2003 Boxster Engine Blew Up
 

Hi Guys, my 2003 Boxster engine blew up and finally failed on me. I am thinking of just selling the car its in mint condition. how much would it go for? Or is it worth getting it fixed for 7,300? How can I tell if the engine my mechanic is buying a good one or not? Thank you all for your help.

Brenda

Brenda,
I went through the same situation and am your neighbor.You have my sympathy but you really need lots of money to fix the problem,not sympathy!
The best solution(mechanically) is a replacement used engine. Financially that is mad because the total cost ($7000) may exceed the value of your car. I can refer you to a few local engine refitting /repairing places if you wish ?
The problem is that these cars have a diminished used value - partially because of the issue you and I have. So expensive repairs are only justified if money is no object.
Your car is what is called a "Roller" there is a market for them -particularly in Los Angeles.Yours is probably an automatic(?) and not an "S" - so it may be worth approx $3000. Try it on Craigs List ?
This may be a good Forum to ask what you should buy to replace your Boxster if you can tell us what you liked/disliked about it.
I hope this helps you.

Depends upon where your head is at. "Rollers" (nice cars with dead engines) tend to sell for near scrap prices, so you have some soul searching to go through.

Good luck.

A nice Boxster with a failed engine is worth $3-$4K.

$7,300 to fix? Huh? I just bought a spare engine for my Spec Boxster race car for $2,850 (75K miles, full engine with intake, accessories, ready to install). Just swap in a used engine and you can be back on the road for less than $4,500 ($3K for replacement engine + $1,500 for the swap and tune/oil).

Can I ask how many miles you had on the car?

My car is manual and has 119k miles and mostly fwy miles. I didn't drive the car for 3 years because I was out of the country. I agree with most of you, i am so conflicted because I love the car. It truly is in exceptional condition. The seats looks like their new. New tires, new breaks :( and sucks my mechanic didn't tell me about the IMS last month when I took it for service.

I guess its fair to say that I can ask for 3k for the shell if I decide not to repair it?

Is the car an S, or a Base? if its an S, I have a buyer for it.

Jake, Its a base not an S. :(

Can you please refer me to a person I can buy an engine from? How do i know if its a good engine or not? And are they local as in in LA? and will there be warranty?

Hello, Brenda.

Sorry to hear about your motor. I good 2003 Box with a dead motor might be worth about $4K here in NorCal.

If you call around in SoCal, you can probably find a repair shop that has an engine test stand. Then, the used engine can be turned while cold, no ignition, for compression tests. The condition of the cams, chains and lifters will also be apparent from the sound they make. If it passes, chances are the motor is good.

Cheers,

Dave

Watch a used engine like a hawk!!

Here's an article for you... This one originated right here on 986 forum!Buyer Beware: Used "Low Mileage" engine nightmare

Call up LA Dismantlers and see if they have one. A running non-s motor is only like $3-4K tops.

This is right in the neighborhood of the quotes I have received.
I never think of cars as investments, so I would probably drop a nice used engine in it (doing the IMS upgrade at the same time) and keep going. It's better than going out and buying another used car that you know nothing about. ;)
Unless of course you want to use it as a "good time" to move on to a newer or different model. Honestly it's a tough call.

What are the circumstances surrounding the engine failure? You sure your mechanic is telling you the truth about the IMS failing?

@boxtaboy - my car started smoking in the middle of the fwy and then totally stopped and i couldn't start it anymore after that. The car was towed to the nearest AAA approved mechanic. Yes, I am just trusting what my mechanic is saying. He found a used engine that is apparently only 50k that I don't know if I believe. I am definitely not a car person, but i just love the car i just dont know if i want to spend that much again and not sure if it will last me more than a year. :(

Sorry to hear. That blows.

If you put a positive spin on it, you can upgrade to a 911 motor or even a non porsche engine.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

David

So, I was thinking that same frame of thinking - i have a 2003 boxster - can i put a 911 engine on it? maybe a2009 or higher or is there a limit to what engine will fit on a 2003 boxster. how do i find that out?

Because the later cars are DFI, the entire fuel system, not to mention the electronics, are totally different, so you really do not want to attempt that as it would quickly become a one-off money pit. You would want to stay with an 03-04 engine.

This sounds more like a AOS failure doesn't it??? There is no mention of horrendous engine noises, and this is AAA mech and not Porsche. Any thoughts out there?

You'd know if your engine blew up. Doesn't sound like it to me.

Get it checked out, it might be repairable for a fraction of what you'd think it would cost.

Good source of diagnostic :
Tony @ Callas Rennsport in Torrance.
Close to Venice and probably the best M96 engine expert west of the Rockies.
I PM'd you a local used engine for $1800.

I also wonder if it was a catastrophic failure or the Air Oil Seperator (AOS). A porsche experienced mechanic needs to look at that engine.

Take out the spark plugs

Something missing? That will certainly stop the AOS from smoking but may not solve the problem :-).

Like the guys said here, it sounds like it could instead just be an AOS failure (air/oil separator). I'd get a PORSCHE mechanic to take a look at it, because your engine might not be toast.

Just as a note - there was a lot of OIL leaking from the car. I will get it towed to a Porsche mechanic. Thank you all for the help!!!

I was thinking aos failure as well. And that will cost your around $500. Take it to a Porsche specialist!

