jford

Took a drive up the road yesterday to check out a shop recomended to me for alignment and corner balance (Body Motion in Ocean, NJ). This place is basically a Porsche specific shop setting up race cars and doing body work as well. Initially I thought that they were mainly body and suspension specialists but did notice variuos motors for sale in the lobby.

I asked the tech about the carbon buildup/CEL issue with the 993 and he imediately knew what I was talking about and went on about the special tools and methods they used for cleaning out the clogs. This recognition and confidence was exactly what I was looking for. He stated that he had done over a dozen cars and that the cost was about $400-600.

My oil consumption is reletivly low so my hope is to get the fix and put off the valve job for a least a few more years. I should be gettting the work done in the next week or so and will post an update at that time.

Davies

Good work jford.

Glad you found someone to do this. I think that's $400-$600 very well spent.

The whole carbon buildup/valve job hysteria is so vexing. Internal combustion has produced carbon since the first engine was invented and it's only become a "worn valve-guide issue" since we strapped ultra sensitive computers to our engines to make us panic and prematurely fork over 5 Grand to an engine rebuilder.
The CEL came on on my wife's Rover at 36k miles...and they said it was "carbon buildup causing a misfire" so they did a complete valve job (under warranty, thank the Lord),
which just seems crazy.
Imho, it's not time to do a valve job until they're good and noisy and you start fouling plugs.....

Rick Lee

Jford, please post results. I'd like to know what all they have to do to get this job done for so little cash. Hell, at that price, I could take my car up to NJ, fly back first class and then back to NJ get the car and still save thousands. I don't need it yet, but I sure do read every thread on this.

ecobb993

On your recommendation I called them. They suggested I would need to leave my car there for a week. "We might need to pull the engine", depending, I spoze, on the severity of my clog.

When I get a chance I'm going to try to ream her out from below. If it works, I'll post a DIY. If not, I'll spend the $1k+/-.

jford

ecobb,
I feel kind of stupid now. The tech I spoke with didn't say anything about pulling the engine for the procedure. He described it as sort of a pipe cleaner method (which I know other listers have mentioned previuosly). He did say that they needed time to soak and that if the buildup was very bad it would get involved. He did speak of seeing clogging so bad that he could not get through it with the "poker". My cel has only been on for 2k miles (assuming that the PO was'nt lying when he said he had never seen it...he is a good guy and I still talk to him so I believe him). The tech said that the longer you drive with the condition the more clogged it will get.

I should be having it done in the next week or so and will post my experiences here. I will also speak with them again regarding the procedure when I make the appointment (they will be aligning and corner balancing my car as well).

On a side note. I ordered sway bars from TRG today and they had very good things to say about Body Motion. Hopefully this all works out.

When do you plan to try to ream it out? Let us know how it goes. Thanks.

Jamie

Carrera Mike

clogged intake ports?? This is not my engine. Just pix I downloaded from a member who had his engine intake ports cleaned

Carrera Mike

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Carrera Mike

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ecobb993

Thanks for the pics, Mike. Think I've seen a similar set online somewhere, also.

Anyone have a snapshot of a head from the exhaust manifold side?

RMEllis

My mechanic did the cleanout thing a couple of months ago, cost me about 1k and I have had no problems since. I don't know about the long term but I will keep y'all updated.

jford

rmellis,
I remeber you posting about this procedure at the time. Good to know you have not had a re-occurance. Could you tell me the milleage since the procedure and a little about your driving habits? Thanks.
Jamie

One more thing. How do you like your Maxflow's?

Tech-Law

Thanks for all the great info guys.

RMellis - Is there any noticable change in oil consumption after the cleanout?

Agro1

I was told by the service manager at a dealership that it occurs mostly in cars with Tip, and is a result of owners upshifting and downshifting at low revs. In short - not driving the car the way it was designed to be driven.


On Speed the other day they had show on that talked about changing out all your fluids and flushing your different systems. They had some sort of de-carbonizing machine they hooked the motor up to that was supposed to get rid of carbon deposits. Has anyone ever heard of this ??

RMEllis

JFord, I have put about 3k miles since it was done and the light has stayed off. I drive the same way that I did before I had the work done, shifting at about 4k or so and some red line every once in a while. I bought the car used two years ago and have no idea how it was driven before. Since I bought it I have only put Chevron premium in it. I love my MaxFlow's although a friend of mine says it sounds like the Kentwood water delivery truck. I think the sound is just incredible, even my mechanic commented that he liked the way the car sounds.
Tech-Law, amazingly enough the oil consumption has actually gone down. But they also replaced my valve cover gaskets. I had been burning a quart every 600 miles. Now it is down to a quart every 2k or so.

jford

Thanks RM lets hope that you never see the light again. I would think that the drop in oil consumption would be atributed to the new gaskets 600/quart to 2k/quart is a dramatic differance. You might save the cost of the cleanout just by buying less oil.