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Picking up a 996.2 this weekend

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YOUR RESEARCHPicking up a 996.2 this weekend

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Replace current owner doesnt have proof the ims bearing

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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster

The current owner doesnt have proof the ims bearing has been replaced so at the moment the assumption is that will need to get done.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend
Frequently discussed work

Inspect 3-5 m9x engines a week and have yet

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Suggestion

We tear down and inspect 3-5 M9X engines a week and have yet to see one where scoping from the bottom would have revealed more information than scoping from the top.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend
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Leading evidence: 'Replace current owner doesnt have proof the ims bearing' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'low pressure system' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Inspect 3-5 m9x engines a week and have yet' (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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Replace with additional clearance items

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Performed · outcome unconfirmed

The S85 V10 is like the S65 V8, have the rod bearings replaced with additional clearance items, then do frequent oil changes using good quality oil, use the car frequently and have the throttle actuators rebuilt.They�ll do well over 100K miles without breaking sweat.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend

Use just fine, just relocated somewhere else

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Performed · outcome unconfirmed

That was the point of my comment to begin with - the factory cooler can still be used just fine, just relocated somewhere else to avoid heating up engine Bank 2.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend

low pressure system

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Suspected cause

Probably a low pressure system with bigger air to oil cooler would avoid aerating the oil in sump.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend

Inspect 3-5 m9x engines a week and have yet

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Suggestion

We tear down and inspect 3-5 M9X engines a week and have yet to see one where scoping from the bottom would have revealed more information than scoping from the top.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend
Frequently discussed actions (10)

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Inspect 3-5 m9x engines a week and have yet

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Suggestion

We tear down and inspect 3-5 M9X engines a week and have yet to see one where scoping from the bottom would have revealed more information than scoping from the top.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend

Recommend affordable/reputable shop

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Suggestion · Original poster

I'm in the Los angeles area and hoping someone can recommend an affordable/reputable shop with lots of ims jobs successfully completed.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend

Recommend method

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Suggestion

Scoping through the plug holes is always our recommended method.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend

Recommend mods

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Suggestion · Original poster

any recommended mods?

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend

Repair /rebuild if it has not been cared

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Suggestion

Any Porsche engine can be expensive to repair/rebuild if it has not been cared for.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend

Replace 996 heat exchanger

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Suggestion

If one would replace the 996 heat exchanger with the 20% larger 997S heat exchanger on their 996, would this potentially add more heat and therefore risk for bore scoring on bank 2?

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend

Replace 996 oil cooler

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Suggestion

Other than a 3rd radiator and replacing 996 oil cooler with the 997S oil cooler, the only other oil cooling choice thats available on the market is the LN Cayman cooler that Charles developed into a 996 cooler woth all of the plumbing which resides where the muffler would sit.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend

Replace carbon fiber steering wheel and shifter **** would have

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Suggestion

While nothing major happened during the four years of coverage, things like replacing a carbon fiber steering wheel and shifter **** would have set me back a few thousand dollars.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend

Replace current owner doesnt have proof the ims bearing

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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster

The current owner doesnt have proof the ims bearing has been replaced so at the moment the assumption is that will need to get done.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend

Replace ims bearing

No successful repair reported for this finding.

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Suggestion

I'm halfway across the country, but I know where I would take mine if I were paying to have someone replace my IMS bearing.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend
Reported and suspected causes (1)

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low pressure system

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Suspected cause

Probably a low pressure system with bigger air to oil cooler would avoid aerating the oil in sump.

Picking up a 996.2 this weekend
Coverage and how to read this overview

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.

66 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.

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POST 1 / ORIGINAL POSTEROriginal post

Hi all, if all goes according to plan i'll be picking up an 02 c2 with 100k miles on it. The current owner doesnt have proof the ims bearing has been replaced so at the moment the assumption is that will need to get done. I'm in the Los angeles area and hoping someone can recommend an affordable/reputable shop with lots of ims jobs successfully completed. Also any things i should look out for when test driving the car? any recommended mods? Initial plans are gundo exhaust mod, then wheels/seats and look into gt3 suspension parts. Buying as a canyon carver/occasional track car.

