Looking for replacement engine for my '99C4

[Rickker]

Hi all,

I have just experienced a major engine failure. There is a hole in the driver side cam cover, and you can see the mangled chain through this hole. I suspect the chain failed and the resulting interference at the sprocket caused the casing to crack, leaving a gaping hole. This happened while my wife was driving at a leisurely 65 mph in 6th gear. All of sudden there was a loud clattering sound, smoke, etc. She pushed the clutch pedal down as quickly as possible, but it doesn't take long to do lots of damage. My C4 is a 1999 model which I have owned less than a year. It is a high mileage car, just over 100,000 miles on the odometer. Prior to this failure, it was running great, lots of power, good low end torque and no oil consumption in 6000 miles.

So, I am now exploring all options:

1. Having this engine repaired

2. Purchase a replacement engine from a Porsche dealer

3. Look for used engines from the Renntech/Rennlist or wider Porsche community.

4. Investigate what is involved in installing higher powered engines (3.6, 3.8, or TT)

My question to the forum is about the last option. How easy or difficult is it to install alternate Porsche engines into a '99 C4? I mean, if I could find (and afford) a 996 or 997TT, or a GT3 engine, is this a relatively straight forward swap? I expect one would need to swap the engine computer and wiring harness from the donor engine. Anyway, I just wanted to explore this and get some feedback from those of you who have done it, or know if it can be done.

Thanks.

....Rickker