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New to the 996 forum but been over on the 958 forum for quite a while. I now have a lovely black 2004 C4S to compliment my black Cayenne GTS. Quite a good looking combo We also have a black 987 Cayman S, silver 996.1 cabriolet and 997 cabriolet in the extended family.
I was looking for a new project and found this 2004 C4S with 86,000 miles on it, basically as a roller as it needed some serious engine work. I was looking for something to do to keep my sanity but most importantly something that my kids (6 and 8) had shown interest in...this was something we could make memories for years to come in and I feel like I deserve it. The previous owner had owned the car for many years and had obviously taken stellar care of the car...but the dreaded bore scoring reared its ugly head. The car had been off the road for some time before he deiced to sell. I found the car online and had been watching it for a few weeks; it had sold twice before but got re-listed again!! I was a bit cautious but decided to reach out and see. So glad I did, the owner was a super nice guy and extremely open and honest! After some serious online discussions which turned into FaceTime calls, lots of pacing on my side and finally a deal.This was my first time buying anything of the magnitude sight unseen and had a load of questions.
I was looking for a C4S in particular, wanted a manual but ended up with a Tiptronic. I may swap the transmission later on, we'll see. For some reason I really wanted a car with a rear wiper, must be the Brit in me?? However, there are so many plusses on this car, I can overlook the wiper.
Car was delivered to me via enclosed trailer on my wife's birthday, which was fitting as my Cayenne was actually built on her birthday. A neat connection, I think. The C4S ran under its own power but had very noticeable piston slap and smoked. I had to jump the car to get it started upon delivery and figured I'd take it for a quick spin. The piston slap and smoking on start up was pretty bad but mostly dissipated after 15 seconds or so. The slapping noise was bearable but the smoke became so bad once moving, I turned around after about 200 feet. I was afraid it would grenade in front of my house! So I've driven my new to me C4S about 400 feet since owning it....
So after a few pics with the kids and a thorough inspection inside and underneath to see what I had, the 996 has claimed its new spot in the garage and is ready for some TLC....
Car is in phenomenal shape, with only 1 small ding below the drivers door. I felt great about it because I could tell the PO took care of it and kept it in tip top shape. The rear spoiler and front bumper will need some paint work to be perfect but overall I was/am extremely pleased. Everything works; AC is cold, no broken or missing bits, even both of the vanity mirrors in the visors are 100% functional. Few additional goodies are the GT3 rims, new touchscreen double din receiver with all the latest fancy tech, integrated bluetooth microphone, H&R lowering springs with Bilstein shocks, adjustable suspension arms, GT2LM wing, new engine mounts, Fabspeed exhaust and near perfect condition inside and out. The frunk has flat black vinyl on it which I may remove.
Options included: X46-Aluminium Tiptronic selector lever X54-Stainless steel tailpipes X71-Alu-look instrument faces X98-Handbrake lever with aluminium inlay 249-Tiptronic transmission, 5-speed 288-Headlamp washer 342-Seat heating 416-18" 996.2 GT wheels (width specific to model) 432-Tiptronic buttons for steering wheel 601-Litronic (xenon) headlamps 680-Bose sound system (analog) LONG GONE! 939-Draped leather rear seats 982-Draped leather front seats
09991- has leather dash, brushed 4S door sills, alcantara headliner so I'm assuming these were part of that exclusive package? Still trying to sort out what this option package has.
Plans are Nickies 4.0 build and maybe back to the original wing. Undecided on whether or not to leave the rear lights and reflector strip on the deckled as tinted. I do like the look though as it matches the oem tail lights on my GTS.
I like the ride height but will honestly need to go back to the oem turbo/4S springs to get around town.
More to come....
Last edited by e30rapidic; 02-06-2021 at 07:57 PM.
Back up and running. 5 mile test drive and all is well. Hardly any difference in how it drove with the broken mount versus the new unit. I feel like the 2-3 shift is a bit smoother but no drastic differences at all.
2WD drive conversion? Zero noticeable difference in acceleration. A hint of understeer but that could be cold tires on a cold day.
But wow is this car a fun drive, glad it’s back up and running 🙂
Good luck, sounds like its in pretty rough shape engine but a great starting point to build around otherwise. Feel like if you are thinking about doing a manual swap the time to do it is with the rebuild. Not sure how involved it is on these cars though.
