Any high mileage 996s with original engine out there?

As a relative newcomer to 996s and this forum, I must say that i have been somewhat discomforted by reading so many threads about engine replacements, RMS failures, remanufactured vs "new" engines, etc. It seems that there are far too many engine failures. It also seems that low mileage 996s that sit around and are not driven very much are more likely to experience a failure than those that are driven regularly. My 996 (1999 C4) had 153,000 km on the odometer when I purchased it several months ago. I was concerned about the high mileage, but the PPI revealed that this car had been serviced regularly by the same dealer, and all was well except for rear tires, remote lock/unlock not working and some other minor things. The engine appears to be in great shape - idles smoothly, good low speed torque and lots of high end power. It also gets excellent fuel consumption when cruising at legal highway speeds, about 8.5 liters/100km. So, I would like to believe that this is an excellent engine that will run reliably for many years to come. That is, except for what I have read on this forum. I need some positive reinforcement. Can we hear some responses from owners who are still using their original 3.4 liter engines, and how many miles or kilometers are on the odometer? ....Rickker

There's are a couple of fresh posts discussing just this and related! https://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/426490-how-many-with-more-than-100k-miles-rant-alert.html https://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/426577-do-you-have-a-remanufactured-engine.html

Thanks, befast. I had read the 2nd thread, which was mainly about engines which had failed and were being replaced. The first thread was more reassuring, with lots of owners still going strong after 100,000 miles on the clock. ...Rickker

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From what I've read and heard from credible people, your odds of anything catastrophic going wrong are greatly reduced at that kind of mileage (before the jackals pounce, I said greatly reduced, not eliminated. Meteors can strike anywhere ) Somewhere on a thread, there is an article posted that describes one of these engines being torn down, and the writer was astonished at how negligible the wear was on reciprocating parts. They really are built to go the distance. 86,000km on an '00 C2 here.

I see that this forum is on paranoid mode... thats to bad, if we as owners cant enjoy our cars how can the 996 tainted reputation ever go away. We are writing our own history if this paranoia keeps up. Enjoy your car... edit: I just noticed that on 6speed, that very few people post any engine replacement or blowing engine, or at least not the same frequency as Rennlist does... lighten up guys!

I am at 97,000 miles on a '99 C2. I wil be sure to post here if it ever goes kaboom. But lets be realisitic, nothing lasts forever.

I have seen a lot of doomsday posts on engines lately. I really don't think it is inevitable by any means....especially on the MKII cars. Like everyone else here, I have NO proof, but my OWN beliefs are that these things do very well when driven regularly. Definately doesn't seem to be certain mileage where a catastrophic becomes more likely imo. On a related note, I was checking into an E39 M5 lately and see that the very common VANOS replacement can cost me more than a new 996 engine....not even going into what an M5 crate motor would cost...ouch. I think any modern high end car will have it's 10K problems lurking (E39 M5, E60 M5, E43 M3, etc....I am really only somewhat familiar with the problems of the BMW lines so those are what I listed). Anyway, mine has been great, drive it and enjoy!

I have 77K miles on my engine and have no issues about putting more on at will. If it blows up, then I will get another one perhaps a 3.6L reman like Paul966 did. Here is to buying more tires and fuel..

Had 102k on mine when I sold it, motor was fairly smooth running, couldn't tell a difference in power from 55k miles up to the 102k

All this recent talk of doom and gloom with 'our' motors has made me drive my 911 for 4 days in a row, and I can't wait to find more excuses to drive some more. I have a 99MY with almost 42k miles on the original 3.4 motor and am quite happy with my 20 months of 996 C2 ownership to date.

Thanks, guys for the responses. I feel a lot better about engines that are still running strong after 100K, rather than posts about engines blowing up and being replaced. Let's keep the faith! ....Rickker

Mines not high mileage, just turned 48K this weekend but I have never seen a drop on the garage floor. I just put mine through two days of my first DE and my temp never peaked past street temp. I had the same scare when I was on the Boxster forum for a year. I never knew any of the regulars to ever have an issue. Just use common sense (PPI or documentation of service) and really know the person or shop you are buying it from and then enjoy!!

just to be clear, what would be considered high mileage?

I think it's fair to say high mileage for a P-car is over 10k a year?! My Dad's 01 c2 has 39k on the original engine and it's been awesome!

So for the record - you simply can't generalize that a low use car is at more risk of catastrophic engine failure. Low use cars seem to have more RMS issues - probably due to the seal distorting or drying out when not used - this is an issue, but not a catastrophic failure. Early RMS issues did cause engines to be swapped out and sent back to Porsche for analysis, but that soon stopped when they worked out where they were going wrong. Porous block, cracked lining and cracked head is a manufacturing issue - you'll eventually have a failure, and your use or lack of it doesn't add to the risk. IMS failure is a bit of an unknown - it happens (rarely) and I'm not sure use or lack of it has been shown to be a factor.

