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YOUR RESEARCHFalse sense of security or blessing in disguise?
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(It was changed three times until *they* got it right apparently).
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I have repainted some of the interior components (console, trim, and seat backs) and I've replaced the Becker stereo system with a Blaupunkt system.
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He regularly changed the oil (Mobil 1 OW40 only) and spark plugs when needed and had Jim Ellis repair most of the more common problems such as the RMS.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Also, many in the manual world live by rev matching the clutch; apparently, it's safer for the clutch to be changed with higher RPMs.
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Suggestion
My documented oil changes have been often(at least once a year), and I use a magnetic oil drain plug, and I cut apart and inspect the oil filter, and I'm on the original clutch and IMSB.
Replace have been often(at least once a year), and i
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Suggestion
My documented oil changes have been often(at least once a year), and I use a magnetic oil drain plug, and I cut apart and inspect the oil filter, and I'm on the original clutch and IMSB.
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I'm new to this forum and a new owner of a 2003 Porsche Cab. I spent several years researching and saving up the necessary funds to finally afford one of these nice sports cars, but of course, like most, I'm very concerned about all this talk about the catastrophic failures (e.g. IMS) that occur from owning one of the 996 Porsches. Fortunately, I bought a one-owner car and he took very great care of the car and only had Jim Ellis in Atlanta do all the service. He regularly changed the oil (Mobil 1 OW40 only) and spark plugs when needed and had Jim Ellis repair most of the more common problems such as the RMS. Apparently, the RMS that's on the car right now is the one that Porsche verified to be "solution". (It was changed three times until *they* got it right apparently). But what concerns me is that the IMS is the original and wondering if I'm driving a ticking time bomb. The thought of driving this on vacation and experiencing the dreaded IMS gives me nightmares. Not trying to drum up sympathy, but would value your thoughts on the matter. The car is at 72,000 miles and I just changed the oil yesterday and examined the oil filter and cup (see picture), but didn't notice any metal or foreign contaminants. What would you recommend at this stage in the game? Drive it and not worry? Or, get the IMS changed out asap? Thank you all for your expertise!
Congrats on the purchase! Pictures are required!
For peace of mind, do the IMS retrofit. It's been recommended to me to change out the IMS every 5 years and the Water Pump and AOS (Oil Separator) every 3.
Ok... I re-examined the outside of the filter (see picture) and noticed a small amount (maybe 10 max) of metallic flakes about the size of a tip of a pen. Thoughts?
Thank you Slakker. I'll go and see when and if the original owner ever replaced those items. The temp stays locked at about 180 F. during normal driving and the coolant is a bright orange color with no discoloration. Is that normal?
A small number of non-ferrous metal dots in the filter are not unusual.
The car has lasted 13 years without suddenly coming apart at the seams, so calling it a ticking time bomb might be overly dramatic. If you decide to belong to the school of thought that considers the IMS bearing a maintenance item, you will probably elect to change it regularly (or replace it with the IMS "solution" that only has to be done once).
If this was my car and the water pump was original, that would be the item I would check out first. If you remove the serpentine belt, you can see how freely the pump shaft spins and you can also try to rock it from side to side to see if there is any play in the bearing. If the bearing seems loose, or if you see evidence that coolant has been working its way out through the shaft exit, it's time for a new water pump.
Since you just got into the car, my advice would be to temper your urge to start fixing this, that, and the other and spend some time getting to know the car. Are you able to get the service history from the dealership? Many won't provide it, but it's worth a try since you'd know what items have already been serviced.
Every car (or washing machine, or lawn mower) ever made will eventually fail, so I wouldn't agonize about whether the car is a time bomb. Enjoy driving it, keep reading this site and others to learn more about it, and start making your list of things to do to the car. You might consider three headings on your list, like Immediately, Sometime Soon, and Eventually. As you come across items that you think need replacing, categorize them on your list. This will become your game plan.
Since it sounds like you have a budget, I'd resist the urge to spend EVERYTHING you have budgeted for this car on preventive maintenance - it would suck to spend $10K on preventive maintenance and then realize you need $1K worth of suspension work or $2K worth of new tires...
sadly, you sound like you have already succumbed to the IMSB paranoia. Only known cure is to get an upgrade soonest. Or else, you will never fully enjoy your Porsche.
You should post some photos. I am in Atlanta also. Have you joined the Peachstate PCA? There are some good tours and rally's coming up which will take the group north of the city into the mountains and twisty roads.
I have a 2002 Cab and am waiting for the clutch to go before updating the IMS.
Hi Tony! No, I haven't joined any club at the moment. Would be interested in the future if time permits. Would love to be involved with some future drives to the mountains. Unfortunately, most of my close friends don't have sports cars and so when they go on trips its usually the SUV route full of kids if you get my drift. Anyway, thank you for the nice comments. Here are a few quick iphone pics from the garage.... Cheers!
"Intermediate Menstrual Syndrome"... Similar to PMS, it's the **P E R I O D** between PERIODS.
My wife experiences this phenomenon when I spend too much time ticking with my car.
bwahahahahaha
Personally, I think my clutch shifts smoothly. It was one of the last things the original owner had Jim Ellis Porsche replace before it went out of warranty. What are some common signs of when a 911 clutch is starting to go out other than the total failure? I've had clutches go out on other cars, but it would be gradual death where the car would begin to not shift properly. It would take much effort to shift or it wouldn't go into certain gears. Thoughts?
