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996 Engine Failure

I saw it when it first started. I told Berny about the Boxster survey on a US 996 board and that is how he found the PCGB board.

Nothing new in the Boxster RMS thread. I have been Boxstering for almost 6 years and the RMS issue was old news when I started. And every year over the years somone will say their Porsche dealer claimed the issue has been fixed, or there is some new super duper seal that just came out. But when you ask for the part number it is the same seal that has been in production for over 4 years. Kills bugs fast is more like gets old fast.

I can't wait until I get the parts list for the 987 to see if there is a new style seal. My mechanic friend at my local dealer went to 997 training a few months ago and said the 997 engine had what looked like a Cayenne oil seal. I then checked the 997 and Cayenne parts list, and he is correct. Will be interesting to see if there is similar change to the 987.
 
Jeff, there is also a new RMS seal that has apparently only become available in the last two months or so.
My OPC fitted this at my last RMS fitting....alas it still leaked but strangely it has stopped leaking all of a sudden. Weird!
The new seal has some ribs on it like the IMS flange. It also has a built in spring which apparently tensions as
the engine load demands. Same part number though.

Well, this morning I took my baby down to my independant Tech9 to have the gearbox ripped out and inspected in the hope they can fix it by stealing the bits it requires from a stack of other broken gearboxes they have. If they don't have the part
then I will be up for a replacement. Fingers crossed. Tech9 are an incredible bunch of talented guys. I trust them implicitly
from work on this and my previous Porkers.

One thing of interest is that only last night I found this website: http://www.am-tc.be/porsche.shtml
I emailed them and got a reply immediatly. They charge £1900 for an exchange gearbox with 2 year warranty including delivery and pick up of your old gearbox. If the replacement fails in warranty they will pick up the tab for pickup/delivery of a replacement. Tech9 charge about £300 to retrofit a gearbox. So it's not a bad deal.

Oh and while at Tech9, they were carting away yet another blown 996 engine. Alan said it's a common sight!!!
The bad news is that my wife was with me when he told me this. She has now gone into "sell the bloody thing Berny" mode. But then how do you sell a Porsche 996 with a knackered engine and gearbox. Alan said I should never ever have sold my 964......my wife said I should never have got into Porsche in the first place.....I don't think she will allow me to even go back to a 964 either! Woe is me [:(]
 
I am not buying the new seal story until I see it with my own eyes or it has a different part number. The seal that came out in 2000 and as far as I know is the only seal available has a spring. Plus, Porsche would change the part number. But I will check it out since I work near our dealer.

That is an interesting link for the transmission. What language is it so I can use a translator.

I have never liked the fact Porsche does not sell internal parts for the 6 speed, but force you to buy a new or rebuilt. There is a guy on rennlist who had a bad bearing, but he could not buy the part from Porsche. He found the company that made the bearing but the company would not sell it to him because Porsche had pre purchased all the bearings. I heard Porsche did something like this with Michelin for the 997. In the US we like to buy tires from the TireRack as they are just a few dollars above cost. To get a 997 Mitchelin tire from TireRack they ask for your VIN and if it is on a list they cannot sell it to you. You are told you have to buy the tire from Porsche for 3 times the price. It is said that Porsche has some kind of exclusive deal with Mitchelin.

At my dealer the bad engines are put in a box and put in an area that the customers cannot see. I have been back there because I know the parts guy - next time I will bring my camera. Then they are sent back to Germany to find out what went wrong so improvements can be made. The M96 motor went into production in 1996 and I guess Porsche still has not figured it out. I think it is just a nice story. I think they really toss them off the boat and into the ocean.



 

ORIGINAL: Scouser

......my wife said I should never have got into Porsche in the first place.....I don't think she will allow me to even go back to a 964 either! Woe is me [:(]
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You could have gone down the Italian prancing horse route and spent a shed load more!!

Regards,

Neil Eldred
 
Thanks to some serious effort by some of us. I believe that bbc TOP GEAR is doing a slot on the realiablity of Porsche this weekend 5th December. This will be part of a wider exposure.

I encourage those of us with genuine problems with either the car or the customer service to write into

http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/haveyoursay/index.shtml



 

I believe that bbc TOP GEAR is doing a slot on the realiablity of Porsche this weekend 5th December
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This worries the hell out of me - this could destroy residuals for 996s (remember what happened to Lancia in this country). Surely we need to be dealing robustly with Porsche, but keeping it way out of the press
 

RESIDUALS BE B_________D !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unless everyone with a Porsche likely to be affected( or has been affected ) with an RMS problem, is ENTIRELY happy with what Porsche have done about this problem ( as state of affairs I VERY much doubt exists !!), then the very best and most effective thing we can do is to throw, and to continue to throw, the harsh light of adverse publicity at Porsche until such time as they are MADE to remedy this situation to the satisfaction of those who are affected by it. NOTHING ELSE WILL POSSIBLY WORK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you think there are viable alternatives, then you are deluding yourself, and, worse still, by so doing you are also deluding others !!!!!!!!
SGLB
 
This worries the hell out of me - this could destroy residuals for 996s (remember what happened to Lancia in this country). Surely we need to be dealing robustly with Porsche, but keeping it way out of the press
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I think the damage could already be done - we do need facts and it seem that people are not telling us what % of cars have problems.

They was a 996 engine out side the parts department in JCT Leeds on Thursday !!
 
