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Did you get any misfires? Injectors should be matched to cylinder size IMHO. Coil shields missing would decrease heat to coils because they would have more air running over them, but expose them to the elements, example cold rain/wet conditions are more likely to crack/damage them more quickly than without shields. For intake manifold, you are supposed to the use the gaskets and orings from the catalog, no sealant. You can buy a two prong replacement connector here (for cam solenoid, knock sensor, etc), but I don't know about the three prongers: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bosch-1-928-403-137-2-Way-Connector-Kit-/110458796554 if you can get me the P/N of the three prong connector (should be stamped on it) I might be able to find it for you. If it runs fine then gets bad i would be curious what the FRA and TRA are after 20 miles, it sounds like you might have an intake air leak or other issue causing a fuel imbalance (an stuck open on one bank affecting mechanical timing affecting ignition timing might be a possible explanation). If an actuator is stuck, it's going to be one or two positions, either it's going to run terrible on idle or run terrible off idle (above variocam activation point). Also, the DME will not activate variocam if it senses a problem with engine timing. However these are just guesses because that's what happens when you reset a DME. It uses the stock map until it gets data from lambda sensors/etc and starts correcting fuel to achieve stoichiometry (as best it can). It might be possible you have a actuator or solenoid problem in addition to an air leak (and or other issues). You can isolate coils by swapping them between banks and cylinders. I would start by fixing the timing codes before ANY further troubleshooting.. as those could be throwing everything out of whack. Your next idea is a good one to start on that path. You should fix ALL of these issues before driving/running it more, your new engine must not be broken in until they are resolved and run as little as possible to fix them.

Good to hear it turned manually, most likely an electrical issue then. There is just one main ground strap from engine to body. I like to take wire wheel to cable mounting surfaces and cable ends then reinstall and cover with some sort of protectant. There are also several ground points on the engine for small wires and electronics.

AFAIK Torque doesn't read the protected areas of the Porsche DMEs (such as oil temp). :)

There is no need for the tool you speak of on the 3.6L or Vcam Plus engines. The 3.6L has a completely different set of tools than the 3.4L. Primarily for the 3.6L procedure you just need to lock the cams down before loosening or tightening the cam assembly. There is a very precise procedure to follow however, which includes rotating engine/etc. If you don't follow that procedure exactly you will cause damage. You can purchase the pages from the WSM that discuss that procedure SPECIFIC to the vcam plus engine from the porsche piwis tech website. The cam system is totally different between the 3.4L and 3.6L.

LOL, yep JFP, we're saying the same thing, I just used a few more words. :) Also interesting to note the phone number on the letter does match one listed on Porsche.com's website... http://www.porsche.com/japan/jp/accessoriesandservice/porscheservice/emergencyservice 0120-846-911

Never had a misfire or a fault code. When it first fired (one of the times I had it out) like I said there was a terrible spark knock, which was due to a spark plug/coil not installed correctly. After that was resolved, the engine just started running poorly over time after each ECU reset. The fuel trims were not yet at the point where they would throw a code, but they were indicating lean running. I didn't run the engine very long like this, because running a new engine HOT and/or overly LEAN or RICH can be disastrous to longevity, HP, and oil consumption! What resolved both the short and long term fuel trims with mine turned out to be combo between injectors and a bad IACV, but that doesn't mean that's what will solve yours, each problem has to be diagnosed and treated separately.

The MAF kicks in mainly at higher RPMs and adjusts fuel delivery based on intake air temp and quantity of air coming in, if you unplug MAF the DME will use the default map and the engine should run fine without it (although you won't get all the possible HP, and if it can't read intake temp or air quantity the fuel map is not going to be corrected towards various sensor readings). It usually doesn't run as smoothly if it is unplugged, but plugging unplugging can eliminate the MAF as a contributing factor. It sounds like you are dealing with other issues though (or maybe multiple). It's not unusual that the engine runs OK (or better) after you reset the DME (battery reset) for a little while, because the DME will use the factory MAP, then as it starts to learn the running characteristics it will adjust fuel mixture to compensate for problems, prevent long term damage, and control emissions. IN the case of undersized injectors it's going to add more fuel, which IMHO is not a good thing letting the computer decide versus just putting in the right size (or even larger) injectors in the first place. In every car I've seen/read about that has lean running (and computer compensates by adding more fuel, whether it's injectors or an air leak), the engine runs like crap. A DME itself should not normally cause misfires though, unless it is really corrupt after a bad third party flash (I've seen a couple of these).