POST 3 / ORIGINAL POSTEROriginal post

Quotes source post: 19628428

is there any other way to detect this apart from a scope?

POST 4Original post

Yes definitely get a PPI from a legit porsche mechanic/shop. The couple hundred dollars to inspect with bore scope may save you 10s of thousands later. Or it will give you the confident and peace of mind to purchase it. Hopefully they have service records and you get an idea of how well maintained it was and can plan for what will need to be done in the future. For the test drive, listen real closely for engine and suspension noise. Take a close look at the engine bay to make sure you don't see any leaks. Look under the car for any fluid or moisture. Run through all the gears to make sure it's smooth. Run the ac and heater. But most importantly, get the PPI and trust the mechanic. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

POST 5Original post

Quotes source post: 19628490

Best to have the pan dropped and bore scope from behind the pistons. This is more expensive, but a much, much better way to determine the cylinder wall condition. As for mods, I would keep that cash in the bank for now until you fully understand what you have. Things go wrong on a 20 year old car and you can't expect even a thorough inspection to find everything that can possibly happen in the future. Keep a slush fund and expect the unexpected.

POST 6 / ORIGINAL POSTEROriginal post

Quotes source post: 19628532

is it really that unreliable? I had a 997.2 for a year without issue. But this is truly a weekend car. We're talking 1-2k miles a year

POST 7Original post

Quotes source post: 19628570

I would have 8k sitting around for the first few months of ownership. PPI wont find everything. You'll hear a weird sound and realize you have a throw out bearing thats shot or a flywheel wearing out, youll have a coolant leak somewhere, AOS will crap out. expansion tank will crack. I wouldnt call them inherently unreliable, but if its 20 years old, and NONE of the usual big ticket items have been hit (IMS, RMS, Coolant tank, AOS) then I might.

POST 8Original post

Quotes source post: 19628570

the funniest part about pcar ownership is that in a lot of ways it's cheaper to own a f-car from the same era. even more funny is how people have normalized the idea of spending 30-40k on a M96.0 rebuild

POST 10Original post

Quotes source post: 19628570

It's a 20-year old car with 100K miles with previous owners you don't know. It won't matter to the car if it's driven on a Saturday or a Sunday. You can still have a major failure with the engine and a potential a $30K bill. It happens more often than you would like to think. Not every car, but go roll the dice. I am simply suggesting a comprehensive PPI to minimize the risk and never gamble more than you can afford to lose.

POST 11Original post

On a 3.6, I would definitely get a borescope inspection. If only for peace of mind. Ideally from the bottom end.

POST 12 / ORIGINAL POSTEROriginal post

Quotes source post: 19629689

is there anything that can be done for the bore scoring issue? Is it the result of overrevs? Sorry, was aware the ims was more or less a must, this is the first time i'm hearing about bore scoring. I'll read up on this a bit more.

POST 13Original post

the tl.dr about bore scoring is that it tends to cluster with poor maintenance habits (long oil intervals) and environment/behavior (short trips in cold weather for example). only remedy is rebuild

POST 14Original post

Quotes source post: 19628113

I'm halfway across the country, but I know where I would take mine if I were paying to have someone replace my IMS bearing. They're well known in the Porsche world, including the 996. https://www.callasrennsport.com/ Callas Rennsport 19080 Hawthorne Blvd. Torrance, CA 90503 [phone removed]

POST 15Original post

Quotes source post: 19630008

Yes, check out the "stickies" in the 996 forum. They can be excellent cars when sorted out, but you don't want to go into this blind.

POST 16Original post

Get a pre-purchase inspection from Rennsport. Then you can purchase with confidence. It WON'T be cheap, but it can save you from a $20K+ mistake.

POST 17Original post

Quotes source post: 19628490

The bore scope procedure is one way to figure out the direct condition of the engine. There are costless indirect ways such as having a full service record for the car. You can have greater confidence if you have the service records or if the owner is willing to allow you to do a bore scope, you can probably just skip it in that case. The 996 is possibly the only 911 to have had a large number of of more than 3 owners in that usually means that the last owners didn't treally care for the car. All of this is to say, we are trying to give you some options to avoid a problem. But as I said here, there are other options. If none of these options are available, you should probably walk.

