Another One Bites the Dust............ (Oil/Coolant Intermix)

I'll refrain from turning this into a complaint/panic thread because I'm actually at peace with the situation and am looking forward to the fun search for my next car; if it comes down to that But with that being said, I'll share some info with the forum so that others can learn from my experience and/or perhaps fill me in on any missing facts/options that I might not be aware of. So here's what happened: I was driving around and on came the flashing low coolant light. Note, the temperature was where it should have been and the car was driving just fine. I drove the car home (only 1 mile after the light came on) and let it sit overnight. The next morning I went to check the coolant reservoir and saw that it was nearly empty. Under the cap was a thick white emulsion that looked like mayonnaise. This emulsion was also dispersed throughout the inside of the coolant reservoir. Also the coolant still looks pink, but the level in the tank is so low that I can't see it clearly. As for the oil, I checked the dipstick and the didn't see any milky residue, but there is some sludge in the oil filler tube. Here is some history on the car: - The last oil change was 3k miles/8 months ago and everything was fine. At the time of that service my indy checked the coolant levels and upgraded to the newer cap. There were no reports of oil/coolant emulsion at that time. - I work from home so the car is not a daily driver. In the last 4 years half of the miles were from long road trips up, the rest from short trips around town. After spending around 10+ hours reading every thread with the word "coolant and "oil" in it I came to the conclusion that I'm probably looking at a cracked head. This was also confirmed after speaking with my trustworthy indy. No matter how things turn out I know I'm looking at an expensive repair bill; and I'm not sure I want to sink $10k+ into this car. Here is the bright side to this situation if you can even call it that. Aside from my extensive maintenance history (nearly $10k in the last 4 years); my car has some valuable Porsche Motorsports & other goodies/upgrades. Here's a short list: 997 GT3 Wheels w/Michelin Pilot Super Sports OEM 996 GT3 Coilovers w/Tarret drop links and Tarret monoball top mounts OEM 996 Porsche Recaro leather seats w/OEM sliders OEM Porsche Motorsport 997 RS Roll Bar (Rear; shortened to fit sunroof cars) OEM Porsche Motorsport Schroth harnesses H&R sway bars (front and rear) Fabspeed Supercup exhaust Fabspeed cat bypass pipes OEM Porsche Motorsport steering wheel Rennline solid motor mounts SharkWerks GT3 fire extinguisher kit Evoms air filter box That's the big stuff, but then you still have "standard" items like tail lights, litronic headlamps, CR-220 stereo, upgraded speakers, etc.... Everything in good condition btw; and then I'm still left with the motor, tranny, and chassis..... So maybe once I part out the big stuff I'll get close to $10-$15k instead of $5k for your average "stock" car. What do you guys think? Are there buyers for a car like this, or do you think its better to just part out the expensive items and then sell the motor/chassis last? I don't mind getting my hands dirty and have the proper tools to do everything, and I have the time if it means squeezing out an extra $5k or more. Oh, and just to confirm, the car drove 100% normal prior to shutting it off. I will refrain from turning it on until it either gets sold to the next owner or gets fixed by me. With that being said, if I did drive the car how long do you think it could run for? If the motor is already toast then would driving it hurt the resale price, or is there some value left in the motor as it is now? Here are some pics of the car and the suspected damage:

Sorry for the loss and with such low mileage. Really looks like you can make a sandwich with all that mayo.

Ugh, that sucks. Sorry to hear.

Sorry to hear about your engine woes. That's a wonderfully modded car. I see several parts that I wish mine had. Keeping positive thoughts for ya!

Terribly sorry to read this, it's been a tough month for the 996 forum. My condolences, and I wish you the best luck in repairing/parting/selling the car. If you do decide to part the car, I'd be interested in the GT3 coilovers.

PM sent.

Didn't want to be the first to ask but, I would interested in the motor mounts and steering wheel if you part it. But, I sincerely hope you get it back on the road.

