Due Diligence - New/Used '03 C4S

[lfhunt1]

Hello -

I would like to ask you all few questions that you have no doubt been asked numerous times before - but I simply do not know the answers and would appreciate learning.

I'm looking into purchasing a used '03 996 C4S. The car I am interested in is out of state so I am going off descriptions and scanned-in past paperwork for services completed. All work in question was performed by a Porsche dealer / workshop in 2009 @ mile 17,500 by the second (latest) owner. The car now has 25K - and here are my concerns / questions:

#1). A tech replaced the "rear main intermediate shaft seal..."
- Is this the infamous "rear main seal" that I've heard so much about?
- The report says that the new buyer (back in '09) saw small drops of oil - so this got replaced. Have I cleared a hurdle OR will it likely go out again?
- I know that there is the intermediate shaft bearing to watch for.... are these two related in any way?

#2). (During the same service...) A tech also replaced a "faulty oil separator" due to "a large amount of smoke reported on start-up."
- Big deal?? How worried should I be on this one??

I do plan on having it looked at by a mechanic too however, do these mechanical issues sound so serious that I should move on and continue my search? Essentially, is this a lemon? Seems to me that these issues cropped up pretty early.... I love the car - but I am concerned.

Thanks in advance for everyone's thoughts.

Kind Regards,
L Hunt

[occb2]

Those are two different things. There RMS is the Rear main seal. The IMB is the bearing on the intermediate shaft under the crank. I would have a mechanic look at it for a very nice, long PPI. Receipts are good, but nothing saves you more money than a great mechanic doing a PPI.

Robert

[88carrera]

As Robert has indicated previously, these are two very different issues. Neither of them is unheard of with the 996. The air oil separator (AOS) is known to fail such that smoke is generated. An inconvenience, but if the one on the car you are considering has been replaced, I would count it as no big deal.

The IMS seals are also known to leak, not the same as a rear main seal (RMS). The most troublesome issue with the M96 engines is, as Robertt has pointed out, with the bearing on the intermediate shaft. I suggest that you search for IMS bearing issues on this list as well as on the Renntech or Rennlist sites. There are ways to deal with this if you are afraid that one might fail. I replaced mine with the LNE ceramic bearing when I did a clutch replacement at ca. 45K miles and I sleep well at night. I really appreciate my 996. What a bargain for the performance that you get!

[lfhunt1]

Guys - I really appreciate the info and input. It does seem that there is a TON of info one all these issues.... Nevertheless - your direct feedback helps.

Kind Regards - Lindsey Hunt