mr2by4

I did manage to get it all back together. Got ready to do a road test and now the shift linkage has popped loose. I am praying that I can get it back secure without removing all of the suspension and exhaust components. This has become kind of frustrating! I want to road test my new motor! Maybe tomorrow...

I am doing my final re-assembly and the sheet metal brace does not seem to be lining up correctly. Seems like I have less than 1/8 of an inch more width than the holes in the brace will allow. Its not much, but more than a wiggle will cover. Is there a trick to this? Do I just need to get a pry bar or strap on the supsension to pull it back in line to install the brace? Is this a bad sign that there appears to be about a 1/8 of an inch of mis-alignment between the right and left subframes? Please don't tell me that I need to take the muffler and cat pipes off AGAIN! thanks! Sorry about the extra "p" in the title. Not sure how to edit titles of threads...

Do you know how many times I looked at those and thought, "well all of those are connected" The small plug at the bottom lacks the cam lock so it was not obvious that it was disconnected until I started trying to pull things out and put them back in. I suppose the lesson here is that sometimes you should not trust your eyes. You need to put your hands on it to be sure. Thanks again! Just as an afterthought, Boy is a Boxtser loud with only the headers on and both of the engine panels out. Suprisingly loud , in addition to combustion sounds, is the air pump.

Fuses were fine. So was clutch swicth. Reaching a total stand still I decided to go back over everything I could and found that the smallest of the looms attached on the bottom of the ecu was not entirely plugged in. Pushed it all the way in and checked all of the other plugs one more time and it cranked. Took a minute to build fuel pressure and then fired. Runs just fine. Now to put the mufflers etc back on! Thanks for all of the suggestions. Sorry it was such a stupid mistake, but happy that it is solved!

So would this signal completely kill the dme prior to start-up? (ignition, injection and starter) I aks b/c with the ignition on I cranked the motor with remote starter switch on the starter terminals and it would not fire (no fuel, no spark) I am going to check this switch and those 2 fuses and if that does not fix it, I am going to take it by RUF to have them hook the DME up to the computer. Thanks!

Yes, thats very helpful. That is what I suspected, but what about it? The car is a MY2001 Boxster S, the motor and engine harness are from a MY2000 Boxster S. They should be 100% compatable. I am using the dme and immobilizer from my car. Does the clutch safety just disable the starter or the entire DME(fuel, ignition etc)? If it was the clutch switch should jumping the starter have gotten me running? I talked with two shops today and they are convinced that it is not the immobilizer. Since the door locks and remote are working. They insist that there is no reset of the immobilizer. Should I just take in the DME(the whole car) and have them look at it?

Same old DME. If I disconnected it. will it need to be reset to the immobilizer? I will check those fuses. Other than checking that I had power at the starter, I have been saving those things for a last resort. I don't want to know what Porsche charges for a fuel pump!

No clicks, just nothing. I don't see that the angle of the engine n the body would affect the ECU. The car will start on a hill. It will aslo run with spacers of unequal size front and rear (such as in a 3.4 swap).

I am not getting fuel. I am not getting spark. I am not energizing the starter. It appears that everytihng is hot (I can jumper the starter) but no fire. So the fuel pump relay is not my primary concern. I will use this process to verify fuel pump function if I can get the car to respond to the ignition and it still will not fire. Thanks!

Are you saying the bolts that mount the transmission to its y-braces or the bolts through the transmission mounts should have torque verified? This sounds insane that it would result in total engine (ECU)immobilization, but I am willing to give it a try. Thanks

Well I tried the negative cable to check grounds. No luck I tried to bump the starter at the terminals to see if it would turn over. It cranks but no fire. Not sure if I am getting fuel or not. Does not smell like it. I am guessing that whatever is trying to keep me from using the starter is blocking the FP as well. HELP! Is it possible that the engine block(or other security) feature of the ECU has kicked in since it was disconnected?

I suspected a safety switch like clutch interlock, but it was not affected by the repairs. I suppose it could have just been bad luck. Thanks for the suggestion about grounding the motor to the battery. I will try those both.

I am stuck in my install of a used 3.2 liter m96 motor in my 2001 Boxster S. Donor was a 2000 Boxster S. The motor is back in the car and I attempted to start it before I put the exhaust, muffler and assorted braces back in place. My logic is that if I had problems I could save those steps in pulling the motor back out. I have a couple of coolant leaks to address, but the big issue is that the starter does not engage. Key in the ignition, power is on, accessories are on, turn the key and no change at all. Is there anything that must be done from an electronic standpoint to reset ECU when the motor has been out or switched? I have checked the battery and it is good. Even tried to use a jump box to help and still the exact same response. Key turns but the accessories and lights continue and no starter. So here is what I have done. I reconnected the two fuel lines on the firewall driver's side. I reconnected the fuel rail return line at the rear of the engine bay passenger side. I reconnected the power steering lines. I have reconnected all coolant hoses. I reconnected the harness to the ECU. I secured the harness ground in the trunk. I plugged in the AFM. I reconnected the GP 14 to the chassis beside the secondary air pump. I reconnected the b+ terminal wires. Plugged in reveres sensor switch. Reinstalled slave cylinder on the transmission Reconnected secondary air pump. Plugged in engine bay fan and secondary air pump to engine harness. Reinstalled AC compressor and reattached fun clutch wire. Reconnected brake vacuum booster. What am I missing? Is there some devious reason why the mid pipes and muffler would need to be installed? Thanks

I either chickened out or cheaped out. Not sure which it was. I have a 3.2 on the way. Now that I know the difficulty of the swap, I will be on the lookout for a 3.4 or 3.6 to move up if the price is right. BTW a lift makes dropping the motor a time consuming, but very straightforward operation. Doing it on jackstands is a violation of the laws of nature. I commend those of you who have done it(some of you time and again)!

I am looking at a couple of motor options including outright pruchase of recycled motors and rebuilt motors. Istooks and Mayo here by me will do rebuilds, if the "core" is decent it is not too expensive. I was thinking about doing a rebuild myself using the same machine work guys that both those local shops do, but I think I would rather be driving the car than working on it! the 3.4 and 3.6 options would be recycled motors