tholyoak

In general, if you want a factory-type situation and maintain all functions and diagnostics etc, you need to replace the DME with the 7.8 DME. In my experience, no other solution will make you happy for a street car. To integrate the 7.8 DME, you need to change out the ABS controller, the instrument cluster, the HVAC controller and the DME. Depending on what ABS system your car currently has, you may need to change out the ABS wheel sensors as well. The integration of all components will require rewiring for all controllers as well as likely new connectors for the cluster and likely the ABS controller (again, this depends on the ABS/TC system you have). The CAN bus then needs to be run between the new controllers. The instrument cluster acts as the CAN bus hub so a twisted pair of wires needs to be run from the DME to the cluster, cluster to ABS and cluster to HVAC. I think a 2000 already has egas, so you don't need to worry about swapping the pedal assembly and running the wires from the pedal to the DME. The hardest part, once you figure out what needs to be done, is staring at the corresponding wiring diagrams for your current car and a car that came with the 7.8DME and figuring out how/where to swap all of the wires. Good luck, Todd

where have you bought the aftermarket controller to run the Variocam plus on and what with vario lift what have you done starts well enough but about 100 hp I used a Perfect Power SMT6. I still have one with a new harness and the software etc that I would let go pretty cheap if you want to go this route. I also have maps and wiring for the setup. The lift is an all or none function while the valve timing is variable and controlled by a pulse width signal on the factory DME. Regards, Todd

I'm pretty sure I have a 996 throttle cable that I would part with for far less than that list price. I also have a couple of non-egas pedal assemblies from cars that were converted to egas to run 996/997 engines. Todd

Paul, It will functionally work but you need the proper connector to interface with it. Also the profile of the pedal assembly itself is different, so when installed there will be a large gap in front of the pedal between it and the carpet. -Todd

It would have an 'S' stamped after the M96/03. So, no, not an X51 -Todd

The cam deviation is an adaptation value representing the deviation in the base timing from ideal. The actual cam angle can be used to determine if the variocam system is working or not. Actual cam angle will be ~0 or ~25 degrees depending on whether the variocam is activated or not. The adapted cam deviation should be +/- 6 degrees if the cams were installed properly. -Todd

You are confusing two issues. If you monitor cam deviation while running the car, when the variocam kicks in, it will show up to 25 degrees from baseline. This is the variocam adavance, if you don't get this advance you have a problem with the variocam actuation. This is what your section is referring to. The maximal amount of cam advance available from baseliine. This is different than the amount of deviation that is acceptable without variocam actuation used for diagnosis of a static cam timing problem which is +/- 6 degrees at idle at operating temp with accessories turned off. The DME setpoints can be found in the factory diagnostic manual page 24-D8 to 24-D9.

25 degrees is the amount of cam advance available in the early variocam system. +/-6 degrees is the allowed deviation from ideal. This value is right from the factory service manual

The reason a piggy back or rpm switch coupled the 5.2.2 or 7.2 DME to control the variocam on a 3.6 or 3.8 motor is a bad idea has to do with drive-ability. The early variocam was all or none as stated above. This is fine with 25 degrees of advance and no variable valve lift with that system. The later system with the 7.8 dme uses a rotor and stator and is infinitely adjustable from 0-40 degrees via a pulse width modulation of the solenoid. This fine control depending on rpm and load is necessary for the greater valve timing change of 40 degrees. Couple this with variable valve lift and using an on or off type control results in poor drive-ability on the street where part throttle dominates and load and rpm fluctuate wildly. If the car is a track car operating at high load and throttle for most of the time, the piggyback approach can work fine. The incorporation of the 7.8 DME into a 5.2.2 or 7.2 car is not difficulty once you figure out how to do it. The problem is it is not cost effective if you are paying someone else to do it, especially if you are paying them to learn how to do it at the same time. Simply, you will need a new 7.8 DME, a new ABS controller, new HVAC controller and new instrument cluster in addition to an egas pedal sensor setup if the car originally was cable operated. That is the easy part. Getting the wiring sorted out is the time consuming aspect if you have to figure it out from scratch. Based upon the rising costs of the 3.4 motors from Porsche relative to the costs of the 3.6 and 3.8 engines, installing the later motors becomes more attractive. However, I would suggest the best solution for the 3.4 cars is to use LN engineering's parts, or if you aren't a DIY type, a rebuild from Jake Raby. This approach addresses the weak points of the M96 design and allows you to increase displacement without needing to update the electronics, all for about the cost of a Porsche 3.4 crate motor. -Todd

Possible, yes. Reasonable, honestly, no. With a 996 the reasonable solution is to buy a newer car with the larger motor. -Todd

Thanks for the correction Loren. I was looking at the wrong part number. -Todd

The later cluster will work on all cars C2/C4/ convertible coupe, they are just encoded differently via the PST2/PIWIS. This is in contrast to the early cars where the C2 and C4 had a different cluster. The part you list is correct for a 2002-on C2/C4/C4S in GB with a tiptronic trans. If your Boxster has a tiptronic, this will work for you with recoding, regardless of the car it was originally installed in. -Todd

If the built in error in the displayed speed bothers you, there are several simple electronic devices you can install for <$100 to calibrate the signal received by the cluster so that the actual speed displayed in the speedo matches the actual speed of the vehicle as displayed in the DME. -Todd

I have a brand new one with 0 miles that I can provide fully programmed. Send me a message or email if you are interested. -Todd

In the '80s, when the standardized 17 digit VIN was first implemented, the chassis were built before the destination of the car was known and a generic VIN was stamped on the chassis for its identification using filler codes (ZZZ) in positions 4-6. If the car didn't come to North America, after the car was completed, the actual VIN placed on the windshield post/door jam sticker would match that on the chassis and contain the ZZZ filler characters. On cars destined for North America the VIN had to meet US standards and thus the ZZZ codes were filled in on the windshield post number/door jam sticker(the actual VIN). -Todd