996 Engine Failure and Lessons Learned

I recently experienced an engine failure on my 2001 996 at 48k miles. I know there are many victims like myself but I thought you all could benefit from the research I conducted during the process. My failure occurred on the track. The event happened to be the very first track day I ever attended. The previous owner of the car had used it on the track and made a number of modifications for track duty (Bilstein PSS9's, GT3 Sway bars, DAS Sport Roll Bar, Fabspeed Exhaust & CAI, 0.5 QT Oil Pan Spacer - AKA Deep Sump Kit) I added Recaro Pole Positions and HRE C20 wheels in GT3 spec (18 x 8.5 front and 18 x 11 rear with 235/40 and 295/30 STREET tires) In march of 2012 I installed a double row, LN Engineering IMS ceramic bearing upgrade. This was my first track event and I was on street tires so I certainly wasn't pushing the car to it's maximum. During the high speed sweeping corners at Willow Springs I observed some smoke emitting from the rear of the car (only happened during the corner(s) and would disappear once the car was on a straight). I had just added oil prior to my first stint and thought it could be due to an over-fill (I had only filled to upper mid level). I pulled the car off, checked the oil and observed that it was on the lower end of the range so I added a quart to top it off. If I knew then what I know now I would have stopped at that point! I went out for another stint or two without incident (no smoke, good oil pressure, etc). I went out for my third, and final, stint, the CEL came on, and the car began running poorly over 3k rpm. I observed oil leaking from the RMS area. The car was towed home... Jae at Mirage International in San Diego pulled the oil filter and observed metal shavings. I knew I was toast at that point. I called the following shops, engine builders, and salvage yards to get pricing and advice: Shops: Mirage International Dieter's Black Forrest Vision Motorsports Performance Porsche Hergesheimer Motorsports Auto Strasse Speed Gallery UFO Motorsports Flat6Innovations - Extremely knowledgable, very helpful and well respected! Road and Race Motorsports Salvage: LA Dismantler Parts Heaven Autobahn I determined the following: The car likely failed due to oil starvation around the sweeping corners at Willow Springs. The smoking I experienced could have been a symptom of the air oil separator being unable to handle the cornering loads (see this link: http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...manperformance ) Porsche crate engines cost $22k + install. Engine Rebuilds range from $7500 (UFO Motorsports) to $18,000 (Flat6Innovations). Flat6Innovations also had a $13k engine option that didn't have their full menu of upgrades The rebuild price range is dictated by the level upgrades added to the motor. FSI does upgrade all of the weak components in their builds 996 engine failures are far more common than I expected. These builders are busy! A vanilla 996 mk1 with a blown engine is worth $3000 - $5000 Some of the venders were willing to pay more for my car considering the aftermarket parts on the car I was fortunate enough to find a buyer for my car with a blown engine for $11,750. The buyer was willing to pay that price because he saw value in the car's modifications and he is capable of rebuilding the engine. The sales price included all of the above listed parts+. I knew that I did not want to keep the car so I made the decision to sell as is. Best case scenario the rebuild would have cost $8k and I would have been left with a car that was worth $20k+/-. The new owner has torn apart the engine and determined that the crank shaft has failed. He believes the failure was driven by oil starvation when cornering. The car had a Deep Sump Kit installed which increased the oil capacity but when the oil pan spacer was added they did not install a spacer on the oil pick-up. He believes that this contributed to the oil starvation. See this link for details on the spacer / pick-up: http://www.lnengineering.com/deepsump.html NOTE - Some venders (such as FVD Brombacher) sell Deep Sump Kits without the pick-up spacer! After going through all of the above, I would make the following recommendations: Avoid the M96 engines - especially if you take the car to the track. The air cooled cars and GT3 / Turbo's all use a dry sump system that is much better suited for the track. The IMS bearing is one of many possible failure points of this engine. Prior to tracking your car - Upgrade your oil pan and oil delivery system (Deep Sump Kit, X51 Baffle Kit, Accusump, Motorsports AOS)- See this link: http://www.lnengineering.com/accusump.html Prior to tracking your car - Consult with a mechanic that has actual track experience with your specific make / model. Your mechanic's advice may differ from mine (I'm certainly not a mechanic) but at least I have provided you with some questions to ask!

thanks for sharing those useful informations. what will you pick up next? 997.2?

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987.2 Cayman S is in route

Sorry to hear about your mishap, and appreciate the share. For general consumption, I would focus on your third piece of advice, and this probably belongs on the doorstep of the previous owner: if you raise a car's ability to generate lateral G-forces without improving the oiling system accordingly, you're kind of asking for trouble.

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I thought I was covered because I upgraded the IMS bearing. I didn't do enough research on the oil starvation problems with this engine prior to tracking it. The flip side is that I frankly would not have spent the time and money on the upgrades for my first track event - and the first upgrade was already done (It had a Deep Sump Kit installed)!. I would not have expected that it would have been an issue at the speeds that I am capable of at my skill level. The only thing that may have changed is that I would have quit after observing smoke on my first stint.

I'm sorry that your first track experience with the car ended this way. However I don’t agree with your advice to avoid M96 engines. To be fair to Porsche your car was modified and the failure was linked to the modification, if your engine/sump was stock you may never have had this issue and still be driving now. I think it is tough to blame the manufacturer or engine series for a failure on a modified car

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Thank you for your sympathy . I see your point but I don't agree with you. If you track your car please call around to the experts. You will find out that this car can not handle high-g corners on the track without modifications. Maybe my expectations are too high from a manufacturer that has built it's name on motorsports and building high performance cars. There are many other cars out there that don't require this level of engine modification to survive on the track. Even after stiffer sway bars and coil overs are installed.

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Wasn't meant as a criticism. More of a general lesson. Your car was modded literally from the contact patch all the way to the driver's seat to corner at higher speeds. Even if you don't think you were going that fast, I think it's a good reminder to any aspiring trackie anyway. (Personally, I think that the oiling system in this car was overmatched for track work even out of the box, but I don't have any qualifications to say so).

So, you're recommending that people avoid these cars because your engine was improperly modified and was destroyed as a result?

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Good point. What I get from the OP's experience is avoid a shop that when it installs a deeper oil sump fails to extend the oil pump pick up tube the same amount.

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I think you are missing my point. I based my advice on all of the information I gathered during my numerous conversations regarding this issue. You saw the list of people I spoke with about the car. All of those who were familiar with the engine talked to me about the oil starvation issues in addition to IMS, and a list of other problems that I don't remember. I'm not impressed that an engine made by Porsche, with their pedigree, would need modifications to handle high-g corners on the track. That to me is a reason not to buy a car with this line of engines (on top of the IMS bearing issues which of course is another topic). You obviously think differently and your logic is probably reasonable if you don't intend to track the car. Some people install the Deep Sump Kit with the pick-up spacer and some don't. The person who tore apart my engine (and LN Engineering) believe that it is better to have the pick up spacer installed. After my experience, I think that they are right. This still doesn't change the fact that M96 engines have an oil starvation issue. The goal of my post is to allow others to learn from my experience. Prior to this incident, I did not know that M96 engines had oil starvation issues in addition to the well known IMS bearing weakness. Needless to say my experience was very frustrating, resulted in an instant $10k+/- loss in value and lots of my time. I would not knowingly put myself into that position again. Others can feel free to ignore my advice.