POST 18Original post

Quotes source post: 19630067

Callas Rennsport is stupid expensive. Dutch Treat is also in Torrance, do good work and are far more reasonably priced.

POST 19Original post

Quotes source post: 19628671

Second these thoughts. If you are hesitating on the PPI because of the cost, you may not have the budget to keep the car running when things go bust. I put 6k into my 996 right out of the gate to get the engine appropriately restored (was able to bargain the price down appropriately after the PPI identified most of the issues that needed fixing) for a car the owner and I both thought was ready to roll.

POST 20Original post

Quotes source post: 19630008

Here is the thing about cylinder scoring. Scoping through the spark plugs is easier, but it can only confirm that the scoring is really bad. Scoring starts at the bottom of the cylinder and progresses upward. When the piston is all the way down position it will hide any scoring that is beginning. This is why it is much, much better to pay for the pan to be dropped and scope all cylinders from the bottom. The issue with these engines is the makeup of the cylinder walls and the pistons. Both are aluminum, but the walls are impregnated with silicon and the piston sides have a flash coating of iron. As the piston hits dead bottom it can tilt slightly and the flash coating of iron wears away. Over time enough of the iron is scrubbed off and now you end up with aluminum sliding over aluminum and subsequently galling (bore scoring). One possible reason this happens is infrequent oil changes and not using good oil. Cold temperatures are thought to be another contributor. If you don't know the history of the car in detail, then yoyu are playing Russian Roulette. Scoring seems to start on the passenger side, but can progress to all cylinders. If mild scoring is evident you van possibly prolong it with frequent oil changes and I think LN Engineering recommends Driven DT-40 oil with moly. Is this a magic wand? Probably not, but moly will better coat the cylinder walls, so it probably helps. How much is a subjective argument. If significant scoring is observed it is best to plan a rebuild. You can run it to the ground, but you risk more damage and possibly no chance of rebuild. If you find scoring, LN Engineering seems to be one of the best places for working on engines. So, this is why people are telling you to get a PPI and in particular, get the pan dropped. I know it isn't cheap, but a catastrophe is orders of magnitude worse.

POST 21 / ORIGINAL POSTEROriginal post

Wow with every post i'm nudged further from a 996. I've had many cars that have had a pretty significant weakest link e60 m5 i had to do a motor replacement(under warranty thank goodness) but now i'm wondering if there is an alternative that'll meet my track/canyon needs. I plan to get into a 2020 gt4 sooner rather than later and was going to get a 996.2 to hang onto as my "classic" because im not paying for a 993 as beautiful as they are

POST 22Original post

Just don't jump on what seems like a good deal without checking it over well. Any Porsche engine can be expensive to repair/rebuild if it has not been cared for. An "invasive PPI" is the best way to make certain that you purchase a Porsche with a long life ahead of it. This is not 996 specific advice either. 997(M96 & M97) & 991(9A1) engines also experience bore scoring.

POST 23Original post

Quotes source post: 19632994

Nah, the 996 is an excellent car. All 20 year old cars from every manufacturer have issues that need to be identified and then prevented with the proper procedures. Everybody on the 996 forum is just trying to give you a list of things to be aware of and how to prevent it. Just wait until you find out what can and will go wrong with the Gt4 in a few years. Unless you print money from a trusy fund, you will be happy as he'll with the minor issues and costs to keep a 996 running in top form versus the newer Porsche models. I am, after 22 years of track and street driving on 996.2.

POST 24Original post

Quotes source post: 19632994

I have 2020 GT4 and added a 996.2 Carrera 2 a few months ago. About 3,000 miles in the 996.2 now and I can tell you that it is a fantastic car. Different from and more fun in some ways than the GT4. These are 20 year old cars though so you should do your due diligence and get a PPI like people are suggesting and expect to have spend some money on updates and preventative maintenance. My 996 has an updated IMS bearing already and similar to you I am planning to add coil overs to improve the performance a bit and some preventative mods like the UAOS. The car is already a ton of fun in stock form though. This forum has a ton of information on the common modifications for both performance and reliability. I dream of a Flat 6 or Slakker motor at some point in the future. I just updated my 15 year old E90 M3 with new rod bearings and valve covers to fix the common issues related to that platform too. Most interesting and higher performance cars have a few things to look out for as you know from the E60 platform haha.

