Hey guys,
Just bought '99 Boxster, 134k. First thing I did was oil change & drop the oil sump. Found a bit of brown plastic in the bottom, pictured...
1. I'm guessing it's likely Variocam pad/shoe wear? Does that sound about right?
2. There's no telling whether that's an accumulation from the last 500 miles or the last 50k, so I have no idea of the rate of decay. The IMS was upgraded to LN 3-4k ago, but previous sump gasketing/surrounding dirt looked much older than that.
3. If it is Vc pads, is this something a moderately competent amateur could do with the engine in the vehicle? I do 80% of the family fleet work myself, but not equipped to drop motors.
I'll have to do a deep dive into the timing chain domain at some point, I understand that. But I don't want to be over-reactionary and go all perfectionist on it. This isn't the space shuttle. Having said that, I certainly do not want, however, to let something go that will -- not might possibly potentially, but will -- cause me more grief and $$ down the road.
Thanks in advance for the input. My first post on this forum... and it feels good to be back in the Porsche business...