Im confused.. So you modded the oil pan, but not properly? The stock oil pna unit will also starve the engine of oil in hard sweeping turns?

I would chalk this up to improper mods - presumably with a deeper pan, yet shallow pickup, you will end up with less immersion of the pickup in the pan under loads, as the oil will have more space to crowd on the side of the pan.

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The previous owner installed a deep sump oil kit (I didn't even know it was installed) which adds 0.50 qt of capacity to the oil pan. The installer did not also install a spacer on the oil pick-up. This spacer is optional. This is believed to have contributed to the oil starvation. This is correct. This is the reason why the previous owner of my car installed the deep sump kit. See these links for more information: http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...e=996EXHAUST34 http://www.lnengineering.com/accusump.html Another upgrade - Air Oil Separator NOTE that the symptoms listed in the product description match those that I experienced: http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...manperformance

That sucks! Sorry to hear your bad experience and thanks for sharing. I think we will never know why and how the engine failed. With all the mods, sounds like the previous owner was fully prepared to push (or did push) the car's limit. The deep sump mod without the spacer on the pick up tube will be worse than stock oil pick up so making the mod harmful. I think it's very difficult to assess the health of an engine that has seen the tracks. With R-comp tires, these cars can pull quite a bit of g's. So it's possible the car was already on its last legs when you bought it... Again, sorry for your misfortune.

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Thank You.

Oil starvation of high G turns (one direction only, I think, though I can't recall which) has been documented for a long time. I re-read this several times, and I am sorry for your financial loss. Many of us fear that same loss. You car may have failed on the street, the exact same way, regardless...you will never know. The X51 modification, with 2 extra pick up points, is to me, the basics required to prevent this starvation, or more inexpensively, an Accusump, that maintains the oil pressure from an external pressurized reservoir. I don't track, but as an engineer, it's not hard to see where improvements for track use would be helpful, both in lubrication and cooling. No pick up extension on a deep sump is worse than no deep sump at all, due to the pick up being closer to the foaming level during a turn, though, with the correct oil and level it should have been a pretty moot point. I really have to think there were other factors at play here that contributed to the cause of failure. You don't actually state where the failure occured. Was it the LNE IMS bearing, a spun bearing, piston to wall collision? All are documented failure modes (amoung others, of course) due to oil starvation, that will yield metal in the filter, and are well documented. Personally, I think no street car is a track car regardless og manufacturer, without extensive engine mods, unless you are "tracking" at street speed/levels, or slightly higher. Where did that first quart "go", assuming you were slightly overfilled, as you should have been for track use? Whatever caused the loss of the first quart (!) probably also caused the loss of another quart or more, and there is the real culprit. Of course, you have to admit, that any car that has been tracked is ALWAYS going to be more suspect for a failure than one that hasn't, as you can't know what the REAL history of the engine is. The hard braking and hard acceleration, all add to loosening debris, that can block oil passages, as well as foaming in locations that with a borderline pressure might be catastrophic. Too many questions, and not enough data to make a meaningful assesment, really.

When you added the oil, did you check the dipstick to make sure it was at the full mark?

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Very thoughtful response! I was told that the crankshaft failed (probably due to oil starvation) and the IMS Bearing is still intact (I had recently upgraded that to an LN Engineering Ceramic Bearing). I agree that there were likely multiple factors at play. The smoking I experienced could have been a symptom of the air oil separator being unable to handle the cornering loads (see this link: http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...manperformance ). I do however think that the failure can be summed up to oil starvation which is why I recommended that those who take the car to the track, upgrade their oil system (Motorsport AOS, Accusump, X51 Baffle, etc.). People should talk to a mechanic with actual track experience with their type of car prior to any event.

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Prior to starting the event I did not (I added 1/2 quart to get it to upper 3/4 of full level mark). After I saw the smoking in the first stint I did top it off.

Really sorry to hear about your bad experience. That said, I dont think you can blame engine design if you are racing your 11 year old, modded 996 around a race track and the engine goes. I would think if you bought the car modded for track use it would be probable that it was ran hard (raced). Do you really know about the quaility of work on a modded car if you didnt DIY? I guess I cant relate because I dont see taking my weekend / good weather fun to drive 996 to a race track. Now, if I had a race prepped Porsche that was track only, I would realize that it could have a major failure at any time on race day. You tow it home, repair, then go race some more. You certainly dont blame Porsche. I cant find anything in my owners manual about tracking my 996. It would be like taking my wifes new GT to the drag stip. Race all day until the clutch gave out, then lament how much Fords suck and they cant build a clutch. Once again, sorry but I dont know what you expected.

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To be clear I did not "race" the car. I took it to the track for a high performance driver education event - the laps weren't even timed. The previous owner attended a hand full of similar events and it is true that the car had seen more action than most street cars. I ran in the beginner's group and was passed more than once by a Dodge Challenger (so sad ). As i stated previously I watched a lot of other cars handle the event without incident. I was the only person with a Porsche and the only person with a failure. It was my first event and I am not skilled enough to push the car anywhere near it's limits. If you have been to any DE track events, you would know that all levels of cars attend (this event had everything from VW GTI's and BMW M3's to Dodge Challengers). The car didn't meet my expectations, I learned a few things, and I took the time to pass on my information to others. My conversations with those who specialize in the M96 engine was eye opening in a bad way. If you don't track your car then I guess you can dismiss everything I said. If you do I suggest you look into my findings. I don't think you should run out and sell your 996 but i do think that precautions need to be taken to run the car on the track - even at a DE event. I also wouldn't chose to buy another M96 for my desired use of the car (street with a few DE events). As far as expectations go... I would not have taken the time to post my findings if there were a moderate repair needed after a track event - and I would not be overly disappointed or surprised to see something break at the track. What happened to me was a complete engine failure which is outside of my expectations for a DE event. I contributed my findings to help others avoid the same fate. I'm not surprised that my opinion about the M96 is met with skepticism by a group of individuals who have made the decision to own one. Keep in mind that I am one of those individuals. FWIW- I have not completely dismissed the brand as I am purchasing a Cayman.

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This plus effectively the baffle is pulled away from the pick up tube by the amount equal to the thickness of the deep sump. The thicker the worse because the baffle prevents the oil from sloshing around when the car turns. The pick up "region" will be less protected by the baffle if moved away frome it.

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See the install instructions in this link. http://www.lnengineering.com/deepsump.html I think the baffle remains at a fixed point in relation to the pick up tube (especially if no pick up tube spacer is installed). The pick up tube comes from the top. And there is a spacer (presumably the same thickness as the oil pan spacer) installed below the baffle (not above).

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Oh I see it now. So there's another spacer to "raise" the baffle to compensate for the now lowered sump plate. Then yea probably with correct leve of oil, not much different than stock then.

