23 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHTime to Sell
Leading reported evidence
Replace air oil separator
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
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 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 had AOS replaced, sensor/wires cleaned and p1531 never came back
Leading evidence: 'Replace air oil separator' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Repair estimate' (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
When I had my IMS bearing done a few years ago, I had those tensioners replaced along with all the other 'while you're in there' stuff.
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 would second the advice to get another repair estimate from a different mechanic.
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
$4000 is chump change...its the cost of doing almost anything to a Porsche.
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
I just spent $3600 replacing all the brakes, rotors, struts, etc...
Replace leaking timing solenoid and seal cover as needed
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
Need to replace bank 1-3 timing chain adjuster as needed, reveal valve cover and replace spark plugs, install new tube seals, remove cover for bank 4-6, install new timing adjuster guides, replace leaking timing solenoid and seal cover as needed.
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 would say that he means that the camshaft deviation is out of spec, I think at 12 degrees it trips the check engine light, you have to pull the cam covers and replace the plastic chain guides.
Replace spark plugs, install new tube seals, remove cover
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
Need to replace bank 1-3 timing chain adjuster as needed, reveal valve cover and replace spark plugs, install new tube seals, remove cover for bank 4-6, install new timing adjuster guides, replace leaking timing solenoid and seal cover as needed.
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 think you should read all the high mileage posts about the early 996s doing over 200k and up to 300k miles...and then realize that in terms of the devalued US dollar, $4000 is no longer "a lot of money." I'd make the repair and consider it as buying a very good (used) car for $4000.
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.
23 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 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: 20261026T203514Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
My 99 C2 Coupe just turned 80k miles over the weekend and the Check Engine Light came on. Brought it in to the local Indy and it looks like it needs a camshaft adjustment to the tune of $4k. I just spent $3600 replacing all the brakes, rotors, struts, etc... And now this, so I'm thinking its time to sell. Anyone looking for a well maintained 996 ?
Sorry to hear about your pains. Nothing worse than having dumped so much money in the car and it returns the favor with MORE crap. And, kind of surprising to have this problem on a '99 with just 80K miles.
Post some pictures please.
"it looks like it needs a camshaft adjustment to the tune of $4k"
In the almost 2 years I've been on this board, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've heard the term "Camshaft Adjustment"... Did they give you a free jar of Vaseline with that diagnosis/estimate? My advice would be to get a second opinion
Good luck
I would say that he means that the camshaft deviation is out of spec, I think at 12 degrees it trips the check engine light, you have to pull the cam covers and replace the plastic chain guides. Mine is trending that way, it has a deviation of 7 to 8 degrees on bank 2, the spec is +/- 6 degrees.
The engine has to be dropped for this.
Details on the camshaft adjustment needed read as follows:
Fault code P1531
Camshaft adjust out of range, check and found bank 1 timing chain adjuster. Need to replace bank 1-3 timing chain adjuster as needed, reveal valve cover and replace spark plugs, install new tube seals, remove cover for bank 4-6, install new timing adjuster guides, replace leaking timing solenoid and seal cover as needed.
$2300 labor, the rest parts.
Bigger issue is wondering what next ?
"Cam chain tensioner(s)" is the much more common nomenclature used for this particular job/problem. I didn't mean to jump on you, it's just that "Camshaft Adjustment" sounded like a crude shorthand for "let's screw this guy for another 4 grand"...In addition, it looks like there's a bunch of "while we're in there, we may as well do x, x, x, and x..." - which may not be a bad idea, but also not necessary. For instance, the spark plug tubes are a fairly simple DIY - and cheap if you don't mind getting dirty... Good Luck, however it works out
I didn't get those details, but have had these guys do work on the car in the past so am assuming(maybe I shouldn't) that if they say it needs to be done, I should do it. They've always been very straight forward and good to deal with.
When I had my IMS bearing done a few years ago, I had those tensioners replaced along with all the other 'while you're in there' stuff. That was only about 20k kilometers ago. Anyone have an idea of how long those things are supposed to be good for? I feel your pain on the money pit man.
^ Apparently about 80,000 miles or 17 years.
Astro: Sorry to hear about the needed repair. One thing that I think about when selling a car is whether the devil I know is better than the devil I don't know. $4,000 on top of $3,600 is a lot of maintenance. But, as the CEL is coming on already, you're stuck with the expense of the repair, one way or another. If you do fix it, you're out $4,000. If you don't fix it, you'll sell the car at a huge discount, maybe even more than the $4,000. If you keep the car, you'll likely get a lot of trouble-free miles because you will have already replaced many of the common failure items. On the other hand, if you replace it with another car, you might soon find yourself stuck doing a long list of maintenance items just to get it to the condition of the car you just sold. People feel that a car is snakebit or unlucky after they have to spend a lot of money in repairs. In reality, a car is simply a compilation of systems and parts, and those parts just wear out or break over time. Sure, there's a little luck involved, but mainly it's physics. Even Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys need maintenance.
