Shortlived Boxster engines survey

[mikefocke]

Originally Posted by Bobiam

Many will disagree, but I think you did the right thing. There is too great of a likelihood that the car was going to cost you it's full value soon with an IMS failure. Enjoy your ride.

Could it happen, yes. Likely to happen, no. I read 6 forums daily and the number of failures that are showing up is small compared to the number of total M86 engines on the road. So I see little justification for "the sky is falling" language.

Many I see reported are not diagnosed by an expert so we aren't sure what went wrong. And some reports I'm convinced are by people trying to stir up trouble with no real Porsche ownership. Another group are recent purchases with uncertain maintenance histories and a high probability that they were not driven regularly and had just come out of hibernation/storage.

If I were changing the clutch, would I install the LN bearing, yes. I have a Tiptronic car, said more likely to fail by some, but I feel quite comfortable with the odds. You can't maintain against all possible failures or you go broke or paranoid. And if it stops being fun, why own it in the first place.

[Jager]

I have a 2001 Boxster, original 2.7L engine, with 209,000 miles on it. No major problems, normal wear (tires, brakes, battery, wind shield replacement). DRIVE THOSE PORSCHE BOXSTERS!! I believe these cars need to be driven at least 10 minutes/miles, come up to temp so that all the water moisture is out of the oil after start-up... And change that oil regularly!

[Paul]

Had some more time and ambition today:



Some seepage from the RMS but no obvious oil leaks.



Clutch is about a mm above the rivets, would have made it a few more miles.



I guess I need to order the tools necessary to remove the heads next.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by Jager

I have a 2001 Boxster, original 2.7L engine, with 209,000 miles on it. No major problems, normal wear (tires, brakes, battery, wind shield replacement). DRIVE THOSE PORSCHE BOXSTERS!! I believe these cars need to be driven at least 10 minutes/miles, come up to temp so that all the water moisture is out of the oil after start-up... And change that oil regularly!

Oil brand and frequency of oil changes?

[Jager]

Originally Posted by Paul

Oil brand and frequency of oil changes?

Mobile 1, 5w-30w, every 3500 to 4000 miles. I know this is more frequent than recommended but I think clean oil is important. I change and inspect the filter every other oil change. I use ramps, it makes the job quick and easy.

[clickman]

Originally Posted by Jager

Mobile 1, 5w-30w, every 3500 to 4000 miles.

Interesting. I've heard often that 30W is not good in our cars.

[Jager]

Originally Posted by clickman

Interesting. I've heard often that 30W is not good in our cars.

To clarify I use 5w-30 year round.... I live in southern California the temperatures don't get extremly cold or hot.

[Steve Tinker]

The can of worms is about to be opened....209,000 miles on a non Porsche approved oil!!
Jager,
I've not read one thread advocating that viscosity of oil, even in cold climates. I'm not saying its the wrong viscosity (I believe oil flow is probably better than oil pressure, but I'm in a minority).
More details of how long you have owned the car and how long the engine has been fed a diet of 5W30 oil is required.....

[Jager]

Originally Posted by Steve Tinker

The can of worms is about to be opened....209,000 miles on a non Porsche approved oil!!
Jager,
I've not read one thread advocating that viscosity of oil, even in cold climates. I'm not saying its the wrong viscosity (I believe oil flow is probably better than oil pressure, but I'm in a minority).
More details of how long you have owned the car and how long the engine has been fed a diet of 5W30 oil is required.....

Steve Tinker,
I have been using Mobile 1 5W30 since I purchased the vehicle in 2003, it had just under 30,000 miles on it at the time. I'm not advocating anything about oil viscosity (maybe there is something to it?). I think it's the fact that I drive this car every day and the motor runs at least 20 minutes after start-up. Just sharing my maintenance and driving information.

One maintenance item I forgot to list is that I had to change the water pump at~ 204,000 miles, it started making noise and leaking.

