Car trouble - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Hello everyone...it's been a while since I have been in this forum because of some bad news with my '03 Boxster S and I just wanted to catch everyone up. Last August I was happily driving along when my car, with 105,000 miles started blowing an enormous amount of smoke out of both tailpipes. As I began to pull over it started running roughly and lots of warning lights came on. I pulled over and that's when bystanders started yelling "you're on fire!" I ran around to check and saw that the small fire was luckily just burning inside the right tailpipe, however it scorched the paint on the bumper before I could smother it out. I had the car towed to my local mechanic who specializes in only European cars, focusing on Porsche of every year and model. Lots of Boxsters, 993 turbos, earlier air-cooled even a 997 turbo was there. Mark did an initial assessment and determined that the fire was likely caused by an excess of oil in the exhaust system and ignited by the muffler heat. A faulty AOS was the likely cause to for the excess oil in the cylinders. The car has been sitting for so long because I'm not home a lot, have another car to drive and Mark had other projects to work on. I told him not to rush on tearing down he engine because I knew it was gonna cost me lots of $$$! Well, this week he had a chance to to a teardown and the results are not good...

He said that almost all of the cylinder walls are scuffed (if that's the right word), lifters are messed up, cylinders are burnt. He said that most likely the oil pump got clogged or failed causing oil starvation coincidentally when the AOS failed...one not having to do with the other, just blind luck. He said to do a re-build would cost significantly more than a replacement engine. ($8k-$9k) Mark found an '03 Boxster S engine with a 12 month warranty for $4500 shipped. He told me that while he has it apart he will replace my clutch, which was slipping badly (thanks to my girlfriend driving the car ONE TIME and popping the clutch pedal). The labor for all this will be $1500.00. I have put lots of love and care, and aftermarket accessories into this machine over the 6 years 63,000 miles that I have owned the car, to make its personality fit mine and to make it my affordable dream car. I had never planned on selling this car and have no idea what I would ever want to (affordably) replace it with. Mark also said that if I decide not to fix it, he would offer to buy the chassis from me.

Fix! Fix! Fix!

If I read this correctly (& add it correctly), you're talking $6,000 to put it back on the road. Yeah, fix it. Do you know much about the '03 engine?

Fix it....

That's probably what I would do. You dig the car. What else would you do with the money spent? Buy another used car? One that you don't know, and might need lots of hidden work, and if it's not another Porsche it's likely not to be as cool, fun or interesting. All the best with the refurbishment.

Fix it. You'll never find another car that can replace this one for $6K. And then it should be good for another 105,000 miles.

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. I agree with the rest of the advice here. Where else will you find a replacement for $6K? It is something I think about what I would do if my engine suffered the same fate. I honestly go back and forth, but in the end, I believe I would fix it or replace my 3.2 with a 3.4. Good luck with your decision.

Heliguy, i also have an '03 S with 74,500 km (46,300 m) and I am wondering if there were any signs or warnings before the AOS crapped out on yours? I'm wondering if at the mileage mine has should I do a preemptive strike and replace it? Should i wait until there are more miles on it? Have they improved these things to the point where a new one is less likely to crater? Looking for the voices of experience out there. Thanks.

A 3.4 would be nice, I thought about it, but it's extremely cost-prohibitive! There were no warning signs, just white smoke then rough running...then ker-plunk.

Oh crappy, just saw that :/ Man, why did the guy tear'ed down the engine for exactly? Didn't start back after changing the AOS or something? Mate Andy here had his 986 pissing oil the tailpipes and smoke on the freeway, dash lights and all... he just changed his AOS and the plugs and off he went. I would have driven those scuffed cylinders until they explode, before getting an new engine anyway. What happen here? just currious

Quotes source post: 448893

No. It will be good for the distance between the current mileage and maybe 105K miles, maybe more. Total crap shoot. Installing a used engine it's merely the lowest cost option.

He changed the AOS and tried to start it. It started but was missing cylinder 1. He took off the head and found that side scotched so hence the teardown and found destruction.

Quotes source post: 448946

The meant that I was joking about it! The sarcasm in the statement was in quoting the exact number of miles that he got out of the current engine - of course he's not going to get that exact number of miles. Sorry if this did come through clearly.

Quotes source post: 448949

I see now. Terrible news :/ I can only imagine how pissed you were. I like your silver Porsche car a lot, the interior, everything. Like others said it looks as if you are not going to get any better than this sport car for $6k. I also say press on asap and get it back. Wow so it looks like that little puff of smoke I'm getting at start-up I.e the one I tell myself "pffff, not a huge deal" immediately needs special attention I guess. Although I do have a 2.5 engine (used) sitting in a crate and stored here in SH, I can't imagine having to swap it for a AOS bang.... man you'd hear me scream up to North America Luck bro, good to see you back here btw (regardless of the issue)

If this can help a bit, on the GF bit: Wife here, in one week: 1) scratched half the diameter of a $1800 ADV.1 wheel (rear, passenger side) 2) literally blew up the front bumper lip at the supermarket (parking stop bump) ($480) CF In ONE f n week. Beware of exited drivers that cares only about who's looking at them :/

That puff upon start up is normal for an opposed engine, I wouldn't be too worried about that. I'm gonna pull the trigger on the warrantied engine. The price and installation are hard to beat. And all of the positive feed back on here helped my decision. 100% for FIX IT, FIX IT, FIX IT so far.

Hmmmm, should I?

Quotes source post: 448963

If it was only that simple.

3.2l engine. If the cylinder walls are scuffed and burnt you might want to do more research on rebuilding these Nikasil coated cylinders.