Hey guys, thanks for the kind words and no hard feelings on the part requests and pm's; keep them coming..... I'm 100% realistic about this situation and at the very least I would be glad to know that I could pass on some sweet parts to my fellow enthusiasts. I'm not 100% sure on pricing yet but everything will be priced "very fairly." Or in other words, slightly below the average used market price for each part. Based on the pm's I've received and the posts in this thread I'll keep a mental note of who's got first dibs on what......

Diablo: Sorry to hear. I read posts like this every week and think it's like the draft....it's just a matter of time before your ticket is pulled. And then I think about it more and I think I will have egg on my face with the mods I'm putting into the interior on the car! Until then, I am driving it like I stole it....still driving it now because the salt hasn't hit the roads yet in Chicago.

Terribly sorry to read this, it's been a tough month for the 996 forum. ...no kidding. I'm very sorry as well Diablo360...a cracked head at 44K miles? Definitely not something you would expect with low mileage. You have a great looking car and I'm sure you're torn between parting and fixing. All the best moving forward.

So sorry for your unfortunate circumstance. You have a beautiful car and I hope you can keep her on the road.

If you part out I suggest doing trades plus cash for your parts. Easier to sell a complete car.

I don't think your car bit the dust...it's sick but it ain't dead. Your case looks very similar to mine from a year ago. Flat6 fixed mine...the answer was a new (used) head. Main thing is don't drive it. Get your coolant lines drained and free of the milk shake. Mine was a mild case and I actually flushed the lines after I had the motor back in. If you can pull the motor and send it someone that knows these cars that is the cheapest route or send the entire car to a trusted mechanic. Personally I would contact Flat6. Best of luck to you.

If I had a Speed Yellow Aero with all those upgrades I would look into repair first. Or at least some exploratory work to figure out how bad it is. Just curious, but did you replace your water pump with a plastic or metal impeller? Sounds like you had a localized hot spot if the temp guage was showing normal and your head cracked. It is truly unfortunate that you did all the right maintenance and you were still delt a bad hand. I think your roller would fetch 10k if you found the right guy who appreciates your mods.

I actually think your car is easily salvageable. By no means was it a common occurrence, but when cracked heads did happen, they happened between 1998 (ROW), 1999 (USA) - Yr 2000 models, and there are many shops who can do this repair. Here is a post from member DHARN55 who repaired his Intermix problem for $500 in change. Seriously - this is NOT a catastrophic failure nowadays. Good luck https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ad-repair.html

Replacing the head is a good option, whether you or a shop do the work, make sure to flush the system a couple of times with this: http://m.eeuroparts.com/Parts/53126/...-000989102511/ The service director at my last company swore by this stuff for cleaning up intermix issues.

This is a straight forward repair around here. The biggest challenge is surveying the collateral damage, and to what extent it exists. In 2014 we tackled this task 40 times, 100% results from every repair that we attempted. Of those 40 6 of them were terminal and I'd not even consider repairing them due to the secondary damage that existed. Did you change the water pump because the previous one had failed? I'd also be interested in the car as is, if you'd want to sell it.

I'm sorry that you are facing this dilemma but looking at your car and the mods you listed, I'd recommend doing whatever you can - of course within reason - to resuscitate your car. Worst case scenario, you can cut a deal with Jake.

Thanks again for the additional comments and voices of reason. It's good to know that I have options other than parting out the car and/or selling it at a deep discount. The good thing is that I own that car outright and don't need it on a daily basis (I work from home and live downtown), so I have plenty of time to think about the best course of action. With that being said, I'll probably flush out the coolant in order to avoid collateral damage just in case the car needs to sit for a while.... I love the car and would definitely prefer to have it running again, especially since it's now set up exactly the way I want. DIY is an option but is less realistic since I live in a condo and would have to work out of a carport. Taking out a few parts out here and there is fine, but an engine out repair is a little more problematic..... If I paid someone to fix it I'd prefer to have it done the right way (most likely send it to Jake Raby), but I'm not sure I love the car enough to spend $10k+ to get it back on the road. I was already thinking about upgrading to a 996 Turbo, GT3, or perhaps even a Ferarri 348/355; so dumping more cash into a car that's going to be worth less than $20k doesn't make much sense at this point......

