14 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHCam actuator - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Reported or suspected cause
first time i tore a porsche engine apart
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
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Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that report identifying a cause
1
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0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Reported cause
And it was the first time I tore a Porsche engine apart.
Cam actuator - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Frequently discussed work
Check every step three times
No successful repair reported for this finding.
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Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
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Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
I only serviced the actuators on an engine stand, but it seems doable from underneath in half of that time, even if you double check every step three times to avoid mistakes.
Cam actuator - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Read full discussion summary
Leading evidence: 'first time i tore a porsche engine apart' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'first time i tore a porsche engine apart' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check every step three times' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I've used alldatadiy.com to get ballpark time estimates.
Cam actuator - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Check every step three times
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
I only serviced the actuators on an engine stand, but it seems doable from underneath in half of that time, even if you double check every step three times to avoid mistakes.
Cam actuator - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Check with the shop
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
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Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion · Original poster
Always best to check with the shop before hand, communicate and let them now if you disagree with the time.
Cam actuator - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Repair but not
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
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Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion · Original poster
If book time for this is 12 hours I'm ok with it for the repair but not for diagnosing.
Cam actuator - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Frequently discussed actions (10)
These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.
Check every step three times
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
I only serviced the actuators on an engine stand, but it seems doable from underneath in half of that time, even if you double check every step three times to avoid mistakes.
Cam actuator - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Replace pads
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion · Original poster
I have set the expectation with the shop and we all agree at a minimum it's time to replace the pads, which is almost the amount of hours and if it looks like it's more then the actuator they will button it back up after replacing the pads and then this car will just get parted out or a different engine put in.
Cam actuator - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Set expectation
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion · Original poster
I have set the expectation with the shop and we all agree at a minimum it's time to replace the pads, which is almost the amount of hours and if it looks like it's more then the actuator they will button it back up after replacing the pads and then this car will just get parted out or a different engine put in.
Cam actuator - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Coverage and how to read this overview
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
14 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
986Forum: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261026T205155Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
Anyone know the book time to replace the cam actuator? Trying to make sure a shop doesn't spend more of my money then necessary. Just wondering what the labor hours are. Passenger side if it makes a difference.
I had my passenger side done last year and just looked at the quote. 12 hours of labor. I have no idea if this is high or low but the entire operation was not cheap.
12 hrs sounds a lot to me. I only serviced the actuators on an engine stand, but it seems doable from underneath in half of that time, even if you double check every step three times to avoid mistakes.
That is usually the issue. What some of us could do things in vs. book time doesn't usually match up. If I didn't have 2 other cars in the garage I am working on I would just bite the bullet and do it myself but I might have this car sold if I can get passed these damn codes. Already have 2 other cars on their way from FL so I need to start making room.
Pass side, bank 1. P1340 I think is the code, been a week since I checked.
Bad idle, constant misfire.
I can activate bank 2 cam and the car stumbles at idle like it should. Activating bank 1 cam the car will either die or sometimes stumble. Only thing I have fixed/replaced is the cam tensioner pads & the actuator. I have no doubt the pads need replacing, the car has 109k miles on it so it's time. Would rather do it myself but time & space are an issue, plus the SO wants to be able to use her car (doesn't know I might sell it)
I just did the Bank 1 actuator on mine in less than 12 hrs. And it was the first time I tore a Porsche engine apart. A pro mechanic should do better than that!
Like I said, I don’t know if high or low. There are limited options for high quality Porsche mechanics near me so I wasn’t able to get much competitive pricing. Seems like the consensus is high but oh well.
When I was going through this last year we were already in deep diagnosing the issue with my car. I just wanted it over with so I could get back to driving.
Just for others in the future.
One thing you have to keep in mind is that many (if not most) mechanics charge by book time. If they get it done in 6 hours when the book says 12, it is acceptable to charge the full 12 hours. Now, some shops wont do that depending on how much of time difference there is. The best shops work with the customer, set the expectation at the beginning and in the end try to make everyone happy. Book time allows for things like rusted bolts, hard to get to areas, etc. Always best to check with the shop before hand, communicate and let them now if you disagree with the time. I have only found 1 shop by me that doesn't follow any of these and it's one that I am vocal about with anyone needing work.
If book time for this is 12 hours I'm ok with it for the repair but not for diagnosing. Given everything else I have thrown at this problem the actuator is the most logical thing that is the issue. I have set the expectation with the shop and we all agree at a minimum it's time to replace the pads, which is almost the amount of hours and if it looks like it's more then the actuator they will button it back up after replacing the pads and then this car will just get parted out or a different engine put in.
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
