitated. i turned the steering back and forth a bit, topped off the fluid, and it quited down.

drivability issue diagnosed. i pulled the plugs; all looked well. i checked for vacuum leaks; all looked well. it SEEMED like a cam timing issue to me, but i got a feeling it would work itself out. this motor was degreased & shelved for EIGHT years. when i did a compression test before i installed the motor (turning it by hand), some cylinders didn't have very good readings. i've been working under the assumption that some scaly crud was preventing the valves from closing all the way & maybe interfering w/ the lifters. anyway, i let it run for awhile. i revved it up to 4k and held it until everything was good and hot. i blipped the throttle a bunch & generally tried to blow out the junk. sure enough, it smoothed out & the fuel adaptation values converged. everything is looking good!

saturday, i'll raise the transmission 1/4", then put the axles & suspension bits back in. then it will be time for a road test. booyah.

Pat · 12-02-2010, 03:51 PM

All good news. You've got to be SO jacked by now to get that thing on the road. VERY exciting stuff!
:dance:

insite · 12-02-2010, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pat

All good news. You've got to be SO jacked by now to get that thing on the road. VERY exciting stuff!
:dance:

i really can't wait to drive it. it died in march of '08! been WAY too long. it takes me a good bit of restraint not to rush it......

one of the coolest things was watching the VarioRam properly actuate, proving all the wiring & vacuum routing works like a champ.

one odd thing: the low coolant light is flashing. i'm all topped up, the system is burped (heater routing too!), and the sensor is plugged in. small issue, really.....

schoir · 12-02-2010, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by insite

i really can't wait to drive it. it died in march of '08! been WAY too long. it takes me a good bit of restraint not to rush it......

one of the coolest things was watching the VarioRam properly actuate, proving all the wiring & vacuum routing works like a champ.

one odd thing: the low coolant light is flashing. i'm all topped up, the system is burped (heater routing too!), and the sensor is plugged in. small issue, really.....

Insite:

WAY TO (methodically) GO!

When you first get it on the road, make sure you get photos of your permagrin that are as good as the other photos you have posted!

For the coolant light flashing, is it possible that the float sensor (inside the tube in the coolant tank) is stuck in the down position and is thus sending an incorrect signal?

Also, don't forget that the "coolant level low" warning light can also flash to indicate a fault in the engine compartment blower fan, so check that out as well.

Regards, Maurice.

Cloudsurfer · 12-02-2010, 08:50 PM

Looking good Kevin! Glad that you could put those silicone bits and t-bolt clamps to good use! You'll LOVE it once you take it for a drive....

insite · 12-04-2010, 03:10 PM

cloudsurfer - glad you remembered my name!! :-)

ok, road test today & put 70 miles on it. a little scare when i started to back out of the garage; HUGE billows of black smoke that smelled eerily familiar, but that i couldn't place..... oh yeah, bonding agents & kevlar. it was the new clutch. once that crap started burning off, all was well.

first impressions? holy ****************. i'd forgotten how raw and visceral this particular car was. first off, it's a no-option car, so it's very light. it also has very stiff suspension, no sound deadening, a solid front motor mount, and a LOUD stebro race exhaust. it is now also quite fast. this thing stirs every emotion when i drive it, even a little fear.....but in a good way!

the torque curve is so different than my G35. the G has TONS of low end grunt, but struggles for air up high. this thing is the reverse; torque is a little muted below about 3k, but once you're over 4k, it just builds and builds. MUCH more tractable around town; no need to shift as often. the noise is wonderful. also, with the added 600 RPM's, i can now breach 60mph in 2nd and 100mph in 3rd. this alone will save me some tenths at the track.

i still have a couple of minor details to handle. the car still wants to die at idle when i get off the gas. need to find the vacuum leak. the hose betweein the oil separator & my throttle is pinched; i'll also need to fix that. all in all, i'm very happy with the car & the project was a lot of fun.

thanks to the board & online community for all the help. i need to individually thank Todd Holyoak for all his help in paving the way for these swaps & for putting up with all of my questions along the way. Cloudsurfer was invaluable in helping design my intake plumbing. he even sent me a few silicone pieces and T-bolt clamps. thanks!

the one person i need to kick is hans; that's the name i gave to the guy that put all those friggin spring clamps on the hoses in this car. bubba's the name of his nemesis, the guy who invented the spring clamp cable pliers (i'll post a pic!).

more to come......