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YOUR RESEARCH996 3.6 Smoking & Cutting out after 3 mins, then Engine Not cranking | Mayonnaise on dipstick |
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Use anyhow)
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
My thinking is for the sake of a new AOS (which can be used anyhow) and then the cost of some oil a filter , new plugs and a bit of time its worth investigating before just going all out and looking into an engine rebuild or replacement.
996 3.6 Smoking & Cutting out after 3 mins, then Engine Not cranking | Mayonnaise on dipstick |
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Leading evidence: 'Use anyhow)' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'head gasket' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Repair there is nothing more' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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996 3.6 Smoking & Cutting out after 3 mins, then Engine Not cranking | Mayonnaise on dipstick |
Repair there is nothing more
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Suggestion
The engine has shat itself and needs removing, reviewing and repairing : there is nothing more to say bud...
996 3.6 Smoking & Cutting out after 3 mins, then Engine Not cranking | Mayonnaise on dipstick |
Test coolant system
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996 3.6 Smoking & Cutting out after 3 mins, then Engine Not cranking | Mayonnaise on dipstick |
Use coolant
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Suggestion
I've recently bought a 98 C2 for crazy cheap with a similar fault (using coolant on long runs but no intermix)
996 3.6 Smoking & Cutting out after 3 mins, then Engine Not cranking | Mayonnaise on dipstick |
Use anyhow)
No successful repair reported for this finding.
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Reported fixes
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Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
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Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
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0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
My thinking is for the sake of a new AOS (which can be used anyhow) and then the cost of some oil a filter , new plugs and a bit of time its worth investigating before just going all out and looking into an engine rebuild or replacement.
996 3.6 Smoking & Cutting out after 3 mins, then Engine Not cranking | Mayonnaise on dipstick |
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Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
15 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
911uk: 1 discussions
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Generation: 20261026T133652Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
Evening guys ,
Would be grateful for a little advice. So I have just purchased a 996 3.6 with engine issues, and I am totally expecting the worse with either a rebuild or a different engine being required. but before going down this route I just wanted to outline the issues and see if my initial plan is realistic or a total waste of time.
So a little background. The car was taken in by a garage who ended up trading it off as it was not their normal type of retail stock. The trader ended up returning it as it started smoking and cutting out after about 3 minutes of running.
The garage who took it back did not want to get involved, and I think must have just quickly tried getting it running to no avail, then when I looked at the car it was just dead the battery was totally shot, they put a jump pack on it and some of the electrics were working, but as soon as you turned the ignition it was dead , no cranking whatsoever.
Car was delivered today and the first thing I did was install a brand new battery. No surprises but a quick blip of the key and there is nothing. Upon checking the coolant it is empty , and the dip stick is covered in mayonnaise. I would say from the bottom of the dipstick then up it 8-10 inches. So I am assuming it is likely hydro-locked?
My plan of action (which I know is a long shot)
1. Removed the plugs and see if it spins over.
2. Drain oil
3. Install a new Air oil separator
4. Pressure test coolant system
5. New oil and filter
6. Fit new plugs
7. Fresh coolant
Then see how it goes...
My thinking is for the sake of a new AOS (which can be used anyhow) and then the cost of some oil a filter , new plugs and a bit of time its worth investigating before just going all out and looking into an engine rebuild or replacement.
Any other advice guys? Or more steps that I can investigate.
Like said , I am pretty sure it won't be a quick fix , but worth a little detective work maybe?
Thanks for any suggestions ,
Simon
Hi Si, welcome and sorry to hear of your woes. Which model car did you buy? Any history with her or details of previous owners? My advice would be to talk to someone that specialises in the brand ..RPM for example or call Hartech for their initial thoughts. I wouldn't start spending money on it just yet until I'd got better indicators on history and condition. Not helpful I know but what I'd do...I take it you got her for a steal..?
All the best.
Si
To add, peruse the mot history as that may give an idea of how she's generally been looked after, to a point. Google the vehicle reg . You'd be amazed what you can find on the www nowadays. Plenty of really knowledge folk on here so I'm sure you'll get plenty of suggestions in due course. I suspect head gasket but I'm no mechanic.
Hi there and thanks for the great advice. I will look into some of the things you suggested , carry out a little due diligence and then work out a (better!) plan of action. Really appreciate your advice , have a great weekend!
Were you told what sort of smoke it was that was observed after three minutes?
Was it sickly sweet and white (coolant) or blue (oil)?
Or was it even black (fuel)?
Is the mayo just a little bit (too many short journeys) or massive (intermix issue)
Intermix can occur at head gaskets but also the oil cooler on top of the engine and the AOS.
It sounds like if you can identity and fix the intermix you could get it going again and then take a view....
Hi , I was just told that it smoked for about 3 mins and then it cut out. There was no mention about the smell or colour of the smoke sadly. The mayo is massive so intermix. Yes , as you said if I can pinpoint the cause of the intermix then maybe it could be a reasonable fix
Are you planning to do the work yourself? If yes then I would get stuck into finding the root cause/causes for the issues. I wouldn't bother trying to get her started without first working out what's gone wrong. Start - share lots of pics - ask questions as you go and the forum will respond.
Hi , yes planning on trying to do the investigation work myself. I am relatively capable and quite methodical so hopefully will be able to slowly work out what is happening.
With regards to engine rebuild , that I would be getting done by a specialist if needed.
I sure will share a load of pics and no doubt a ton of questions.... and hopefully along with helping me, it may also help others in the future pinpoint their issues if they are experiencing similar symptoms. I appreciate the help you guys will no doubt offer!
The fact it's not turning over could well mean hydrolock or seizure of some sort due to poor lubrication. I doubt very much it's going to be an easy/cheap fix so you need to decide how much you want to put into it. ££
Try and turn it from the crank pulley, that\ll at least tell you if it's seized or not..I mean someone may have burnt the starter motor out trying to start it over a long period but it's not likely.
I've recently bought a 98 C2 for crazy cheap with a similar fault (using coolant on long runs but no intermix)
Honestly I think the engine should come out so you can get a better look at things.
Yes I’m pretty sure it won’t be a cheap fix either , and I bought it knowing this. I’m guessing it’s going to be £10k+ to sort if engine needs a rebuild .
Just want to be sure before going down that route.
If anyone knowledgeable is in the Kent / East Sussex area and fancy’s a day tinkering with me I’m more than happy to pay you for your time
What more do you really need to know? It's not like suddenly someone will come into this topic and say "yeah you need to touch this and that and it will magically heal itself". You're wasting time here searching for answers you won't get instead of getting the engine out and to the shop.
