zeroptzero

Definitely bearing damage, and that is quite a bit of metal , low oil pressure mates up with significant bearing wear. The engine will start to sound different just before it gives up the ghost as you mentioned above as vibrations start to increase just before. Almost a carbon copy of when my S2000 self destructed and the main bearings puked a ton of metal. In my case the bearings were toast, the crank was scuffed and the cylinder walls were scuffed, among other issues, not worth repairing so the engine was replaced. Good luck going forward, it certainly is like a punch to the gut when your engine lets go.

bw993

Sorry to hear about your engine. Unfortunately, it's a known problem with the M96/M97 water cooled engines that came in the 996, 986, 987.1, 997.1 cars. To save costs, Porsche did not design in a dry-sump in their first generations of flat-six water-cooled cars, which resulted in a number of detonated engines due to oil starvation. The M96 engines also had the infamous IMS bearing failures. The newer Porsches 997.2, 987.2, 991, 981, 992 and 718 all have multiple integrated oil pumps that act like a dry-sump for use on the track and are all bullet proof on the track. When I had my 981S Cayman, Porsche stated in the owner's manual that the car was approved and warranty for use in HPDE track events.

serialk11r

Well well well...speak of the devil (K24 in a 997):
I don't think that's as good of a swap though. Once you add the turbos to the already rather big and hefty K24, the weight is the same as a V6, but you don't have that nice NA response.

Here's another (1UZ-FE 986): https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/por...ota-1uz-engine

And apparently, this guy actually bought a donor car and called up http://go-rpm.com/ to do the wiring to do the J swap into his Boxster S:
https://www.6thgenaccord.com/forums/...e.47413/page-2

WolfpackS2k

Thanks. And definitely, I encourage swap ideas in this thread. If I went with a rebuild/upgraded flat 6, anyone know how much more expensive a 3.6 or 3.8 displacement increase costs?

Bullwings

K20-NSX swap. This thing is a monster - i've seen it at the track a few times.

All of that said. I'm not a fan of swaps in general. I'd much rather spend my time driving instead of tinkering, developing, maintaining, and repairing.
It's a big part of why i'm still in the s2000. It's cheap fun, and a replacement motor won't cost me $15k.

I fully expect my motor to go kaboom. It's a matter of when - not if. I can stomach spending $8k to replace my motor - cost of motor + labor.

sam_spider

Just as an FYI, the engine in my daughters '14 Jetta GLI went about a month ago, it's $16k for a new engine, plus labor. New engines are expensive. Luckily ours is under warranty.

Sorry to hear about the Cayman, but I think I'd go for a remanufactured/rebuilt one before I'd swap to another platform.

SlowTeg

I agree. The realization I've come to is there may not be something "better" down the road. With profit margins shrinking, increasingly stringent emissions, safety reqs, push for electric, and other factors, performance cars may not eclipse current/older models going forward. If that's the case, it makes sense to "invest" in current platforms that you really like because the grass may not get greener down the road. This is my 2 cents at least. I don't foresee ever getting rid of my S. I might get something in addition to it down the road, but don't see a fitting replacement to me.

Driven

Problem with the Kswap is expense. Otherwise, it's worth it.


I have a Kswapped Noble... and it's a lot of fun, but I do miss the v6 noise the original Ford powerplant made. I've considered a J37 swap...

But, in regards to the Kswap, with a massive turbo (GTX35R with 1.06AR), here's how it responds on track with a 450whp tune, with good power out of corners and no crazy turbo lag:


Here's how it does against a Huracan Evo. I let him take the jump:


Bottom line, a built Kswap is awesome and pretty reliable if you keep it reasonable. Problem is, it'll cost quite a bit to build the engine to be reliable at over 500whp.

Driven

OP, just rebuild the engine... it'll likely be cheaper than doing a swap and you'll retain resale value.

TheDonEffect

You'll almost always end up getting more selling a repaired car than selling a broken car, so I'd say keep it as close to stock or improved stock, when you start swapping motors you are essentially married to the car unless you do a popular swap (LS in a 240 or RX7 for instance, or new gen M3 motor into an E36, etc).