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I think this would be a $1500 to $2000 repair if you go down dharn's path

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Jake, I'll get in touch tomorrow so I can give you more info on the car and let's see what we can come up with. I'll shoot you a pm with my number. As for the water pump, there was nothing wrong with it. The car was already in the shop for a few repairs (new starter, idle control valve, oil change, ac service, and some other stuff); with those items the tab was already high so I decided to also have the water pump replaced as a preventative measure. I was pretty certain the car still had its original pump (it did) so that's why I decided to replace it. The original pump was in perfect condition btw.....

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Hey thanks again for reiterating this. At this point I don't have much to lose and I think I'm going to give this a shot. Time to go back through dharn's thread (and the others) and take some notes!

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Noted! Thanks for the tip!

Back in my Alfa days it was a blown head gasket that produced messes like yours. And they were relatively easy and inexpensive to repair. I'm new to the 23 modes of how Porsches fail...but given a piece of metal vs a gasket...it makes more sense to me that it is the gasket and not the metal engine that would fail first. Certainly the Porsche engine location/design makes it more labor intensive to address a repair...but don't consider giving up just yet.

Good plan. The only real issue is removing it ALL from the system. You won't do this without a home brewed device, or a Sobek machine. Any residual intermix in the system will kill the hoses that are near the heater core as thats the bypass portion of the system where its toughest to get volume in high enough quantities to blast it away. The petroleum soaks into the hoses, and thats the problem. Smart man, you know your limitations. You have to make a decision: 1- Repair the car now that you have it as you desire 2- Unload it like it is. Until you make this decision we can't help you. Trust me, if you do not plan to keep the car long term- don't repair it. Don't repair it half assed wither and try to get out cheaper, because that'll just bite you and the next owner both. Then sell it as it is and don';t repair it. Take the loss and move on, trust that throwing ANY money at the engine to repair it only so the car can be sold will make zero sense. Increasing investment to only gain a few dollars on the back end makes no sense when you are creating liability by selling the car in a patched up form. I have a customer who is in a lawsuit over an exact same scenario right now, and it was an "as is" sale. We are out till 1.5.15, email [email removed] and he'll schedule a chat with me upon our return. Also: Don't be fooled by a 1500-2K repair bill, thats not going to happen IF you do all the things that you should while the engine is out. If you have ANY coolant in the oil you MUST do an IMS Retrofit, as IMSB failures post intermix are very probable as the IMSB hates water laden oil getting past it's seal. This more than triples wear. My price is more than repairing the problem, it also addresses the things that you don't know will bite you. I'd not even consider fixing it unless I was going to keep the car for years. Here's a testimonial that comes in the form of an email to a local dealership that said an engine could't be saved. You'll find it enlightening. "Mike, I wanted to let you know that I was able to get my Porsche fixed after finding oil and the water mixed on my 2000 Porsche Carrera Cabriolet in April of this year. I was charged $90.00 dollars by ******* ***** Porsche and told that the sleeves in my engine block had moved and why my oil and water were mixed. I was told that I needed a new engine with no solution or suggestion on how to get it fixed or where to get fixed provided by your dealership. I did a lot of research on the intermix problem and found a ton of information on this and other well know issues when Porsche changed their engines from air to water cooled. I cannot express to you how disappointing it is to spend 89K out the door for a car, have only 77K miles on it and have it fail after being treated like a baby all these years. I am sure that you and Porsche are aware how damaging this can be to a brand name and one quick check in the internet and you can see this is a big problem for Porsche for 10 years +. Also, to be told by the dealership the problem is sleeves in the engine block and to later find out that there are no sleeves in the block from 99 forward is further damage to the reputation of Porsche and your dealership. Anyways, after a ton of research I found Raby Engineering or Flat 6 Innovations out of Cleveland Georgia. These guys came highly recommended from the Porsche Club of America privately from members. They all know about the problems and know that these guys provide the best cost effective solution. I ended up shipping my car from California to Georgia and had the best experience possible with Jake and Jud from Raby Engine Development. They provided the best customer service I have ever received. Up to this point, the best customer service I have ever received was from *** ***** at your dealership, who is by the way amazing too. Every step of the way from picking up my car to the rebuild and then shipping home they kept me up to date all through the process. It cost about 11K and about 1.8K in shipping back and forth. I think the price is a great value and my Porsche has never run better. Here's a link to the photos, so you can see for yourself:" https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...type=3

