Hi all looking to purchase a Cayman, not bothered if it's the 2.7 or 3.4 but have heard the engines can suffer form wear at low miles, looking for advise was looking at 2007 models with 40000-50000 miles on the clock what should I be looking out for when inspecting and looking over the vehicle
Cayman engine faults
- Thread starter Spudtait
- Start date
AndrewT
Member
Hopefully someone who knows the facts will post some useful information for you, in the meantime if you search the web for the keywords 'bore scoring' and 'IMS bearing' you may be able to find out which engines can be affected by those problems.
For a couple of hundred pounds you can get a Porsche 111 point check done at a nearby Porsche Centre.
You may find the Hartech Porsche buyers guide helpful [link=http://www.hartech.org/porsche_996_997_Boxster_free_car_buyers_guide.html]http://www.hartech.org/po..._car_buyers_guide.html[/link]
For a couple of hundred pounds you can get a Porsche 111 point check done at a nearby Porsche Centre.
You may find the Hartech Porsche buyers guide helpful [link=http://www.hartech.org/porsche_996_997_Boxster_free_car_buyers_guide.html]http://www.hartech.org/po..._car_buyers_guide.html[/link]
The Gen 1 987 Cayman had a reputation for two main faults but they are often overstated due to repetition on the internet, in reality it's thought that probably less than 5% suffered these faults.
Understand that the Cayman is not the only engine fitted with these items, there is the Boxster which had a variety of IMS and RMS from it's introduction in 1996 until 2008MY as did the equivalent 911 otherwise known as the 996 and 997Gen1.
In the case of bore scoring it is thought to have been caused by people loadinght engine at too low an engine speed, in part this is due to the fact that at low revs the oil pump is also running slowly and so doe snot generate sufficient pressure and since the bore jets do not spray oil into the lower bores until the pressure is above 1.8Bar and the pump probably only gets to 2 - 2.5 Bar at around 2,000rpm you can see that the bores can suffer from no lubrication at low speeds. Some say that there are hot spots in the engine due to differences in the cooling flow, this will just be made worse by lack of oil in the bores. The engine can be borescope inspected to confirm it is in a good state of health.
In the case of the IMS Bearing, it is a grease packed unit running half crankshaft speed, unfortunately if the bearing fails it will probably wreck the engine since the Shaft drives the timing chains to the cylinder heads and most say that if they need to change the clutch then it is as well to replace the IMS bearing for one of the upgraded items and probably fit a new RMS since both require engine removal as does a clutch.
I have run a 2007MY Cayman S for almost 89,000miles and drove it to keep the RPM above 2,000RPM wherever possible and regularly exercised throughout the rev range, oil usage was minimal. It is normal for the technicians to inspect the oil filter after a service to check for metallic particles aluminium indicates piston/bore wear while steel is shafts and bearings. During the nearly 89,000 mile I covered in my Gen1 CS I had neither the IMS,RMS or clutch replaced and had driven the car long distances at autobahn speeds and town driving both in the UK and mainland Europe.
Understand that the Cayman is not the only engine fitted with these items, there is the Boxster which had a variety of IMS and RMS from it's introduction in 1996 until 2008MY as did the equivalent 911 otherwise known as the 996 and 997Gen1.
In the case of bore scoring it is thought to have been caused by people loadinght engine at too low an engine speed, in part this is due to the fact that at low revs the oil pump is also running slowly and so doe snot generate sufficient pressure and since the bore jets do not spray oil into the lower bores until the pressure is above 1.8Bar and the pump probably only gets to 2 - 2.5 Bar at around 2,000rpm you can see that the bores can suffer from no lubrication at low speeds. Some say that there are hot spots in the engine due to differences in the cooling flow, this will just be made worse by lack of oil in the bores. The engine can be borescope inspected to confirm it is in a good state of health.
In the case of the IMS Bearing, it is a grease packed unit running half crankshaft speed, unfortunately if the bearing fails it will probably wreck the engine since the Shaft drives the timing chains to the cylinder heads and most say that if they need to change the clutch then it is as well to replace the IMS bearing for one of the upgraded items and probably fit a new RMS since both require engine removal as does a clutch.
I have run a 2007MY Cayman S for almost 89,000miles and drove it to keep the RPM above 2,000RPM wherever possible and regularly exercised throughout the rev range, oil usage was minimal. It is normal for the technicians to inspect the oil filter after a service to check for metallic particles aluminium indicates piston/bore wear while steel is shafts and bearings. During the nearly 89,000 mile I covered in my Gen1 CS I had neither the IMS,RMS or clutch replaced and had driven the car long distances at autobahn speeds and town driving both in the UK and mainland Europe.
MJB
New member
Spudtait said:
As is usual on the internet those with nothing to report don't report it, leading to a distortion in online comment. For instance and in respect of another make, only the other day someone was telling me that 'the internet is full of people complaining about broken door handles'. I had to point out that it was because those who had not broken theirs through rough treatment did not feel the need to mention it!
A friend who repaired cars for a hobby would pick up cars with engine problems at auction and rebuild them, amongst the cars he repaired and then drove until the next project was ready for the road were a Subaru apparently the main bearings couldn't take the load and it was a common failure, he often drove Alfa Romeo almost new... but mention one Porsche has had a problem and .....
Obviously, if the car which has the fault is yours it's expensive and there was one guy on here about a week ago with oil and soot all over the back of his car which sounds like chronic bore scoring but another cause of smoke is the air/oil separator which has a membrane and can fail which would be disconcerting to say the least.
Read the thread Cayman Engine Change
Obviously, if the car which has the fault is yours it's expensive and there was one guy on here about a week ago with oil and soot all over the back of his car which sounds like chronic bore scoring but another cause of smoke is the air/oil separator which has a membrane and can fail which would be disconcerting to say the least.
Read the thread Cayman Engine Change
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