Shortlived Boxster engines survey

[BoxsterSteve]

Originally Posted by Ninety9 986

I'm a new owner of a 99 base 986, 39k miles with tiptronic. It was a garage queen that wasn't very well maintained (or driven enough). She developed a RMS leak after my first track day, so I decided to bite the bullet and do the LN IMS upgrade. After removing the seal from the old bearing and draining out the oil, it looks like I dodged a bullet.

You got lucky. Mine looked just like that when it got swapped out.
Now go and drive the %!$$ out of it.

[upfront559]

I am new this forum I am looking into replacing with a Ruby engine, or just buy a new or used car. Hard to put that kind of money into such an old chassis. I am really torn as the car is in fantastic shape.

[blib]

05, 50,000 miles, IMS failure 300 yards from home last May. I paid a local specialist $6000, to repair! He didn'teven.drag a magnet to try to get debris out.of crankcase. It currently being disassembled in my garage to see if it can be salvaged. My Porsche dealer told me there was no reason to beleive the bearing would fail!

[san rensho]

Originally Posted by upfront559

I am new this forum I am looking into replacing with a Ruby engine, or just buy a new or used car. Hard to put that kind of money into such an old chassis. I am really torn as the car is in fantastic shape.

For the cost of a Porsche engine or Raby rebuild, $15-20k, you can buy a very nice 2002-2005 used Box. Put in a new IMSB and you are set.

[hornet]

Originally Posted by blib

05, 50,000 miles, IMS failure 300 yards from home last May. I paid a local specialist $6000, to repair! He didn'teven.drag a magnet to try to get debris out.of crankcase. It currently being disassembled in my garage to see if it can be salvaged. My Porsche dealer told me there was no reason to beleive the bearing would fail!

Hi stumbled across this forum whilst looking for a solution to a sticking steering wheel and found the answer I needed. Then starting reading the comments on IMS etc. I shouldn't be surprised that the IMS issue is the same the world over.

I have just bought a 3.2S Boxster from a company called Hartech in the UK after they rebuilt the engine after an IMS failure. The guys at Hartech are real experts (probably the best known in the UK) on these engines and if you look at their web site there is a wealth of information on possible causes for IMS failures / bore scoring etc along with some good advice. However although I am no expert it seems that the number of failures is relatively small but gains such prominence due to the high cost of repairs. How many high performance cars wouldn't suffer some form of problem after 10-15 years.

Great site, I will be a regular visitor.

[twistinglane]

In my search for the right box...

I had started to think that 2000, early 2001 3.2 engine might be a sweet spot for performance plus lower failure risk. They have double row IMS bearing.(I'd do the LN upgrade). And Pelican article and I think another source, suggested low risk of cylinder failure - walls thicker than others I think.
Pelican Technical Article: Common Boxster Engine Problems and Failures - 986 / 987

But posts here indicate some fatal cylinder failures. Can any smart folks provide insight about risks for the early 3.2 - and particularly cylinder cracking or slipping? Does it make sense to prefer this one?

Thanks from newbe trying to understand this stuff!!

[Steve Tinker]

twist....
The early 3.2 S models seem to be one of the better bets, but because these cars are now between 12 and 14 years old, they can be subject to many problems depending on their past owners or service life.
If you like a little interesting reading go to Porsche servicing, repairs, engine rebuilds, reconditioned wishbones and cars for sale - near Bolton, North West England. and look under Buyers Guide. Barry Hart (Hartech guru owner) is the UK equivalent to Jake Raby's Flat6 outfit in expertese regarding the Porsche M96 engines.
Hope this helps in your decision.....

[lightisright]

You can add mine who blew up his engine just now. It's a 1998 2.5 Boxster with 110'000 miles...

[SeanZ4]

A '98 with 110k. "How" did it blow up?

[lightisright]

Just like that:

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/49172-there-you-go-catastrophic-engine-failure.html

[SeanZ4]

Ouch! got it. Yeah.. I have seen that before. Sorry, that's a bag of downers.