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I would consider anything over 100,000 miles to be high mileage. ...Rickker

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Agreed, but, if you don't love your car, I'm not sure the general watercooled 911 owning public would put the time and care into putting the car into proper storage mode. even if we shouldn't be generalizing, i'd be uncomfortable buying a watercooled 911 that gets driven less than say 5K miles a year on its original engine especially since people would tack on a $ premium for a lower mileage vehicle. i'd pay less to get a bit more normal levels of attn. lots of diff factors mixed in, though . to honor the original question, i don't have an original engine, but if i keep this car, i would have what many 911 ownesr would consider a reman engine with a healthy amount of yearly mileage (15K-17K miles)

I have the org engine with 175000 km..., no big adjustments as far I know. 99 mod c2, tip

I have 57k miles on my 3.6. Everything's original, zero problems, never even had RMS.

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WOW! that's impressive.....let us know when you hit 200,000....

120000kms on my 99C2 - no problems. I've blown up a Mustang and an Iroc Z at HALF this distance and I don't see pony car people twisting their knickers over the issue.

I love it when these old threads pop back up... I rolled 99,000 miles on my 2002 C4S yesterday. It's the original engine. It's still running strong!

80K with RMS fix

There is a post by T2 on the 996 turbo board. He tracks his car and just hit 300k with no major repairs. Go research the reliability ratings for yourself. The 911 is one of the most reliable cars ever built. That said, all cars break sometimes. If you abuse it and don't take care of it, your odds of that happening will increase. Just enjoy the car and keep up with the maintenance. If something does break, then have it fixed and keep enjoying it.

2003 C4S, 91k miles. Im not the original owner but the car runs great! I see some 150k examples on eBay once in a while.

Nice revival... oh well, 63k miles original engine. No leaks or issues (knock on wood)

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996 Turbo (and GT3) is a totally different engine.

I have one of the first 300 3.6l engines built. Still going strong at 120,000 km and it's a DD.

80,500 miles on the daily driver and going strong!

129K miles with original engine in daily-driven, sport-utilitarian 99 C2. Waiting for clutch to need replacement before doing IMS/RMS. Regular maintenance including oil changes every 5-7.5K miles.

This is a reassuring thread for us newbies - just got my '99 C4 last week with 70K miles on it (new clutch,RMS, IMS). Looking to drive and DE for a long time. So many threads here and other places scare the bejesus out of folks, who then can't sleep at night!

I bought my car 99 C2 with 28k 2 1/2 years ago. Just hit 70k as a DD and DE's as much as I can. Clutch started slipping the last 5 minutes of the last run of the DE weekend. Gently drove her home. Had the clutch changed and did IMS and RMS. Original bearing looked great and I had no previous RMS leaks. But I changed them anyway. I then swore I would never read another IMS thread again!

2000 C2, 82K daily driver.

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Good to hear. If I didn't have another track car, I would take my 996 to the track. In fact, right before I bought my track car, I was underway towards prepping the car by buying parts (seat, dampers, etc.) and installing the BK oil baffle kit in the engine.

I've owned 2 with over 100k miles. I've also done a few things on 100+k mile cars that still looked new on the inside with very little to no discernible wear. My opinion is that the failure rates are lower than internet chatter would have you believe. Carry on.

113k on original engine, but will be doing and IMS upgrade soon, just to be sure.

[IMG] Have 102,226. to date and no problems. Getting ready to do plugs and coils. Just to give it a little pep....... Drive it and enjoy......

My friend just hit the 225,000 kilometers (135K) with his 2000 C2 original engine. As he bought his car 2 years ago he doesn't know if the RMS or anything else had been changed before. For the moment the car still run great and looks like new inside and out

As Ahmet says, and maybe so - failure rates may be very low, only trouble is if it happens to you then its 100% *(not to fear mongrol, just saying for me I drove 2 years and was ready to fix the worry even though it never happened and still hasnt)

I'm at 104k miles. When I change my clutch I'm going to add the IMS bearing fix to the repair just to be safe.

120,500 miles on my daily driver 2000 996 with the original engine. I just recently had the clutch replaced (it was on its first) and while my mechanic was "in there", he replaced the IMS bearing and flange with the LN Engineering versions, along with the RMS. The original IMS bearing looked good, by the way. The car has been as reliable and well built as any car I've owned.