POST 25Original post

We tear down and inspect 3-5 M9X engines a week and have yet to see one where scoping from the bottom would have revealed more information than scoping from the top. And it's near impossible to get to all of the cylinders from the bottom. If scoring is most prevalent on the thrust face then logic has it that it occurs during the combustion phase of the 4 stroke cycle. Meaning that it would start from the top and work downward. Scoping through the plug holes is always our recommended method.

POST 26Original post

Quotes source post: 19633228

Thanks for this info! So many people say otherwise and I'm glad a professional with significant first hand expertise clarified this. And that report is an excellent educational resource!

POST 27Original post

Quotes source post: 19632994

It depends on your wants and budget. I think the biggest point here is that one's budget needs to be 25% or more beyond the price of the car at a minimum because there are always things that go wrong with any 20-year old car of any make. A GT4 would probably make an excellent car for your wants. You should be able to easily get a CPO warranty with it and drive relatively worry free. My car was 2 years old when I bought it and came with the CPO. While nothing major happened during the four years of coverage, things like replacing a carbon fiber steering wheel and shifter **** would have set me back a few thousand dollars. Add in the AC control unit and a few other minor issues to correct and it starts adding up. I encourage you to get a one year PCA membership and start networking with club members (you don't need to own a car for that first year). The cost is cheap and the knowledge you get from other members is priceless, not the least is the chance to buy a car from a club member that has a known history. Best of luck on whatever you decide.

POST 28Original post

Quotes source post: 19633228

Thanks Slakker. Just printed it off to read. Always looking at it from different points of reference is good.

POST 29Original post

Quotes source post: 19633228

https://rennlist.com/forums/attachme...ing-report.pdf Also found scoping from the bottom very difficult and not able to get to every cyl completely as good as I'd like. Even using the convoluted method some recommend. All While getting oil dripped in my eye and on camera lens... Good to know bore scoring can be seen from the top no problem, as scoping thru spark plug holes is much much easier, and seems more professional imo. Best evidence based article I've read on bore score to date. Thank you Slakker... you're no slacker for sure, awesome article and advice.

POST 30Original post

Quotes source post: 19634010

That is a lengthy and thoughtful report as usual from Baz, but It asks the 96 thousand dollar question , then fails to answer ... The question ;; what single thing can a finger be pointed at, that would cause bore scoring to start most likely on Bank 2 on the most effected cars? The answer is quite simple, but not mentioned.....The heat exchanger !! The heat exchanger is mounted to the top of the engine case and directly above the #6 cylinder ( the one most likely to score first)...and it transfers the heat of the oil under hard operation to the coolant on bank 2 cylinders.....The extra heat thins/lowers the oil viscosity and oil film protection for the cylinders... ... Keeping the highest quality, robustly viscous oil protection, keeping the cooling system/temperature as low as possible ( in the normal range) and in top shape, will avoid the bore scoring in Lokasil.. Once bore scoring has started, it can't be stopped. The only reasonable repair is to get rid of the Lokasil... As Baz correctly stated, he had trying to replicate the factory process that was invented by KolbenSchmit and the results were disastrous/not long lasting...That process is extremely difficult to recreate, even Porsche had difficulty in the consistency of the process and is why some cars have higher blow-by than others.... If you have bore scoring on Loksail Cylinders, the only solution is to go to something else...Nickasil is the preferred choice at this time ( even though it is an older process ) Also FWIW::: the cylinders can be scoped through the wrist pin access hole for bank 2 ( the one most likely to score) , It is much easier than through the plugs, OR through the Sump.( you don't even have to drain the oil to scope through the wrist pin hole)....but pulling the sump is always a good idea.....you can learn so much about the engine from dropping the sump and having a look..

