Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hello 928 people. Please advise me as I am having sleepless nights. I have the chance to buy a 93 GTS auto minus the engine for £6k. I have had a 928 S4 in the past and am handy with the spanners etc. This is my question. Is it feasable to fit an S4 engine into this car without it being a total nightmare? I am confident I could fit the engine as I have done engine swaps several times before. The bit that worries me is the electrical connections for the engine. Would it take a boffin to do this or would it be a case of just plugging most things in? An S4 engine is much cheaper than a genuine GTS engine for almost the same power. Please help as I don't want this to be the one that got away if it can be done fairly easily.

Hi

Try these guys, they'll happily give you the advice you need http://www.nixsoft-consulting.co.uk/928spares/

Good luck with the project if it is able to be done.

I think you ought to ask this question on the emailing list of http://www.928.org.uk as well as in here. There are knowledgeable 928 folk on here but the handful of very technical folk on the 928 email list are not to be found on here so its worth posting in more than one place on this occasion

honestly if it was a gts to begin with i would be tempted to make it as origional as possible, why drop in the wrong lump? I realise it would be cheaper but imagine the car you would have if you put the proper lump in ???

Hi

Its possible but no way would I pay 6k for a GTS with no engine...

The problem would not be with the mechanical bits, you are correct in thinking they would be with the electrics and stuff like the PSD system...etc etc...

All the best Brett

simon where in the country are you?

Thanks for the replies. Since posting I have had an attack of common sense and decided I will buy an S4 for now. Maybe one day a GTS will come my way. If anyone is Interested the car is still advertised on pistonheads. The chap who is selling it seems like a genuine enthusiast and came across as a nice guy on the phone. I think the car is currently at Francis Tuthills as it is listed as being in Banbury.
On the subject of an S4, I would really like a manual as my previous S4 auto used to frustrate me by never seeming to be in the right gear at the right time. Has anybody had experience of the two types of box and what are the pro's and con's of having the manual instead of the auto. I know they are rare but do they fetch a higher price than an auto?
By the way, I am living in Bolton Lancs.
cheers
Simon

Hi Simon

There are pros and cons to both manual and auto...

Manual...pedal is long and heavy (DONT use in London or around any major city) but it does cure the auto gear problem you had with the gap between 2 and 3.

Auto, perfect for cities but that long gap between 2 and 3...and slightly higher fuel consumption..

Manuals tend to make the car around £800 to a grand more as only around 15% of 928s were manual...

I think you made the correct decision about the GTS, personally with no engine I would have given them 2k MAX ! and for that price the rest (bodywork etc) would have had to be perfect, if not 1k...

Hope this helps

All the best Brett

I agree with much of what Brett has already said; the auto box does seem to suit the 928 well, giving that feel of effortless mile-munching ideal for a Grand Tourer, whereas the manual (in my limited experience) is much harder work but does reward that by feeling more responsive. With an auto you can always set the selector in the 3 position rather than D when trying to hustle the barge along more twisty roads.

Unusually, if you look at Porsche's published figures for fuel consumption, you will find that autos are actually more economical Here are the figures for an '84 S2 from the front of my driver's manual:

Simulated urban: ---- Automatic 16.9 mpg ------ Manual 14.8 mpg
Constant 56 mph: --- Automatic 32.8 mpg ----- Manual 32.5 mpg
Constant 75 mph: --- Automatic 27.0 mpg ----- Manual 27.7 mpg

OK so the manual is slightly more economical at 75 mph, but the biggest difference is at the lower speeds, so unless you drive everywhere on empty motorways at a constant speed, the auto is the winner. Of course, worrying about fuel consumption when you own a 928 is a fairly futile pastime

Finally prices: most 928 enthusiasts seem to want a manual so I would say that Brett's estimate of £1K premium for a manual is a minimum, for a nice example a GT might be nearer £2K more than an equivalent condition S4.