996 3.6 M96 Engine broke

greenbe · 08-21-2010, 05:29 PM

New to this forum.

I few days ago my 2002 996 engine broke. It is the 3.6 M96 normally aspirated engine with 91K miles. Until now this has been a dream car. Usual wearable parts have been changed otherwise it has been good for 40K miles. Only exception was a water pump and leaky power stearing but those things happen. I have kept the car well maintained and serviced and never raced.

My engine light went on, but no noticable difference in the car it was driving normally. I figured it was probably gas gap or oil cap or emissions, I called my mechanic and was on the way to stop by and have him check the code. He did not think I needed to tow it. Within a mile I had a sudden loss of torque and heard a bad rattle as the engine idled. I coasted to a stop. On inspection he said I need a new engine, most likely the IMS bearing is gone. On further research, it is more likely it is one or both cam chains (not sure I got the details right) that have broken. Either way the entire engine needs to come apart.

Please can anyone with knowledge on this problem help, this is a major repair half the value of the car.

Also if anyone has a 3.6 watercool engine for sale, or wants to buy my engine as-is, let me know. I like the car very much and am not keen to part, but unless I can find a solution less costly than a dealer supplied Porsche remanufactured engine, I might have to.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

BYprodriver · BYprodriver's Garage

Most likely your IMS bearing failed & additional damage came afterwards. I might like to buy your engine, where are you located?

racer · 08-23-2010, 09:39 AM

I am sorry for your experience but the motors in the 996 have been known to be somewhat fragile and most disappointingly, can incur collosal failure. The motors are not easily "repaired" and hence replacement is often the cure. You could get one from Porsche, with a 2 year warranty, but I would guess it would cost you $14-18K to do so. An alternative is a used motor from a wrecked car. ideally the same year to minimize and "conversion" needs but I don't know what used motors run ($5-10K?).

In both cases however, you are still left with a motor that can still fail. It might not.. it might last 100k without incident (as the original one nearly did).

Selling the car without a working motor? thats dicey too.. I've seen "dead" boxsters only command $3-5K... and depending on condition, your 996 may not generate much more, because people know the cost of a motor.

greenbe · 08-23-2010, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BYprodriver

Most likely your IMS bearing failed & additional damage came afterwards. I might like to buy your engine, where are you located?

Bay Area, CA

greenbe · 08-23-2010, 09:55 PM

[QUOTE=racer;5521456]

In both cases however, you are still left with a motor that can still fail. It might not.. it might last 100k without incident (as the original one nearly did).

I have been doing more research. If you take the transmission out you can replace the IMS with a better one. LN Engineering was suggested. The part runs about 600 and with labor maybe 1500 total.

So technically if you get it from P you should do this afterwards.

Personally I would suggest everyone with an M96 engine with bad IMS (basically all watercools Boxster and 911 until mid 2005) that they upgrade the IMS at the same time they get a new clutch (high 70s for me). The consensus is that even if you just inspect it at the time (which it was) it can still fail pretty suddenly so replacement is the best option. It is pretty cheap insurance IMHO. Wish I had known....

BYprodriver · BYprodriver's Garage

EBS Racing in Reno had a great sale on a new 3.6 recently, I would go to ebsracing.com & see if it is still there. I am in So.CA & I would like to rebuild your 3.6, I can give you $1,000.

greenbe · 08-24-2010, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BYprodriver

EBS Racing in Reno had a great sale on a new 3.6 recently, I would go to ebsracing.com & see if it is still there. I am in So.CA & I would like to rebuild your 3.6, I can give you $1,000.

I'm not ready to give up yet, I have some options. Does anyone have any opinion of MP Parts out of Rancho Cordova, CA (near Sacramento). They sell parts and do rebuilds.

tonythetarga · 08-25-2010, 03:44 PM

before you decide what to do, have someone remove your engine and open it up. You may not have much left inside to rebuild. My local shop has one right now that has failed and the only re-usable parts are the heads. You may have to bite the bullet and just get a new motor.

greenbe · 08-25-2010, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonythetarga

before you decide what to do, have someone remove your engine and open it up. You may not have much left inside to rebuild. My local shop has one right now that has failed and the only re-usable parts are the heads. You may have to bite the bullet and just get a new motor.

Thanks for the tip. I have been warned of this possibility.

The current plan is to pull the spark plugs and run a fiber optic bore scope first to check out what damage is visible inside the cylinders. This is not comprehensive, but it is cheap. If that passes then we will tear it down. At that point we will know the total cost of rebuild. In parallel I am trying very actively to source another motor under $10K. So far nothing but I have some leads.

I am talking to 3 shops (Campbell CA, Rancho Cordova CA and Reno NV) that can do this sequence and are tooled for the rebuild. Much depends on schedule and I am researching reputation (two of them seem to be well known). I hope to get the scope done mid next week.

I will blog this, stay tuned.

tonythetarga · 08-27-2010, 03:05 PM

The trouble is at the bottom end. Drain the oil into a clean pan and analyze for metal bits. Do the same with the oil filter element. Take the sump cover off and look for bits in there. If the bottom end is damaged it doesn't matter what the cylinder looks like as the cylinder is part of the case (unlike the air cooled type which are separate).

greenbe · 08-27-2010, 04:48 PM

Yes, thanks. I didn't elaborate, but several people have mentioned the same to me, including my regular tech. That will be part of the tear down sequence.

However, I today found a shop that specializes in Southern Cal and I have just ordered a carrier to ship the car there. I would rather them do the analysis and breakdown. They said that even if the case is damaged they can often source a new case. Worst case I sell it as a roller in So Cal which is probably easier than up hear since there is a lot of demand down there (I already have an offer or two). I am estimating by midweek they should begin the process, and I will blog and post pictures. Stay tuned.

BYprodriver · BYprodriver's Garage

so much for the blogging ?