POST 31Original post

Quotes source post: 19633228

That could easily be due to the kind of engines you receive, namely those where bore scoring has progressed that far, that a rebuild is in order (my assumption). Or do you get a significant amount of 'elective rebuilds' where only little borescoring is evident AND in those cases the borescoring is not near BDC but somewhere halfway down the stroke?

POST 32Original post

Quotes source post: 19634330

Skip. Interesting thoughts on the heat exchanger which facilitates a question. If one would replace the 996 heat exchanger with the 20% larger 997S heat exchanger on their 996, would this potentially add more heat and therefore risk for bore scoring on bank 2?

POST 33Original post

Quotes source post: 19633228

Brandon, two questions on Baz's paper. 1. What "hard" coated pistons are used by Hartech instead of "soft" coated? 2. Can you offer more details on why a 3rd radiator could make things worse? Thanks!

POST 34Original post

@Porschetech3 interesting theory on the heat exchanger. I would love to be able to wrap some data around that. If we can measure it, we can improve it. We literally see about everything. Lots of spun rod bearings, real bore scoring, false bore scoring, bent valves, about 30% elective rebuilds, and then all of the core engines from one of the largest LS swappers. @GC996 the hard coating referred to is DLC. I understand Baz�s concepts on center radiators from technical standpoint, but from a practical standpoint, the center radiator will typical (doesn�t do much in stop and go traffic) reduce max oil temps which is why we always recommend them. Here a pics of cylinder 4, 5, and 6 of an engine we got in yesterday for a race build from a shop so not sure of the background on it. But it has one cylinder that is heavily scored, on that is in the beginning stages of scoring (2 deep grooves), and one that is similar to what we call false scoring which is scuffs with no depth. The redline is drawn where the top of the piston would be. Heavy scoring, definitely would consume oil and have soot on pipe. Beginning of scoring with two deep grooves. May or may not have symptoms associated with it. Light scuffing. Often, shops will mistake cylinders similar to this for bore scoring.

POST 35Original post

Thanks Brandon. The conclusion that can be drawn is the best thing any 996 owner can do is run damn good oil with high viscosity and change it often. It solves for alot of problems.

POST 36Original post

Quotes source post: 19634330

Interesting. Well very possible could be 100% correct. Sounds plausible... Might be time to take a old 996 oil cooler, cut the mounting plate off. Weld some fittings on it to bypass the water, and route new oil lines to engine bay. Or where ever u can find room for a small air to oil cooler with high cfm fan. . Could rig up numerous ways to control the fan, or let it run all the time. Might as well also install 2 fittings in return and supply oil lines to measure oil temperature & pressure. Then you could see how much temp the oil cooler drops the oil, without the 200� water to cool oil. Just using ambient temp air might really cool oil down if set up right..? This remote air to oil cooler system could add 2 more additional benefits, along with above benefits... 1) might add an extra quart of oil. 2) could increase cooling system capacity by deleting the btu load from oil cooler, especially right above #6 cylinder. jmo

POST 37Original post

The oil cooler is also an oil heater for the colder climates. The coolant temp rises faster than the oil temp - so in cold climates the water will help bring the oil temp up to operating temp faster for better lubrication. -Tom

POST 38Original post

Quotes source post: 19634957

Many ways to control the oil cooler fan. In colder climates could use a temp switch/relay on the cooler to only allow fan to come on at a predetermined oil temp..?

POST 39Original post

With all we are discussing on water and oil cooling and the things to be aware of, what's the better option for more EFFECTIVE and SAFER cooling. 1. Add the bigger 997s oil cooler on the 996 w/o adding the 3rd radiator. 2. Add the 3rd radiator w/o adding the bigger 997s oil cooler 3. Add both 4. Don't add either Thoughts? Add: if the oil cooler is potentially responsible for adding to bore scoring in 6, would adding the bigger 997s cooler add to the problem?

POST 40Original post

Quotes source post: 19634527

Doesn't the 997 also have this issue? I believe the answer is yes.

POST 41Original post

Quotes source post: 19635221

They all do. 986, 987, 996, 997, 991, we will see about the 992.

