For some reason, I just can't get into the water-cooled Porsches ... now, on the other hand - when it comes to H2O-cooled vehicles, Toyota trucks are pert-near bullet-proof
...

Well I liked mine. It was highly optioned and had carbon fiber trim. People say the interior is cheap but mine was beautiful. I miss that car, hard to find one with good history and nicely optioned. Mine had 32 options on the sticker under the hood. Most are around 7 to 12 option codes.
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I think it is interesting tha everyone complains about if they had to replace a 996 engine it would be $12k. Trust me I wouldn't want to have to replace mine. But what do you think it runs to rebuild an air cooled 6 correctly? About the same. Just say n'
This is where the LS1 comment comes in. Lol

I agree. If I still had mine I would pull the engine and install the bearing kit for the intermediate shaft. The kit was not available when I sold the car.

Still driving the snot out of mine. 150k on the car 130k on the engine. Running awesome!
Time for you to get another.

Reeves Porsche in Tampa will do IMS service for $1595. I've previously owned a 2004 996 and my current 2001 996 Turbo. LOVE them both, plus the AC in them blows ice cubes...very helpful when we lived in Houston.

You can do most any repair on a 996 or 986 yourself. Both are developing a very lively DIY and modification following. Sites like 6speedonline.com and 986forum.com have tons of DIY projects on just about everything and they will gladly help you through it...just like the friendly folks here.

Example: I just did a transmission transfer case gasket repair and Tiptronic fluid change on my 996 Turbo myself... in my garage.. with loads of step by step help and advice from 6speedonline members.

Yup, did all my own maintenance. Tip fluid change, lowering springs, sport exhaust mod, plug changes, headers, and other things I don't remember. Still have all the factory manuals for it too (like 14 volumes).

Interesting to see how many of us have or had 986/996 cars. I'm really leaning that way again as a d.d.
I did the sport cat s.s. headers from maxspeed, and a hard ttop . Fun car took 3 long trips on it, one to NYC , pretty comfortable on long drives.

I'm on my second 996 since more than three years, first one sold 4 years ago, both are 1999 C2. I do all the maintenance myself, great cars to work on and so far very reliable. The 1999 have the dual-row IMS which is more reliable than the later single row IMS from my understanding. I also you drive them like a Porsche needs to be driven which means the car sees redline nearly every day. Bought the current one for $16k with 60tsd Miles and now have 87tsd Miles and if I would sell it would have lost maybe $3k in more than 3 years, I think that is OK Started to look for a 996 Turbo, will be the next car if I can find a good one with 6-speed and a few other extras. Overall I think the 996 is a great car for the money and really easy to work on.

No but I already have the chest hair and the. Rolex

So I guess gold chain is next

Let the stones start to be thrown


But why not

If the i m s failed

Why not just put in a 3.2 air cooled

???????????????

There are 70 's 911 s that look like a 993



http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/5312697223.html

Why ? Would you ? Do this ?









So why not a 3.2 or pick your six in a 996

It looks interesting with the 993 front end even though the fit on those parts really suck. More than a few people think that the 996 doesn't look like a real 911 with those Boxster headlights...

The 996 does not have Boxster headlights, it's the other way around. Boxsters have 996 headlights. The 996 was designed first. As a cost savings measure, the Boxster got the 996 front end. The , and a couple 914s. All are uniqueMK2 996 doesn't have the fried egg lights.

I have a 996, a Boxster, a Cayman, and a couple 914s. All have their pluses and minuses.

Don't try an LS swap in CA, nearly impossible to register it.

If you want better info. on the 996, join Rennlist and go to the 996 forum. A lot of great info there. Be prepared, though, a rougher crowd than here. Bring your thick skin.

BTW, the 914 hats I designed seemed to go over well. So, the 996 guys asked me to design one. They go on sale next week. PM me if interested.

I've always been a fan of the 996.2 C4S, great looking car. I would love to have one as a daily driver (or daily park-er in my non-driving case). It would make a great family hauler for car events and stuff. The 914 doesn't work well taking the wife and kid.