Interesting letter. A correction that they would probably not replace an intermediate shaft since that requires total engine tear down. If they were to replace the shaft (since the bearing is not available separate from the shaft directly from Porsche), then they would probably just replace the engine (official sanctioned replacement procedure). In addition, rebuilt M96/97 engines from Porsche made after 2005 do not have a serviceable bearing, the entire engine must be completely dismantled, and again - something they wouldn't do at a dealer. At best, a dealer might replace the bearing flange and seal (official procedure), which doesn't really address the core issue. There are some dealers in the states who perform aftermarket retrofits using LNE's hybrid bearing, but I'm not sure if that is yet a recognized "fix" by Porsche. The irony here is that Porsche doesn't really have the "real solution", which is a standard (non-ball) plain pressure fed oiled bearing. And it just so happens a few very bright chaps in the states have a patent pending on such a device!

Well that's good news then the the mises are prob not related to timing, that would be a big problem! Fortunately I learned very early on that when you upgrade the cylinder size, you also need injectors to match. At first mine ran OK, but slowly started to sorta stumble on idle and power wasn't all that great. With just a few miles on the car the DME adapted to very lean and was dumping tons of fuel into the cylinders. I had the old injectors cleaned and they came out great, but they were not matched to the 3.6L cylinders. Once I put in the white injectors to match the 3.6L cylinders the lean running problem went away and it ran even better than before. Heat is a big enemy to any engine, but especially one that is breaking in. When I did my engine I replaced just about everything including the coils and plugs. The only thing I cut a corner on was the injectors, and later ended up replacing those too. If you are suspecting coils you can swap them between banks, and of course if the mises follow... although I wouldn't run a rebuilt engine very long if it is missing.

Ok, I'm trying to follow your pictures and I think you are good, maybe you can double and triple check (I chcked mine over about 4 times before starting it up). It looks like you started at STEP 2 since your bank 2 notch was facing inwards and the small segment was facing the cam cover. Before you rotated, at the same time, did you look at Bank 1 to see if it's notch was also facing inwards and the small segment was facing the crankcase? Even though everything is chained together, and you might think it would make sense if one bank looks one way and you rotate it should look the same the other, if you are a tooth or two off when you installed, after repeating the procedure a few times the orientation will change between banks, making it important to rotate at least 2 or 3 times and check both sides at each TDC.Here's the procedure summarized:If you start at Bank 1 at TDC start with STEP 1. (otherwise just reverse the two steps if you find that the slot on bank 2 intake is already facing towards the engine at TDC).STEP 1Bank 1, groove/slot/notch on intake cam (rear of engine) faces towards cam coverBank 1, narrow segment on exhaust cam (front of engine) faces towards cam coverVERY important AT the SAME TIME without rotating the engineBank 2, groove/slot/notch on intake cam (front of engine) faces towards cam coverBank 2, narrow segment on exhaust cam (rear of engine) faces towards crankcaseTHEN, rotate engine 360 degreesSTEP 2Bank 1, groove/slot/notch on intake cam (rear of engine) faces towards crankcaseBank 1, narrow segment on exhaust cam (front of engine) faces towards engineVERY important AT the SAME TIME without rotating the engineBank 2, groove/slot/notch on intake cam (front of engine) faces towards crankcaseBank 2, narrow segment on exhaust cam (rear of engine) faces towards cam coverIf your slots and segments line up exactly as laid out above, and your slots are aligned straight up and down with the parting line of the cam covers, and you rotate multiple times and each time they line up correctly then you are timed correctly.I still like to repeat the procedure 2 or 3 more times, because each time you rotate you validate the chains are set at the proper number of teeth on the sprokets and nothing is slipping.As long as you put the correct cams in the correct banks (they are not interchangable), you should be OK, and it looks that way from your pics, but even still - you are there with the engine and with the procedure you should be confident you are timed right, don't just take my word for it.So that being said if everything checks out with the timing then you are probably looking at a bad actuator or bad sensor/wiring.If it's a bad actuator that is stuck and causing misfires the engine is going to run really rough and it could cause a misfire because one bank is far out of time with the other bank.If it is just a bad sensor or wiring you are probably just going to have codes, and the engine should run fine.You could be dealing with multiple issues including a bad actuator, solenoid, sensor, wiring, and it is even possible at the same time you have bad fuel or spark causing a mis as well (perhaps retorque spark plugs and dis/reconnect all packs and injectors). When I first fired up my engine I installed a spark plug incorrectly and it was causing a terrible spark knock, I thought it was going to blow up. After I reinstalled the spark plug it was perfect. I know it sucks to have to take the cover off again (I had to do mine about 6 times to get things right), and if it were me I would probably just throw a new actuator (~$750 for the actuator/solenoid combo) in there unless you want to take it in steps and eliminate the bad spark/fuel and sensor/wiring first.