^^^ Hey Jake, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment and offer advice on my situation. After giving it some thought I just can't justify the time and effort involved with going the DIY route. I have some experience working on cars and could probably learn how to do everything, but I'm not so sure I want to get into this kind of project at the moment. In the time it would take me to to rip everything apart, research the proper repair methods, gather the proper tools, deal with the hassle of working in a carport, etc., I could make 10x my money back by focusing my efforts on what I do best (my online businesses). With that being said I'm going to start making plans to unload the car as-is, or to possibly part it out. I need to work some numbers and see what works out better for me but I'm thinking that parting the car out is going to be the better option. Jake, if I go this route I'll give you first dibs on the motor (if you want it).

If you decide to sell it as-is, please send me a PM or post it here. I'm looking for another project 996. The time it takes to part your car out will be more than replacing or repairing the engine. The big ticket items will sell fast (if the price is good) but the rest will take a very long time to sell. For that you will need room to store the half taken apart car. I'm only telling you this in case you never parted a car before. They are not as easy as it sounds.

Ok, the choice is yours.. Parting a fully sorted car that only needs an engine is a bit of a shame, but things happen. Consider the time to put it all back together and at least throw a number out there for the car like it is. Understand that you are going to lose some money to keep from spending even more for a repair.

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You still have a lot to learn about these engines...

These engines use MLS (multi layer steel) head gaskets. I have NEVER seen one fail, not even when an engine was severely overheated for so long that every cylinder cracked. Lots of less than knowledgeable shops will misdiagnose a cracked cylinder or a cracked head by calling it a blown head gasket. They pull it all apart and replace the gaskets, but when it fires back up they learn that they've wasted their time. They usually charge the customer anyway. A cracked cylinder or cracked head will often exhibit the same symptoms as a failed head gasket, this is where you need to pay for knowledge, before you lose your ***.

Sorry to hear about this. I can understand you not wanting to put any money into it, unless it's only $2k-3k. I'd probably do the same as you (find something else) if I was in your situation. You have a lot on nice parts, I'm sure you can make some good money parting it out.

Please listen to Jake and his experience. It is not a blown head gasket. As for my two cents, I would go the route of repair and some engine upgrades at the same time. You will then have a well sorted out car and you will know exactly what you have. If it were me, I would ship the engine off to Jake.

Easy for any of us to say, but, as your car is very sharply modded and you have no need to rush things, perhaps consider having Jake rebuild and bolster your car into a reinforced 3.8L monster (or whatever they offer) with all of the parts and technologies those folks employ? Might be a better bet than someone else's cast-off 996 turbo or 996 GT3 (the later a rather rough ride for a frequently used car). Those Ferraris are cool, too, but they can get really, really expensive and could never hope to keep up with a Raby-modified 996.

