Shortlived Boxster engines survey - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Jake Raby · 02-18-2011, 05:05 AM

Ouch...
Yours may be the highest mileage IMS failure that we have seen to date, if thats what failed.

Quote:

Once in denial but now I know...these engines are just a ticking time bomb!

Don't say that!! Else you'll get labeled a "Fear Monger".. I am so fed up with that BS.

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Now I've gotta get my wife's 2002 S in for the "preventative" IMS repair before I get "twice bitten"

Yep.. Send them both to me at once, get a group rate on the transportation and work too! :-)
Seriously, I have a truck loading today thats heading back to Cali with a 996 on board, he'll be there next week and could load you up when he brings back TWO more to see us.

PartialFish · 02-22-2011, 05:06 PM

As Jake knows, the problem with my 29000 mile '05 987 was IMS bearing seal failure, with lots of metal dancing around in the engine. The cam cover plate was cracked all the way through by the timing belt. I just sold the car today.

Paul · 03-12-2011, 06:02 PM

Finally had the time and ambition to drop my drive train today, pretty straight forward, or should I say downward?

Paul · 03-14-2011, 06:55 PM

Blow down check on 1 and 4, air blowing out the exhaust valves strong and out the intake valves weakly. Vey little air out of the oil fill tube.

Timing seems to be spot on....

TDC:

Bank 1-3 cams:

Cams are turning:

Popped the 1-3 oil pump, 2 row chain, no slop in chain.

What am I missing?

Remember all this happened while cranking the starter.

danyl55 · 03-25-2011, 05:27 AM

thanks to this forum,some of the people on it and this thread in particular I sold my 120000 mile 97 and got my Road King back and am riding worry free--Thanks again to all---

Bobiam · 03-25-2011, 05:51 AM

Many will disagree, but I think you did the right thing. There is too great of a likelihood that the car was going to cost you it's full value soon with an IMS failure. Enjoy your ride.

clickman · 03-25-2011, 10:17 AM

I don't think too many here would disagree that if the stress of owning a Boxster is greater than the enjoyment, it is definitely time to move on.

mikefocke · 03-26-2011, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobiam

Many will disagree, but I think you did the right thing. There is too great of a likelihood that the car was going to cost you it's full value soon with an IMS failure. Enjoy your ride.

Could it happen, yes. Likely to happen, no. I read 6 forums daily and the number of failures that are showing up is small compared to the number of total M86 engines on the road. So I see little justification for "the sky is falling" language.

Many I see reported are not diagnosed by an expert so we aren't sure what went wrong. And some reports I'm convinced are by people trying to stir up trouble with no real Porsche ownership. Another group are recent purchases with uncertain maintenance histories and a high probability that they were not driven regularly and had just come out of hibernation/storage.

If I were changing the clutch, would I install the LN bearing, yes. I have a Tiptronic car, said more likely to fail by some, but I feel quite comfortable with the odds. You can't maintain against all possible failures or you go broke or paranoid. And if it stops being fun, why own it in the first place.