2ndof2

I know this topic has been more than beaten to death but mine is a short term solution question. Just some background: My '96 has about 67K miles on it and has had several CEL's for SAI clogging. I pulled the CEL and simply have watched oil consumption as I draw ever closer to my August registration renewal date. The average consumption is anywhere from 1000 to 1350 miles per quart but never below this. At the moment my 928 is undergoing some expensive deferred maintenance & repairs at Schneider's Autohaus in SB so the idea of a valve job on the 993 is not the direction I want to go at the moment. What I'd like to read is testimonials from others who have needed to make this choice and have monitored their oil consumption after having the ports cleared. Just how quickly (in miles) does oil consumption tend to go from within specs down to what would be considered very poor (ie under 1000 miles/qt)? I spoke to one mechanic who said he doesn't think he can clear the computer and get all the readiness codes cleared since he's having trouble doing this on his own 993 turbo. He says he has a grey market version of the Porsche diagnostic software (Not Schneiders - no idea what they have and they don't work on my Carrera). So getting back on point, is it likely that if I go ahead and have the ports cleared that I'm only going to likely see a quick increase in oil consumption shortly afterwards? I realize clearing the ports is a money losing proposition and is a bandaid until the real remedy of replacing guides is completed (assuming this is in fact the reason for the port blockage in the first place). My mechanic did the valve "wiggle" test and says it appears that the car does need a valve job. Sorry I didn't know this prior to purchasing my car! Also if there's some magic to getting this computer cleared and passing without any major expense in the short run that would be great. There are so many threads on this I don't know which ones may provide the best solution given the situation. I do plan to keep the car and do a valve job but I'd rather do it later in '06 or when the oil consumption gets very poor and I suspect that would be well after my registration renewal. Any feedback or reference to a helpful link or two is greatly appreciated!

epj993

I see only one issue here - clogged SAI ports. Your oil consumption is within spec so valve guides are not an issue. Once flushed, the key to keeping the ports clear is regular replacement of the check valve (every 10-15K).

SAI clogging due to valve guide wear is a common misconception. Wiggle tests mean nothing & are hardly scientific. Unfortunately, many mechanics see the only solution as a top end rebuild. This is incorrect and costs ~$5K.

I'd say your best course of action at this point is a port flush & check valve replacement. This won't change your oil consumption, but will solve the CEL issue. And, your wallet won't get $5K lighter.