Overheated to 250, died on side of highway, left stranded

[BruceH]

Man, that just sucks. The mechanic really needs to own up to this. He really did you a disservice, friend or not.

[986_inquiry]

I'm still absorbing what happened, I'll answer questions later

I will say my rental ford focus really sucks

[Overdrive]

^^^^^^^as would any non-performance-oriented rental you jump into after being used to driving around in a Boxster.

I do hope the mechanic is going to make some sort of amends. The advice given was definitely wrong in general, and particularly with this type of car.

[986_inquiry]

Originally Posted by Overdrive

^^^^^^^as would any non-performance-oriented rental you jump into after being used to driving around in a Boxster.

I do hope the mechanic is going to make some sort of amends. The advice given was definitely wrong in general, and particularly with this type of car.

He's denying everything. never said drive it. Never said anything. Now he's even claims he said leave it there Monday

I only had it for 8 months, just over 10,000 miles

I'm just.... Wow..... I dunno....

I uh, have a lot of photos, sry I haven't been uploading them, I've been using iPhone on forums, don't like using work computers for personal stuff

I'm not really interested in a 3.4 engine swap, unless they're real cheap and take payments. I got some money but not many thousands for a 3.4 + install costs

[seningen]

Originally Posted by 986_inquiry

He's denying everything. never said drive it. Never said anything. Now he's even claims he said leave it there Monday

I only had it for 8 months, just over 10,000 miles

I'm just.... Wow..... I dunno....

I uh, have a lot of photos, sry I haven't been uploading them, I've been using iPhone on forums, don't like using work computers for personal stuff

I'm not really interested in a 3.4 engine swap, unless they're real cheap and take payments. I got some money but not many thousands for a 3.4 + install costs

We have a Cayman at the shop with a similar issue. Overheated it which has led to coolant in the combustion chamber. Just got here so I don't have details.
However this car would still run.

There are specifics I would get from your mechanic, like what exactly does he mean when the engine is blown?

debris in oil?
any CEL codes?
oil in coolant?
coolant in the oil?

Did the water pump fail?

Has he boroscoped the cylinders? Is there coolant in the cylinders?

good luck with the car,

Mike

[seningen]

BTW, I have my daily driver because of a water pump failure that ended
up with an intermix -- in this case the freeze plug in the heads blew. (I bought it that way)

about 25,000 miles after I rebuilt the engine with a new water pump,
the water pump failed again.

tons of white smoke at the rear of the car -- however it was just the coolant
dumping and spraying on the headers. I was 2 blocks from my house and limped home
(however temp never rose) and I was still leaking water in my driveway.

2 hours later (I had a spare WP), I was back on the road.

Mike

[986_inquiry]

Originally Posted by seningen

We have a Cayman at the shop with a similar issue. Overheated it which has led to coolant in the combustion chamber. Just got here so I don't have details.
However this car would still run.

There are specifics I would get from your mechanic, like what exactly does he mean when the engine is blown?

debris in oil?
any CEL codes?
oil in coolant?
coolant in the oil?

Did the water pump fail?

Has he boroscoped the cylinders? Is there coolant in the cylinders?

good luck with the car,

Mike

From mechanic:
overheated engine so bad it won't run that sums it up. it's hits on a cylinder here in there just won't run

[mikefocke]

To diagnose you are going to need someone experienced in the internals of these engines and those people are few and far between primarily because Porsche didn't sell internals parts for a while and had their dealers ship the engines back and just replace engines so the dealers didn't develop internals mechanics who would then quit to become indies.

Your options are outlined here...from $4k to $40k

[Ghostrider 310]

Inquiry, It's like watching a movie, I totally understand your disappointment, frustration and future quandary. Dive the rental a few days and think this through when you are not pissed. I have to say this is either a communication problem between you and your mechanic or he's no better a mechanic than the enthusiasts on this board. I'm leaning toward the second probability as he should have tested all this before he returned the car to you.

[Overdrive]

Ok, seriously, now this guy's just being evasive and not very caring about the matter. If he's not going to tear through there and find out what's wrong without charging you because he messed up, and is going to deny what he advised you, then it's time to have it towed elsewhere and looked at by an unbiased 3rd party that knows about these cars.

BTW, if you car is a '97, don't bother with a non-2.5 swap. Just about every 97 has a DME that cannot be reprogrammed, so you'd have to get a younger car's DME and immobilizer in order to be able to reprogram it to accept code for a different engine. That's not an easy nor cheap task to undertake.

You may looks into seeing if there is a 2.5 out there that you can replace yours with if you do have a 97, or don't want to pursue a larger engine due to cost. I'm sure there are plenty of people willing to part with a 2.5, and you could have the full IMS upgrade done on it prior to install since it would already be out of the car.

