M96: past, present, and future

[Monza_dh]

Holy RMS Batman! Did anyone else fall offf the chair reading this article in the latest Excellence???

Is it really that bad out there for 996's and Boxters with this lump? The article just came out so I do not have a link or can scan the pages.

I have been looking at 996's for a DD and always new they had the RMS and IMS issues but Oil starvation, deforming plastic parts, the dreaded "D chunk" failures and more.

Looks like I'll save more and wait a few yrs for the next gen 997's come into my post market crash price line!

[450knotOffice]

This is all well known stuff and has been discussed ad-neaseum over on Rennlist. Check out the 996 forum over there.

[s_wilwerding]

I'll admit, I was a little scared. My 98 Boxster now has 40K miles, and not a single engine issue (in fact, the only issue whatsoever that the car has ever had is a bad master cylinder). The interesting thing that they sort of point out in the article, but is most evident over on Porsche Pete's, is that it is the newer cars that are failing in greater numbers, not the older ones. The newer cars seem to be especially susceptible to the IMS issue.

My car has the "old" IMS - according to the article, Porsche updated it in the early 2000's. However, anecdotal evidence seems to point out that the fix was worse than the original.

This is a hot topic over on PPBB, with a lot of people wondering whether they should get their engines "fixed" before they torpedo. Definitely makes me want to start saving for a new DFI Boxster or Cayman.

I figure that if my engine has any issues, it would be a good excuse to put in a crate 996 engine.

[450knotOffice]

I have 76,000+ miles on my daily driver 996. She runs like a top and has been used many, many times at the track (although she is retired from that now). No engine issues ever.

[Monza_dh]

Originally Posted by 450knotOffice

This is all well known stuff and has been discussed ad-neaseum over on Rennlist. Check out the 996 forum over there.

I have read a few of the threads over at the Rennlist but I have yet to see one serious article in a mag like Excellence putting it all out there,technically speaking, at once.

A thousand posts with 500 horror stories and 500 "no issues here" responses doesnt net it out like this did.

[Monza_dh]

maybe Porsche just doesnt care about thier core cars anymore:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a4354bfe-acff-11dd-971e-000077b07658.html

[450knotOffice]

I'm sure they still do, or they wouldn't be so beholden to their rear engined flagship. They have a better chassis in the Cayman, but would rather artificially limit its performance rather than have it outperform its older brother. Can you imagine how amazing a Cayman GT3 would be?! It would be an even more stunning performer than the already amazing 997 GT3 RS - and that says a lot. However, they will probably not do anything like this for a long, long time. Why? Because they don't want to step on their CORE car - the one that brought them fame, if not fortune.

However, they are a business after all, and I can understand them trying to maneuver themselves into a strong business position.

[Doug&Julie]

Originally Posted by s_wilwerding

I figure that if my engine has any issues, it would be a good excuse to put in a crate 996 engine.

Companies are rebuilding them with correct fixes now. Check out the thread on the Boxster board:

M96 Motor Article in Excellence

I'd pay the money for this one.

http://www.flat6innovations.com/shop/product.php?productid=16159&cat=0&bestseller=Y

[450knotOffice]

Ah. Nice. If my 300 HP 3.4 ever breaks, I'm looking at squeezing in a used 380 HP 3.8 X51 engine. A Porsche mechanic buddy of mine has said it can be done with a few mods.

Hey, I can day-dream right?

[BoxsterGT]

Subscribing!!