Neil_Ireland

Hi all

I'm a newbie looking at buying a C2 911 which had an engine rebuild due to worn rod bearings.

Here is a list of the parts that were used during the rebuild.

My question is, would the work below be a reason not to buy the car?
There is 11k miles on the engine since the rebuild.

There was a new clutch fitted at the time and it also looks like a new double row IMS bearing fitted.
My concern is there was nothing done with regard to piston rings or cylinder honing which I would have thought would be done.





Also according to the invoice a double row IMS was fitted.


Thanks

aftCG

Looks like they also replaced the main bearings, oil pump and lifters. Your engine pumped metal for a while.

alpine003

I already know where this is going to lead in good ol Rennlist fashion.

Be prepared for several different answers/opinions followed by endless bickering, then Jake giving his $.02, then a total topic change, then more bickering about the topic change, then boobie pics of some sort.

Does the work at all include some sort of warranty on labor and parts?

This looks to be for a "repair", not a "rebuild" or a "refresh".

The work order did state they disassembled the engine and assessed for any damage. If the pistons were damaged in any way, I'm sure they would've fixed that too. Just my $.02

Neil_Ireland

Possibly, I don't know the exact history of it.
Thanks for the tip

No warranty, the work was done back in 2007, about 15k miles ago.

Schnell Gelb

Thank you Alpine, I agree with you.
I wish the Moderator would just delete the nonsense.It devalues the help we try to give by burying it in silliness.
Back to helping the OP - you don't hone the M96!!!!!!!
The rings on mine at 90k miles were perfect.I replaced them anyway.Probably a total waste of $.
More important is for you to compare your Parts list above with the known "Modes of Failure" -recently discussed here. Which of those Failures were addressed by upgrades or other precautions ? Imho there is a huge difference in value/confidence between a 'refreshed with oem parts' engine and one that has been upgraded to address the known weaknesses. There is more to those weaknesses than just the IMSB !

Macster

A red flag to me is:

"...damage noted to crankshaft. Crankshaft sent to specialist machine shop for repair."

While other engine cranks can be repaired the word I get, mainly from reading what Jake Raby posts, is the Porsche crankshaft doesn't seem to take any repairs well.

I could point out the engine has appeared to be ok now for 15K miles which is in some ways comforting, but nevertheless I believe I would avoid this car.

Schnell Gelb

Good eye !
I suppose there may be a distinction between damage and wear ? No mention of Magnaflux or similar in the crankshaft reconditioning.
I recently had my crankshaft repaired for wear on two journals once it had been confirmed (Magnaflux)it was crack-free.

johnireland

There must be a better car to buy.

Neil_Ireland

Thanks for the replies guys, as mentioned already the car has covered 15k miles with no issues. It has also been serviced by porsche specialists who also gave it a clean bill of health.

Macster

Have to point out it is not the 15K miles the car has covered with no issues but the XXK miles it will (hopefully) cover after you buy it and hopefully manifest no issues that is the issue here.

But it reads like you have talked yourself into the car, then.

So, I sincerely wish you miles of smiles with your new Porsche.

Spokayman

There are probably (at least) two ways of looking at this.

1. The engine had problems. The engine was opened up, damage and wear were found, and repairs were made. The problem here is that there is a stigma in that the engine was previously damaged. By the way, my 996 has a similar story (see below).

2. Any car you buy could have an engine in a similar internal state, but it simply has not manifested itself just yet. Buying this one means you will have an engine that has been looked at and repaired. This might be considered a positive of sorts because some of the uncertainty about the engine's condition is removed. The 15K miles after repairs is a good sign.

In any case it would make sense to have the sump removed and checked for debris, oil filter checked, etc. And in this case, compression tests of the cylinders would seem to be even more important to verify.

In the case of my car's engine, the cause of the failure was supposed to be the IMS bearing although there was no valve/piston damage. Many of the same items that were on your list and more were replaced except not the main bearings. Only the rod bearings were replaced. Also, there was no indication that the crankshaft was machined or repaired.
The IMS, shaft and all, were replaced utilizing the new upgraded bearing. Tensioners, timing chain(s), and oil pumps were replaced as were the water pump, AOS, belt, plugs, etc. (the while-you-are-in-there list).

The work was completed in 2011 at 31K miles, and the car now has 57K miles and is seemingly very healthy.

Neil_Ireland

Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

The car has been serviced by a Porsche specialist here since the repair work was done and I have been told it's in good health.

As a precaution I'm having a pre purchase inspection done by another Porsche specialist including bore scope inspection.
I mentioned the crank repair to this person and they said they would be happy they the repair was good and that they had repaired 996's like this before with no problems.

Imo000

Come on, get real!

roadsession

15k miles after a major repair like this is a good sign
If you like the car then buy it and enjoy it in good health

And then put krazyk and flat6 on your ignore list or avoid this forum completely

Macster

Relax. I'm entitled to my opinion.

On general principles I'm reluctant to consider a car with an engine that has been "rebuilt" simply because the question of quality of the rebuild just adds to the already difficult task of making some reasonable determination of the car's condition.

Otherwise unmolested used cars are hard enough to determine their condition given the resources used car buyers have available.

Add in an engine rebuild and I just prefer to walk away.

The OP is certainly welcome to consider or reject my opinion as he sees fit, as he is with any other opinions offered.