I'm just about to hit 109k miles. I won't say it's the most reliable car I've ever owned, but it's pretty good. I've never had "major" issues with it. It is a pain in the *** to work on because of the cramped quarters, but otherwise it's pretty decent. Other than normal maintenance the things I've had to replace include: alternator (~70k miles), CV boots (~100k miles), AOS (~108k miles). -Shawn

Love to see lots of 100k + mile owners

142,000 Miles on 2000 996 C4 Aero w/ 6-speed...All original Motor. 70,000 + Miles since Feb. 2009 as well. Will post up photo from Saturday running around with it's new brother. I think I'm pushing the envelope for highest mile 996 in the USA...I need to go through this thread but am I the highest?

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In this thread, you seem to be the highest so far. I'm about 12K away from you; I hope to see you on the Seattle roads.

118,800 miles, '99 C2 manual. Regularly tracked. So far--knock on proverbial wood--no problems other than my own silly faults.

110,000 miles on my 2004 C4s Cabriolet.... all miles put on by me, so I know the history of the car.

My 2000 C2 manual now at 100,500 miles. So far so good.

Getting ready to turn 30k miles in a few weeks.

67k on mine. Running great. No issues other than a missing tool kit! (see older post )

I'm looking at a 156k mile car tomorrow. Like I said above, my previous "high" mile 996s have been great to me (some current owners even posting in this thread!). I imagine we'll see many more 996s with higher miles/no problems in the future.

122345 kms today on my '02 C2 - about 76,543 miles. Runs like a top.

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Damn...I thought for sure my 142,000 was the upper limit...

I just hit 97,000 miles on my '99. Did my first Blackstone UOA and got the report back last week. It's all good! Will definitely continue with the testing every oil change.

118k on '01 C2, before I traded last sept. On original clutch and engine. Fuel pump failed at the end, AOS at about 108k. brakes lasted till about 105k. Ran like the day I got it. Most reliable car I've had otherwise

Good grief!! I started this thread 3 years ago! Don't old threads ever die? Anyway, guess what? A few months after I put up the first post, my engine blew up (IMS failure). I guess that's what you get for asking the question. So, after about $20K for a 2003 X51 engine installation, I was back in business. So far, so good, except the X51 engine consumes a lot of oil, which the 3.4 never did. Below, I am including my new tag line. ....Rickker "Nobody feels sorry for a guy with a blown Porsche engine, or a Cialis headache"

I'm fairly new to this forum although I've owned my 2002 996 for almost 7 years now. Are the 3.4L <= 2001 more prone to IMS issues than the 3.6L or is that a "what's the best oil" type of question.

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Don't Jinx the thread!!!

2000 996 C2 Cab: 88,400 miles. everything perfect so far.

Looking at this image.... the 996 def does not look dated, just different. Some might even say its more of a fresher look. Higher mileage def doesnt mean it is old.

Just rolling past 143,000 this morning...the 996 may be moving to Colorado in a few weeks

I have a 2001 C4 with 107.000 miles, mostly highway, and I have had no serious problems with it. I did the clutch at 96K miles and at the same time did the aftermarket intermediate shaft bearing and the latest RMS plus, for the Hell of it, the 997 shift assembly and cables, which have a better feel and shorter throw than the former assembly. My interior was beginning to look too used, with the stuff sprayed on the tunnel and a few other areas being easily scratched in hot weather, so I had an upholstery shop replace the leather side bolsters that were most worn and refinish all leather and sprayed surfaces that were not leather and the interior looks new inside and outside and drives with more smooth power than when new. I have been warned that when my 996 gets to 150K miles, "Things will start breaking." But, I read of others who have posted how have got beyond that mileage and are still intact. I suspect that I should replace the oil and water separator and the water pump and replace the chain guides and clean the tensioners and make sure none of the chains are too stretched out. Any thoughts on this work as preemptive maintenance? A prominent after market Porsche engine rebuild shop owner recommends doing the chain guides and the rest of the chain work I describe above every 40K miles, which implies that there is a lot of breakage in that assembly. I rarely rev above 5K and mainly keep them between 3K and 5K, even in slow traffic. Plus, I never ever rev above 3K when the engine is cold and wait until it is fully warm before exceeding that limit.

Nice to read about some more high mileage 996s that are still running well. Thanks for your posts.Your black coupe looks great Xeattle.

I've had my 109k mile 996 for about 2 months. This car has had RMS and IMS flange and seal work done at 46k along with new clutch and pressure plate. It runs great and pulls strongly. I had the same concerns that it seems come with new 996 ownership. It's part of the package. It's become clear to me that these cars are not Honda Civics. They're highly tuned and exotic. But even Hondas blow up if the timing belt isn't maintained. And they're not as much fun to drive. So do what everyone on this forum told me to do...Just drive it (like you stole it) or do the IMS retro-fit for peace of mind.

