2003 boxster blown engine :( $6500 ca

[Tarek307]

Yesterday while driving this boxster which i just bought 2 months ago, and thought was bullet proof since its got a ton of service records & IMS retrofit - Kaboom,,,its DONE..all of a sudden engine died and there was oil under the car..described issue to Jake Rabbi and he tells me "The engine has suffered a camshaft/ lifter failure. This is a common mode of failure for a 2003 Boxster. The piece of cam cover was ejected after the lifter failed and was shot through the cam cover"

Cost to fix $5,000-$6,000 i'm not putting that into this car obviously since i was planning on reselling it in the first place and not keeping it-

The good news out of this is i didn't sell the car to who would have been a very sad buyer if it would have blew on them in 2,000 miles...better me then them is how i look at it!

Anyways here is the original ad of the car with pics - I've got a little over $10,000 into the car would like to get around $6500, is that even possible?

plz email me if interested tarek307 at hot mail. c om

http://986forum.com/forums/boxsters-sale-wanted/55537-2003-porsche-boxster-1-owner-ims-retrofit-service-records-%2412900.html

[Gelbster]

Tarek,
I share your pain. I had a similar situation and decided to rebuild the engine. You have a smarter approach! My conclusion after well over $5000 is parts,tools,materials and many ,many months of study,labor and determination is =bad idea. Yes it is fascinating for a geekish engineer. But it is financially foolish for the average diy Forum member.
For someone who has done all the study,has all the tools and experience, it may be very attractive.
To help your prospective buyer who will need to replace all the lifters - there have been several discussions on the usual Forums about using a BMW interchange part for the 24 lifters. The saving is huge.
You may be able to buy the cam cover and cams from local Forum members. That may make it easier to sell.
BTW I went to school in Ismalia-briefly !
ma'a as-salaama
I hope this helps.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Gelbster

Tarek,
I share your pain. I had a similar situation and decided to rebuild the engine. You have a smarter approach! My conclusion after well over $5000 is parts,tools,materials and many ,many months of study,labor and determination is =bad idea. Yes it is fascinating for a geekish engineer. But it is financially foolish for the average diy Forum member.
For someone who has done all the study,has all the tools and experience, it may be very attractive.
To help your prospective buyer who will need to replace all the lifters - there have been several discussions on the usual Forums about using a BMW interchange part for the 24 lifters. The saving is huge.
You may be able to buy the cam cover and cams from local Forum members. That may make it easier to sell.
BTW I went to school in Ismalia-briefly !
ma'a as-salaama
I hope this helps.

Sorry, but the cam covers cannot be replaced. The camshaft bores are machined into the cylinder head and cover as an assembly, and have to stay together. If you switch covers, the bores will no longer align and the cams will not fit properly or turn.

He might be able to get the damaged cover fixed, depending upon where the damage it.

[Tarek307]

Originally Posted by Gelbster

Tarek,
I share your pain. I had a similar situation and decided to rebuild the engine. You have a smarter approach! My conclusion after well over $5000 is parts,tools,materials and many ,many months of study,labor and determination is =bad idea. Yes it is fascinating for a geekish engineer. But it is financially foolish for the average diy Forum member.
For someone who has done all the study,has all the tools and experience, it may be very attractive.
To help your prospective buyer who will need to replace all the lifters - there have been several discussions on the usual Forums about using a BMW interchange part for the 24 lifters. The saving is huge.
You may be able to buy the cam cover and cams from local Forum members. That may make it easier to sell.
BTW I went to school in Ismalia-briefly !
ma'a as-salaama
I hope this helps.

Thanks for the info man- i'm so disappointed, specially that whenever anyone would say a word about a boxster or a 911 regarding ims i would tell them the cars are bullet proof lol... i bought this one and had total peace of mind that the IMS was done in it- lol...then this happens-

i am now convinced these cars are POS.

ps: i 've never been to ismailia- i think not many people go there unless they are from there or army training - but i hear its beautiful

[Gelbster]

JFP,
Thanks for reminding me of that gotcha- I had forgotten it. This is not like a Miata is it?
Tarek,
We are the only two people here who even know about Ismalia and the sunrise over the Great Bitter Lake.

[Jake Raby]

Originally Posted by Tarek307

Thanks for the info man- i'm so disappointed, specially that whenever anyone would say a word about a boxster or a 911 regarding ims i would tell them the cars are bullet proof lol... i bought this one and had total peace of mind that the IMS was done in it- lol...then this happens-

i am now convinced these cars are POS.

ps: i 've never been to ismailia- i think not many people go there unless they are from there or army training - but i hear its beautiful

Your issue is NOT IMS related. You've lost a camshaft or lifter, and I'd bet on that. The car is an 03, which is the worst in regard to cam and lifter issues. These symptoms match a failed cam and lifter perfectly. I see about 30 a year.

[Tarek307]

Ok guys so engine isn't "blown" but lost cam shaft - lifter- still an expensive repair

[seningen]

Originally Posted by Jake Raby

Your issue is NOT IMS related. You've lost a camshaft or lifter, and I'd bet on that. The car is an 03, which is the worst in regard to cam and lifter issues. These symptoms match a failed cam and lifter perfectly. I see about 30 a year.

Did they change the lifter tray when they added the hydraulic variocam?

Did they change after 03?

Thx,

Mike

[Xcellr8]

Back to the sale,
Yes, sorry to say, $6500 is too much. I've purchased a couple of these for 3-4.5K depending upon other condition issues. My bid to you would be in that neighborhood. You might be able to attract a bid close to $5000 from eBay, but be prepared for at least one high bidder to flake on you. If the bidder doesn't ask several questions before/while bidding, it is doubtful the bidder is real. I'm for real. Send me a PM if interested. Thanks, Joe

[RandallNeighbour]

Tarek, I'd haul that car to Renegade in Vegas and have them put a LS1 V8 in it!

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

Tarek, I'd haul that car to Renegade in Vegas and have them put a LS1 V8 in it!

RN, I called those guys to put some dollars and cents on paper. First of all the conversion kit alone is about even with the cost of buying a used Boxster S engine. Actually a bit more if memory serves. And that's before you even buy the donor engine. If you want some big power with that V8, tack on another $5-10K. But on the bright side you can get your oil changed at Jiffy Lube and no more costly rebuilds (air cooled) or x number of ways to fail (water-cooled).


Tarek. My condolences. What does it cost to get a similar Boxster into your country (tarrifs, etc.)?

[Tarek307]

well ended up taking $5500 and calling it a day! so long

[Qmulus]

Ooops, wrong car.

[Tarek307]

Originally Posted by Qmulus

Just saw a thread on rennlist about this car. It looks like the problem was actually the AOS allowing it to suck in a LOT of oil. It will be interesting to see if anything else was wrong.

sorry but what are you talking about? i sold the car a couple of months ago - this car had a major issue, not just a simple AOS issue.

[Qmulus]

Well, looks like it was the wrong car. Sorry about that. The story sounded the same, and the car looked the same.

Back to my cave. (Ducking with tail between legs)