Go Back   986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners > Porsche Boxster & Cayman Forums > Boxster General Discussions

 
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
Old 06-23-2012, 03:35 PM   #20
Registered User
 
husker boxster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Omaha
Posts: 2,936
Quote:
Originally Posted by LightngSVT View Post
So M96 is the better engine to have? I thought I had heard 911 guys talking about the M97 being more reliable? So the M96 can be upgraded to prevent the IMS failure where as the M97 you just have to cross your fingers and hope you have a good one?
You've answered your own question. You have to decide what "better" means for you. The M96 can have the IMS replaced for $2K. The M97 design is much better from the factory but not infallible. To change the IMS on an M97, the engine needs to be removed and the case split in half. Very expensive, so most M97 owners don't do it. The IMS failure rate is significantly less on an M97 engine, but that's based on owners reporting to forums like this one and Planet-9. No one knows the actual numbers besides Porsche.

Planet-9 has more 987 owners than here and there's way less chatter about IMS on that forum. Lots of M96 failures reported here. I own two M97 engined vehicles and while I'd like to upgrade the IMS, I'm not going to spend that kind of coin. I still sleep well at night.

Don't obsess over this issue in your search. If you buy an M96, assume another $2K on an IMS upgrade. If you purchase an M97, check the oil change intervals of the previous owner and go from there (more frequent changes are believed to be better for IMS longevity). 5-8K mi or once a yr is considered ideal.
__________________
GPRPCA Chief Driving Instructor
2008 Boxster S Limited Edition #005
2008 Cayman S Sport - Signal Green
1989 928 S4 5 spd - black
husker boxster is offline   Reply With Quote
 



Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -8. The time now is 05:30 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2025 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page