BTW the interior looks great with the lower console delete (gives it a more '911' look in my opinion):

I saw your post when I was over on the rennlist and 996 forum, I might have to get one.... you really should go over to the 986forum.com as well. very active boxster community I got a lot of help there when I had mine. -- I the past week several boxsters sold for under $6k, one with a hard top and lots of work done, cosmetically like new!!!! CRAZY?!! have to keep my eyes open - and of course you guys RENEGADE is doing LS conversions on everything, including 996's & 986's. and I think that is the direction I would go rather than a Porsche powerplant.

The 996 seems like a great car. I have yet to drive one. However, the dreaded "IMS" issue always seems to come up in conversation. Part of me goes, "How big of an issue is it really?" the other part of me goes, "Should I ever touch one without it being fixed?"

The pricing is certainly there, though I don't think I'd go for it as an investment, but just so I could drive a modern Porsche. Everything I've owned is older than me in the Porsche world.

The topic of this thread on a 914 forum just oozes irony.

Look at the price of a 996 versus a 993, 964 or 3.2 Carrera.

The issues with the car are VERY real. I replace about three 996 engines per year that scrap themselves over IMS or other issues. IMS used to be the most common reason, but I'm seeing other things now as the cars age, that seem to be even more prevalent.

Rebuilding the 996 engine isn't financially viable. It costs $20k for a good rebuild for a car that will be worth $15k when you're done. Most people choose to buy a used engine and put the car back on the road for $10k.....or just give up and part it out.

Now you really sound like the guys on the 996 forum. This is reason I quit going on it. The IMS is all anyone wants to talk about concerning the 996. Sorry had to say it.

I drove and sold my in laws C4 3.6. Damn fun to drive, even with a Tip, but you kind of got the impression that owning an aging one would be like marrying a woman with a horse addiction: You're going to take it in the wallet for a diminishing amount of fun.

And I mean that in the most positive way.....

Scott, this is stupid cheap

https://nh.craigslist.org/cto/5306752998.html

The question was asked and I was giving my objective observations as the owner of a busy, independent Porsche shop in Florida. I probably sound like "the guys on 996 forum" because I have witnessed the same problems as they pertain the the M96 series.


Look at it like this: I own a Porsche shop. I have opportunities to purchase clean 996s with blown engines for well under $4k. I could repair the car, and have a clean, running 996 for less than $8k total.

I don't own a 996.

Draw your own conclusion.

And, so you know: The last three M96 engines I replaced came in for rough running, but ended up with cracked heads, not IMS failure. You might think you can fix that by replacing the bad cylinder head, but no.

They mostly have very small cracks that have propagated over a long period of time. This tends to result in cylinder scoring on the offending cylinder, and.....that's all she wrote. Full tear-down.

When you say "$20k to fix it", the owner normally says "I paid $16k for the whole car". Yep, I know. Looked like a good deal, didn't it?

......just to move the conversation off of the IMS issue.

Joe,

What else are you seeing?
Is this only the 3.4 motor or is it also the 3.6 motor from2003 onwards?

The primary thing I'm seeing is cheaply built Porsches.


Cracked heads are mostly 3.4. IMS failure is common to all M96 engines, both dual-row and single-row. DO NOT BUY a 2005-2008, as the "updated" bearing can't be replaced without a full teardown. Some 2005s can, but you have to pull the transaxle and flywheel to find out.

I have replaced 3.6 motors, and not the air-cooled kind.

3.4s seem to be the worst of the worst at this moment.

Seems the cost to me would be whatever I pay for a car, plus another 3k on day one to pull the motor and do the IMS bearing, clutch and RMS to get it over with.

I like the 997, but now you are saying some of them cannot be replaced with LN engineerings ceramic bearing?

Even when you pull the motor?

What you said is somewhat true, and yes, the LN bearing cannot be installed in an assembled 2006-2008 engine. Some 2005 engines are excepted, but most are also not available for retrofit without a full teardown.

However:

Cracked heads can't be precluded, and that's a bigger issue du jour.

No tips for me and preferably no Boxters, but I will admit lower price = less risk.

968s are looking better and rarer all the time.