[tony_fury]

986 Inquiry.. sux to hear..
I would find another source for a 2nd opinion..

Here's a link to replacement engines I found searching..
1997 Porsche Boxster Used Engine - Auto Parts Fair®

[Crono0001]

When you get a 3.4, you'll no longer lose to Evos or WRXs :P

[986_inquiry]

Originally Posted by Crono0001

When you get a 3.4, you'll no longer lose to Evos or WRXs :P

yeah i'm not doing that, 3.4 costs more than the entire car, even on ebay

i'm looking at around $3,000 like this
1999 Porsche Boxster 2.5L Engine 160k | eBay

i know.... $3,000 for a 160k engine.... maybe i will just part this one out and buy another boxster with cash

[MConte05]

Give the guys at Reid Vann a call, they are over near Manchester and Rock Hill. Porsche indy shop in STL. They might be able to help you, or help source an engine to swap into. There is another Porsche shop near Lindbergh and 70, but I can never remember the name despite driving past it everyday on my way to work.

After doing upgraded engine (version 8 JDM STI 2.0L that spun to 9k) after an engine failure on my old WRX, I wish I hadn't upgraded, and just put in a regular WRX engine and lived with it. So I would try to find a 2.5L, and get it in there.

[986_inquiry]

Originally Posted by MConte05

Give the guys at Reid Vann a call, they are over near Manchester and Rock Hill. Porsche indy shop in STL. They might be able to help you, or help source an engine to swap into. There is another Porsche shop near Lindbergh and 70, but I can never remember the name despite driving past it everyday on my way to work.

After doing upgraded engine (version 8 JDM STI 2.0L that spun to 9k) after an engine failure on my old WRX, I wish I hadn't upgraded, and just put in a regular WRX engine and lived with it. So I would try to find a 2.5L, and get it in there.

At this point... I would have to say anything much over $2,000 cash that isn't guaranteed to get porsche running is not worth it.

Once it reaches $3,000+ in repairs I might as well part out, get 2-3k from part out, add to 3+ repairs would cost, and put 5-6k total towards new used boxster. Mine was 8 from dealership in saint louis (porsche cost more in Midwest) so 5-6k would nearly cover a new used boxster

I'll call dealership tomorrow too, it's barely been 6 months, maybe they have a suggestion.....?


One thing is for sure: I will continue driving boxsters. This rental 2012 focus has me convinced, even the stereo is worse than my 1998 boxster oem stereo if that can be believed

[MConte05]

Originally Posted by 986_inquiry

At this point... I would have to say anything much over $2,000 cash that isn't guaranteed to get porsche running is not worth it.

Once it reaches $3,000+ in repairs I might as well part out, get 2-3k from part out, add to 3+ repairs would cost, and put 5-6k total towards new used boxster. Mine was 8 from dealership in saint louis (porsche cost more in Midwest) so 5-6k would nearly cover a new used boxster

I'll call dealership tomorrow too, it's barely been 6 months, maybe they have a suggestion.....?


One thing is for sure: I will continue driving boxsters. This rental 2012 focus has me convinced, even the stereo is worse than my 1998 boxster oem stereo if that can be believed

Call up Reid Vann still and ask for Brian Schwanter, tell him Matt Conte sent you. I rally race with him and he has been a Porsche specialist for years. He will be able to give you the absolute truth about what it is going to take to get the car running again. I ran everything about Porsche ownership and what to look for in the Boxster before buying mine, good personal friend of mine.

[986_inquiry]

Originally Posted by MConte05

Call up Reid Vann still and ask for Brian Schwanter, tell him Matt Conte sent you. I rally race with him and he has been a Porsche specialist for years. He will be able to give you the absolute truth about what it is going to take to get the car running again. I ran everything about Porsche ownership and what to look for in the Boxster before buying mine, good personal friend of mine.

I called and talked to Brian and dropped your name, I'll have it towed to Reid Vann today

[Overdrive]

It's not an impossible undertaking to do the swap with the other 2.5. Just be careful with those eBay purchases, some of those can be real hack jobs with more problems than solutions.

[986_inquiry]

Originally Posted by Overdrive

It's not an impossible undertaking to do the swap with the other 2.5. Just be careful with those eBay purchases, some of those can be real hack jobs with more problems than solutions.

At this point I'm thinking another 2.5 boxster. I'd hate to pay 3k+ for used engine, another XXXX for install, then find problems. Better to pay 6-9k and have entire running boxster

I wanna part out the old boxster, but there's still a loan on it, can I do that? If I part it out I can pay loan off, but if I don't part out then keep paying until 2014 on car that just sits

Then the evil part of me says buy ~$2k used Toyota/Honda, part out boxster, let it get repo'd, then use part out $$$$ + own $$$$ to buy S cash..... then I have S and beater Toyota/Honda both paid for..... ya see told u it was the evil part.... EDIT: and illegal, apparently, cuz google searches have revealed it could be considered auto theft to sell off parts of vehicle that does not belong to you, even if loan in my name

So, bad idea.... Unless I keep paying loan, which is possible, could part out could easily be over a year of payments, giving me $ to buy S now and keep paying on 2.5. Insurance... would b insteresting, insure both? Lender will want to see full coverage, and don't want to leave S without full coverage, two policies for only one existing vehicle? Pretty much....

Well.... A lot to think about

[thstone]

As you are finding, the economic truth is that Boxsters are fast becoming disposable. Who would have ever thought that a Porsche, any Porsche, wouldn't be worth a $7,000 major repair?