Yes, I have all of the original invoices. The original owner kept a file of everything that was done on the car. This helped me in deciding to go with this car. I've owned 9 months now and have no problem what so ever. There are no leaks (knock on wood) and it's been a blast to drive. I have repainted some of the interior components (console, trim, and seat backs) and I've replaced the Becker stereo system with a Blaupunkt system. Now I can answer calls hands free and stream music from Spodify. I used a Porsche schematic and wired it up using the existing wires and speakers. The subs will drive you out of the car they're so loud. But that's another story. hahaha
Looks good! Where did you purchase it?
How is your Bluetooth phone with the cab? My cab with fister exhaust makes it very difficult for anyone to hear me via Bluetooth.
Where in Atlanta do you live. I'm in Buckhead. There is a cars and coffee car show Sunday morning at perimeter mall that I'll probably go to.
also remember the previous owner/dealer could have changed oil/filter before selling the car so the filter you cut open could be fresh - not to worry you but maybe check it again after 500 miles or so. chances are slim you will have any issues.
I purchased it from the original owner who is a cardiologist in Atlanta.
I have the optional Porsche Sports Exhaust and it's pretty loud, but fortunately, I can turn it off. The Blaupunkt comes with a built in microphone, but you can install a optional remote microphone to minimize ambient noise problems. Fortunately, the Blaupunkt system automatically mutes stereo audio and amplifies the incoming call to make it clearer, but sometimes, I have to slow down to have a decent conversation, especially since it's a convertible.
I live up in the Commerce/Athens area and would love to know about any Porsche cars shows or talks in the Atlanta area.
Anyway, here's a picture of the dash area... I painted the trim piece around the stereo system with the ColorBond Graphic Grey paint.
You sound exactly like I did 3 years ago after I got my 2002 w/62k miles. Didn't want to fall prey to all the IMS hysteria but eventually I succumbed. Drove mine 3 years and 20k miles before I replaced mine. The issues are exaggerated but definitely exists. A couple of things you should do while putting off the IMS upgrade. Change your oil frequently ( 6 months or 5k miles) magnetic drain plug, inspect your filter, drive your car regularly and don't lug the motor(minimum 2000-2,500 rpm) Ultimately I did my upgrade because while the odds of no issues were in my favor I'm in no position for a $20k rebuild. My independent offers the LN pro upgrade along with RMS and oil change for $1,850. Money well spent. My clutch even with 82k miles only showed 50% wear so I left it alone. He did address numerous other things I'd neglected so my out the door bill was $3,913 but aside from gas and oil that's all the money I've spent on my 996 in 3 years. Not bad.
I had a Honda S2000 that I put 120k on the original clutch. I knew it was toast because when I nailed the throttle it was slipping so much it almost felt like I'd hit a patch of ice.
Thank you Porsche951.... I really appreciate your advice. With all of this valuable comment on this thread, I'm able to breath a little better. hahaha But at first reading all of these horror stories made me wonder if this was going to be a money pit or ticking time bomb. But of course, this is the internet and the drama seems to be common at every corner. That's why I prefer to ask people that actually *drive* these cars, not the ones that make money off of them if you get my drift. Cheers!
Although my 996 is a MY99 coupe, we have the same mileage. I have all the invoices from day 1 and I'm the cars 3rd owner. In 9/06 my Porsche had 35k miles when I bought it, and all the hype on the internet then was about RMS and getting a PPI. My documented oil changes have been often(at least once a year), and I use a magnetic oil drain plug, and I cut apart and inspect the oil filter, and I'm on the original clutch and IMSB. I just haven't had issues other than routine maintenance and 37k miles of driving enjoyment in almost 10 years of ownership.Hope your Porsche turns out to be as reliable as mine.
Thank you for your nice comment and I'm definitely getting one of those magnetic plugs. Curious... do you have to change out the magnetic plug every time or can you use it multiple times?
As a counterpoint - my car is a '99, I bought it with 55K on the clock - with absolutely no records, and I could not get it in to my indie for a PPI, so I settled for a post-purchase inspection. The dealership that had done the last few years of service changed hands right around the time I bought the car, and the maintenance records didn't make the transition. It was an impulse buy, and since I pretty much broke EVERY rule of car buying (completely out of character - never before and never since have I fallen in love with a car like I did this 996).
The car has been sublimely reliable. The moral: You just don't know. But you know a lot more than I did. When you start to get freaked out, grab the keys and take the car to the nearest location where you can safely break the law without endangering anyone or getting a ticket, and let the car remind you of why you bought it.
Hhahahahha.... I love it... "safely break the law". I know what you mean. I must admit, this coming from an owner of many muscle cars, this car is by far a bigger blast to drive. Now I fully understand their "no substitute" slogan. Cheers! And, thank you for your reassurance.
I bought my 99 with 55k on the clock, and under exact same circumstances.
Nothing but normal stuff for me as well.
ETA: 120k miles, still same clutch.
The original owner only changed out a few discs.
In regards to the 996s and 997.1 Porsches ... There is a school of thought that would claim that the IMS bearings are least likely to suffer oil starvation if kept at higher RPMs. Also, many in the manual world live by rev matching the clutch; apparently, it's safer for the clutch to be changed with higher RPMs.
My story if it helps anyone decide. I picked up a 99 C4 with 47K miles on it and all the service receipts since new. It was a well maintained car. The engine was replaced by Porsche at 12K miles. It runs great, everything works and it passed PPI with flying colors.
I took it to my indy for the post purchase service and wanted to do the IMS just for general principles. SO glad I did as it had not failed but was loose and on its way out. The flywheel was also quite grooved so it got a new clutch while we were in there. I hope it will be smooth sailing from here on out.
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