1995 / 993 Question

[trj911]

My brother is considering a 1995 993 with 16K miles. Are there any problem areas to look for with that model?

[MuffinMan]

The wiring harness may need to be updated. Porsche recently did this under warranty to many '95s, though.

[RickM]

Tom,
I asked this question as friend has a '95 Cab with about the same miles. One of the comments that stands out is that this is a less (actually they said least) desireable year as varioram was introduced in '96. The harness recall was mentioned as well.

[Jim Richards]

that this is a less (actually they said least) desireable year as varioram was introduced in '96.

Not sure if this is really "less desireable." Chip a 95 993 (easy) and you'll eliminate the small HP difference between the the non-varioram and varioram engines.
As mentioned before, 95 and 96 993's wiring harnesses may be defective and Porsche is replacing them under a factory recall. Nice!

I think all 993s have creaking front and rear window glass. This can be cheaply corrected by judicious application of Pedro's Ice Wax (bike lubricant) around the seals.

96 and later 993s had some slight suspension mods that I can't recall.

Most of the 95s and all 993 cabs (I believe) have the "basket handle" 3rd brake light.

I hope this helps.

[RickM]

Another recent thread mentioned a Teflon "cord" that Porsche created to alleviate the window creak.

[Rick Lee]

16k miles in 9 yrs. sounds a bit underdriven to me. Wiring harness is nothing to worry about, as it's a free fix, but it needs to be done. At 16k miles, clutch and suspension are probably ok. Dual mass flywheel is a sore point on some of these cars. Clutch slave cylinder is also a high failure point and should be bled regularly. Basically 993's have their own set of quirks and they're usually more expensive than those on the earlier cars. Rennlist has a ton of info for first-time 993 buyers. Whatever you do, get a well-sorted and maintained car. Making a bad 993 right is not cheap or easy.

[Jim Richards]

BTW, RL's excellent comments apply for all 993s.

[waybrig]

Tom: For some people the 95 is actually preferable to the later models. There are a few problems/issues not found on the 95's that are in 96's and up:

Immobilizer: In general people don't care much for the engine immobilizer on 96 and up 993's. There don't seem to be that many problems with it, but it is a more complicated system than the 95's.

Modifications: 95 is much easier to chip than a 96. 97's and 98's are easier than 96's, but a bigger jump in price.

CEL problem: All 96 and up cars have OBDII engine management systems. There have been a substantial number of reports of Check Engine Light problems due to carbon buildup on 96 and up 993's. If you have to pass an inspection in your state, this will most likely need fixed to pass. The Porsche approved fix is not cheap (~$3-$4,000). There are other ideas floating around out there regarding cheaper fixes, but your mileage may vary.

Now 95 issues: Wiring harness is a recall item, if it hasn't been done, Porsche should take care of it. Power: 270 vs. 282 for 96 and up. Most people say this is not really noticeable in most situations. I've even heard of some who prefer the 95.

Having said all this, mine is a 96 and after a year of ownership I've had no problems whatsoever. If I was shopping again I wouldn't hesitate on picking up a 95. I would hesitate a little on the 96 due to the CEL/carbon buildup issues. The carbon buildup problem seems to be something virtually impossible to detect without tearing apart the engine. High oil consumption (more than 1qt/1000 miles) could be a bad sign. I doubt if a seller would volunteer that info however.

Hope that helps. In general, if the 95 looks good and checks out with a PPI, I would go for it.

[Rick Lee]

Waybrig, I'm not so sure the carbon build-up issue doesn't also affect the pre-Vrams. It's just that in the OBDI cars, the CEL light will not go on to tell you this problem has occured. In VA they did not touch my OBDII port during my emissions inspection, which means I could theoretically have passed even with the CEL issue. I'm pretty sure the pre-Vrams also have the secondary air intake ports, but the CEL is not triggered when they get clogged. Still, once they're clogged, the only fix is a top-end. Porsche won't advertise this, but they have been pretty helpful to those with the problem on out-of-warranty cars.

[Jim Richards]

And to further add to RL's comments, the wiring harness recall goes part way into the 96 model year, too.

[nostatic]

I've heard that the 95 rear suspension needs to be tweaked to 96 and later specs, otherwise they eat tires very quickly.

[Rick Lee]

Todd, believe you me - the '96 models chew up tires pretty fast too. That's one thing that really chaps my a$s about my 993.

[Plavan]

I had a 95 993. You will have to get the harness fixed for free. The 1995 993's are actually easier to modify because you do not have the varioram. Can you say 3.8L pistons???? Much easier to do on the 95 than any other year (without varioram mod's/issues). I loved my 993. I did not care for the basket handle 3rd brake light but that is an easy fix. Someone metioned the dual mass.... that is a sore spot of the 993. Also, if you here alot of valve noise (tapping) the lifters (hydraulic..SP?) could be bad. I had 2 lifters go bad at 30k miles out of warrenty, and Porsche would not fix them (Basterds)

[waybrig]

Originally posted by Richard LeSchander
Waybrig, I'm not so sure the carbon build-up issue doesn't also affect the pre-Vrams. It's just that in the OBDI cars, the CEL light will not go on to tell you this problem has occured. In VA they did not touch my OBDII port during my emissions inspection, which means I could theoretically have passed even with the CEL issue. I'm pretty sure the pre-Vrams also have the secondary air intake ports, but the CEL is not triggered when they get clogged. Still, once they're clogged, the only fix is a top-end. Porsche won't advertise this, but they have been pretty helpful to those with the problem on out-of-warranty cars.

Richard,

That's my understanding also, 95's could still have the buildup clogging the secondary air intake ports, but won't throw the CEL due to no OBDII.

Actually there is another fix out there that seems to be working on at least some cars. It involves cleaning the air injection ports without disassembling too much of the engine. It's supposed to run in the neighborhood of $1000 if you can find somebody to do it. There was quite a bit of discussion on this at Rennlist. I saved an email regarding this if you're interested.

So during your inspection do you think they would have checked your OBDII if the CEL was on? I think that's the issue, they have to check out the CEL and then they plug in. I know some guys try to reset the CEL and go immediately to the inspection to hopefully fool the system.

Brad

[Rick Lee]

I don't want to scare our prospective 993 owner, so don't take this CEL stuff too seriously. For $100 you can get a tool to reset your fault codes, if that light just won't go out. The cheap fix for this problem involves taking the heat exchangers off and having the ports cleaned out. But that's a band-aid fix. I', not sure how the two are related, but the clogged ports usually co-incide with bad valve guides and the 993's are every bit as susceptible to that ill as are the 3.2 Carreras. Steve Weiner seems to have the best fix for that.

Anyway trj911, your brother probably wants a Nissan after all this banter. Just know that these cars have their quirks. My CEL hasn't come on (yet) and I'm not going to panic or sell the car if it happens. It will be a good excuse for me to DIY a 993 top end and write up a tech article.

[nostatic]

jeez, my SC is starting to sound cheap to maintain

[trj911]

Thanks for all the info! I've shared it with him and I'll make sure he posts some pics if he make the purchase.