louis hong

I took my 87 in for a service and the mechanic called back with the bad news. broken cylinder stud, he says. He explained a lot to me but I don't really understand much. Basically, it could cost between $4000 to $10,000 to fix it!!
When he gets into it he'll have a better idea about the exact cost. Now i don't know what I should do. Does it really cost that much? I am also upset that PPI did not reveal this back few months ago when I bought it.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Hi Louis:

I'm truly sorry to hear of this situation but your mechanic gave you good advice.

This happens all the time when an incomplete PPI failed to check all the studs which are a well-known problem area.

JV911

oh man that sucks

GothingNC

Sorry to hear the news

I thought the Carrera's did not have the problem with studs snapping as the earlier SC's?

John

theiceman

Not good news at all.

I would wait to hear from Pete also . i think I read somewhere that one broken head stud could be left alone, but I imagine I just dreamt that .. maybe it was an exhaust stud I read about.

Oldtee

Same thing happened to me. My $8,000 Carrera which needed love and a clutch turned into an expensive operation. I did a top on mine including 964cams after I found evidence of a previous cylinder removal and repair. Runs great now. Since I did the work myself I didn't keep track of the cost, but I replaced all the lower studs with new. Good luck.

You don't say how many miles are on the engine but if it were mine and the decision were the same I would replace all the lower studs, do a top, leave the rings alone after they are checked for a broken one. Cams can be problematic and so can valves. I replaced all mine, both intake and exhaust but if the engine were low mileage I might not do that again.

You will get a lot of advice. Just add this to the pile.

Good luck

Peter Zimmermann

Louis: Where are you at, and how many miles are on the car?

gerry100

Take full advantage of the labor cost to remove and dissassemble the motor/tranny.

I agree, do the top end, all the studs ( Raceware?), rings,valve guides,clutch disc etc.

Had the same problem on mine a few years ago and had all of that done plus replacing some worn parts in the 915. < $7K

84_Carrera

FYI, I had a "PPI" done after buying the car, so I'd know what areas to focus on next, etc.

They came back with me needing to drop $13,000 into the car to make it "acceptable". I told them, you realize that I DROVE the vehicle here? They told me I had a broken head stud & I nearly went off the deep end. I chatted with Pete Z about it, and they made the diagnosis without pulling the valve covers, essentially making the diagnosis because it has a small oil leak. Pete talked me off the ledge so to speak, and while going in to do the valve adjustment, it turns out the studs are fine.

This was a Porsche Dealership, FWIW, and it took them a WEEK to get a non-leakdown PPI done. I have put about 10k miles on the car since, she's still putting down about 200hp to the wheels too, daily driven. No such head stud work required here.

Good luck, hope yours is a "misunderstanding" also.

louis hong

Pete-
I am in Northern Cal and it has 75,000 miles on it. It is difficult for me to start the work recommended because the estimate has such a wide gap. If I know i'm in it for $4000 to 5000 max then I would be more willing. But if I end up paying $10,000 I cannot afford it now. The mechanic did mention that I can just drive it around town without too much problem as long as I don't do full throttle... I don't know what I should do...

Peter Zimmermann

Louis: 75K miles, by my experience, cannot be anywhere near as much to repair as his upper number. Did he write down which stud(s) is "broken?" If possible, get that info and then get a second opinion from another shop. All the 2nd shop will have to do is remove the cover at that location and verify. Be sure to read 84_Carrera's post above, Fred experienced a situation that I've seen before! What is your oil consumption rate? Tell me that and I'll tell you how much the job should cost. Is the car at a dealer or independent? What's their labor rate?

louis hong

I,ve had the car for only 5000 miles. I added 1 qt three months ago and that was it. I checked twice after that but the level was at the normal range. At the start up, the car gives off white smoke. But most of it goes away after I drive for awhile. Is that related to my problem? I am going to visit my mechanic this afternoon and get more details. (how many studs? labor rate? etc) He is an independent that his forum recommended.

GothingNC

White smoke is just condensation dependent on temperature & humity in the area.

John

tone40

Tony

louis hong

After my visit, I understand more of what is going on. one stud is broken. The mechanic explained that for a twenty year old car with 75,000 miles, there will be a lot of things he should take care of while the engine is out. Such as replacing all the studs to steel, take care of worn out valve guide, replace the clutch(it is still original) and few other things he said. So most likely the cost will be closer to $10,000 than $4,000. If only the broken stud is replaced than it will be $4,000. But he would not recommend doing only that. What do you guys think? Is this is the price to enjoy the 911? Maybe I could use the $10,000 towards a purchase of newer 911....