Your original post is a concise summary for sure. You are very lucky that you secured a buyer at that price as quickly as you did. With these engines its all luck. Some are ran in stock form on the street and track for years and never break, other owners have had failures like this one and some have had more than one engine fail. The record (here) for one individual is 4 failed engines. We finally got him on the track without issues for 3 years now, which I suppose is a miracle. Since you did not love the car and didn't want to keep it forever, you made the right choice. Like I told you on the phone, our engine solution only makes sense if the owner wants the car forever and doesn't want to end up having this scenario play out again. More people love their 996s enough to spend more on the engine than the car is worth than you'd ever imagine, which is why we have been slammed with 6-8 month back logs continually since before 2006. That said over and over again we find that the external bolt on "fixes" for the oil supposed oil system issues these engines have do not solve the problems. There is also a very good chance that the engine was tired, had been previously injured and its demise simply occurred in your hands. Looks like the last guy got all the fun and left you the sloppy seconds. Glad to see that we are still at the top of the food chain price wise, its time to go up on the prices though, since OEM Porsche engines are now more than ours and I simply can't have that! :-) (Hell we were building 15-18K engines years ago when a new crate engine from Porsche was 5-7K!)

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Thank you for taking the time to discuss my options over the phone. Our conversation was extremely informative and it is clear that you know these engines better than anyone. After talking to you it was clear that my best option was to sell the car if I could get close to the $12k mark. I was very lucky to quickly find a buyer that appreciated the car's modifications and the work I had put into making it a clean specimen. I think the buyer got a good deal considering the value of the parts but it was not going to be easy to find that special person in the open market. I was fortunate to find the perfect buyer who knows how to rebuild the engine. Thank you again for your help!

Slicer, I know what the previous owner did to you sucks but there are warnings all through the LNE info about the pan mod. LNE info warns: "Stickier tires will make the problem worse, as do other modifications to the car, which allow for greater G�s." and: "Experienced drivers with R-compound or race tires should consider a more proactive approach to preventing oil starvation with the installation of an Accusump system, 2 Quart Deep Sump, or Dual Tandem Oil pumps as outlined on our Oil Starvation Prevention page." Sounds like your cars suspension was modded to withstand more G skidpad force but maybe the engine was not equally modded? In other words the P.O. may have caused major damage before you got it (Just like JR said)? I do have a question though. Did you happen to do a recent oil change / filter inspection on this car? If so, was there anything in the filter?

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I'm glad you read the LN Engineering info. I have accomplished what I had hoped to with my original post. You and others now know a little more about the engine and it's weaknesses. I spent the day on the track with M3's on coilovers and r-compounds; none of which had any problems. I was on street tires. I had the oil changed 5k miles ago in March along with a new clutch, LN Engineering IMS bearing upgrade, and cam cover seals. No metal observed in the filter.

Slicer, thank you for your very well written public service announcement. Sorry you learned these things the hard way & I am glad you chose to go the 9A1 Cayman route. I think you will be in love again soon!

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Thank You.

I also am sorry for your loss. All your comments are the reasons I don't track my car. I'm one of those owners that love my car and can't afford to take the risks of taking it to the track.

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Thank you. We play this game a lot different than the other guys that jumped on the band wagon that we created :-) VERY LUCKY! Typically a car that has options won't sell at all, even after we correctly outfit the engine. Too often we have to strip aftermarket parts and re-outfit the vehicle with OEM parts. This is because the buyers for these cars are often north of 55 years of age and don't appreciate modifications. I totally agree. No problem, we do our best to help the owners of these cars with failed engines make the best possible decisions based on their budget, miles on the car and etc. We do this even if the best possible route for the owner is NOT buying our engine. The 9a1 Cayman is going to be fine. We are now on our 3rd year of development of the 9a1/ MA101 engine family and currently have the only engine program to support the internal modification of these engines. Here is another 4.2L beast being assembled this morning @ Flat 6. 4.2L DFI short block with Nickies cylinders Here is the 4.2 that we built for Cayman X... The photo shoot for its Excellence article is next month! Anyway, glad to see that you stayed with Porsche. These failures often leave such a bad taste in the persons mouth that they go to a damn Honda or Toyota product for a replacement vehicle. BTW- If you are going to track that Cayman you might consider this... Needless to say we are already seeing 9a1 failures from track cars and as always we are the first to create the solutions. Here is a 2-1/2 quart sump made from solid billet! Damn good thing we don't care what this stuff costs to develop, if we did we'd never make it!

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I think if you spent that much time talking to proctologists, you'd feel the same way about your butt.

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I'm not sure I needed that imagery the first thing in the morning....but, as always, a reasoned, thoughtful response from Bruce. My dad was a radiologist. Wouldn't let his kids ride horses because he saw injuries from horseback riding. Consider your sample as you try to figure out what it means.

It's a shame that anyone here would blame you for your engine's failure. Kind of strikes me as like blaming a girl for getting raped. The standard Porsche 911 (of which I've owned a number and tracked/raced extensively) used to be race proven but the fact is that the M96 with its "integrated dry sump" is really more suited to street use than track use, and that is an engineering shortcoming by Porsche as far as I'm concerned. I too had an '01 that was previously successfully tracked. As soon as I bought it I put in an x51 baffle and LNE IMS bearing and thought I'd be pretty well protected. I had only a couple of track days on the car when mine also blew up. I agree with all of your assessments, and am blown away by the price you got for your car - well done! I also came to a similar conclusion on a replacement; either the Metzger-derived motor in a turbo or GT3 or an '09 or later car. There was no way in hell I was going to risk getting into an M engine again. Anyway, sorry to hear about your motor and best of luck w/ your new car!

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This

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ditto. When your car blew smoke, what were you doing? Straight-line acceleration? Corner? How much throttle, if you recall. Did the oil light come on? My 996 has blown some smoke on the track, too. I've read that it's common. I wonder if anything can be taken from it, or not. Your drop in oil level is the most alarming thing to me. FWIW, I probably would have done the same thing: topped up and kept going. I'll be more aware of oil levels in the future. Sorry for your nasty experience. Thanks for posting.

I have been on the track and never lost an ounce of oil while there. If you start seeing your oil level drop after a session, I think you have a problem. The problem is that oil level reading are very hard to get on our cars. Have to let the engine sit for a while to get a decent reading. But before going in for the next session, the level should be the same as before. Adding oil at the track is the first sign of trouble I believe.

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+2. Think Dan Fogelberg Also, as has been repeated, just adding the X51 baffle is in no way any kind of cure for starvation. We'd like to THINK it helps, but really, all you get is stainless steel instead of plastic and rubber, so the potential exists to prevent a failed rubber baffle door from plugging the pick up, but that is all. Without the added pick ups and pumps, its not really any better than the OE baffle. Failed crankshaft I assume means seized bearing. Yes, that sucks, but of all the failures, that is the least expensive fatality, I think, if you can call it that. I feel better. Good luck with the Cayman, I love them, too.

Thats because the root of the problem is NOT G FORCE RELATED! Because everything that we see (at least at this level) is a worst case scenario. Its kind of like specialists that have a focus on cancer patients, they don't see people that have the best odds at beating what ails them. Look at things like this all day everyday and see just how biased you become.. Do it for over a decade and see it get worse and worse as the months go by. This one happened on the street.. Female driver, one owner car, never tracked and 42K miles.