125,000KM on mine, not a drop of oil out of it. Runs strong and hard. Not sure what the full history is on the car, but so far so good - 1999 996

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To replace the chain guides dont you need to drop the engine and remove the cams ? And to access the ims chain guide you need to open the case, no ? Seems like some Indy are banking on the 996 paranoia I am glad to see high mileage cars which have not had any problems Keep posting your high mileage stories .. I need the price of used 996 to go up

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Just to be sure????? Chicken lol. I thought all 996 owners were the gamblers. I love the scare mongering tactitions who try hard to scare the bejazuz out of us 996 owners. Without them I wouldn't be driving a gorgeous 911 Porsche today. I couldn't afford one and thats the truth. Mines done 53000K and I am driving the crap out of it at nothing less than 2500 revs (I upgraded from 'nothing less than 2000' trying to blow the engine up) coz i still think I made the best gamble of my life in buying a 996. BTW I have an extended warranty on it 3years or 45000 miles I am trying hard to get my money out of. That doesnt make me such a fearless gambler though does it lol. Ok I will go and lay a few eggs now. cluck cluck hehe.

whoa... just seen the top post... I wanna move to Colorado.. OH the car, not the girl.... dammit. lol

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not much of a gambler with that warranty in effect

Buck and a quarter on my 2000 C4 Cab. Sweet machine and I have put every mile on it. Does not leak a drop of oil. At some point I will ask Gerry Pellegrino at EPE go through the whole car with a fine tooth comb. Great car..... and worth spending the cash on keeping it that way. Runs like a top, right now.

'04 C2 cabriolet - very close to 80K

'99 C2 Coupe - 81,500 mi. Original engine/trans/all internals. Daily driver, lots of track time (DE's).

104K with new clutch 4000 miles ago. The car is a rocket!

Nope, no 996's are on the road with their original motors. Everyone posting here is a fake. They've all replaced their engines at least 1 time by now. (J/K, of course)

2002 996 6 speed 84000 miles no ims/rms or engine failure yet only ignition switch, brake switch, cracked coolant and maintenance items. Still original clutch. San Diego California. My 1986 Porsche 928 32 valve 5 speed has over 180000 miles.

I just had mine replaced as preventive. The original bearing was in perfect shape.

Replaced mine after moving to Colorado... No coincidence. It was a cat rattle that scared me. Original was ok at 73k miles... but I sleep better.

I purchased my 996 C4 in 2009, with 107K on the odo. It is my daily driver and I now have 140K miles. The only major thing is a new clutch at 109K miles Oh yeah, I just replaced the new tires that I put when I first bought the car Burning them bad boys up

i love my 01 c2 daily driver with 76k with no issues. just diligent regular maintenance. still a blast to drive.

I have a 2002 C4S 6 speed with 87000 miles and it runs as if it were new. No oil burning , proper compression and very smooth. If properly cared for these cars can go 200K for sure....I actually saw an early 911 a few months ago ( on its second engine) with 477,000 miles !!!!! Compare the quality of our cars to other so-called performance vehicles and a lot of them start going south long before 80k.

86k miles on my 03 C4........I had the IMS bearing replaced with one of Jake's items (due to information on this forum) and a new clutch (still had 40% left on it they said), new rear seal (old one wasn't leaking), new air/oil separator (again due to chat on this forum). Car was and is running GREAT! One hell of a car for the money!! The information I get from the forum continues to be excellent!

Since my last post in this thread in 2011, I've replaced my clutch and my IMSB. My odometer is currently reading ~133K. Still going strong!

139,526K miles - original IMS bearing - car looks almost new - drives better than new - no sh_t!

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looking fine... Great to see these higher mile cars that are well taken care of. I believe there are far more cars that were well cared for over their life, than those that were neglected altogether... 2002 Turbo - Basalt Black Metallic / 2003 Carrera 4S - Speed Yellow / 1955 356 Continental 1500 - Rust Red

150k, original engine, lots of track mileage and daily driver for 10 years. Being exercised by my friend while I'm away here in DE for a bunch of months last week. I really wish I had my car here.

Not mine. I troll every used car forum known to man. Its a hobby. 252k just look how many others are over 100k http://m.cars.com/vehicledetail/#vdp...56710000007901

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Awesome link... not sure it gives much for bragging rights though. The description says it only "smokes a little".... and they still want 10 grand.

100 miles away from 140k. Still running strong and like new.

Id be totally fine with smoke at 252k ��

I've always wondered what the chain guides looked like on any m96 car over 150k as most do not replace them as a pm. I've seen them all over the board condition wise below 150k.

114k runs like a top!