My second oil change today at 3500 miles ...OMG what I found !!!
 

This was my second oil change since I bought the car 15 months ago, on my first oil change I installed a magnetic oil plug...my filter wrench was not the right type so I could not get the oil filter off for the first change...but I could today. when I removed the oil plug this is what I found ;
http://i621.photobucket.com/albums/t...psea720642.jpg

Almost nothing !!!! , the faintest coating of microfine black powder not as thick as a butterfly's wing either. it wiped off with my finger and was gone...the car had not used a drop of oil, has not leaked a drop of anything on my carport......I cut open the oil filter and found nothing at all......I am so relieved and so proud of my little car.

Dwight

I had the same problem.
cut open the filter and found it had just oil in it
sad but true

I took your oil plug into Photoshop to measure the oil darkness. The Porsche Oil Plugin says your oil is 1% darker than it should be. Better check your IMS.

Have you checked for non-ferrous debris in the pan and in the folds of the filter?If they are clean you can be justly smug.

I cut open the filter and nothing was in the folds....Nothing ...Im very happy

I hope the Photoshop was a joke ;-)

No way you could decipher that on a jpg....the histogram changes every time a jpg image is opened and closed

The screen on this mac is pretty big & clear....

I'm seeing IMS particles. Six by my count.....sorry bud.

Where ...??

THere was nothing in the filter folds...I found less on this plug than I do on my BMW

His wife is away for a month and he is pulling your chain
:chicken:

Leave your house immediately. Your engine is about to explode with the force of 14 hamsters on wheels. Running. Fast. On RedBull.

I am sorry for your loss. Damn IMS.

I think I see what you are talking about now
 

The plug was spotless when it was removed, nothing but fine black powder that was finer than talcum powder....as I set this on the table (Outside) to take a picture it fell off the table because wind caught the paper it was on...the big fragments you see are just particles of leaves or something organic...I cleaned it thoroughly before reinstalling to the proper torque. In hindsight I should have gotten a pic before it fell or cleaned it off except for the magnet before taking the pic.

Manuel, spoon, smack on head
"Basil Fawlty"

BTW, I have a bridge for sale

Immediate Motor Situation
 

This has scared me to death for the past year. However that being said I talked to two Porsche tech's...one from Miami and the other from California.....both told me they have never seen a IMS failure ...they have replaced some when doing a clutch job but have not seen a catastrophic failure.

Dwight, ENJOY YOUR CAR! I know more people with Volvo's with blown engines than Porsche's.

When I pulled my magnetic plug to inspect for metal particles, I lost all my oil.
What do I do now?
Can I still drive the car?
I keep slipping and falling down in my garage, does that indicate my oil has the correct viscosity?


On a less sarcastic note (My wife would not be happy) I put in a magnetic plug with my last oil change so I am curious what it will have captured in 5000 miles of use

If you really want to be super happy about clean oil, drop the sump cover and examine that. I also did that with my last change and it was clean, like my filter.

Could be
 

You need to get a stop watch and time how long you stand up before falling, also time and count the amount of hand waving before you actually fall...all these lead to important empirical data which can be used to answer your question....as for the plug get a good Tig welder to close that hole up so the new oil will not leak out.

Pdwight - Don't not worry for too long as someone will be here soon advising he's seen that countless times before and it's another sign of impending catastrophic doom. In fact he's got 73 cars with the exact same symptoms outside his shop currently awaiting rebuild. There from all over the US, Canada and world including one that's only driven by unicorns which is being picked up right now ;)

Congrats and enjoy your ride!

My tech said he has never seen one in 2000 or earlier, but they do happen. An 04 came into the local shop just a month ago or so with a catastrophic failure.

Since rebuilding a motor is so expensive I would part the the thing out. but if you do sell just make sure your do full disclosure!





That or just drive the car and enjoy what time you have!!!

why would Dwight part out his car or rebuild the engine?
There is nothing wrong with it!

Um, Jay, I believe healthservices was being facetious :dance:

I wasn't sure LOL

My humblest apologies
 

I posted a pic of my magnetic oil plug after I had cleaned it. Wow do they ever use strong magnets nowadays.

Anyway this is how it looked as soon as it was taken out.....do you think I have anything to worry about ????

http://i621.photobucket.com/albums/t...psd9a4d9bb.jpg

wow the new ULTRA IMS solution

all ya need is a 8mm hex

I hate to break the news to you but it looks like the magnet fell off... The plug should look like this:


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1405645001.jpg

Nope
 

I have the deluxe version with a N48 Neodymium Super Magnet that is twice the diameter of the one you have pictured. It just does not stick out as far.

Who was the manufacturer? Mine is LNE and their new model looks similar to yours but not quite the same.

Not sure
 

I got this from Pelican a year ago

Do you have a picture of it clean, without oil on it?

No
 

Not now, it is in my oil pan...but in the fall I will change my oil again

and hopefully have the same problem
:cheers:

With the exception of this post I was thinking the rest of the thread was redundant.

I understand the need for handholding while owning a Boxster so the nature of this thread gives some reasurance to the owners that things are going to be alright.

The way I see it in light of my experience I see it as a popup game. Up comes one little guy and you nail it with a hammer. After that something else comes up.

IMS faillure is only one kind of faiure. In light of my failure P1341 there are other forms of failure. I can only imagine the number of codes that are in the system that could come up?

This car my 2001 Box base has given me mostly highs over the past 3 years but now I am out of love with it due to the complexity of its design. I think this forum is great for Boxster ownership. When I sell mine I am not sure how much I will miss it. I know I won't get the excitement of the Boxster with my next car but I won't be thinking of what do I have to replace or fix next.

Thanks for listening! Guy

My magnetic oil plug looks just like JayGs. I bought mine from Pelican. Not as good as the other one pictured by Jaeger?