Sorry guys, but that doesn't sound like an AOS problem.

Regards, Markus

Unless it inhaled liquid oil and hydro locked...........

Ask the mechanic if he found metal in the filter and oil sump. If it's free of debris, then the failure may not be catastrophic. If there's hope, take it to a top notch Porsche mechanic and spend an hour or two in labor for a deeper look. As someone said, an AOS failure can look terrible as smoke pours out of the exhaust. Maybe you'll just get lucky.

Hmmm... I hope it's something like that instead of an IMS failure. What I've heard about AOS issues is that they can cause serious smoking, oil dumping, and potential hydro lock.
The AAA guy might be excellent, but these cars have so many odd quirks about them that a good examination by a specialist Porsche indy shop is really necessary before you proceed. Best of luck!

I respectfully disagree, Markus. :)

Personal experience here: Mom's '06 987 base started doing a Batmobile impersonation (smokescreen) on a country road, and she immediately pulled over/stopped once she saw that. The car wouldn't restart or turn over after she had shut it down (she did listen to dad on not ignoring things).

Turns out, yes, the AOS went. Oil out the exhaust, and in parts of the engine bay. A new AOS, spark plugs, cleaned MAF/TB/intake, oil change and it's been running awesome since November when it was repaired.

I'm no expert, but if I were you I would have it towed to a Porsche mechanic to determine if you had an IMS failure or if it was the AOS. As others have mentioned, an AOS failure will cause a bunch of smoke, the engine will die (and most likely not restart), and can cause oil to drip out of a bunch of places. That AAA mechanic might not know these engines and could misdiagnose this as an IMS failure (because hey, he read about the IMS problems on the internet, so that has to be what happened!) If it turns out to be the AOS, get that fixed by a Porsche mechanic and then think about having the IMS done.

Hi,

OK - after some thinking. It may not restart directly after an AOS failure if the engine is hot and the engine has sucked in a huge amount of engine oil. But to get hydro locked, the amount of engine oil really has to be huge

Also if the AOS failed the engine would run rough at idle, because there is a leak in the negative pressure system of the engine case. And if cold it would start maybe badly.

So an easy test would be first to inspect the throttle body. If you find lots of oil in the throttle body that may lead to an failed AOS. Throttle body should be cleaned. Next would be to inspect the AOS (the AOS separates engine oil from intake air) and replace it.

You've said that the car has stand for some years. So maybe the diaphragm of the AOS decomposed while the car was not used for a long time (hope decomposed is the right english term).

Next would be to remove the coil packs and sparks. All sparks should look oily and burned and have a crust. If it's only one spark that looks oily or all sparks of one cylinder bank look oily and the rest looks OK, than it's not a simple AOS problem.

If all sparks look oily and crusted the engine should be turned over without sparks for 30-60 secs so the oil gets out of the cylinders. For a test you can try to clean the sparks with a copper brush – maybe it's better to replace them. Electrode distance should also be checked.

If you have the tools, i would do a compression test at this point (when spark plugs are out) - just to make shure every cylinder works properly.

Than i would drain the oil and check the oil filter. If you find fine metal debree or plastic parts in the oil filter (you have to cut it and roll it out), than there might be another problem.

If there is nothing conspicuous, put a new oil filter in fill up the oil and start the engine. It should run and i would say happy boxstering.

If you find a lot of fine metal debree or plastic parts in the oil filter (you have to cut it and roll it out), than there might be another problem.

In that case there is more than a failed AOS, so you should remove the oil pan and inspect for more debree. If there is more, you have to look where it's coming from. A failed IMS bearing can be the cause for it.

As you can see there are some steps to do to diagnose the reason for the failing. That can't be done in 10 or 15 minutes. So a mechanic will need some time to do it properly. And if it's a failed AOS the amount of money you have to throw into the car is much less than you have to throw in for a new engine. So i would recommend to diagnose everything very properly before doing any investment.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

Regards from Germany
Markus

Brenda, you need a qualified independent Porsche specialist - both to diagnose the issue and to do the repair - whether it is fixing the engine you have or locating a suitable used engine and putting it in for you. And if the engine does need replacing and you decide not to do that, they may be able to assist you with selling the roller for the best price. Good luck and let us know what happens.

If the car is at your place, some of the locals here could see if your AOS has failed, it's not too dificult to determine (by removing the intake plennum) and you may only need a new set of plugs and a new AOS.

Please let us know if we can help!

Regards

I am getting it towed to a Porsche specialist next week. Everyone have been a big help, you all are giving me hope and i hope its not as bad. I will update everyone after the true diagnosis just in case someone else has the same issue in the future!

This is an awesome forum! I truly learned a lot!

"I am getting it towed to a Porsche specialist next week"
If you let us know the name of your "Porsche Specialist" , the guys here will let you know if he deserves the title.
The are lots of places that service & repair Porsches. Very few would qualify as both honest & competent M96 experts.M96 is the tech name for the engine your car has. It is significantly different from many other Porsche engines. And it is quirky -hence the need for an M96 specialist ,not just a Porsche specialist.

I'd spend some money on the flatbed to Tony as suggested above. You want someone who really understands the guts of the engine advising you. Tony does.

I'd second what mikefocke said... flatbed it to Tony @ Callas Rennsport. If you are that close you'd be crazy to pass up his expertise...