My engine died... not from an IMS failure

[Giller]

Originally Posted by KRAM36

I'll have to admit I was very far off on what I thought Jake would give for a motor.

Yeah, so maybe you want to do a little research before you start spouting off about BS.

Stripping and parting looks like the biggest pain in the butt with little to no return, unless you want to do it as a learning experience or find that fun. You need the right tools, you need lots of space, you will be running around shipping things, it will eat up a lot of your time and the risk is, when all said and done, you will be sitting around with a lot of left over parts.

[Pdwight]

THere was a guy on here who bought a Boxster for a song and he named the tune about a year ago because it was touted as having a bad engine. He dove into it not knowing much about Boxster engines and found out it had a broken valve spring and no compression......he got it running for not a lot of money as I recall. If at all possible do not rush into anything too quickly when it involved engines and getting rid of your car.....find out all you can. You could at least drop the oil and check for metal.

Dwight

[KRAM36]

Originally Posted by Giller

Yeah, so maybe you want to do a little research before you start spouting off about BS.

Stripping and parting looks like the biggest pain in the butt with little to no return, unless you want to do it as a learning experience or find that fun. You need the right tools, you need lots of space, you will be running around shipping things, it will eat up a lot of your time and the risk is, when all said and done, you will be sitting around with a lot of left over parts.

Nah, the BS was on you saying parts don't sell. I'd still part it out over selling it as a roller. These cars are worth a fortune in parts.

[Topless]

Maybe have a shop scope the offending cylinder and see what's up. If it's just a valve spring it's a pretty easy fix. If a grenade went off in there then swap the motor and keep on driving. Lots of decent motors sitting at dismantlers still for not to much money. I'm not ready to dump the car yet.

Find a local indy shop with lots of 986 experience through your local PCA.

[Jamesp]

Originally Posted by Topless

Maybe have a shop scope the offending cylinder and see what's up. If it's just a valve spring it's a pretty easy fix. If a grenade went off in there then swap the motor and keep on driving. Lots of decent motors sitting at dismantlers still for not to much money. I'm not ready to dump the car yet.

Find a local indy shop with lots of 986 experience through your local PCA.

+1 or buy an inexpensive scope and do it yourself. If the piston is damaged or there is anything in the cylinder that should not be, the cost for repair is very likely more than the car is worth. something beat up that spark plug and it wasn't a non functional valve. Pulling the valve cover off is more work than just scoping the cylinder.

[KRAM36]

Originally Posted by Jamesp

+1 or buy an inexpensive scope and do it yourself. If the piston is damaged or there is anything in the cylinder that should not be, the cost for repair is very likely more than the car is worth. something beat up that spark plug and it wasn't a non functional valve. Pulling the valve cover off is more work than just scoping the cylinder.

That's way I'm saying pull the spark plug. If it looks like that he has bigger issues. If not then fixing it might be worth it.

[Pdwight]

I think you need to talk to someone else....drop the oil , remove the plugs.....it is not kryptonite ....it will not bite you ....jump in....what do you have to lose

[healthservices]

go to Harbor freight and get a borescope or if time is not an issue anymore ...
5M 6 LED Waterproof USB Borescope Snake Inspection Endoscope Tube Camera Mirror | eBay

Then pull the coil, plug, and take a peak.

Otherwise tow it down here, I would not mind playing with it. Give me 1700 and Ill do a straight R+R, of course thats not including parts or any add ons you want to do. I even have a inexpensive tow guy.

[Giller]

Originally Posted by KRAM36

Nah, the BS was on you saying parts don't sell. I'd still part it out over selling it as a roller. These cars are worth a fortune in parts.

Car has 81,000 miles on it - most parts are *probably* original and therefore on the verge of needing replaced. Wear and tear will have taken it's toll so many of these parts will be, what's the term, 'well used'? That will diminish the value quite a bit.

Everyone is different and everyone regards their time differently as well. Personally, could not be bother spending the time and energy parting out a car when I'd rather sell it as-is and get another one. Rather be out cruising than tearing it down.

Hey Woody - are these cars "worth a fortune in parts"? Woody would know best.

[Pdwight]

Drain the oil, remove the filter and cut it so you can roll it out and look at it....this will give you a place to start and costs nothing.

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by Pdwight

Drain the oil, remove the filter and cut it so you can roll it out and look at it....this will give you a place to start and costs nothing.

