Boxster 986 particles in oil filter

[DaveBBOXSTER]

Originally Posted by Homeoboxter

You may wanna reread my comment #11. The actuator is operated by oil pressure, not by the solenoid, the solenoid operates a valve only that channels oil flow to the piston that advances the timing of the intake camshaft. If the solenoid is faulty, probably the ECU will see that and may trigger the check engine light. I`m just guessing here. If the actuator is not working because it can`t hold the pressure, then you won`t have cam advancement, but your engine is not in danger, not like when timing gets messed up. Just it won`t perform as it should at a certain rpm range. The seals are there to hold the pressure, not for stopping engine oil getting into the actuator. I agree, pulling the sump is probably a good idea to clean the rest of the debris off the oil pickup strainer.

Yes, Thanks - I did read the point about the actuators working on oil pressure not sure if the unit is sealed or taking engine oil to operated I guess it is? I took the car out yesterday for a 20 mile test run and it ran impressively; quick revs response and power and just seemed about right (according to my previous experience of how it drives) I was cautious at first as I don't want to ruin my engine but overall it was good. I saw an ad for the full kit of new timing chains, cylinders and tensioners online for $3,500 that is a very expensive set of parts to replace!

[DaveBBOXSTER]

Found this link with drawings of the entire Porsche variocam system and how it works;

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/557016-how-variocam-and-variocamplus-works-a-primer.html

[Homeoboxter]

Originally Posted by DaveBBOXSTER

Found this link with drawings of the entire Porsche variocam system and how it works;

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/557016-how-variocam-and-variocamplus-works-a-primer.html

Pretty cool, haven`t seen this yet, thanks!

[Homeoboxter]

Originally Posted by DaveBBOXSTER

Found this link with drawings of the entire Porsche variocam system and how it works;

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/557016-how-variocam-and-variocamplus-works-a-primer.html

Just looked at the link and it got me thinking. EDIT: Knowing that the two cam actuators are different, is it possible that only one has a tendency to fail? Or this failure is rather model dependent?

I looked through a couple of threads on this matter and they were all about 2.7 engines.

I split one actuator from bank 4-6 (2.5 base), and it`s clearly different from the one pictured on the previous page in this thread (2.7). If you go back in the thread you can see both side by side. Mine had no problem with the large green O-ring, does not even have it. So is it because it`s model specific (2.5 vs 2.7) or because the one that usually fails correspond to bank 1-3? Can anyone confirm either this or the other possibility?

[DaveBBOXSTER]

Originally Posted by Homeoboxter

Just looked at the link and it got me thinking. Knowing that the two cam actuators move to opposite directions, and they are different, is it possible that only one has a tendency to fail? Or this failure is rather model dependent?

I looked through a couple of threads on this matter and they were all about 2.7 engines.

I split one actuator from bank 4-6 (2.5 base), and it`s clearly different from the one pictured on the previous page in this thread (2.7). If you go back in the thread you can see both side by side. Mine had no problem with the large green O-ring, does not even have it. So is it because it`s model specific (2.5 vs 2.7) or because the one that usually fails correspond to bank 1-3? Can anyone confirm either this or the other possibility?

Looking at the part numbers Bank 1-3 is; 996.105.051 - 56/57/58
and Bank 4-6 is; 996.105.053 - 56/57/58
and they are both different as far as I can tell

[Homeoboxter]

Yes, bank number is clearly written on the actuator housing. The solenoids are not interchangable either, one has a black, the other has a gray plastic insert. Porsche really wanted to make sure these won`t get mixed up.
I don`t want to destroy the other bank`s (1-3) actuator that I have because it`s good, but it would be nice to see if it`s similar inside to 4-6 or not