The OP's experience with the car is unfortunate, to say the least. Porsche isn't the only manufacturer that has designed its base models for street use -- which then require careful refinements for use in other applications (e.g., the track). This seems to be somewhat of a deviation from previous Porsches that seemed, for the most part, track ready. It's a shame we don't have clearer guidance from the factory about what it sees as proper use in stock form, and what it recommends for more aggressive use. This instance seems to have been amplfied by the suspension mods & possible damage caused by the previous owner. I agree with Phil in that, especially if the OP genuinely believes that he wasn't driving the car much harder than he might have on the street -- that he suddenly was seeing smoke and adding oil. That would seem to be alarming and cause for investigation (although by that time, you still might find that the engine was making metal).

You mean the cars that were built before the company was profitable? REAL dry sump systems and etc cost money to integrate in both engine internals as well as sub-systems. Its all about the money.

IIRC the owners manual states the warranty is voided if the car is used in timed events or fitted with slicks. Granted that's not the same as seeing "do not race!" stamped in big red letters on the car's invoice sticker but it should be clear the car is not really a race car in street car clothing. These are very fine cars, high performance cars, to my mind well designed, well built, and given reasonable care/servicing and bit of luck they'll give plenty of good service for a long long time. But they are not race cars.

sorry for your misfortune. I could not tell from your orignal post. Did your sump kit come with a x51 baffle?

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No the X51 kit is a step up from what I had. My kit only increased the capacity by 0.5qt and retained the stock baffle.

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I see your point but I think the same thing can be said about some of the reactions and advice from members of this forum. Many are blinded by their love for their 996 and unwilling to accept that the M96 might not be all that they think it is. I think Porsche cut corners on this era of car. As Jake said, it was probably driven by the need / desire to make a profit. Some of you may not know that the most durable Porsche engine can be found in the GT3 and Turbo (Mezger Engines). The block and dry sump system in that engine (even up to the latest 997 GT3's and Turbo's) dates back to the air cooled cars. That's the engine to have for track use.

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Thank you! You are the first person on the forum (other than Jake from FSI) that seems to understand my perspective on the car. I guess it takes having to be one of the unlucky members of the blown-engine club to understand.

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I was cornering at mid throttle but I was in the upper rev range (never over-revved). The smoking immediately stopped after the corner(s). No oil light ever came on throughout the day. Only the CEL came on and at that point it was too late. I think the smoke was probably due to the Air Oil Separator (see the text in this link: http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...manperformance ) I didn't top off the oil prior to my first stint. I only added 1/2 quart to take it to the upper / middle of the range. I had never added oil to the car before so I didn't know how much volume the min / max range represented. I did not want to over-fill the oil so I tried to take it to the mid level. After the smoking occurred I was still above the "min" level so I wasn't overly alarmed. I then decided to take it all the way to maximum to be safe.

Newbie here who just acquired a 1999 996 through estate settlement, how can I tell if engine is m96?

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It is.

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First, I'm not blinded by my love of my 986 with its similar engine. It is certainly a good engine in a good car (02 Boxster) and the car and its engine has been everything I expected it to be. But one thing I did not expect it to be was a race car and a race car engine. Second, I'm not unsympathetic to anyone that loses an engine for almost whatever the reason, even if it a stupid reason (though I'm not saying this is the case in your situation). We all are stupid at some point and some just have the unfortunate luck to be stupid at the wrong time. What I'm not willing to do is out of hand condemn these cars simply because a few owners with track dreams learn the hard way speed costs money. Which brings the question: How fast do you want to go? If Porsche built engines that could go from the street to the track and back again the market size for these cars would smaller, and maybe small enough that Porsche would not survive. BTW, while I also own a 996 Turbo and love its engine it is not a race engine either. Just ask those that have found out the hard way about those coolant fittings... Also, even if the fittings last once in awhile a Turbo engine "blows" up. Also, while I'm at it let us clear up what a race engine means or doesn't mean in this limited context. What it doesn't mean is the engine is immune to failure. No engine (race engines in particular) is immune from catastrophic failure. While the basic engine may be sound, nigh on bullet proof, it is only as good as its weakest component. The engine's longevity rests upon the smallest part in the engine holding together. Every one of the numerous cam chain pin/rollers in the engine is nearly as critical to the engine's continued good health as the rod bolts.

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I agree with most of what you are saying. I have certainly learned over time that every motor / car has its weaknesses. Some have more prevalent weaknesses than others. My opinion is that the M96 is one of those engines with more prevalent weaknesses. After my experience, I would (and have) simply choose one of the better engines made by Porsche. My research says that the GT3, Turbo, and 09+ engines are better. Obviously you pay for the improvements and each of those engines still has weaknesses (some of which are probably yet to be known in the case of the '09+ motors). I was lured into the 996 mk1 by it's low price point. I owned the car for 1 year and in the end, I probably could have ran a 997 GT3 for one year for the same cost of the 996 (after all of the repairs and value loss due to engine failure).... Some people have had better experiences than I. More people than you may realize have had similar experiences to mine - even outside a track environment.

While I may respectfully disagree with some of your conclusions, your experience is one of those awful outcomes that do happen. And no matter the actual causation, be it M96 basic design or an aftermarket modification (ironically intended to offset a perceived design flaw), this just sucks. Thanks for documenting your story so thoroughly. I am sure that we are all glad you stayed in the Porsche family!

Not that we're debating this particular point but during the period of time these cars were being produced, Porsche was the highest-profiting (sp?) car manufacturer. Should they have spent a little more money making a motor that could be used in a sporting manner without fear of blowing up (talking about dry sump oiling, not IMS design)? I think so.

And this is where I start pounding my head against the desk. When someone has a problem with their car like this, it's natural to resist the idea that it was bad luck or that they made some kind of mistake. It's self-affirming to direct the blame toward an engine that has not entirely fairly acquired a reputation for problems (even if your issue didn't happen to be caused by one of the reputed weaknesses). Add in the voice of an enthusiastic marketer of engine insurance, and you have a perfect storm. The 'bad m96' meme takes on a life of its own, taking some of the pleasure out of owning one and destroying resale value. The OP's experience was a valuable contribution and a cautionary tale for trackies. Trying to jam the whole thing into this dubious meme isn't. I think Macster got it about right.

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Not exactly. By the end of the 996 run, they were doing very well indeed. But at the beginning, they were fighting for their lives. The 996 made a significant contribution toward saving the company. Also, bear in mind that the "most profitable" claim is per unit, not corporate profit. Toyota sells 15 million vehicles a year, BMW 1.5 million. Porsche, moving roughly 20,000 911s a year at the time bloody well should have had the highest per unit margins. It's just common business sense.

