Which engine do I have?

JP911 · JP911's Garage

This is a rather odd question , but I recently purchased a '76 911S targa and I'm trying to figure out if a previous owner may have done an engine swap to a 3.0. So how can I tell if it's a 2.7 or a 3.0?
Thanks in advance,
Jon

emcon5 · emcon5's Garage

Post the engine number, someone can decode it for you. It is located at the base of the fan on the right side.

Tom

Superman · 05-15-2003, 03:19 PM

A 3-liter case is made from aluminum. The 2.7 case is made from magnesium. Magnesium is quite grey and oxidizes easy. Even on a 3-liter, the fan and fan housing are magnesium.

The 3-liter case would be shinier, or at least shineable. Yes, you can shine magnesiu, too, but not like aluminum. Also the 3-liter engines used an orangish-red shroud.

Dantilla · 05-15-2003, 04:06 PM

You could always disassemble the motor. The 2.7 used 90mm pistons, the 3.0 used 95mm.

Let us know what you found, and how long it took to put it back together.

Aurel · Aurel's Garage

HAHA ! That was a good one, Dantilla.
You could also drive the engine hard for 50,000 miles, and if it breaks down, you will know it was a 2.7...
Count the blades on the fan, if there are only five, it is not a 3.0.

Aurel

1980SC · 05-15-2003, 06:26 PM

Just try to torque the lower head studs. If they spin like they are stripped out of the case, then it's a 2.7L. If the studs are broken, then it's a 3.0L.

Rob
1980SC