| Pre-failure Directives |
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By Jake RabyLets make something clear... The M96 engine has its share of issues and some can't be remedied without a complete tear down of the engine. These "engine re-constructions" are what our company specializes in; but frankly we are so busy that we can't help every owner of a failed engine. This is why it is very important that you understand the weaknesses of the engine and do whats possible to keep the engine alive as long as possible. It is really simple, replace and upgrade what you can and the chances of misfortune are greatly reduced. It is true that every M96 engine begins to fail from the day it is first started, but that holds true for every engine in every car in the world. What makes the M96 different is the fact that many of the problematic issues can be avoided by being proactive with maintenance and applying some proven components specifically designed to counter the chances of failure. Doing this allows you to drive your Porsche with a great deal more confidence. This also helps to protect the investment that you have in your Porsche, and doing these things will significantly increase the value and "sell-ability" of your car. Porsche never has, and never will state the things we have here, our direct experience has taught us what needs to happen and when. Also, remember that even if you baby your car, have it serviced very frequently and do all the things you are supposed to do; an engine failure can still occur! It is a fact that we see more failures from engines that have been driven slowly than we do from those that have been driven more spirited, or even raced extensively. Know that "taking it easy" isn't doing your engine any favors based on our direct experiences; we see more failures than anyone in the United States... So what should you do to help avoid the catastrophic engine failures that are so widespread?? First you need to identify what these are and then research these using tools like this website, Google and online forums that you can access through the "links" page of this site here. http://www.flat6innovations.com/component/content/article/2 After you have a thorough understanding of the failures associated with the engine, you can understand our recommendations listed below much better. Things to do: - Upgrade the IMS bearing within the engine. This is first and foremost in overall importance as the IMS Bearing failure is the #1 issue that has killed so many M96 engines. Read more about the IMS Retrofit procedure and IMS bearing failures here http://www.flat6innovations.com/services/intermediate-shaft-retrofit - Replace the water pump, water pumps can fail silently and lead to cracked heads! Replace the water pump no matter how many miles are on your car, as time in service kills the plastic impeller blades of the pump, not miles!! Water pumps are cheap insurance, if a water pump creates a cracked head and intermixed coolant and oil exist the costs can be over 15,000.00 for repair - Replace vario-cam wear pads and the 4th and 5th timing chains at 40K miles if your car is an 01 or earlier 996 or an 02 or earlier Boxster. - Replace the engine's Air/ oil separator, its a cheap part that can keep you from going up in a cloud of smoke while cruising down the highway at 55 MPH. - Don't become caught up in Porsche's ploy to dictate the engine oil thats best for your engine. Over time other oils have been developed that we have found to be more superior, do your homework but please don't ask us for an oil recommendation! The controversy related to these recommendations is something my company avoids completely. - If your engine is more than three years old it probably has dirty timing chain tensioners, don't use engine flushes to solve them, have the tensioners removed, cleaned or replaced. - Don't ignore engine noises or oil leaks, no matter how small they may be. Engines are not noisy, if they are noisy they have issues that could lead to catastrophic failure if ignored. - Choose a proper facility to care for your Porsche and it's engine that is often misunderstood and not cared or properly -Remove the engine's sump plate and inspect it for debris every 10,000 miles.. Also use oil analysis to help create trend data concerning the life of your engine. - If you think you are having an engine failure STOP!! Shut the engine off and do not attempt to re-start it without it first being evaluated by an M96 engine specialist. Just because a shop works on Porsches, doesn't mean they are qualified to work on or that they understand your M96. Do not attempt to drive the car home or to a shop to avoid a tow bill, because doing so can cost you 15,000.00+ if the failure goes tick..tick..BOOM!
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