1999 996 motor deficiencies

I just had my motor replaced. Since my insurance had a clause of "replace old with new".....I got a brand new motor, instead of a refurb. Now I am not saying that ALL of the 1999 motors are bad but I can say the difference between my old motor and this new one is noticeable. The sound from this new motor is cleaner and there is noticeable gains in power from 6000rpm. The clutch also seems to engage more smoothly, especially at lower speeds, I don't seem to get the "kick" when I disengage the clutch when i come to a stop. I also used to hear a bit of a clack when i started the motor on the old one. I don't hear that anymore either. I don't know how different the new motor is. All i know that changed was the alternator. I am just wondering if anyone else out there has an early 1999 996, and interested in their motor problems, or nixes?.. Let me know.

Why did you have the engine replaced?

Maybe I'm missing something here why was the motor replaced in the first place? Is it a factory recall on the 996 powerplant? George George's 911-V8

Maxeemum : Interested in your troubles and how they cropped up. I have an early 1999 and have noticed a few things starting to develop. One such problem is a coolant leak that does not show itself. Can you share? KeithS

Coolant leak?..uh oh... Ok when i first got my car, in December 1999, the delaer was storing it for me. One nite i took it out for the evening, parked it in my under ground, got changed came back down to find my car sitting in a pool of coolant..it completely drained out. They fixed the problem, but i always had a problem with the coolant light coming on, after hard runs. My coolant originally leaked at a spot right underneath the passenger size footwell. When i called my dealer about it, he did not sound surprised at all about the leak. My new motor i have, has a new coolant bottle. It turns out that there was a problem with the orignal one. Also the alternator on the new motor has been changed. The motor does sound different. Do u hear clicking noises when u start the car in the mornings?

I have just taken delivery in the UK of a new 996. In your post, you mentioned... ..."The clutch also seems to engage more smoothly, especially at lower speeds, I don't seem to get the "kick" when I disengage the clutch when i come to a stop." I get this too. I thought I just needed to get used to the revs or something. The shunt gives me the impression I'm driving badly! Was this particular problem sited as an issue with the engine failing?

Maxeemum I do not have any clicking noises with the car. I’ll keep my ears peeled. I will look at the reservoir to see what’s up there, I had a guy on the 996 List ask me about that as well. I get the smell once after it’s been to the track and finally brought home. Everything is as dry as a bone and I wondered if it was coming from the tailpipe. Don’t know. Clears up for weeks until I go back to the track. Dealer gets a look on Monday. We’ll see and please let me know if you think of anything. KeithS

no the clutch had nothing to do with the problem with the original motor. When i did get the new motor they installed a new clutch with it, although i didn't need it to replace it - so to speak. The old motor was replaced after I hit the bottom of the block on a storm sewer grate. I also would feel a bang, or kick in the back of my seat, when i was running the old motor hard when i shifted from 3rd to 4th gear, i no longer have that problem either. The motor and the tranny seem to be suited more for each other than the previous motor tranny/cluthc combination. All I can tell u is that after having an early 1999 motor, and feeling this new one, I am convinced that the older one had some minor deficiencies. My mechanic also suspects that this motor has more hp than the older one. Porsche does or did have a hp consistency problem with their motors, some make more hp than others. He had even said that the motors are tagged at the factory with their specific hp ratings. I can say with almost certainty that my older motor was definitely down on power..I enjoy this car much more than i did with the older motor...I just hope that other people out their don;t have the same problems as I was having..b/c it was disheartening for me...after spending the same money as other 996 owners, i wasn't getting the full potential of the car, until the new motor was installed.

Charles? Dan? 'Charles' and 'Dan' both had their engine blocks damaged by a storm grate on the same day last month (look in the archives)! Either this is a huge coincidence or I finally know what happened to Charles/Dan. Good luck with the new engine. I'm sure after building these for four years, the newer motors are probably a little less rough around the edges.

its unfair to those people though that purchased the early 99 models, because i can tell u that I did not enjoy my 996 with that old motor. Since the new motor, it has really been a joy to drive this car..there is a serious difference, and just hope that other people did not go thru the same problems i went thru.

Maxeemum: When you said insurance, do you mean an extended warranty company? or did you claimed thru your auto insurance company? I am looking for recommendations for extended warranty. Thanks. Paul