Resealing an engine

Two weeks ago a 2003 c4s failed ppi when my mechanic discovered leaky case halves. I walked away from the car and still searching for the right one. The owner of the car called last weekend to tell me the Porsche dealership agreed to cover the labor if he pays for the parts ( less than $1k). The car was cpo until march and he is a good customer According to dealership they have only seen one other 996 with leaky halves. So it's a bit rare. Also Records indicate at least twos maybe three rms changes. Is it a red flag to go through rms (walking crank) and leaky case? Should I run from this car because it may have a faulty motor or be jubilant to buy a car that just had dealership sealed engine?

Sealing the case halves is no small task. The motor pretty much has to be disassembled as far as it can. I believe new rings must be installed, all new gaskets and seals to do it right. If done correctly it would be good, if not it could be a disaster. I don't think dealers do enough of these to get really proficient at it. There are many areas from where problems could arise. If the motor is completely disassembled, well worn parts should be replaced. I doubt this would happen. Resealing a motor is like a person having open heart surgery. The problem may be corrected, but at what costs?

Quotes source post: 9566356

+1

Not sure if Porsche will/can still CPO this car which would be ideal IMHO. If you do decide to buy this car, will you be buying an aftermarket warranty?

I am aware of the seriousness of the job. Try quoted 50 labor hours. I will talk to service advisor tomorrow about the details, actual mechanic who will perform te job and if the warranty their work.

Usually a Porsche dealer will warranty parts and labor for a year. The default warranty on original Porsche parts is also one year. Depending on how much you plan to drive the car, this may not be enough time/miles to determine if the fault is really corrected. I would move on. Lots of fish in the sea...

Quotes source post: 9566159

Others have covered the engine reseal issue. Multiple RMSs scare me. There's no excuse in this day/age for anyone to screw up installing an RMS. Furthermore, there's no excuse the seals are bad. The replacement RMS that was installed in my 02 Boxster back in the summer of 02 at around 25K miles has not leaked a drop in all that time, and with now over 255K miles on the car (and 230K miles on the replacement RMS). Instead of a defective RMS or a botched RMS job what can happen is the engine internals shift slightly and the crank is no longer centered in the RMS bore. There is a test (using a special measuring tool/gage in fact) that is used at RMS replacement time to test for this condition and if the crank is out of position the only solution is to replace the engine. In the case of this car: facing a engine cases split job to reseal the crankcase halves, and the possibility the RMS leak is coming from something deeper/darker than a bad seal... I'd walk away from this car if I were you. Sincerely, Macster.

Macster. I always find your posts insightful and read threads with your comments. My indy is also turned off by this car. It is soooo gorgeous but unless they put a new crate motor I should walk away.

I would be waiting for the shoe to drop, so I would walk. Lots of nice cars out there.

These case halves don't really leak at the parting line.. The leaks are generally linked to case porosity, which cannot be resolved by "resealing".