Fast forward 4 weeks and the engine has been totally pulled apart. The block halves are up at LN Engineering, waiting their turn in line and the heads are at Hoffman automotive. LN is providing all the of the parts for the Nickies 4.0 block and IMS shaft service. Hoffman has pressure tested both heads and now has them in cue for a full refresh and stage 1 port and polish. I was convinced that one of them was cracked due to the coolant in oil but they both passed. Thinking now that the oil cooler had failed. I have a new one waiting but would love to know the actual cause.
Thanks to my fellow Porsche nut who has been helping me with the teardown and provided the 101 Projects for the 996 book. He's on the hunt for a 996 as well so hopefully we'll add one more to the "family" soon...
Fabspeed exhaust coolant in oil, this was a bit of a surprise....
sludge, yeah
ignore the Glyco bearings, they're not for this car.
Last edited by e30rapidic; 02-06-2021 at 09:29 PM.
When I first cranked it up, the the oil pressure was good. I checked the on board computer and it said the oil level was full to the top. I didn't know about the coolant in the oil at this point but was thinking something was wrong. I'm glad I didn't drive too far as the bearings were toast.....
tiny piece of metal, not sure what this is from. IMS bearing seemed to be in great shape.
guides weren't too bad...
Not sure what this is? Any ideas?
Last edited by e30rapidic; 02-05-2021 at 10:59 AM.
Previous owner had it scoped out by an independent shop and knew what was going on here. He was very up front about the condition and started the car for me over FaceTime so I could hear it slap. We both knew it would require a new engine, but that's exactly what I wanted.
smooth as sandpaper
Cost to date is just over $13,000 in all new parts and machining services (almost done), I'm currently at a point where I'm basically waiting on the block to move forward. I will change the brake fluid between now and then and may replace the rotors/pads. They have some life left in them but......
The crankshaft was sent off to be magnafluxed and thankfully had zero issues. It was within spec and perfectly balanced so just had a nice polish and I picked it up the same afternoon. It's now installed in the cage (clearances checked on rods and mains) with 3 rods connected. Assembly is wrapped in plastic on my work bench and now we wait. Anticipated time frame is 8 weeks for the block halves and 10 weeks for the heads. I spent maaaaaany hours price shopping across various sites and have a pretty in depth spreadsheet of part numbers, costs, torque values, tips and tricks for when the rebuild starts up, etc. I've watched countless hours of YouTube videos and referenced a lot of awesome build and info posts from this very forum.
Injectors are hard to find at the moment. Make sure your Bosch replacements have this hologram and code to enter to ensure they're genuine.
all new bolts throughout
All wrapped up and waiting....
Nothing like a good book next to a gas fire hahaha....
Last edited by e30rapidic; 02-06-2021 at 09:39 PM.
Good luck, sounds like its in pretty rough shape engine but a great starting point to build around otherwise. Feel like if you are thinking about doing a manual swap the time to do it is with the rebuild. Not sure how involved it is on these cars though.
I've read differing stories, some say impossible but that's more fuel for my desire to do so. haha
Originally Posted by SoCal911t
Is the e30 a real Alpina or a tribute?
While every piece on it is true Alpina, it is a tribute. Bought new back in 1987 and built up to C2 spec since they weren't available in the US. Decided to put an S50 M3 engine in here a few years ago. Original paint and original interior (except for the drivers side bolster).
Last edited by e30rapidic; 02-05-2021 at 11:10 AM.
"glad I didn't drive too far as the bearings were toast....."
^^^ You can say that again! Good call... beautiful looking car - it'll be amazing when you get the new engine in The "Alpina" looks pretty amazing in it's own right...
Almost forgot... Did you even realize that there was an intermix?
You guys are so lucky! I’d love to have a 320 of that vintage. Maybe I should start looking...
I’be got an ‘04 C4S and I’m getting closer to taking it up to Ft. Meyers for the solution install. I’d sleep better with that done and they’ll look at the bores at that time.
02-04-2021, 07:16 PM
"new" C4S and engine rebuild; bad bore score
We also have a black 987 Cayman S, silver 996.1 cabriolet and 997 cabriolet in the extended family.
The "Alpina" looks pretty amazing in it's own right... 