There really isn't any such thing as out-of-the-box / street-track perfection, from any factory. C5 vettes had ferocious oil starvation issues in the sweepers and under heavy braking, and Chevy knows how to design/build race motors. Anyone familiar with tracking GT3s will know about the glue/press coolant fittings that frequently fail (wanna know how much welding those suckers costs, or why Porsche hasn't changed the design?). Not to mention the many other high running costs of a GT3, GT2, including the mythological 100 hour rebuild. BMWs used to have fuel starvation issues. Etc, etc, etc. Point is, the 911 is a street production car that is one of the most trackable factory cars ever--in any era, in any specific version--even if it isn't "out of the box" perfect. And, what high power, high performance car is perfect for all uses? Yes, dry sump is "better" than wet sump. But, if you're not tracking with high sweepers, oil starvation is not a huge issue. If you are, then accusump that sucker. Its a known issue and concern, frankly for any motor. Even true air cooled race cars use remote reservoir systems to maintain oil level and pressures. Anyway, the M96 motor is not a congenital or catastrophic failure of a motor. Like any motor, it has its strong and weaker points, and build your car accordingly. My particular beef with the motor is the same gripe I have with every 911 motor--they fail my personal cost/benefit/value calculation. It simply pains me to no end that a good performance build for anything north of 300 hp--on any version of a 911 motor--is more than $15k, and usually far more than that. A good 1990s era or later BMW build is half that or less, as is an American V8. Ok, so that's maybe apples to oranges, but it is a personal thing and maybe worthless in the general discussion here.

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+1 Wow, it took you this long to ...I admire your restraint.

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Way to turn this case of user error(no different than me installing an undersized/incorrect water pump in my 996 and then crying because the engine developed a hot spot and cracked a head) into another one of your infomercials� To the OP, I feel bad for your loss but the fact is you DIRECTLY caused the loss. It was not caused by Porsche due to a faulty engine design. Your choice to use an incorrect mix of aftermarket parts caused this failure(a spun crank bearing due to oil starvation), plain and simple. Your crying here about Porsche�s faulty design is serious misplaced blame.

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Not to be a jerk but I feel the same way. First thing I did when got home when buying my Porsche was drain the oil. Could of been a total waste, but I didn't want to risk incorrect weight oil from car place. With all the posts online saying a deeper oil pan is a waste at best and dangerous at worst, I would of ripped the thing off.

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Prior to going through this experience I may have shared your perspective. Let me point out a couple of things. I think 99% of Jay's business comes from cars that have had engine failure. Not from people proactively trying to avoid engine failure. In other words he is not selling his product or service based on fear. He is simply waiting for the inevitable to happen - more engine failures. I called him to discuss my situation and he gave me 30+ minutes of his time even after he determined that I was not a likely candidate for his services. In fact he helped convince me that I shouldn't use him to repair the engine. Say what you want but he has vast knowledge about this engine and is a strong contributor to this forum with information based on actual experience. Unlike myself and probably 75% of the members of this forum who are simply regurgitating information that they have gathered from others. Wow I wish I would have contacted you prior to buying the car. You obviously know all there is to know about engines, failure causes, etc. If you read all of my replies in this thread you would have noticed that I have based my recommendations not only on my experience, but also on conversations with those who deal with these engines on a daily basis in both street and track applications. Those people consistently pointed out the oil starvation and IMS problems with this engine. You can argue whether the previous owner of my car caused the problem by not installing the oil pick up spacer. But you can't argue the fact that there have been many failures caused by oil starvation on M96 engines when used on the track. If you don't track the car then you don't have as much to worry about. If you do track the car (even relatively mild DE events such as mine), please do some research on the upgrades needed to safely do so.

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Well, at least we agree on a couple of points...

And cut from Jake's earlier and very well illustrated post: "BTW- If you are going to track that Cayman you might consider this... Needless to say we are already seeing 9a1 failures from track cars and as always we are the first to create the solutions." I guess my belief that the fear would be put to rest when the day arrives that I can be in a 2009 or newer has been shattered.

First, my sincere sympathies to the OP. Having read this entire thread, I am more than a bit embarrassed for Porsche for the direction its engineering has taken; that is the 996 is apparently not designed to handle even modest track driving. Are you kidding me? The most winning manufacturer of race cars in history and the iconic 911 is not even modestly track-able? Whether it occurred at the hands of the OP (remember, he was passed by a Dodge) or the prior owner, this is nothing short of a sad reflection on Porsche. Making a fast car is suprirsingly easiy these days. Toyota Camrys with the V6engine, along with dozens of other cars will go 150 MPH. My previous P-car was an 87 with, yes, a dry sump. The lineage is supposed to get better, not worse, as time goes on, preserving the high standards set by the prior designs. I guess Porsche missed that lesson. I understand Corvettes have suffered from similar oil starvation. That's what I expect from a Corvette, and why I don't own one. This is a Porsche, as I said, the most winning manufacturer in racing history. I once read a quote many years ago from a race car driver stating that Porsche was the car most designed to go straight from the show room to the track. Apparently that has changed. I don't care it is not a GT3 or Turbo. What's the point of making a profit if it comes at the cost of your reputation? Lubrication is the most basic tenet of engine survival followed by cooling, and if Porsche is cutting it this close, shame on them. There are no excuses. And somebody in Stuttgart, who made this stupid decision, if they are still there, should be fired.

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What can you expect when your oil pump is driven by a simplex chain thats smaller than a kid's bicycle and has a sprocket thats fixed with a single 6mm diameter fastener with nothing to index it?

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Please don't give me another thing to worry about! The Cayman will not see any track time and is still under manufacture's warranty. It's the wife's car....

Glad you got a good one Slicer, I just dont agree that you should give up on the 996. Seems like some are great that last over 100K with no issues, then there are some that give out at 30K. I was paranoid about buying mine until I spoke at length with Hanz at RAC in Dallas. Seems the failures really are a small percentage. I bet if you remove the owner induced failures from the pool, the percentage would be even lower. It just seems like more failures to you because thats what you experienced, even if it was self induced, or "user error". There is no way you can blame any auto company for their design if you improperly mod it then track or race it. You are not using the product as it was intended. Congrats on the mini Porsche though.

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This would be a fair statement if all, or even most, tracked 996s blew their engines up. They don't. There are legions of these things circling racetracks year after year without incident, for pete's sake. The world is not made better by people who demand to be protected from every possible risk. Sometimes, sh*t just happens. Especially on a race track. Even to real race cars. Come on. If you can't afford to play, don't. Racing is not a right.

Bruce, I have to disagree with you. Yes, "stuff" happens, and I can understand that with even the best prepared race cars, with "prepared" being the operative word. But that is not what was revealed in this thread. Almost to a person, everyone with an expertise in these cars, including guru Jake Raby, has weighed in and said that Porsche abandoned the dry sump oil system most likely due to the costs involved, and therefore if you plan to track your 996 at all, the first thing you need to do is upgrade the engine lubrication system. I go back to my original statement that this is unacceptable given the fact that the previous generation 911 had a more track ready lubrication system, particularly given the fact it was engineered 20 years earlier.

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I can understand being disappointed, but I think what you're really disappointed about is that Porsche changed. I, too, find it kind of sad that Porsche couldn't survive on the buyers who care about dry sump oiling, but that's the free market for you. That's why Porsche is such a different, and bigger, car company now. But they didn't conceal anything from you. They never advertised that the car had a dry sump when it didn't. Caveat emptor and all that, right?