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Yes I do. I tried driving an Alfa 1300 cc home from a race...no dash lights, late at night. Finally an overhead light gave me a glimpse at the temp gauge, it was pegged to the max. I pulled over and let it cool down, then added coolant and made it to a place I could leave it for a flatbed the next day. End result was that the pulley for the fan and water pump had exploded. The motor was so hot it was ticking. Had the shop that built the engine pulled the head...absolutely no warping or damage...slapped on a new pulley and head gasket and went racing. Seems strange a car maker would make a head gasket stronger than the engine itself.

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Believe me, this was definitely my first plan of action but the business man in me would never authorize something like this (throwing good money after bad). While the car is low mileage and well maintained, cosmetically it is probably a 7/10. With a good wash and wax it looks good from a few feet away and will satisfy anyone who is looking for a clean & solid driver with normal wear for a 16 year old car. Only the pickiest of Porsche enthusiasts would be dissatisfied….. With that being said, the car needs a front bumper repaint and some other minor touch ups. Also the rear bumper has been repainted (my neighbor nicked it with his bumper while pulling into his spot), and the entire left side was repainted when my careless mechanic let it roll back and scrape a cement wall when the car was in his shop. All of the repair work was top notch and fully documented, but this kind of history would bar the car from fetching $20k+, and in stock form it might be worth around $15k - $17k realistically. In my opinion it would be stupid to drop $10k+ (more likely $15k when all is said and done) into a car that might only be worth $5k more in stock form. Duly noted! I have now decided that the car will be sold “complete.” In what form (stock vs AS-IS fully modified) is another question and depends on the offers I get. I appreciate your interest and since you’re a serious buyer I know we can probably hammer out a deal. Here’s what I’ve emailed other interested buyers:

Ergghh, Diablo, sorry to see this. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Jake, we are working hard this month to keep you stocked with used parts!

Sorry for your predicament Diablo especially this time of year. Keep in mind your 1st value added step is to throughly clean out ALL the oil from the coolant passages & hoses SOON.

