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YOUR RESEARCHRoot cause of m96 issues?
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rather simple
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Reported cause · Original poster
After several years of reading about all engine issues and owning a 996 my feeling for the root cause is rather simple:
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Suggestion · Original poster
Second, if you don't change the oil frequently it will become filled with particles which reduces the lubrication properties and it leads to the same issues.
Leading evidence: 'rather simple' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'rather simple' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Fill with particles' (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.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Secondly the cooling duct design is not very good(it was changed for the 997), they really need the fan to run to prevent overheating at low speed.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Here in France you can have the engine replaced with a reman for 13k�, complete turn-key finished in a week.
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Suggestion · Original poster
Second, if you don't change the oil frequently it will become filled with particles which reduces the lubrication properties and it leads to the same issues.
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Suggestion · Original poster
You can go that way or start replacing every single piece in there.
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Fill with particles
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Suggestion · Original poster
Second, if you don't change the oil frequently it will become filled with particles which reduces the lubrication properties and it leads to the same issues.
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Rennlist: 1 discussions
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Just some random thought I would like to share.
After several years of reading about all engine issues and owning a 996 my feeling for the root cause is rather simple:
Bad oil and over heating.
If we have overheating the oil goes thin and we can have scoring, IMS failure...pretty much all sliding/rolling surfaces depend on the fact that oil is lubricating well.
Second, if you don't change the oil frequently it will become filled with particles which reduces the lubrication properties and it leads to the same issues. There is a lot of chains and chain guides which shed material inside the engine.
Over heating warps the block/heads causing coolant leak or cracks. Over heating cause cylinders to run hotter and maybe causing d-chunk.
Certain plastics/components doesn't like high heat, causing problems with injectors and coils.
Why would it run hot?�
Well, first the radiators are really prone to pick up road debris and block them.
Secondly the cooling duct design is not very good(it was changed for the 997), they really need the fan to run to prevent overheating at low speed. The fan low-speed resistor often fail.
Third, there is a belief these engines are 'supposed to run hot' like the old air cooled did, but that makes no sense since they are water cooled. So, owners just run them hot unknowingly. Can anyone mention one single water cooled engine which is supposed to be run hot like an air cooled?
Solution? Well, many already change oil frequently but I feel it�s equally important to make sure the cooling is adequate. No need for third radiator if the modification in the link is done.
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...-radiator.html
I feel there is no need for new/oversized parts, as long as the engine is running at the right temperature and with good oil. There are more evidence that these engines are perfectly well engineered than they are not. I think it�s down to how the owner takes care of the car rather than how the engine is designed.
Here in France you can have the engine replaced with a reman for 13k�, complete turn-key finished in a week. There is no reason to pay large money for IMS bearing services etc, just run it til it dies and replace the whole thing. If the IMSB is worn, there is a large chance other internals are worn also. Replacing part by part is going to be an expensive hobby.
Remember that everything external of the engine case (AOS, coils, injectors, cooling system etc) will most likely be reused if you get a new engine. So, safe to spend money replacing those parts instead of engine internals.
Last thing: don�t remove the IMSB sealings! They are there to prevent stuff/debris entering the bearing. Read up, it�s common practice to use seals in oil submerged bearings in engines.
You will find the following thread sitckied at the top of the 996 sub-Forum which goes over the problems (common and otherwise) in the 996 and how to "fix" them (if that's even possible). See:
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ssues-etc.html
I made a point of scrolling through it immediately after I bought my 2000 C4 Cab and joined this forum 6 months go. I also found the other stickied thread about "things you didn't know" about your 996 very informative. There are also 2 IMS discussion threads stickied at the top of the forum as well, which are worth reviewing as well.
I actually should have read all of these threads BEFORE buying my 996.
Fortunately I haven't had any "disasters" happen to my 996 yet but, if the anecdotal stories posted here and elsewhere are to be believed (and I see no reason NOT to believe them especially when documented w/pics and detailed shop/work notes), one could happen to any 996 owner at anytime. Then again, you could go for decades w/o anything going wrong, not even the IMS.
Just dumb luck or lack of it. Go figure . . . LOL!
100% of all m96 failures are driver error. If you would just not drive them and leave them in the garage where they belong, none would ever fail. Show me 1 example of a never driven 996 with catastrophic engine failure, i dare you!
Have you read the 76-page Hartech paper? And watched all of Jake Raby�s videos? If not, you�ll appreciate those 2 perspectives. They hold more weight than any other perspectives.
Sharing my thinking in the same line.
It's funny how many different failure modes the engine have. The engine have been so well engineered that there is not one obvious weak link in it that break consistently all the time. Someone will scream 'IMS!' but it seams that this is far from over represented.
The aftermarket investigate cars which they have no control how they have been maintained and driven the last 15-20 years. They see a part which is broken and react as if it's the part it self which is the culprit, making it stronger. Doing this you often just move the failure to another part in the engine....Example: If the IMS bearing doesn't break when the lubrication goes bad and temperature goes up, something else will(looks like bore scoring is the 'something else'). If you make the cylinder stronger and the IMSB stronger maybe the rod bearings next up? Lifters? camshafts? Chains?
Porsche designed the engine to work reliably when all systems is working and it's maintained properly. You can go that way or start replacing every single piece in there.
If you have good oiling and cooling the engine is very solid:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...&t=1601182&i=0
Damn those Germans! Pearl Harbor will never be the same...
Nick, educate yourself and watch Jake Raby's videos on the subject. He has opened and fixed more of these engines than just about anyone else.