So I guess the boxster should technically be considered the new

Poor man's porscha


As it share the 914 layout

And is equally low resale as 901 s

But I was under the impression that the 911 is always the

Technically superior model as assured by the factory


So does this also apply to the modern boxster

Or is it as up to the task as one of these cheap 996 s




The gap between the two used to be pretty substantial



Is this gap now closing or what

Seems like the safer strategy for buying a 996 or possibly 2005 997 is too ( in no particular order):

1) buy one with a documented factory replacement engine

2) buy one that had the IMS done by Flat 6 Innovations or one of their certified installers

3) buy one with an extended warranty and just drive it

4) buy a roller and put a rebuilt mother with a warranty in it

I have witnessed no discernible difference in quality between a 996 and a 986. Except for the engine's location, they are essentially the same.

As a life-long Porsche enthusiast, if I were offered a new, free Porsche or a free BMW right now, I would take the BMW.

Porsche shops draw in both BMWs and Mercedes as drive-up customers. Having worked on all three, I can say, without hesitation, BMW currently makes the highest quality car.

Sucks.....

1) I have replaced factory replacement engines. They have the "upgraded" bearing that is too large to retrofit without a full teardown.

2) This is the best option to guard against an IMS failure, but cracked heads are the biggest current issue. There is no real guard against cracked heads.

3) This option no longer exists for an M96 car.

4) This option would result in a $25k expenditure for a car that would be worth $15k when you got it running.

...so is it better to just get a 996 turbo or GT3 for the difference in price?

Sounds like it.

1) ok

2) also protects against a variety of MOF's including scored cylinders.
Not seeing cracked heads on Rennlist - just 3.4's or 3.6's too?

3) Aftermarket warranties are available

4) As noted earlier in this thread there are $10K rebuilt engines available with a warranty and I would do the swap myself putting it in the $15-20K range which the car would be worth with a fresh motor and upgraded IMS (leaning toward the LN pressure fed plain bearing)

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Just saying ...

968s are great cars, i have driven one extensively for a while.
Its just not fast and it sounds a bit like a vac cleaner.
Handles well and has been reliable.

My family is a fan of misfit Porsches. My dad loves his '02 Carrera 4, and I have to say its a pretty nice/cheap daily driver. 90% people are surprised when I tell them these can be had for under $20K...

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I just picked up this Boxster for $4,600. It is a great car. But, doesn't have nearly the power of a 996, or the "cool" factor of a 914. I see it as a car to track, use, abuse, and toss when done. Sorta sounds like the historical view of 914s.

That colour though. Yikes.

Option 5) buy it cheap enough to invest 3k on day one to replace the ims bearing, both seals and the clutch . Then you know
Cracked head, get a leak down test done.

Don't forget to replace the water pump. It's water pump debris that settles in pockets in the coolant passages in the heads that creates hot spots and eventually leads to cracks forming.

I just bought a 98 986 with a 3.4.
Yes, 300HP is good!

Ha! Maybe paint some flames down the sides?

Currently am dumping at least what I paid for the car to convert it to a track car. Its debut will be at Chuckwalla Raceway in January.

Between races, it will be my daughter's car to drive to school.

Yep, did a leak down. Numbers came back 2% to 5%, so was very pleased. Gonna leave the IMS bearing alone for now. The car has 160K miles, so if it was gonna fail, it would have failed by now, IMHO.

For the not mechanical inclined ( me)

What exactly does the i m s bearing do

Why and how does it fail

And how did Porsche miss this , and why do they not recall it

After all these years of building the air cooled 6

How did they mess up their 1st water cooled motor , with there whole rep riding on it

That all I need to hear , I'm Much more about the cool

Then the 1/4 mile speed



So , 914 is technically more of a driver's car ???

Is how I'll put it .

^^^ Yes, I would agree that the 914 is more of a "driver's car" than the Boxster. But, Boxsters are plenty fun, and much more "practical."

For a weekend coastal drive, though, the 914 is more fun for me.

As a r a f pilot once put it when asked to give up his hawker hurricane for this new fangled

Untested spitfire




" You will always love the devil you know "


914 is that devil


Handsome devil at that