****** Just as a follow up for all interested buyers ****** Almost every listed part in my original post has been spoken for without even posting any pictures or ads in the for sale section. This does not include the other parts that people have also requested. Also, here's what I'm noticing regarding the pricing of my car; people want it AS-IS for under $10k, most in the range of $7k - $9k. Okay I get it, nobody wants to put $10k+ into a car with a bad motor. But here's where I'm at; I would like closer to $15k but I know that's not going to happen in one shot. $13k is my minimum number and how I get there is of little concern to me as long as I do everything fairly and honestly. I will take the fastest, easiest, and most profitable path for me, while at the same time making sure that someone else gets a fair deal on the remaining “complete” car. Just fyi, I make my living from arbitraging mobile and web traffic, so making money off of the margins is pretty much in my DNA; and when there's money involved I always have my finger on the pulse. ALWAYS. In this case I know what my used parts command on the 2nd hand market, especially rare, expensive, and gently used Porsche Motorsport parts that are in most cases no longer manufactured and very hard to come by. I don't mind losing a little bit on the car (vs what I have into it); after all, it has a motor that probably needs repair, so without a doubt it should be sold at a discount. But for those of you who are offering under $10k, let's crunch some numbers so I can explain why it's never going to happen: Let's start with just a few of the big parts that are already "sold" and have multiple buyers lined up: * 996 GT3 Euro Clubsport Bucket Seats w/OEM sliders - Recent sales have listed for close to $3k or higher. My price would be somewhere in between $2500 where they'd sell immediately, or closer to $3000 where they would probably still sell quickly. Let's say they go for $3000 shipped. Subtract roughly $200 for shipping. I have multiple sets of OEM seats in great condition that I can have shipped to my door for $600, plus I still have the oem seat belts and hardware. That’s $2200 in my pocket. Here are some recent sales for anyone who wants to dispute my numbers: https://rennlist.com/forums/for-sale...ace-seats.html https://rennlist.com/forums/for-sale...ket-seats.html https://rennlist.com/forums/for-sale...lon-seats.html https://rennlist.com/forums/for-sale...d-sliders.html https://rennlist.com/forums/for-sale...aro-seats.html https://rennlist.com/forums/for-sale...buckets-2.html https://rennlist.com/forums/for-sale...gt3-seats.html * Fabspeed Supercup Exhaust - $650 shipped, the cost for OEM mufflers is $100 (already sourced). That’s $500 in my pocket. Here’s what they sell for new; not including taxes and shipping (~$1050): http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/-p-150766506.html; http://www.fabspeed.com/996-carrera-...xhaust-system/ * SharkWerks GT3 Fire Extinguisher Kit - $320 shipped. No replacement needed. That’s $300 in my pocket. Here’s what they sell for new; not including taxes and shipping (~$500): http://www.sharkwerks.com/products.php?pid=11 * Evoms Carrera V-Flow Air Intake 996 - $330 shipped (includes brand new filter plus the old filter). Complete OEM air box is $60 shipped to my door. That’s $250 in my pocket. Here’s what they sell for new; not including taxes and shipping (~$600): http://www.evoms.com/996_Carrera_Air...ntkvf996na.htm * Porsche 997 GT3 RS Club Sport Roll Bar (Rear) - $2000 (buyer pays for shipping). No replacement needed. The last I heard these are very hard to get and they are no longer made. I’ve seen them priced at $2k+ recently. I have a feeling it will sell pretty quickly at my price. That’s $2000 in my pocket. * Porche 996 OEM Tail Lights (Smoke/Red) - $380 shipped. I have an extra set of oem orange/red tail lights; no replacement needed. That’s $350 in my pocket. * Porsche 996 GT3 Coilovers w/Tarret Monoballs Top Mounts (front and rear) and Tarret Drop Links (Front and Rear) - $1800 shipped for the complete set, or I can part them out. I have sourced a pair of low mileage oem shocks complete with drop links and top mounts for $250. That’s $1500 in my pocket. Here’s what the Tarret stuff sell for new; not including taxes and shipping (~$1500): http://www.tarett.com/items/996-997-...lta-detail.htm http://www.tarett.com/items/996-997-...smt-detail.htm http://www.tarett.com/items/996-997-...lnk-detail.htm http://www.tarett.com/items/996-997-...lnk-detail.htm * H&R Sway Bars (Front and Rear) - $360 Shipped. OEM replacements would be $60 shipped to my door. That’s $300 in my pocket. Here’s what they sell for new; not including taxes and shipping (~$600): http://www.awe-tuning.com/h-r-sway-b...justable-front http://www.awe-tuning.com/h-r-sway-b...ustable-rear-7 ************ I’ll stop here because I think I've made my point ************ I still have my wheels & tires, stereo stuff, and other small bits that would easily add up to another couple thousand dollars in my pocket. But not even counting that stuff, I have $7400 just from the items listed above. Subtract that from my $13k and I can still sell the car for $5400 and get the price that I want. What’s left is a clean, low mileage, and documented “mechanic’s special” 996; that’s still running and is 100% complete. We all know that cars like this sell for more than $5k. More like $7k - $10k. That leaves me plenty of room to wheel and deal and still be happy with the outcome….. Anyhow, if anyone is interested in the car AS-IS you now have my exact reason for passing on your sub $10k offer. It’s nothing personal and no offense is taken; its just that the numbers don’t work out for me….. For those of you who still want a project car I’ll go ahead and list it once it’s parted out and at that time you’ll be able to get a sub $10k car. What do you guys think? Am I being reasonable here? Everything makes sense, right? Time to start taking the car apart…… I’ll be back soon with a giant for sale thread. Thanks again in advance for everybody who took the time to comment and give advice, and also for those who expressed interest in the car and/or its parts. Once I get everything listed hopefully we can work out a fair deal for whatever part you’re interested in.

Still have dibs on the steering wheel and engine mounts. What color are the harnesses? Best of luck in this god awful mess Diablo.