POST 42Original post

Quotes source post: 19634646

You mean like this? https://www.stomskiracing.com/produc...hanger-adapter

POST 44Original post

Cool. Solves one potential problem. The other is where do you put the cooler?

POST 45Original post

Quotes source post: 19635407

Turbo bumper with muffler delete? Maybe there would be enough airflow? Up front where the center radiator would be mounted? Roof rack? If I were doing it, I would put it where my center radiator is.

POST 46Original post

Quotes source post: 19635411

Yeah, the muffler delete seems to be the most cost effective spot. LN had built a kit using the bigger cayman cooler to put it there for the 996. Don't know if it's still available. Some have discussed a sausage shaped cooler to sit somewhere near the trans which has some room. Using the center radiator space would be convenient. Jake had discussed building a couple of these for the 996 as did CTS for the boxster/cayman. Cost may be crazy silly.

POST 47Original post

Quotes source post: 19635407

You can still use coolant to sink heat from the oil, and reuse the original oil cooler if you weren't having oil temp issues to begin with; just gotta relocate it away from the engine a bit. There's a pocket near the trans (in front of the rear axle line) that I think is pretty empty from the factory. If you wanted to use an air-oil exchanger it would be most effective at the front bumper by far, but if you don't need too much cooling (even 100F air cools oil better than 180F water) it could go anywhere you find some space in the undercarriage. The center tunnel is pretty underutilized, maybe a duct with a fan for forced-air somewhere near the green arrow?

POST 48Original post

Quotes source post: 19632994

Buy a Gen 2 997 S or Carrera (if you�ll be satisfied with a 3.6 996.2, you�ll be more than satisfied with a 997.2 3.6 Carrera, and it�ll be all the 911 you�ll need, without the many and varied issues that afflict the M96 engines. The S85 V10 is like the S65 V8, have the rod bearings replaced with additional clearance items, then do frequent oil changes using good quality oil, use the car frequently and have the throttle actuators rebuilt.They�ll do well over 100K miles without breaking sweat.

POST 49Original post

Quotes source posts: 19632994, 19635604

Your just suffering from " Technical Overload" ..you need to take it small bits ....All cars, every engine, is starting to fail every moment ( not a nice thought, but some of us are into counter-actions of the obviously inevitable)and when we dive deep into the Technical why's/when's It can be overwhelming if you are not used to it, so take it in small bits.. You'll be stronger/happier/knowledgeable in the end... Great discussion guys!!! Loving all the thoughts and participation..Heading to the store for a bit, be back shortly to further derail this thread...( after all this is a "Technical Forum') , so sorry/not sorry for the hi-jacking...

POST 50Original post

Quotes source post: 19635508

I don't totally agree with this. The heat capacity of water is so high it actually cools well even at 180F. It's needed to keep the water cool of course and the 2 tiny radiators on C2/C4 are not always up to that task. I have an air/oil cooler for my transmission and I mounted the heat exchanger where the front diff used to be. There are handy NACA ducts in the underbody covers already. This does a great job keeping the gear oil <180F as long as the car is moving and I added some moped radiator fans (really!) for when the car is stopped.

POST 51Original post

Quotes source posts: 19635652, 19635652

Specific heat and thermal conductivity of water are great, yes, but water/oil is never getting to the point where your (air) Setrab overcools the oil under operating temperature and drags down the coolant temps with it. Air/oil coolers usually need thermostats to avoid overcooling; water/oil just brings the oil back down to near-water temp (this is a good thing, I'm not knocking it) at the expense of needing more heat rejection from the water. That was the point of my comment to begin with - the factory cooler can still be used just fine, just relocated somewhere else to avoid heating up engine Bank 2. I'm not sure if C2's have enough space up front, all I see is water pipes in the tunnel and a fuel tank in the way.

