Porsche reveals cause of 911 GT3 fires, will replace all engines
A faulty con rod fastener is to blame.
By Max Prince March 18, 2014 / Photos by Porsche

In case you hadn't heard, Porsche was recently forced to recall every example of the 2014 911 GT3 after two European owners reported engine fires. Can you imagine watching your new $131,000 race-ready sports car burn to the ground? Not fun. Porsche responded by sheepishly collecting all 785 dispatched GT3s last month.

Now, the company has announced that a major engine defect is responsible for the fires.

According to company spokesman Nick Twork, the new GT3 suffers from faulty connecting rod fasteners, which loosen and soon cause catastrophic damage to the 3.8-liter's crankcase. This will necessitate a massive engine replacement scheme.
Porsche

"We are in the process of validating the revised part," Twork said. "We will be replacing the engines in each of the 911 GT3s that have been built thus far."

What appears to be a letter to owners has also surfaced on Rennlist,stating that Porsche will arrange individual appointments with owners. It'll only take dealers one day to complete the work, but they won't be getting the fresh mills immediately.

"It will take us a little while to build the engines," Twork added. "I don't know specific timeframe but we'll do it as quickly as we possible can … first priority is to minimize the inconvenience to our customers."

The recall and subsequent (assumedly costly) fix is especially hard to swallow considering Porsche's departure from the tried-and-true Metzger engine that powered earlier GT3s.

via AutoGuide