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Noted! They've got your name on them! When I get them out I'll get in touch with you and figure out the other details. Give me a week or so to start ripping things out..... As for the harnesses, they are red. The expiration date has the box cheked for 2014 unfortunately, but they still have the 2015 tab open. I'm not sure if they're for 2015 then? Anyhow, they belts are in excellent condition and have no damage or imperfections whatsoever.

Red are perfect! Expiration isn't a huge deal...just for DE's.

Flush the cooling system, return the car to stock, sell all of the aftermarket pieces, and take the car to Carmax. Keep your mouth shut during the conversation, if they give you $8-10k for the car, take it and walk home. They will not put a 16 y/o POS on the lot, it will go straight to the auction after you give them the key. You will walk out with solid $15-17k.

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It's funny that you mention that. I went to test drive a new Land Cruiser today and told the salesman about my car. He said as long as it runs and drives fine at the time of trade in he'll give me $20k; assuming I pay MSRP on the truck. Gotta love car salesmen hehe. What to do what to do......

one of the more annoying threads Ive ever read. Now were ready to be be dishonest and dupe people. Wouldnt touch this stuff with a 10 ft pole.... sigh

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Nobody is duping anyone here..... Every individual who has asked about the car has been made fully aware of what the potential issues are. If I wanted to dupe anyone the last thing I would do is post on a public forum before I listed the car for sale. As for the OP's advice above, and my experience at the Toyota dealership today; I think it highlights what we already know about about car dealerships and car salesmen - if they know a car is going straight to the auction block then they really don't care about the details as long as the car is running when it's traded in, and as long as they're making money. If I tell the dealer that my car might have issues and he still wants to give me top dollar on it in order to sell an $80k SUV is that my problem? Fortunately I'm almost 99% sure that the car will be sold to a fellow enthusiast who will fix it and put it back on the road.

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So you'll take 13k for it with all the extras as it sits, or 5,400 stripped and put back to stock? I can work with those numbers and make it easy for ya.

OK I will jump in here. Mine happened back in 2008 and I had extensive intermix both ways, oil in the coolant and coolant in the oil. Back in those days few if any were doing repairs on intermixed. I did talk to Jake, who has incredible knowledge of these engines. But back in those days he was not doing these repairs, said that cracked heads could not be repaired and the the intermix would have killed the engine. We have all learned more since that time. I am sure that Jake's repair process went way beyond what I did. I removed the engine and the head and was able to drain most of the contaminated oil outfox the engine, and after the engine was backinandrunningi did two or three quick oil changes to remove further traces of contamination. The cooling system was a bigger challenge. Cleaning out all traces of contamination is all but impossible,particularly without special equipment. I still have traces of coolant inmy expansion tank. But over 6 years and 30,000+ miles I have only had one hose fail. So I spent $500 to have the cracked head repaired and a valve job. I spent another $1,500 plus on parts, gaskets, head bolts, etc., and I also replaced coil packs, lifters, AOS and other parts that did not have to be replaced. I also spent at least 50-60 hrs, did it in my driveway on jack stands, learned as I went and made quite a few mistakes. But here I am driving the car and enjoying it 6 years and 30,000+ miles later when at the time it happened I was told that it could not be done and it was either a new engine or junk the car. I have also helped several others do a DIY on these repairs at pretty low costs. What else can I say other than I am happy.

Missed jake's post while I was writing mine. Take the easy way out and sell it to him. You will get what you want, and buy a newer, better car (996TT, etc.) and Jake can either repair the engine or put in one of his rebuilt engines at his cost and sell it at a good profit for him and another buyer will get a great car from him. WIN, WIN, WIN for everyone!

To clarify, at that time I was very reserved about what cracks we would repair. There are 6 primary places where these heads crack and two more that are rare. Today there's still 2 cracks that I won't try to repair, because the site is very weak and I believe will have recurring problems. But it's been 3 years since we've repaired a head that wasn't for one of our own jobs. Learned that lesson the hard way. I was very reserved in dharns instance because the entire engine wasn't under my care and control and because I wasn't able to determine if collateral damage existed or to what extent.