POST 52Original post

@thatg , sorry man. Threads sometimes go down paths that derail the original intent of the threat. No harm was intended, but this is an interesting topic on prevention of bore scoring through cooling procedures that gets some of us fired up. First of all, I hope everything checked out with the 996.2. As I said before, they are great cars and I would not want to get rid of my 02 after owning it 22 years. Yep, the engine is in great shape, but eventually I will get it rebuilt once I figure out all of the bells and whistles I want with it. Second, every issue we have discussed on your thread is easily preventable with the proper parts and procedures. I don't loose any sleep. We have more solutions than what we know what to do with. Third, all you have to do is find a 996 that's been taken care of and the PPI and Bores check out. Then run the best oil you can find and change it often. Don't be afraid to put it thru its paces as well. Contrary to what you may think as a byproduct of all the discussions on each thread, the 3.4 and 3.6 are very durable engines. I started tracking mine in 2004 and am still tracking it. Yeah, cooling isn't an issue unless you track the car at tracks with alot of long straights on very hot days. But many of us are always looking for more of everything: oil, cooling, grip, handling, brakes, engine durability, etc. You get the idea. Enjoy the 996. It will be worth it.

POST 53Original post

After reading through this thread I am literally never going to sleep again. I will lie awake at night wondering what will go wrong next, and how many reasonably priced houses it will cost to fix. Thanks guys!

POST 54Original post

I ordered the stomski adapter this is a great thread I believe you can never have enough prevention especially for the m96 engine

POST 55Original post

Quotes source posts: 19634527, 19634602, 19635833

Ok back from the store and ready to derail this thread some more , BTW who started this hi-jack? anyway it is a good drift... It is a bit of a conundrum, exchanging the 996 oil heat exchanger for the larger 997 oil heat exchanger will lower the oil temps and help keep from spinning a rod bearing, but places more heat load on the bank 2 so it would be wise to increased the cooling capacity of the cooling system with a center radiator or bigger CFS radiators or both, to have a win -win with no detriments... It all about heat transfer/management in this case. In my 50 years in the business I have NEVER seen a properly built engine fail due to being too cold...Whether its a street engine , a race engine, an endurance engine, marine engine....they always fail from thermal runaway, or lubrication issues, or over-stressed parts... Marine engines typicaly run about 160F operating temp..and do it at wide open throttle all day long, every day...But they have plenty of nice cool WATER to run in, they have to "make" the engines get up to 160F just to get to operating temps.....Road cars have to rely on AIR to transfer the heat energy made from the combustion chamber...If we could keep our engines temp to 160F, it would solve ALL the issues ( just about)....lol Laws of Physics State that Heat Energy will always seek to transfer to a cooler area/substance... You can do it,you got a dyno, just need a mule engine and drill a bunch of holes in the heads and block and install sensors....then collect the temp differences...you will see how much hotter the bank 2 runs than the bank 1. Jake did this years ago , but never published the numbers , I don't know if he does any mods on the cooling systems( probably not), when you reconstruct all engines with Nikasil, no need to improve the cooling as much, the Nikasil is more durable and can take more abuse.. But if you want to keep the tens of thousands of M96/7 engines that still have Lokasil bores from scoring , the data, ( or Meta data) and a bit of redesign will be needed... Don't worry, you will get over it I promise !!!! It may take 10 years but the nightmares and cold sweats will go away and you will be stronger/happier/more knowledgeable !!

