Big Cam Deviation and Green bits in Oil Filter - Related?

Hello again 996 fans, I�ve got an '01 C2 with 140k miles and a 3.4L engine (5-chain). I recently ran a Durametric scan and got the following readings: Bank 1: Cam pos 1 deviation: -11.73� crank → -5.87� cam Bank 2: Cam pos 2 deviation: -5.02� crank → -2.51� cam Delta between banks: 3.36� (within the acceptable 6�, but over FSI�s recommended 4�). Is this the correct way to do this math? Take the number, divide by two, then do the difference and that's your "cam deviation that should not be above 4 or 6)? The car runs perfectly with no codes or noises. Nothing. The previous owner noticed small green rubber particles in the oil filter at 100k miles, again at 110k (far less), and then it was no longer happening. He said it never became an issue. I bought the car at 140k. I'm prepping for a major service soon, but does this deviation suggest a bigger issue down the line? Should I be concerned about the green rubber particles he found? Is my math right here? Thanks all! P.S. - I hear that Hartec(?) has a variocam rebuild kit if you talk to the right guys (green seals). I would much rather do that than buying 2x brand new actuators for an arm and a leg when the issue is a $5 seal. heck, even if the seal was 50 or 500 id strongly consider that route.

The cam shaft deviation is always expressed in Crank Shaft Angle, not cam shaft angle. In spec is 6 degrees, so at your numbers, one is way out of spec and the other is almost out of spec. Something really should be done to both sides. If you are a capable DIY guy, you should be able to rebuild the actuators with the green seals kits from Renntech. When this happened to a 5 chain engine I worked on, it was the green bits in the oil that was the dead give away. At the time, the only solutions were new actuators so new ones went in. The labor of removing the engine and replacing and retiming the actuators on both sides of the engine is significant. I don't think any professional mechanic would take on the risk of replacing just the green seals. For sure, the Porsche dealers would only replace the whole actuators. They are not there to save you money.

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Yelcab is spot on. all I would add is that Porsche says nothing about delta between banks being significant. As far as I can tell that�s forum lore. What matters is deviation from the crank which are the numbers Durametric gives you.

If you find green rubber bits in the oil filter or oil pan on a 5 chain, you can be sure it coming from the vario-cam adjusters... It will only cause a problem if the rubber gets caught under the plunger/switching valve of adjuster, but if is coming apart then there is no telling when that will be..so just fix it...

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Whats your opinion on rebuilding those actuators with the seal kit whenever changing out the pads now that the kit is available..? IMO, as long as you're in there, and 20+ year old actuators are out, its not a lot more work to disassemble the actuators and rebuild with the $110 seal kit and start out new again with all the upgraded seals and pads. How difficult is rebuilding the actuators once they are out and in your hand...? Is it more than the average diy wrench can handle..?

It shouldnt take more then 15 minutes to rebuild the actuators once they r out. The hardest part is not loosing the small springs. U also have to pat attention to reassemble correctly

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Yes, I think the actuators should be rebuilt at anytime you have access to them....The rubber is over 20 years old ...The O'rings failing and getting caught up and causing the switching valve to stick is the only failure I have seen with the actuators other than the "solenoids ".. Rebuilding them is not what I would call easy but if are mechanical enough to R&R them you should be fine to rebuild them...

Thanks gents! Slakker racing / Hartech sells the green seals. After doing 100s of hours of research and driving these cars (986, 996) and reading thru the bentley manuals, I see that no normal mechanic can do this fix for me unless they are smart, well equipped, experienced, porsche specialist, and don't price gouge you! Well, I happened to catch a glimpse of the location of Slakker Racing! Turns out they are located in OKC, Oklahoma. Guess who else lives in OK? I do *does happy dance*! Finally, something good is actually in Oklahoma. If I had a nickle for every dang time there was a good shop I found online only to find that the nearest physical location to me is in LA (and its ALWAYS in LA)... I'd have a ton of nickles. The real reason I am so hype is because the locals are a joke when it comes to watercooled P cars. I took my car to "the best porsche shop in town". They did not even do cam deviation (or any codes for that matter). I took the car in for a inspection to humor myself. Well, in the "results" I was only told the most obvious stuff that I already knew ($175 btw. wasted). The worst thing was this: I told them, "when you test drive it, please note that in 5th and 6th gear, there is a transaxle howl under throttle or heavy engine braking, but nothing when coasting... what is this?" (I already knew the answer, this was a test for them). Do you know what the response was to this by Rennsport? "Trans is fine, there is no howl" . WDYM no howl dude? Even my nearly deaf co-worker noticed it when I took him for a ride! Sad... you can see why I was toying with the idea of just DIY'ing this whole rebuild and why I gave up on finding a local shop I think in this case it was because my car was not aircooled like theyre used to. I was also told that redoing the pads would "cost as much as the car" -____- So yes, to hear that Hartech is located in the next town over (OKC whilst I live in Tulsa) is a God-send. About the other shops, yikes. That's all I can say when it comes to local oklahoma shops. Peace. I look forwards to posting about my experience with Hartech / Slakker. I am excited!

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Is this the same for 3-chain 3.6 engine? Curious, don't remember if I read it somewhere or not. Apologize if is out there in RL. BUT, thanks anyway for answer. (or DM.) ...and, De Jeeper is a wonderful person, always sharing knowledge and bits of "tricks" for DIY folks. Big compliment to you. YMMV

Thx..... 3 chain and 5 chain actuator system is very different. None of the parts r shared between the variocam system between the 2 different motors.

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Yes De Jeeper is a wonderful person...!!! The 3 chain engines don't have the same vario-cam actuators.....They have "Vane Type Actuators" on the INtake cams ..( no green o-rings to find and no rebuilds)