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No. Cost benefit analysis applies. As it was said, 1000's of these cars have done millions of laps and not all of them blew up. Some did. And my dad's Mercedes E Class blew up in the drive way. **** happens. There is a chance that tracking the car will increase the risk of catastrophic failure. If you are uncomfortable with the risk you can try to insure yourself (upgrade certain components, get a newer car with warranty, etc) or avoid the track. You have to make the decision: is it worth the cost to insure against an unknown probability of failure

Of course, we all know, all of this could have been avoided if he had just used Slick 50, which allows your engine to run with no oil, if required.... come onguys, let's lighten up! I appreciate the info the OP has presented. Bashing him as the "cause" is arrogance at it's best. You weren't there, you don't know what the circumstances were. He readily admits his oversights, and accepts that perhaps it "would have happened anyway", but has every right to "feel" that a Porsche isn't what it used to be with regards to the track. Lets, face it, todays ultra high performance treet tires (even yesterdays, like the PS2) blow the doors off what were at one time dedicated track tires, not too many years ago. The same can be said for suspensions. I remember clearly when 300+ HP in a car that size was a supercar. So comparing today to yesteryear is more just waxing nostalgic, than being realistic. it is what it is. Consumer beware. I STILL get a huge grin every time I drive my Carrera. That's what counts to me.

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I've been tracking my 996 since 2005 and I haven't seen many 996 at all until just lately when it just happens that these cars are now so cheap. Lot of 996's never see the track and many more of them are garage queens. Many of them that do see the track are not even driven hard and many never see R compound or slicks. I think you'd getter a more realistic view of these engines by following the Boxster spec or Koni race teams that run these engines and ask them how long the engines last. Personally I think the cars that are not driven everyday are the ones that have ims problems and that the cooling system is the weak point in these engines. It is so close to the edge of being at the maximum temperature that any problem in that area will cause a problem. These cars should be running 10 degrees cooler which would give the engine a much better chance of not overheating. The oil starvation is a big issue on some tracks and if your driving at them, you should either modify the engine to cope with it or change your tires so you don't pull as high of g forces that cause the problem. At least ours engines are not as bad as the 2.7 engine in the early 911's

Sorry the OP had a problem. My 99 just broke 110,000 miles & still going strong.

Good grief. The drama and histrionics in this thread is so overblown (pardon the pun) that some of you should be on Jerry Springer. The M96 engine in it's factory form - is a perfectly reliable and capable track car. I do 6 to 8 track events a YEAR. On average there are 50 cars - of which 40 are M96 derived engine cars - and when I talk to the other drivers most of them are stock - as is mine. We drive these things for 5 hours or so flat out. In the 3 years I've been doing it - about 20 events in total - I'VE NEVER HEARD OF AN ENGINE BLOWING UP DUE TO OIL STARVATION. I have seen people blow an AOS, blow a coolant hose - both of which shuts down the track for an hour or so while they clean the crap up. SH*T HAPPENS and I'm sorry your car blew up on you Slicer and we'll never NEVER know if this would have been avoided if the car was kept stock, or the modification was done properly. SO the only conclusion I can come to is that the improper modification contributed to oil starvation. As for the rest of you that are scared to track this car - your loss.

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I had the LN low temp thermostat installed in my 3.4L 996. There cars run hotter than the 3.6s and this modest upgrade made a huge difference in both street and track use. Highly recommended

Bottom line about the OP's car problem. 1. He bought an improperly modded abused car. 2. It blew up while on race track, starved for oil because of said modification / prior abuse. 3. He blames and hates the 996 now. 4. This makes no f#$@%ing sense.

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/Thread

This is interesting reading. part 4 and part 5 http://www.hartech.org/buyers.html

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Ah, but Porsche was sneaky - when the 996/M96 engine came out they called the new system: "Integrated Dry Sump", I still don't know what that means. Certainly doesn't perform like a dry sump.

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It means "High volume, wet sump" in my terms.

I always assumed that the "dry" part was simply that the cam lobes are not exposed to the sump, as the oil takeup area is isolated. Wet, they are, dry, it is pumped only. Integrated just means isolated, but still part of the main casting. Not sneaky IMHO, but as you said, the only real benefit to the 996 dry sump, is less susceptibility to splash frothing from the cams. The X51 oil system should have been standard. No one would be having this conversation if it was.

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That's a fairly standard design though, even the oil pump in ferrari v12s (ie enzo etc) use a chain and a shaft that's not keyed. Same thing for Audi V8s etc.

jumper, The Hartech link was very good - thank you!

Slicer, I commend you for keeping your cool while under fire. Certainly not fair to you, especially when you are just trying help others avoid the same fate. I suffered an IMS failure on my engine and I cannot tell you how many times I have been told to “beat it” when recommending the LN upgrade to other M96 owners. I find it amusing that there are countless posts on this 996 forum noting some form of catastrophic failure, and in nearly everyone of these “failure” posts you will find replies arguing how reliable these engines are. I completely and totally understand that you can find a “blown engine” post on every auto site out there, but it really is a shame that the 996 forum appears to trump them all. Numerous catastrophe posts and a 6-8 month wait at Flat 6, this is where the 996 forum does differ from the other (non M96/M97) forums. It just seems to pop up far too often and it is very frustrating as a 996 owner. Curious, were you on the Big Willow Springs track or the Streets of Willow?

I love this clip, get ready to turn the sound up, it amazes me the angles they require to simulate the forces generated on the fluids of an engine.... imagine hot oil sloshing around in this baby. You Tube

I am on OP side. If for no other reason than I frequent this website. I recently bought a 2001 996 and it is my daily driver; I find myself checking for oil leaks, coolant leaks, and the sound of marbles everyday. I don't know many other vehicles that have this many CATASTROPHIC problems (Chrysler 300 maybe?). I wouldnt care if the crate engines were 7-8K, but now that they are 12-15K that's just crazy talk.

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There is no "side" to this. The OP lost his engine tracking the car. The engine part that is most famous for being failure prone wasn't even involved in this incident. I think people would find this kind of conversation more productive if it was case specific rather than tossing it on to some kind of bandwagon whether it belongs on it or not.

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Thank you for your support!

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I must be missing something. I was pretty sure his intermediate shaft was just fine.

Please delete.

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I'm glad to hear that there are many 996 owners that have had better luck than myself and the many customers of the shops that I contacted. Do you not see the irony in your statement? On one hand you say that we will Never know if this would have been avoided if the car were stock and other other hand you draw a definitive conclusion that it was due to the Deep Sump oil pan modification... I have said this multiple times in this thread and I will now say it again - I have based my recommendations NOT ONLY on my personal experience BUT ALSO on the information that I gained from talking to the professionals who specialize in this engine. I spent hours of my time educating myself and graciously shared the info I learned. It's posts like yours that make me regret doing so.

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1 - To be fair I was not a big fan of the 996 prior to and during my ownership. 2 - I was quickly developing a love for it on the track prior to its demise. 3 - I love how you and others seem to have an intimate knowledge of how my car was driven by myself and the previous owner. Thereby giving you the ability to discredit everything I have shared / recommended. It's posts like this that make me wish I would have never taken my time to share the info I learned.

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Yes my IMS was fine. I had upgraded it 6 months ago with an LN Engineering kit. I think his point was that he was frustrated by the IMS design flaw and shares my dissatisfaction with the engine design based on that weakness. An intersting thought: What if my upgraded IMS bearing would have failed during my incident? Would you all have been saying that the failure was due to "my improper modification"? It get's to a point.... Even if my failure was 100% due to the "Deep Sump Kit" installed in my car by the previous owner (remember none of us are 100% sure that was the actual cause), why did the PO install the kit in the first place? The answer is: Due to the know oil starvation issue with this engine. Please accept my apologies for sharing the information I learned.

