failed breather?????
 

2002 2.7 car with 45k miles.

Started running rough, then cleared, then rough again then lots of smoke then it cut out, all in the space of 2 mins. Coasted to a halt and tried to restart but wouldn’t turn over.

Recovered to dealer who removed and started to strip engine and discovered that 1, 2 & 5 bores were full of oil which was hydro-locking it. They can’t find any mechanical problem and best guess is a faulty breather. Plan is to rebuild engine and fit new breather.

I’d be a lot happier if I had a bit of broken metal in my hand as I struggle to see how a breather could dump so much oil into the inlet. There was some evidence of oil in the inlet but not huge amounts although it did stand over a weekend before going to the dealer.

Anyone got any ideas?

Are you talking about the oil separator? I wuold have another mechanic check it out. Oily watery in the location you speak of sounds more like a head gasket failure to me but from my keyboard diagnosis is not possible. Good luck, I'm sorry you didn't get more miles of fun than that....

no water, just oil

I'm surprised a failed breather could allow enough oil through to hydro-lock it

Just thinking.......if a load of oil was dumped in the inlet manifold it would run down into any cylinder that had inlet valves open and back out of any cylinder that also had exhaust valves open. So, any cylinder that had just inlets open would fill up with oil (1, 2 & 5 in this case) and through any cylinder that had exhausts and inlets open.

Any cam timing experts who could tell me if 1, 2 & 5 can be on valve overlap at the same time?

On this car there was significant amounts of oil in the exhaust system but what i'm struggling with is that a failed breather could dump so much oil into the inlet so quickly

Any thoughts welcome

If it smells like a fish...

wow, this is the exact problem I am having..... I was thinking it was the oil breather tube but everybody else says the oil separator is bad.

too much oil?
 

my 98 recently started pouring smoke out the exhaust and idling a little roughly. suspecting the air/oil separator i had it towed to a shop... turns out the air/oil separator was just fine, but at a previous oil change the shop put in about 2 quarts too much oil... on a hard left turn the extra dumped into the intake. so it could be that simple, enough dumped into the intake that one of my cat's is basically fried, but fortunately no compression lock.

Yeah check the oil level, I changed my own for a recent track day and was in a rush, over filled it and was making James Bond style smoke screens out of the tight bends. Panic at first but it was a porsche day and some other owners came over and helped me change the oil in the pits. This guys truck was amazing with an amazing set of spares. Anyhow It stopped and never happened again.

I hope it is this, a cheap fix, good luck.

call your mechanic AND SCREAM STOP!!! down the phone, i've had to fix this a few times at work, the oil seperator fails and pump a bit of built up oil and stops the engine, what needs to be done is first take it to a porsche mechanic you fool. all spark plugs have to be removed, crank engine over till all oil is gone, well most of it any way, second is a new oil seperator has to be installed, which is the up dated one because your boxter is pre 2001, also the hose to the throttle body to the oil seperator has to be changed, ( different lengths,) . new spark plugs have to be installed because your old one's are now stuffed, then once everything is back together start the car and there will be more smoke pouring out of the back of your car then a v8 in a burnout contest, any quistions email me or something, it is a easy fix

Up-date……..

Engine was rebuilt with new breather and when started was rattling. Stripped down again and main bearings are damaged, small end cracked and pistons distorted all due to initial hydro-lock.

Dealer say engine uneconomic to repair and suggest new engine which will cost close to what the car is worth. Porsche have been approached for assistance and said no.

Plan is now either park it outside the dealer with sign relating story or get second hand engine.

wow, sorry to hear that man, and sux that porsche is being like that not to help out.