[jetspanner]

Hi all , Im new into Porsche and new into the forum so pls forgive me if I repeat issues , I went briefly through the forum and I picked up some frightening words like : engine catastrophic destruction , boom etc. I just got a 2002 Boxster with 95000km (60000 miles) on the clock , runs beautifully BUT should I expect mega probs ? Is the 2.7 prone to same issues as the 2.5 ? are there any preventative measures I can take ?? thanks a lot .

[Steve Tinker]

Jet.....
Read as much as you can digest, especially the sticky "Thinking of buying a Boxster - MUST READ".
A lot of the problems are real, but you must treat each car as an individual item, depending on age, service records and how it has been treated throughout its life.

At 95,000 km, some of the "small" problems should have been addressed, such as brake discs, window regulators, ignition switch, coolant pump & tank and suspension rods / arms. A lot of these items seem to need replacing at about 80,000-100,000 km, so be prepared to spend about $2,000 per year in general maintenance costs.
The 2.7 engine is very robust, service as per the book (or sooner), treat it with respect and it will give you good service.

[jetspanner]

hey thanks a lot for the feed back , the car has been lovingly maintained (bought it from a friend - so I knew the car) I generally do my own maintenance but never worked on Porsches before . Just got Maintenenace manual CD so I will start doing some digging .
My stable also includes a 1993 Ducati SS , BMW 1150RT and recently a F800GS.

[Steve Tinker]

Can I suggest "101 Projects for your Porsche Boxster" by Wayne Dempsey. Its a great read and goes through a lot of projects that range from easy to difficult + routine maintenance too.
Use the search function for peoples responses and log onto Pelican Parts where you can buy it.

If you have any problems just post them in General Discussions or Performance & technical chat - theres some very knowledgable people here.

Nice bike stable - I've just sold my last two bikes, an MV Agusta and Honda SP1, mores the pity....

[jetspanner]

Hi Steve , thanks for taking the time to reply to me , I had a look in 101 Projects for your Porsche Boxster , looks very interesting and I will definitely go for it .

[cvhs18472]

I am a simple landscaper who has loved cars his whole life. I had a 64 MGB , all worked over, for about 15 years with 286K on it. I finally bit the bullet, sold the B and bought a 98 Boxster about 10 years ago. I did all required maintenance on it and more, and all I got were overheating problems, check engine lights, top problems, suspension problems. I finally got tired , sold it and bought a 72 B. I've had it for 4 years now and have had zero problems. Granted it is not a Porsche but neither is it a nagging thought in the back of your mind. The only Porsche I would buy is a 356 and they are now no where near my fun budget, so MG's it is. Not as fast but as much fun or more. Ed

[Rob175]

I wonder what percentage of Boxsters NEVER experience an IMS failure? Even if hundreds have experienced failure that might only be a very small percentage......just curious.

[Bobiam]

Originally Posted by Rob175

I wonder what percentage of Boxsters NEVER experience an IMS failure? Even if hundreds have experienced failure that might only be a very small percentage......just curious.

I attended a half day program on this subject by a very experienced Porsche aftermarket mechanic in CT last year. Double row bearings some engines (see class action suit to determine which you are) will likely give you a minute or so notice as the first half of the bearing falls apart and makes a racket with the second half keeping the alignment of the shaft in tact. Single row bearings will fail almost instantly, so when you hear it, it could already be too late to save it.

All of these sealed bearings will fail eventually!!! It's a matter of when. And the "when" is a mystery, but over 50,000+ miles makes it more likely. He also said that this is the only application of a sealed bearing inside an engine that he has EVER encountered on any engine anywhere. Thanks, Porsche engineers!!!

[BugsFerBrains]

The '04 Boxster Spyder I just purchased came thru the PPI with flying colors, boosted by the fact that a new engine was installed by a Porsche dealership in June 2012. The reason for the new engine was a catastrophic IMS Bearing issue at 36,085 miles.
I recently read that all engine replacements after 2006 had the IMS issue addressed and therefore should be a non-issue going forward.
I've been able to acquire the service records of this work and it reads 'replaced with a remanufactured.'
But, in the back of my mind, this issue is still wearing on me a tad.
What do you guys think?
Any and all input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.