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Actually the crate engine is now $22k + install. Some people beleive that Porsche was subsidizing the engine cost in the past due to the frequent failures. I'm sure this statement will cause another freak out from some of the passionate posters on this thread....

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I get it. What makes me crazy is the frankly stupid tendency to lump every bad thing that happens to this engine into one meme. The intermediate shaft design was a mistake on Porsche's part. There is much else about this engine that's amazing. And your situation, in the absence of specific learning, needs to be treated as an interesting anomaly from which fellow trackies might learn something. I just don't get why people find that so hard.

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Or just maybe.. maybe... just maybe replacement engines were cheaper when they were still in production.

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Yes BruceP, we all know his IMS was fine. The point was that sometimes it�s not worth the effort trying to share what you have learned. Slicer wants to help people avoid oil starvation and I compared that to how I have tried to help people avoid IMS failures. Next thing you know you are on page 7 of an out of control post wondering how did you get here when you were just trying help?

I, for one, thank you for taking the time. I'm sure many more read this, were glad to read it, just didn't comment. Don't take the comments personally, there is no reason to. Seriously, $22k + install now....WOOF! Now I see why Jake says he's got to raise his prices... I'm curious, does anyone know if a crate 993 engine can still be bought?

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My initial motivation for my post was to help others understand the risks / potential weaknesses associated with the engine. My hope was that folks would use that info to: 1 - educate themselves on possible upgrades to consider prior to tracking 2 - understand the risks of tracking the car 3 - understand the risks of owning a M96 4 - know what problems and/or warning signs to look out for The thread has somewhat turned into me defending my situation and perspective on the car. It's true that I'm not a fan of the 996. I have had a bad experience with it. I spent a week hating Porsche as a whole. After I reflected on things and cooled off, I have limited my dislike to the M96 motor. Obviously I have not completely given up on the brand considering I have a Cayman in route....

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Thank you and you are welcome.

Thank you Slicer for bringing this oil starvation topic up. Only 7 months in the PCar world, I hadn't had the chance to get educated on this topic yet. You made it happen, warts and all: I'm grateful! Some other OPs like you had to suffer the same fate as you just did on the IMS bearing issue but, in the end, they also were highly instrumental in educating folks like me on some of the peculiarities of the M96. They suffered the philosophers, but in the end, we all gained as a group of spirited Porsche drivers. It is all good and never take it personally! Enjoy your upcoming ride, you and your wife deserve it! Bonne chance, mon ami! Martin

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IIRC, two of his four "recommendations" were to avoid the M96 engine, and a reference to intermediate shaft bearing failures. Neither of these were valid "learning", neither of these were particularly "helpful."

Sorry to hear about the failure Mate, good luck with your new Porsce. I'd be interested in what you think in comparison to the 911. Cheers Rob

OK so I guess the lesson we all learned from this is, dont buy a used 996 track car with a half-a$$ deep sump mod then track it until it blows? Sorry Bro but when you looked over this car and saw the track mods, you should have walked away from it instead of being impressed with the high dollar track stuff. This is pointless.

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^ This post has a point. ^ This post is pointless.

22K!?? Does anyone even own a non-turbo 996 that they believe is worth 22K? What does the history of the car have to do with the car suffering from an oil starvation issue on the track one day? I for one appreciate the information. I see a lot of posts where the owner of the destroyed engine won't talk finances. Slicer put numbers to the issue which should help people who end up needing a rebuild/swap

We will soon reach a point when no one will opt for a factory replacement engine due to the cost of the engine and the relative value of the car. This is why rebuilders will become more and more important. Several years ago when I owned a 1980 911SC I priced a new factory replacement engine (just curious). At the time - yes, it was available - it was $30,000. The value of my SC at that time was around $14,000. No one then, as now, buys replacement air cooled motors from the factory, they have them rebuilt (or rebuild it themselves). If $30,000 was a lot of money then for a factory replacement air cooled motor, do you think $22,000 is a lot of money for one now?

Pmuney, there are many clean non-turbo 996's that are worth more than $22K. Some of them, depending on model and options, C2, C4S, Targa, Cab, etc. had MSRP's over $90K making clean ones now quite the bargain. Even if more than $22K. The point is, take care of your engine before you destroy it and you wont need a Porsche reman engine for $17K (with good core). I have never agreed with the oil/fluid change intervals recommended by Porsche. Oil is cheap compared to a new engine, trans, dif, etc. My change intervals: oil/filter: 3K or 4 months trans, dif,: 1 year brake flush: 1 year I know I will never reach the mileage intervals, so I will mostly go by time. The more time working on, in, or under your car, the more likely you are to find something before its too late.

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Oh my, THIS is not good!!! your only 12. miles from me!! The old tech in me, wants to come by and meet you!, one of us is doomed! <big grin> Tom

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That's odd.. I thought we already knew the entire local Porsche following here.. Been in the same place since I started this all in 1992. Sure, we'd love to meet you, call dean to set up an appointment. Fridays are always best.

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I have only been on here a week, and thanks! I would love to!, not sure if I can drive the car bye, depends if my wife leaves it, I can't seem to get her out of it <g> I sent you a pm, easy for me to keep the info handy

I hate to revive this thread but could not resist. I been reading this with interest, it seems you guys are running around in circle. The truth is and I am relatively new to the Porsche world although I had my 2006 997 for over 4 years without any problem other than a blown oil pressure sensor. But I am not new to the car and vintage car world having owned many exotics and muscle cars some of them wet sump and other dry sump. Truth is: Porsche was broke in the late 90s' and it needed to improve margins in order to survive. The 993 their flagship was rapidly becoming obsolete and too costly to build. So they decided to design the new 996 with about the same mechanicals as the newly released Boxter their entry level car (A modern 914 iteration). Truth is, most Porsche owners do not track their cars so the new much cheapened design would be fine for 99% of owners. In order not to scare their customers too much they would call their wet sump design "Integrated Dry Sump" which is complete BS, it's just a basic wet sump. There is one caveat however, the architecture of the boxer engine itself, in a vertical in-line design or an almost vertical V design, because oil just has to go down to return to the sump, wet sump works relatively well but on a flat design, you need to push the oil back to the sump and gravity wont do it, especially under high Gs in a track situation. Dry sump is by far the best design for racing cars or Motorcycles because one is assured of a constant supply of oil in any condition but it is quite expensive often requiring 2, 3 or even 4 pumps to operate properly, many hoses and an oil tank. It also provides superior cooling and can be easily outfitted with oil coolers. So Porsche cheapened the car, built it more efficiently and became very profitable again. Actually, under most situation the M96 motor is more reliable and cheaper to maintain than the old air cooled one. No more oil leaks, plugged air exhaust ports etc. A few car were blowing up and those were fixed under warranty at the beginning but Porsche was still making tons of money, they built and sold more cars than ever before. Performance was increased, the new car was faster, had better handling than the 993. For the Turbo and the GT series, they realized they could not use the M96 engine reliably so they used a water cooled design which can be traced to the GT1 and ultimately to the old traditional air cooled motor. But this engine is complicated, expensive, somewhat antiquated in its architecture with many parts and would not be readily feasible for a bread and butter daily drive car. In this case I think Slicer is probably right that the M96 engine is probably not the best choice for a track car, at least in stock form. Although, in this case the engine had been "Mickey Moused" by a previous owner. Had the motor been stock with a proper oil pick-up, it may have been fine at least for a while. My two cents!