An engine! - I was at the Wilmslow Porsche Centre today and there are SEVEN engines on pallets outside the parts department!
Graham
 

ORIGINAL: garyandjanet

we do need facts and it seem that people are not telling us what % of cars have problems.
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Which is why the club are doing a survey. I still have a strong suspicion that this whole thing could be the internet equivalent of an urban myth - and while the Lydon Brown's of the world may not have to worry about residuals and will do their pit bull terrier impersonation when ever anyone crosses them - some of us have a considerable investment in our cars and would like to get something back when we come to trade them in. Let's try and be thoughtful about this.
Click to expand...
 

ORIGINAL: n4das

Thanks to some serious effort by some of us. I believe that bbc TOP GEAR is doing a slot on the realiablity of Porsche this weekend 5th December. This will be part of a wider exposure.

I encourage those of us with genuine problems with either the car or the customer service to write into

http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/haveyoursay/index.shtml



Obviously you had the same mole that MR T Blair had on the Iraq WMD! [:D]
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ORIGINAL: graham m

An engine! - I was at the Wilmslow Porsche Centre today and there are SEVEN engines on pallets outside the parts department!
Graham
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I was told the content of the article on top gear but was a little dissapointed when i saw it, I have to say.
Well I am told there will be a follow up on the matter.
[;)]

I also have to say this whole issue is not some witch hunt against Porsche. As I told the guys at my OPC, I will continue to buy Porsches in the future but they really do need to change their attitude towards their customers.

This is all the more important for those of us who, unlike me, can not afford the financial cost of litigation nor the cost of a replacement car.

I have now been waiting for in excess of 6months while Porsche try to dig themselves out of a hole that they need not have got themselves in.

As for the values of our cars, I have never been under any delusion that cars are in any way asserts. For those who have been seduced by the hype, may i suggest a colleague of mine who will be more than happy to prescribe the desired medication...[:D]






 

ORIGINAL: graham m

An engine! - I was at the Wilmslow Porsche Centre today and there are SEVEN engines on pallets outside the parts department!
Graham
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Last time I was there a few weeks back I saw 23 of them. Yes I said 23. All on pallets and all blown up.

BTW: this subject is now hotting up on rennlist if anyone is interested.

Nic, any news on the 996 survey?
 

Hi there, my first time on the forum but long time Porsche owner and club subscriber. I am writting as I have a very relevent interest on this subject being that my 996 has just suffered engine failure. My 996 is a 2002 (August 20th) 3.6l C2 Cabriolet Manual. It has covered just 28k and has never been tracked or trashed!
After failure occured the car was recovered to the closest Porsche Dealer and was later diagnosed with requiring a new engine, due to the failure of a bearing on the intermediary shaft resulting in debree being left throughout the engine.
I managed to have an off the record chat with a senior service technican at another OPC who would say no more than 'this is not uncommon on this type of engine'. However this is far more than anyone else will say to me at my local OPC...
The manufactures warranty has run out by only some three and a half months but from what I have read on this forum it seems quite unlikely that I can expect it to be covered by a goodwill gesture from Porsche. Like to everyone else they have suggested the bill could be well over 12k!!
If anyone else has any information or suggestions as to how I should proceed from this point at this early stage, please let me know. My number for anyone if they wish to call me is 07769 678526 or post a response on this forum. Is engine failure normally limited to early cars i.e. 3.4l or is it apparent with the later 3.6l ones also??
Regards,
Daniel.
 
Hi Daniel,

Very sorry to hear about your engine. And I'm sure you will be receiving lots of valuable advice shortly as to how best to deal with the situation. I hope it all turns out ok for you....
Can I ask one question though, which may be helpful to others....did you have an RMS leak at anytime before the engine died or not, as I wanted to know if non RMS leaking engines were prone to death as well.

Again, best of luck Daniel.
 
Daniel, that's terrible news. So sorry to hear this from yet another 996 blowing up.
My guess is you will be treated much like myself. I too am a lomg time Porsche owner but it doesn't seem to hold well
with Porsche UK.

What I would do next is to contact Reading directly, bypassing your OPC. I would write them a letter (have it signed for).
Explain your history and predicament and beg that they consider replacing the engine free of charge due it it being a low
mileage and young car and it has been fully serviced by the dealership (I presume that is the case). Explain to them that
you are a PCGB member and that you are aware of several other member's car's engines failing. Explain to them how concerned
you are about this. My bet is that they "will" offer you a 50% good-will offer but I am yet to learn of anyone getting a new
engine free outside of warranty.

Porsche have two prolems: The mechanical reliability of these engines/gearboxes and their attitude towards their loyal customers
when it comes to things like this. They are biting the hand that feeds them.


Best of luck with it my friend.
Cheers,
 
Rodney,
Re RMS:
It's not clear if the RMS leads to engine failure. I guess only Porsche could tell us that.
If the Rear Main Crankshaft Bearing (the bearing that the Rear Main Seal protects) should fail
then that could lead to engine grenading. In most cases the seal fails because temperature changes
in the alloy block cause it to warp (especialy when the engine is cooling) or the two halfs of the engine block
(held together with bolts) become misaligned. If the block warps by even a thou of an inch the crank bore
ovals and so the seal leaks. IMHO, every 996 engine will suffer an RMS problem in the life of the car.
It's a latent defect that is imminent. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when it will fail. As these cars age we
will see this problem more and more.
 

Hi all again, I have just had a further thought as to my scenario. Surely the problem being described by my OPC that has occured must be an inherent manufacturing fault? Being that a non servicable item on a car just over 2 yrs old has completely failed cannot be due to miss use (it is'nt) or bad luck??
If so this issue could be a time bomb waiting to go off on all cars equipped with the same internall bearing???
How on earth could Porsche say that this is not something they are liable to rectify? (Although im sure they will!)
Im not trying to give other owners sleepless nights but it could be an issue.
I welcome any replys...

Dan
 
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