Jake. I have nothing but respect for you and all you have done for all of us who own these cars. But in the fall of 2008 you clearly told me it could not be done, period. The fixes you do are way more involved/comprehensive than what I was able to do! But I am still driving the car! As an aside, back then you could still get a Porsche re manufactured engine for $8,000-$10,000, but that was too much to invest in my opinion.

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Lesson # 4,321... Never provide a free consultation. You repaired the engine and you are to be commended for doing so with limited resources and on a tight budget.

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Yessir that's correct. I have one potential buyer who will let me know by tomorrow morning if he wants it.

Sounds like you'll be able to recoup a chunk of $ by selling to Jake, or your other interested buyer. At least you can complete the deal quickly and go on to another vehicle. Hope it all works out for you.

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I'm 99% sure the car would end up on a lot somewhere and someone who doesn't want to pay $300 for a PPI will plunk down $23k to own a cool, Speed Yellow Porsche. Then we will see this post in a few weeks on Rennlist: "New owner here. Bought this car from a local used car dealer a month ago. Yesterday, I noticed the car is loosing quite a bit of oil, but there are no leaks that I can see. Is that normal? Also, the coolant in the reservoir tank looks like a chocolate milkshake. I assume it's supposed to be like that since it looked that way when I bought the car (the salesman told me it was perfectly normal for a Porsche)! Anyway, I love this car and can't wait to put a ton of miles on it! FYI, it was either this car or pay for Grad school. Best decision I ever made!

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And that should be OP's concern how Gonzo? You make a mistake, you pay for it. That's life. If you are stupid and buy a house/car/stock/land/commercial investment property without doing thorough DD on your purchase, who are you to blame when **** blows in your face? Do you buy a penny stock based on the "tip" and then cry after it collapses 99%? Do you buy the "AS-IS" property that is in foreclosure without the inspection and then cry when you realize that property needs $50k in additional repairs to make it livable? If potential owner is too cheap or too stupid to not pay $300 for a PPI on the 16 y/o supercar, they brought all of the future financial issues on themselves. They took a risk, they lost. Period. In my country there is a saying "there is no punishment without a crime". You don't CYA when you are doing ANY significant purchase, you pay for it.

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It's clear that you and I live our lives different ways. And...I would never buy a penny stock.

At $5400 I'd be interested. Not sure if that was your price for it or just a hypothetical.I have a spot in my garage occupied by a nice 944S I could sell to make some room next to the 2002 4S. Wife and I always wanted a yellow 911. At that price for a low mileage clean car, even dropping 10-15k for the rebuild, knowing you have a solid lump in the rear would be worth it. If you are willing to chance cleaning it up and repairing yourself (not me) seems like a high risk\high reward type gamble. I have a truck, trailer and some time off work. I know you said it will take you a month to return to stock if you go that route but please add me to list of interested parties in the stock form. Not interested in after market stuff. Where is the car located? Maybe I missed that in the thread. If your anywhere near el Paso, tx let me know. Might come take a look at it.

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This is exactly the situation I want to avoid, hence the reason why the car will never be listed for sale anywhere other than on this site. At this point my first potential buyer is a PCA instructor who knows how to work on these cars and who will repair the motor and use the car for the track; and next in line is Jake Raby. Thankfully this bad boy has a high likely of being fixed before it leaves the next buyers hands; that's if they plan on selling it........

subscribed & pm sent

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I think your ship has come in! You need to jump on this 348..... I don't recall the interiors looking like this though.....must be some kind of upgrade: http://www.ebay.com/itm/201257169316...:SS:SS:US:1120

Paul, have to admit that is a very nice replica

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After what I've just been through this is probably what I need. A Ferrari that's cheap to maintain; I'll take it!

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Agree but you'll need a badge like this for it instead.