POST 56Original post

Quotes source post: 19635381

Ya,,, just like that...lol

POST 57Original post

Quotes source posts: 19635411, 19635508

I disagree with a front mount air to oil cooler on a rear engine car. Unless engines lubrication system was designed for that long a pipe run, ng. Pumping 5-50wt oil that far will cause lubrication losses/issues. Every foot of hose/pipe, every bend in pipe, is a restriction that cause pressure drop. It adds up fast. But it will still cool oil nicely. Best to keep the pipe run as short as possible, with large enough id of hose and cooler. IMHO, Key here is a very high cfm fan with proper shrouds on cooler. In our application, best to use a small air to oil cooler that is designed to be compact with big heat transfer capacity,, with the right amount of forced airflow. While most of the time especially for radiator placement, a good airflow area or a ducted fresh air area is very important for good btu removal. But here we are talking about a small oil to air cooler with turbulent flow/high pressure, that has huge differentials of temps. 230�oil - to ambient air of maybe 100�(?) when mounted in any under lid/under car/under rear bumper area. As long as its positioned to avoid recirculating the same air, it will cool extremely well is my experience with coolers with big cfm fans. With added temp sensors in both lines its easy to see exactly how well its removing heat. And worst case scenario, these temp differentials will tell you if its in need of ducting or repositioning. My guesstimate is a good(small but well made/big cfm fan) air to oil cooler install will lower oil temps 25�-50�. If a front mount air to oil cooler is needed/wanted then a different route is probably best. If trying to remove/negate the added heat on #6 cyl, install the oil cooler adapter plate with a short loop bypass on water and oil line. Then use A separate electric oil pump, with supply and return lines on sump area would be best. Probably a low pressure system with bigger air to oil cooler would avoid aerating the oil in sump. This might be the best way, but more costly and more complicated jmo

POST 58Original post

There are a few folks out there with an FSI build that have an oil cooler for a 3rd radiator. Maybe they can share some insight. CTS developed one for their Boxster Race cars. It was $8,500 a number of years ago. I don't believe Chris developed one for the 996. He suggested that the cost may prohibit sales. Other than a 3rd radiator and replacing 996 oil cooler with the 997S oil cooler, the only other oil cooling choice thats available on the market is the LN Cayman cooler that Charles developed into a 996 cooler woth all of the plumbing which resides where the muffler would sit. I am keeping my fingers crossed that a "sausage" cooler is successfully developed to fit in the alley in front of the trans. Certainly helps if the 996 owner runs plenty of fresh, high viscosity oil that is more resistent to heat to keep the lubrication qualities intact. For those that want a picture of the oil cooler on the engine, here is one from 2 years ago when my indy dropped my engine for a refresh. Unfortunately, i didnt know about the 997S oil cooler being a perfect fit and providing 20% more cooling capacity at the time, or I would have used it. You can see where the cooler sits and why Skips comments are relevant.

POST 59 / ORIGINAL POSTEROriginal post

Wow! Almost too much info to read. The seller didnt want to deal with an inspection so sold to someone mode local who didnt care about an inspection. It was a pretty good price, $17k 95k miles no accidents, lapis blue, but ugly wheels/custom inserts, no ims job. Search continues. Thinking about springing for a 4s if i can find out for $25 for the bumpers

POST 60Original post

Quotes source post: 19636855

Too much to read??? Not at all.....You don't realize that your thread just identified and laid out the possible solutions to THE most offending issue that plagues the 996 and 997.1 engines, that is just the "tip of the Ice-burg"....but sparks initiative.. Much much much more to drill down to a specific elegant implementation of the best solution, and to have it widely accepted by the community , commercially available and profitable/sustainable to the maker.... But thanks to your thread for sparking the interest !! Sorry you deal fell through , but there are plenty more out there, just keep searching and you will get a good one !!!!

POST 61Original post

Quotes source post: 19636474

I believe my car has a front mounted oil cooler. So did the "air cooled" cars. Why wouldn't that work with a Carrera? Is it because it is not a dry sump engine? On another note, doesn't scoring start on the front passenger side, but ultimately goes to the drivers side? If true, wouldn't moving the oil cooler simply delay the inevitable, not stop it?

POST 62Original post

Quotes source post: 19636855

Smart move on your part. Plenty more out there that are in great shape. It's only a matter of time.

POST 63Original post

Quotes source post: 19637345

Your car has a gigantic oil to water heat exchanger underneath the throttle body. Seriously it's at least 2x the size of the M96 heat exchanger. Oil temp is never a problem on the Mezger unless you're pushing 1000 hp. Your car also has an oil to water heat exchanger for the gearbox.

POST 64Original post

Quotes source post: 19637625

I now know about the oil/coolant exchanger for the gearbox. Found out at the autocross track when it dumped a s**t-load of coolant on the track.

POST 65Original post

Quotes source post: 19637909

Hah. Its about time you take some profits on your GT3 and trade it in for a M96 powered 996.2. We don't have those problems! 😁

POST 66Original post

Quotes source post: 19637916

Not trading it for anything.

This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.