I would second the advice to get another repair estimate from a different mechanic. Not saying anything is wrong with the first one, but shopping around is generally a good idea. Would you feel differently if it turns out to be a $2,500 repair?
I think they meant remove cover for Bank 1-3 (Bank 1). Just be careful with this code since it can be misdiagnosed. It could be the solenoid/actuator or the power transistor inside the DME. It takes systematic steps to diagnose it correctly.
If it's the solenoid/actuator, it will be a few thousand dollars like you learned. If it's the DME transistor, one just needs to replace that $5 transistor. Imo000 can tell you all about it.
Either way - a few grand or a few bucks - I urge you to reconsider walking away. The 99's have turned out to be pretty scrappy little engines, and (I know I'll take sh*t for this) the first year (for US) will be semi-collectible for some people who care about stuff like that - in spite of the '99 being "Porsche's deadly sin..."
If the fault is the tensioners, and they can be replaced and there was no collateral damage...the car might be lovable for a few more years...
I think you should read all the high mileage posts about the early 996s doing over 200k and up to 300k miles...and then realize that in terms of the devalued US dollar, $4000 is no longer "a lot of money." I'd make the repair and consider it as buying a very good (used) car for $4000.
Whether or not you'd believe it to be true or not, the attitude that I was raised with is that it's always cheaper to fix a car than to buy a new one.
Plus, there is a lot to be said for knowing the history of a car and what you've done to it. As you get some of these age-related issues sorted out, it should be a very reliable car and cover many more miles in the future.
$4K is a lot of money, no matter how you slice it - but if you will take more than a $4K hit by selling it as-is, it might still be the thing to do even if you want to dump the car.
It's amazing how little $4K means when it's someone else spending the money...
OP, if you're keen to keep the car, this is sage advice - but on the other hand, I have seen people dump absolutely stupid amounts of money into a car they didn't especially want to keep.
The "Well, I just spent $XXXX getting it running, so I might as well keep it" can be an expensive mindset...I have a friend who has an old Dodge with 200K miles on it, and he has put far more into that POS dodge than I have put into my 996 and Corvette combined over the past five years - he could easily have moved into a 10-year-newer SUV with 100K fewer miles for what he's spent keeping that turd polished.
$4000 is chump change...its the cost of doing almost anything to a Porsche. A new top for a cab is almost $2000 going non-OEM...doing an IMS is a couple of grand (not counting a clutch)...a couple of sets of tires each year (if you actually drive your car and use good tires) is another couple of grand, people spend super thousands on mods of dubious achievement...so four thousand to drop the engine and start working on the innards doesn't sound like a lot when it comes to Porsches. Now the price of a new Porsche...that is a lot of money. The price of a five year old Porsche...that is a lot of money. The price of Barista underwear at The Auto Gallery...that is a lot of money.
have the actual deviation checked....
my old 99 also had exact same code p1531.
Now at the time i my AOS was leaking but didn't have a chance to fix it....oil/coolant was leaking onto the sensor/wires which is direct path under AOS on driver side.
I had AOS replaced, sensor/wires cleaned and p1531 never came back
Astro:
Here is one of my posts that explains camshaft deviation. It basically is a measurement of the wear of the cam tensioner pads:
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...-readings.html
So you want to get the car started up and have a durametric connected. I now have a durametric. Look at the camshaft deviation when cold, and then drive it around and get it good and hot, drive it at least 30 minutes and do some pulls. Then measure it again, that is the real reading you want to see.
I believe the check engine light comes on at 12 degrees, mine does not have a check engine light, but is greater than 5 degrees, and I will continue to monitor and log in my spreadsheet so I can trend it. I will have to change them, but it's an engine out service, and I just started a kitchen remodel! So maybe this winter or next year if the trending looks like it's not wearing.
Post the values and let's see what you have, this is a prudent step that doesn't cost anything, or warm your car up, bring it to your shop, have them plug in their scan tool and read it. Maybe it's not the $4K repair, or maybe it is, but best to troubleshoot it first.
Such great advice on this forum, this thread. Good luck with your repairs, sometimes the devil you know is better than... (Meaning of course at least you know the history of your car, as another poster mentioned)
That has value
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
