Quote:
Originally Posted by Finnegan
The IMS was done approximately 1500 miles ago, along with clutch, flywheel, and magnetic drain plug.
Why change out the water pump?
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1,500 miles and they sell the car? When was the IMS actually done?
Sometimes an owner will discover metal in the oil filter (obviously you need to cut it open and unroll) or in the oil pan and will have the IMS replaced/or upgraded without the very costly expense of taking apart the engine to clear out all of the metal debris. The IMS should only be replaced when the the only thing in the oil is oil. They quickly sell the car as having had the IMS replaced and a potential buyer thinks this can only mean good news. If plenty of mileage has elapsed since the IMS swap then it's most likely not an issue. This can be tricky to spot before purchase if the owner tries to cover his tracks and changes the oil and filter but they probably didn't bother to clean out the pan since almost no one does this before purchasing.
The water pump is a part that should be changed by calendar not mileage. Our resident engine expert who would probably love to sell you a rebuilt engine, has instead opined that if the typical owner proactively changed their water pump every four years (maybe he said five years I forget) most of the cars brought to him with blown engines would not be sitting in his lot. These engines are water-cooled, that means that anything connected to the cooling system should be looked after carefully. Hoses that may be brittle should be replaced, the plastic impeller blades in the water pump may also become brittle and can break off which requires very careful removal (obviously avoided entirely by not having a decade old water pump in there in the first place). That coolant cap should be replaced every couple of years to make sure it holds the required pressure. If the coolant cap is old and does not hold enough pressure, you can end up with with air pockets that are a potential disaster. The cap should be replaced with the most recent version (there have been a few versions), especially if the seller flushed out the coolant or topped it off with non-Porsche coolant. If the old cap was re-used after the flush, it's probably not holding enough pressure and air got back in the system which will split open the old brittle coolant tank by causing hairline fractures that eventually crack open completely spilling your $300-400 flush all over the street. Also, mixing the pink Porsche coolant with the cheap off the shelf stuff (blue or green usually) will compromise the protective additives. Some people say worrying about the cooling system is pointless, but those who work on these cars for a living say the complete opposite.
I would encourage you to get a copy of "101 Projects for your Porsche Boxster" on Amazon. It lists every common repair and maintenance item, the cost of each replacement part, the number of hours you can expect to pay a mechanic or how long it will take to DIY, and the level of skill required. Your car is obviously low mileage but you paid a premium for that and some things should be addressed if they haven't already.