Phil: also you can reuse those green cam plugs a couple times after you pull them, just put a little RTV where you poked a hole. Then at some point go back and replace them with new ones. DCD: Yes they are run off the same "wire" and in fact, the DME just reads the voltage oscilations each 360 degrees... one of the WSM procedures is to watch this on an o-scope.. so you'll have a double hump (one for each TDC). Not until later cars they added more wires and stuff.. On ROW cars there is just one cam sensor and it just figures out where bank 2 "should be" by looking at bank 1 and the crank sensor... and you'll just have a single hump every 4 strokes when looking at cam sensor. I think it an emissions regulation for USA to have both.

No problem, don't hesitate to ask for help.

As dcd points out yes if you bent the timing "prong/tang" on the end of the camshaft it will read as bad cam timing no matter what. It's the little arm on the end of the camshaft that the cam sensor reads (hall sensor effect), and if it was bent that could cause a problem with reading of timing (although engine should still run OK). However that shouldn't cause a misfire, as far as I know. The IMS tube does not have any timing tabs/prongs on it. If LNE had your tube it is very unlikely the IMS tube sprocket slipped, ESPECIALLY if yours is/was an early dual row. A bad solder job on cam sensors would just show as, well probably bad cam sensor or bad timing on that side. If you unplug the cam sensor (make sure the wires are not shorted) and the engine still runs like crap even though it is timed mechanically 100% right, then you might just have a bad actuator that is stuck and timing is advanced by 25 degrees. I would go back to validating and triple checking the cam timing between banks. You don't want to run the engine if the mechancial timing is wrong (not the cam to cam allocation even though that is also critical, but the overall engine timing, bad cam to cam timing will show up when you go through the full timing recheck procedure). Here is the link again below, it really spells it out better than the workshop manual if you ask me (but the workshop manual does work OK if you read step by step and don't skip anything like turning the engine 360 degrees before timing the opposite bank). Have you triple checked the bank to bank timing? http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/26418-diy-setting-cam-timing-m96.html Maybe if you are uncertain, pull those green cam plugs and send some pictures of both sides of the cams at TDC on both banks, then rotate 360 and show us TDC again on both banks. You don't have to pull the cam cover to validate timing, but if you have one cover off, don't rotate the engine until the cover is back on (sealed, torqued, tensioners in place, etc.), otherwise timing will CERTAINLY slip. A bad actuator that is stuck on or open can also cause a misfire, as one bank's mechanical timing will be advanced by 25 degrees. If it is misfiring it is probably not because of a bad cam sensor. The engine should run just fine without both cam sensors (or maybe just one) and will default to standard ignition timing and use the crank position sensor and the other bank to determine the proper ignition timing. IF the timing is right this is going to be good for about 95% of your horsepower and the engine should run fine. Bad wiring on a fuel injector or coil pack would cause a mis. You could disable each cylinder one by one and if the problem goes away the mis is due to bad spark or injector or wiring associated with each.