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My thoughts exactly. And had unknown track miles on it... all cars that get thrashed for hours at the track get engine damage.

Interesting thread. I'm searching for my next Porsche and was wondering; is the 2009 a dry sump motor? I'm torn between a 996 TT or a 997.2. They are similar in price, but which is the more reliable build? It's six months later..Slicer, how do you like your Cayman?

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The Cayman is great and has been trouble free so far (15k miles). It hasn't been to the track so I can't speak to its durability in that environment. 996tt's have dry sump Metzger motor which has a strong racing pedigree. 996tt's are not without issues but its a great motor. It depends what you are trying do with the car but the DFI engine is solid (to my knowledge) and a newer car with a warranty is always nice. If you want a car that is tunable for lots of power, and you are comfortable without a warranty, then a 996tt is the best bang for the buck.

Great information and appreciative you shared. Clealry opinion will differ on where to lay balance but the fact that youmtookmtime to share will likely save a few people similar fates. At least people will know to ask if about the spacer if doing a sump pump mod.

Great info...Thanks for the write up.

Slicer did those of us who are trying to remedy the M96 shortcomings a favor - by mentioning a few products that help. What I find astonishing is how expensive the mods are-particularly when you add labor to the part price. For example: 1.The Suncoast/Motorsports AOS upgrade is $1400 2. Accusump $500+ or a Techno sump from Pedros Garage -$500 or X51 baffle kit $300 3. Direct oil feed+IMS bearing upgrade $800+ Pedro ,Ln and others To continue Slicer's good work, a consensus on what are the best upgrade products (& why) would be very useful. Then there are all the engine mods that are a real option because you have to rebuild the engine anyway! 1. Oil pump drive 2. Mousehole or relief of the bottoms of the adjacent cylinder bores -to reduce crankcase pressurization 3. Upgraded cylinder head bolts/studs A definitive list of all the upgrades both large and small would do much to prop up the value of these M96 engined cars and prevent successive engine failures.One failure is bad but second/third time failures is very $ad. Thanks Slicer!

Interesting thread that I hadn't seen before. It's hard to believe anyone would think not using the spacer for the oil pickup in these deep sump systems would be "optional". I went with the FVD, it came with a spacer and there was nothing optional about installing it. I did a lot of HW before buying the FVD and never read that about any of the systems. FWIW I've tracked my car 6 days, 30 sessions so far and only noticed what appeared to be AOS induced smoke during one session. That particular day I was running my oil level totally full (on the gauge and at the notch). It was minimal and didn't affect my oil level. My last track day I went back to around a � below the full notch and didn't notice any smoke. If that becomes more prevalent in the future I will probably invest in the Motorsport AOS. Maybe I'm playing with fire with 90K miles on an M96 3.4L but the motor is handling it fine and I'm running the same suspension upgrades as the OP.

Thank you for your contribution ."Racing improves the breed" ! I noticed that the Technosump from Pedro's Garage has an additional part compared to the other sump upgrade.It has a horizontal baffle above the pickup. This prevents the oil from 'climbing' the vertical baffle walls and escaping. In theory this would be more effective than just vertical baffles in constraining the oil ? The problem is ,the Technosump is very deep(+2qts.) and really needs a separate,robust sumpguard/skid plate for street use? Is there a shallower sump upgrade with the horizontal baffle?Say just +1 qt.

I felt the FVD kind of hit the sweet spot between not being to deep and yet adding a decent amount of oil, a little under a qt. I have not hit mine on the street yet in spite of the car being lowered on the PSS10s. FVD advertises an X51 style baffle system and while it has no horizontal baffle like Pedro's at some point one has to trust these things have some thought/engineering that goes into their design. The other benefits over a spacer based sump system are one less seam to worry about sealing up and the cooling factor FVD advertises (although I'm not sure I've seen any obvious benefit there.) To answer your question I have not seen another system with the horizontal baffle like Pedro's.

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Sorry to hear you roached an engine at the track, no matter who is to blame (porsche design, shallow oil pick up etc) it still hurts... But as many DE people will and have pointed out, "most of the M96's I have seen at the track survive just fine, and I believe that you may have purchased a car that saw a lot of track and was sent down the road. Who knows if the previous owner had other problems. BTW, I am really surprised that you went to a track event on 5000 mile old oil that you didnt check the level of until after you noticed smoke... You could have had issues before you even went on the track. Im not trying to make you feel bad, but at 5000 miles you could have used up a lot of the good anti foaming, shear stability in the oil. I run my car hard, just hit 90,000 miles but my oil is under constant surviellence...lol

+ 1 on the sorry!! What your post has shown for me is to avoid car with a history of track use and also just for me No Track use. If others are into it great most know the expenses that come with the track. I know that DE days and Track time are a blast but it comes with risk of extra wear and tear and on rare occasions a catastrophic engine failure. Not Just 996 but any car that is driven hard is at risk of this. that why racing teams always travel with a spare engine. I have a friend that blew up his low mileage Audi TT on the track - threw a serpentine belt overheated then a catastrophic engine failure

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Versus a low milage car that's sat around, rarely driven with the oil changed every 10-15K miles? Track use will bring out any hidden flaws sooner (like an improperly installed deep sump) but other then that it's still a crap shoot in a lot of ways. Extra wear and tear on the suspension and brakes you can certainly count on though.

Everything has limits, ourselves included, the object of the game is to never exceed our limits!

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This is an old post so it is probably dead. But some of this is not true. Porsche was broke in the early 1990s not the late 1990s. Porsche brought in Toyota and changed its manufacturing techniques in the early 90s when they tool up for the 993. The 996 was made with the same tools on the same lines using the same processes that were used for the 993. This myth that all air cooled porches were built by hand by magic elves living in a tree near Stuttgart has got to die. Porsche was anything but broke in the late 1990s. It introduced the Boxer in 1996 and was making a killing on them. And it wasn't doing bad with the 993. The 996 was the upgrade to the 911 Porsche had wanted to do in the early 1990s but didn't have the money. The 993 was not discontinued because it lost money. It was discontinued because it was obsolete and could no longer compete with its competition while meeting emissions and noise regulations.

Slicer,the O.P. did a great job of focusing on upgrades for Track use. My interest is using those upgrades in street cars - that suffer from some of the same issues. The deep sump+horizontal baffle is a somewhat OTTT example. The DOF IMS upgrade - too soon to tell if it is IMS nirvana for street cars ? The upgraded AOS is interesting but wildly expensive for street use? We need an effective inexpensive alternative. High shear/thermo stable engine lubricant seems a great help. We still need a better water pump ,a solution to the second gear problem on 6 speeds, an accurate and well place oil temp sender+gauge+warning buzzer. I find the 996 resources are generally better than our 986 ones.

i, for one, appreciate the time spent by the OP to post this. thank you.