[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Schumi

I believe those odd marks on the aluminum are weld spots, from the factory. Many of the early motors had porosity issues / inherent cracks that were welded at the factory.

I see nothing else majorly wrong with that motor. It maybe overheated a bit due to the failed waterpump.

I would care to bet that a good cleaning, flushing, new seals and a new pump and AOS and it would be back to normal. Or, as normal as a pre-2000 motor can be.

This is a major problem n the Boxster/996 community- a general lack of knowledge by many owners on anything engine related whatsoever, paired with a relatively modern (at the time) and complex engine design that many small town mechanics don't know jack about. People read about the slipped sleeves or D-chunk issues on the early cars and that is assumed to be the problem. I wonder how many cars bad mechanics 'wrote off' thinking that the sleeves slipped or the IMS failed when in reality, the AOS just died, which is a relatively inexpensive fix as long as the car is not driven long.

Yup. Internet forums are a great tool, but they can also be a spectacular source of fear mongering. When I had an E34 540i they were known for sometimes losing compression as the Nikasil cylinder liners broke down due to high sulfur content in US gas, the issue became the greatest fear of all 540i owners. The initial symptom of Nikasil issues is a rough idle, which lo and behold is the same symptom as failing valve cover gaskets (very common). I read an interview with a mechanic from a nationally known BMW engine rebuilder, he stated that the significant majority of "Nikasil" motors that they received as cores actually had bad valve cover gaskets.