This^^^^^Take a deep breath and sort out the options. It really depends on the current condition of the rest of your car and how much you like the color/options combination and what you have to spend.

[KRAM36]

Originally Posted by Giller

Car has 81,000 miles on it - most parts are *probably* original and therefore on the verge of needing replaced. Wear and tear will have taken it's toll so many of these parts will be, what's the term, 'well used'? That will diminish the value quite a bit.

Everyone is different and everyone regards their time differently as well. Personally, could not be bother spending the time and energy parting out a car when I'd rather sell it as-is and get another one. Rather be out cruising than tearing it down.

Hey Woody - are these cars "worth a fortune in parts"? Woody would know best.

I'm pretty sure Woody buys all these Boxsters and parts them out to lose money.

You just don't see the big picture. He has a complete car to part out, motor, trans, air conditioning unit, alternator, lights, fenders, doors, wheels, top, probably everything in the interior is worth selling, hood, trunk, tires, spare tire, tool kit, bumpers, under body panels, the list goes on and on.

Let me ask you this. If you just started out with just the carcass, what would it cost you to replace all the parts to put the car back on the road? Not counting the motor, probably $10,000 or more using used parts.

[healthservices]

Originally Posted by KRAM36

I'm pretty sure Woody buys all these Boxsters and parts them out to lose money.

You just don't see the big picture. He has a complete car to part out, motor, trans, air conditioning unit, alternator, lights, fenders, doors, wheels, top, probably everything in the interior is worth selling, hood, trunk, tires, spare tire, tool kit, bumpers, under body panels, the list goes on and on.

Let me ask you this. If you just started out with just the carcass, what would it cost you to replace all the parts to put the car back on the road? Not counting the motor, probably $10,000 or more using used parts.

Time

Time is money, What is your time worth?

For me if I had the space, and the time, it may be totally worth it. But everyone's time is worth money.

You do not see me cutting the lawn, as the time required for me to do it is not worth the money I pay to have someone else do it. However for my neighbor. it is totally worth it as he has plenty of time and enjoys it.

[Giller]

Originally Posted by KRAM36

I'm pretty sure Woody buys all these Boxsters and parts them out to lose money.

You just don't see the big picture. He has a complete car to part out, motor, trans, air conditioning unit, alternator, lights, fenders, doors, wheels, top, probably everything in the interior is worth selling, hood, trunk, tires, spare tire, tool kit, bumpers, under body panels, the list goes on and on.

Let me ask you this. If you just started out with just the carcass, what would it cost you to replace all the parts to put the car back on the road? Not counting the motor, probably $10,000 or more using used parts.

I get the big picture. First, Woody - yes, he makes money or else why do it? But does he also have a lot of parts sitting around he can't sell? Most likely. He also has all the shipping figured out and as it's his business, it's worth his time. For someone who has never done this and probably doesn't have all the tools, it's a big undertaking. You will have the carcass there for a long time. Wonder how patient his wife is? Does he have a lift? Can he himself even get the motor out? How do you ship a motor?
You can't compare someone who does it for a living and is an expert (Woody) with someone who has never done this.

You are making a big assumption that just because he is parting it out, people will line up for everything he has. He could have the hood sit and collect dust for months and months or longer. Or the trunk. Or a door panel. Or all of the above. You yourself have never done it, so you really don't know.

Again, this forum has it's fair share of people who are parting out cars and they all still have parts hanging around - some of which are big items that take up a lot of space. I'd love to hear them chime in and say whether they would do it again or whether or not they would choose to sell it as-is.

To me, to part a single car takes a lot of time and energy and tools and space. Some people have that to spare, so good for them. Great way to learn about the car. All the power to them. But to assume everyone who has a dead car should part it out is silly.

[KRAM36]

Originally Posted by Giller

To me, to part a single car takes a lot of time and energy and tools and space. Some people have that to spare, so good for them. Great way to learn about the car. All the power to them. But to assume everyone who has a dead car should part it out is silly.

The OP asked

Should I try to sell it as-is? Should I dismantle it and sell the parts (is it even legal)?

My answer was based on his question. I'm not telling everyone to part out their cars. Like you said some don't have the time or tools to do this. With the OP asking that question, I gave my answer which way to get the most money back vs selling it as a roller.