Congrats on getting it back together, sorry to hear it is out again... Your cam to cam allocation looks correct. Have a look at this to verify: from (http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/16-ENGINE-Camshaft_Swap_and_Chain_Tensioner/16-ENGINE-Camshaft_Swap_and_Chain_Tensioner.htm) How is your bank 1 to bank 2 allocation? Have a look here: http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/26418-diy-setting-cam-timing-m96.html If your cam to cam is correct and your bank 1 to bank 2 is correct then you are dealing with a sensor or wiring problem (unlikely DME). IIRC you can unplug cam 2 sensor and then the bank 1 sensor and TDC from the flywheel will sensor will take over and apply (default) ignition timing for bank 2 on a USA car based on readings from bank 1 and tdc, of course it will throw a code. But that doesn't mean mechanical timing is correct from bank to bank (of course, ROW cars have no bank 2 sensor) Did it sound OK if you fired it up? Because if the timing was way off you could have misfires and valve/piston contact and it would run like crap. See the link above on how to correctly set bank to bank timing, the answer to your question depends on which TDC you are at, bank 1 or bank 2.... interference design. Perhaps, if a variocam valve is stuck open or closed it might adjust timing, but I would tend to think you should have a variocam error as well since the DME can sense if it has trouble with the cam solenoid/actuator activation/interaction. Did you clean/flush the actuators?

Sorry I totally forgot, if you have center lock hubs these will not work. The chains clamp onto the lug nuts in order to attach to the wheel.

Hi there, I have a set of chains for sale that will fit. If you want them they are yours. Here is the link: http://forums.rennli...now-chains.html I can't move on the price. I paid a fortune for these (the retail on their website was $550 and is now more than that), not to mention expedited shipping... I'm fairly certain they will fit a 19" rim. They fit my 18" fine, and the company says they are adjustable to fit your size rim, but you may want to send them an email or call them to be certain. From: http://www.spikes-sp....com/comparison "Yes, traction bars are linked together with stainless steel links. Links can be moved by hand to other holes in the traction bar to shorten or lengthen the traction elements to fit a range of tires." These are the sport style. Please PM me if you are interested, I sent you a PM as well.

Yes it could very well be a spare wire. There are tons of different versions of the main engine wiring harness. There are lots of possibilities like you point out. Auto, PSM, PSE, etc. In fact there is probably another spare connector in the corner of your engine bay psngr side for emissions, and it is not connected, so your idea is certainly valid. My car did not have any spares, then again it is an early 99 build. When I had my engine apart I literally took tape, wrote down what it was for, and stuck the tape onto the connector. I'm sure you've gone over the engine many times, and if you have everything connected, I would just put er back in and fire it up. Worst case you've got some sorting to do later, but as long as you have the big things connected such as fuel and spark and they are in the correct locations any cel you might have would not be destructive. SAL, EVAP, etc are not going to cause a misfire. Some of the sensors are also important such as cam and crank sensors, but they have much different connector styles. Maybe just leave the wire somewhere where you can get to it easily if you need to. Oh, isn't there a smallish connector similar to that one for the regulator on the back of the alternator? Did you connect that one too? And your throttle position sensor (and IACV if you have one?) are connected, although IIRC IACV is 3 wire, but TPS might be 2 wire.

Is your EVAP valve connected ? It is a valve that sits between a hose that goes into the throttle body and a fuel hose going to the evap system in the front of the car. The valve normally sits above your alternator near the intake manifold. Mine has a red wire with blue stripe and a purple wire.

Got your PM. Are you sure it isn't for the knock sensor (it looks like it would connect to the knock sensor right below the plug in your pic). Are both of your knock sensors connected? IIRC though both of the knock sensors have different style connectors. Of course connectors can and do change with different MYs. That looks more like the kind for a fuel injector, throttle position sensor, change over valve, EVAP valve, etc...

Wouldn't the map get "unlearned" or "erased" once he disconnected the battery?

Don't waste your time with a cheap MAF, been there done that. It's a waste of money. IIRC Amazon.com has normally had the lowest price on a genuine Bosch MAF

JMO they are all going to perform about the same. If you want to change to something different go with the spin on oil filter adapter from L&N, then you use a normal spin on oil filter.

I just posted a day or two ago on this... and there are many posts about it as well. Here it is:

Hi there. No you don't need to do that. Just replace the battery like normal. When you put the new battery in you might need to enter the radio code, reteach the windows, and it will take a few drive cycles before the engine is back to it's normal "peppyness".

I've read/heard the following regarding these products: If you use straight distilled water in the summer, add water wetter or similar product. If you run coolant year round, it won't do much.