991 GT3 Concerned Owners Group
#212
Race Director
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#217
Nordschleife Master
#218
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#219
Nordschleife Master
#220
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#221
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I wanted to give you guys an update. I have spoken with quite a few people, and had numerous email and PM exchanges. I have also had some very productive and informative discussions with people more knowledge of this engine problem than myself. I figured I would give you some insight into my thinking.
First, I do not think all engines are susceptible to this problem. It really comes down to the tolerances that your specific engine was built with. The problem with the finger followers is that a thin film of oil may or may not have enough room to form. In some cases, such as in OrthoJoe's case, there is most likely enough room between the finger followers and the cams to get sufficient oiling. This is just a guess, but that would explain why some people have engine problems after little usage, and others don't after heavy usage.
And this brings me to the next point. How do you know if your engine is wearing like Joe's or not? There is really only one way to find out. You need to drop your engine and have a look. Only then will you know what is really going on.
Let's say you have a qualified shop drop your engine, and pop the valve covers. At this point you see that you have pretty minimal/almost no wear. My recommendation would be one of two options:
1. Run Mobil 1 5w-50 (or A40 approved) , do frequent oil changes (say after 3,000 miles) and don't think about this again.
2. Run race headers without cats, and use an oil high in Zinc/Phosphorus. Something from AMSOil or Motul.
As far as number 2 is concerned, high zinc/phosphorus oils are not good for cats, but they are good for engines otherwise. Better oil can mitigate this, especially if you already have minimal/no wear.
If you pop those covers and see a little wear, I would take lots of pictures and then push Porsche for a top end fix right now, before the CEL comes on. Waiting until the CEL will most likely have already caused a lot of internal damage. Not guaranteed, but likely IMO.
If you pop the covers and see significant wear, you need to push like crazy for a new engine. That metal went somewhere. New heads/finger followers/cams aren't going to fix that, and that damage might not expose itself until after your warranty expires. Getting Porsche to replace your engine now is critical.
One last point. If I do get a new G engine at some point (or new top end), the first thing I am going to do is put race headers on, and run high zinc/phosphorus oil. That, combined with the new head design and DLC cams, should make the car reliable for many, many years.
In summary, you have NO IDEA what is going on under those valve covers. You may be thinking about this topic a lot, and there might be zero wear going on. The only way you are going to know for sure is to have a qualified shop drop your engine and take a look. Then, and only then will you have the knowledge you need to plan your next steps. It could also help you with resale, to document no issues, or just for peace of mind. You could be worrying over nothing, or you could be damaging your engine right now.
One final comment on Dundon. There is also a good chance that Jamie and Charles will come up with a great fix at some point. Someone else might as well. But my strategy is not about waiting for anything to happen. I want to know what is happening now, and then act accordingly. I am not a fan of waiting around for anything.
Personally, I am going to take my car in and have the engine dropped within the next month or so. I will post pictures, and I plan on sharing this information with Porsche, if and when our meeting is held. If enough of us do this, the data we do discover may help motivate Porsche for a fix, or demonstrate that the problem is really not as bad as advertised.
Rob
First, I do not think all engines are susceptible to this problem. It really comes down to the tolerances that your specific engine was built with. The problem with the finger followers is that a thin film of oil may or may not have enough room to form. In some cases, such as in OrthoJoe's case, there is most likely enough room between the finger followers and the cams to get sufficient oiling. This is just a guess, but that would explain why some people have engine problems after little usage, and others don't after heavy usage.
And this brings me to the next point. How do you know if your engine is wearing like Joe's or not? There is really only one way to find out. You need to drop your engine and have a look. Only then will you know what is really going on.
Let's say you have a qualified shop drop your engine, and pop the valve covers. At this point you see that you have pretty minimal/almost no wear. My recommendation would be one of two options:
1. Run Mobil 1 5w-50 (or A40 approved) , do frequent oil changes (say after 3,000 miles) and don't think about this again.
2. Run race headers without cats, and use an oil high in Zinc/Phosphorus. Something from AMSOil or Motul.
As far as number 2 is concerned, high zinc/phosphorus oils are not good for cats, but they are good for engines otherwise. Better oil can mitigate this, especially if you already have minimal/no wear.
If you pop those covers and see a little wear, I would take lots of pictures and then push Porsche for a top end fix right now, before the CEL comes on. Waiting until the CEL will most likely have already caused a lot of internal damage. Not guaranteed, but likely IMO.
If you pop the covers and see significant wear, you need to push like crazy for a new engine. That metal went somewhere. New heads/finger followers/cams aren't going to fix that, and that damage might not expose itself until after your warranty expires. Getting Porsche to replace your engine now is critical.
One last point. If I do get a new G engine at some point (or new top end), the first thing I am going to do is put race headers on, and run high zinc/phosphorus oil. That, combined with the new head design and DLC cams, should make the car reliable for many, many years.
In summary, you have NO IDEA what is going on under those valve covers. You may be thinking about this topic a lot, and there might be zero wear going on. The only way you are going to know for sure is to have a qualified shop drop your engine and take a look. Then, and only then will you have the knowledge you need to plan your next steps. It could also help you with resale, to document no issues, or just for peace of mind. You could be worrying over nothing, or you could be damaging your engine right now.
One final comment on Dundon. There is also a good chance that Jamie and Charles will come up with a great fix at some point. Someone else might as well. But my strategy is not about waiting for anything to happen. I want to know what is happening now, and then act accordingly. I am not a fan of waiting around for anything.
Personally, I am going to take my car in and have the engine dropped within the next month or so. I will post pictures, and I plan on sharing this information with Porsche, if and when our meeting is held. If enough of us do this, the data we do discover may help motivate Porsche for a fix, or demonstrate that the problem is really not as bad as advertised.
Rob
#223
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#224
Sorry for the late response. Here in the Netherlands we can buy an extended warrenty for max 15 years, with no kilometer maximum.
The costs are euro 2.900 for 2 years.
This warrenty is transferable if you sell your car to a private person of to a Porsche dealer.
Please see (sorry it is in dutch): http://www.porsche.com/netherlands/n...oved/warranty/
The costs are euro 2.900 for 2 years.
This warrenty is transferable if you sell your car to a private person of to a Porsche dealer.
Please see (sorry it is in dutch): http://www.porsche.com/netherlands/n...oved/warranty/
#225
Race Director
Thread Starter
Sorry for the late response. Here in the Netherlands we can buy an extended warrenty for max 15 years, with no kilometer maximum.
The costs are euro 2.900 for 2 years.
This warrenty is transferable if you sell your car to a private person of to a Porsche dealer.
Please see (sorry it is in dutch): http://www.porsche.com/netherlands/n...oved/warranty/
The costs are euro 2.900 for 2 years.
This warrenty is transferable if you sell your car to a private person of to a Porsche dealer.
Please see (sorry it is in dutch): http://www.porsche.com/netherlands/n...oved/warranty/