Jager

[Frodo]

Originally Posted by Jager

Steve Tinker,

One maintenance item I forgot to list is that I had to change the water pump at~ 204,000 miles, it started making noise and leaking.

Jager

That wasn't the first time the water pump was replaced, was it???

[Jager]

Originally Posted by Frodo

That wasn't the first time the water pump was replaced, was it???

Frodo,
Yes, that was the first time the water pump had been replaced (~204,000 miles). I had to cut the old metal gasket between the collant pump and coolant manifold at the connecting webs before installing the new gasket. For those not familiar with this task, that's the indication of original water pump. I was very impressed that no liquid sealant is used with the new gasket. The new water pump bolted-up easy and most importantly no leaks!

Jager

[Jake Raby]

The can of worms is about to be opened....209,000 miles on a non Porsche approved oil!!

Thats probably the reason for such success. Liquid death is a reality.

[Jager]

Jake,
What's the highest mileage you've seen on a 986?

[Jake Raby]

Being able to buy a Porsche is much different than being able to afford owning the car.
if you don't have the budget to replace an engine or do preventive upgrades, this isn't the car for you.

We see people all the time who have to second mortgage their house or get a line of credit from the bank to afford our engine work and repair procedures. Those people should not have purchased the car. I hate to say that, but its the truth.

[Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Steve Tinker

The can of worms is about to be opened....209,000 miles on a non Porsche approved oil!!
Jager,
I've not read one thread advocating that viscosity of oil, even in cold climates. I'm not saying its the wrong viscosity (I believe oil flow is probably better than oil pressure, but I'm in a minority).
More details of how long you have owned the car and how long the engine has been fed a diet of 5W30 oil is required.....

The Porsche approved viscosities are probably for a wide range of operating conditions particularly aggressive driving. I am going to take a stab here and ask if the 5w-30 fed boxster is ever tracked much?

[Jager]

Originally Posted by Vaughan

The Porsche approved viscosities are probably for a wide range of operating conditions particularly aggressive driving. I am going to take a stab here and ask if the 5w-30 fed boxster is ever tracked much?

I have never taken my Boxster to the track... It's my daily driver. BTW I am putting a new set of tires on it this month.

Jager

[Paul]

Still waiting for the tools to remove the head to arrive, but since I had some time, I drained the oil.




Found no metal or coolant. Oil filter clean of debris.



Flipped the motor upside down in my stand so I could access the IMS. Loosened the tensioners and removed the IMS cover, some oil but the bearing looks good to my untrained eye.

[Paul]

Found some more time today so I removed the cylinder head cover for 4-6. Looks like 10,000 -12,000 mile oil changes with Mobil 1 at least kept the engine clean:



Another blow down check verified all valves are bent since air flows from both the exhaust ports and the intake manifold:



All chains are intact and working:




I'm guessing the gear on the IMS must have slipped 360 degrees. This means a complete tear down is needed.

[globaldriver53]

Originally Posted by Jager

I have never taken my Boxster to the track... It's my daily driver. BTW I am putting a new set of tires on it this month.

Jager

Good day, I'm new here;

I am due for new tires on my 2002 Boxster, I live in Southern Florida (hot year round), don't drive it much (30,000 miles in 9 years!), I don't take it to tracks either, but I do like to "open it up" from time to time, what tires do you recommend? I was looking at the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2.
Also on another subject, just replaced my battery for the second time, the car sits in my garage for weeks at the time, I work oversee, and the OEM batteries keep dying on me, won't recharge, so...I went to Costco and bought one of theirs, has a bit more cranking juice that the OEM, had to tape the vent tube to their venting port since it's oval, but apart from that it seems to work well. I have also ordered from Costco their 12V battery saver/charger/analyser, next time away I will plug it in the cigar lighter and see if it helps keeping the battery charged up. Do you have any experience or comment on that subject?

Thanks and happy driving

[clickman]

Many threads on this forum discuss the benefits of battery maintainers. Not chargers; maintainers.