eddy_911

Bump this back. Interested to hear some success stories of who that went this route.

Wonder if the final cost is as advertised. Thanks.

Mike Murphy

dporto

cds72911

Coopduc

eddy_911

Hi All, just wanted to confirm a few points after reading through all the info on this thread.

1) Bore scoring and IMS failures can be addressed by replacing the short block which can be purchased from a Porsche dealer directly for about $6k+ core charge. (I was a bit confused with the other short blocks listed for $24k from autoatlanta's website)

2) Are these the part numbers that one would go to the dealer with to order?
- 3.6L engine - 996100996UX
- 3.4L engine - 996100996TX

3) What else should be replaced when changing out the short block (AOS, waterpump, etc.)?

4) Labor charge seems to be around the $4k ball park assuming replaced by the dealer, is that about right.

Thanks all for the clarification. This will definitely help one sleep better at night if all works out as describe.

Porschetech3

Not to go down the "while your in there rabbit hole" the AOS, water pump ect. are good suggestions, but depends on the age of the used components.

To add : at a minimum the heads should be refreshed///disassembled, cleaned, valves guides, springs, inspected and measured, a good multi-angle valve job, resurfaced , new valve seals:: at a cost of $200+ each.

Also the clutch disc, pressure plate, flywheel, should be evaluated.

Your other estimates seem to be close enough for evaluation.

eddy_911

Thanks Porschetech!!

dgjks6

I don't think it's new. But I think recently there was a huge price drop. That it what I think stoked all the interest. I could be wrong.

NYoutftr

I wonder what the true cost of a GT3 short block is, since many of us were so misinformed about the 3.6L & 3.4L??

Coopduc

sober_owl

since my 997 is an early 05 with a 3.6l m96 will those part numbers be compatible? or did porsche change the m96 when the 05 997s come out?

Porschetech3

It's a fairly new option, within the last 2 1/2 years. It was not available before I retired (2 1/2 years ago). I was visiting the shop about 6-8 months after I retired and one of the Techs was telling me that Porsche was not offering the Reman complete engines for some models any longer, but were offering Reman short blocks instead. I had often wondered why they only had complete Reman engines, but when they fist offered them they were only 6-7k, about the price the Reman short blocks are now. Who knows what Porsche will do next !!

bazhart

Re-manufactured short blocks are available and all the ones I have seen have indeed had new cylinders etc. By providing new internal parts they have become an option worth considering.

However - without wishing to prime controversy I would just like to pass on that when we have stripped some that failed we have found the tolerances they have been made to in some areas to be greater than we find in normal production engines. For example one had 1st oversized pistons in one bank (that we apparently could not obtain spares for if we needed them) while another had one bank of cylinders with a very much larger piston clearance than the other which was unusually small. There have also been a few that failed very soon after rebuilds (admittedly mainly for racing). This made us wonder what the origin of some of the components was. They didn’t seem to have been plucked off the same production line as engines for wholly new build cars or individual complete engine sales.

However we have also rebuilt engines using these blocks that have so far been perfectly satisfactory but they do of course also embody the very same technical design and manufacture that usually led to the original failing like scored bores and pistons (although they do have the latest IMS bearing).

Re-manufacturing specialists that set up to do the job on a scale that results in them having special equipment and staff rebuilding the engines all the time – probably have more experience of what else to look for and to carry out a lot of other work that makes the rebuild much better. In this respect I absolutely agree with LN, Jake Raby, Porschetc3 (and other contributors) that point out that these other areas of work on the original parts that need to be re-fitted (like heads, valves etc) are also going to result in a much better rebuild with a better life expectancy. Not everyone that could fit the old parts onto a short block will necessarily have this level of experience or facilities.

For example – we have 6 technicians and 2 managers permanently dealing with engine removal and re-fit, engine strip and inspect, cleaning, re-machining, road testing and logistics. We also have our own “IN HOUSE” precision machine shop with brand new CNC milling and turning facilities, design and manufacture our own replacement aerospace alloy Nikasil plated wet cylinders (converting the engine from open to closed deck design) and equipment for re-cutting valves and seats, skimming cylinder heads, honing cylinders etc and this not only keeps quality control entirely in our hands but also means we shoulder the full responsibility for all the workmanship. Our typical rebuild price for our superior specification in the UK works out around £7000 to £8000 (plus taxes) engine removed to re-fitted and running again (and obviously less just for a bare engine or set of cylinder blocks).

However I do understand (and sympathise with) the difficulties owners must have justifying the costs of fixing a failed engine and that is why we (and I am sure others) have developed oversized engines so that after a rebuild the owner gets better performance as well as a reliable well rebuilt engine to a new specification for little more than their normal rebuild cost and competitively priced compared to a rebuild with a short block.

If an engine failure is particularly severe and damages most of the internals that cannot be re-used - then a short block can also be a viable alternative but probably best rebuilt by a regular engine rebuild specialist with the experience and facilities mentioned above to make sure the rest of the re-fitted parts are up to scratch.

I know from experience that the responsibility if a short block rebuild subsequently failed – would invoke difficulties for the owners and businesses involved and could lead to more problems than when a re-manufacturer is responsible for all of the rebuild and does everything themselves to their own specifications – when there would be no conflict.

Personally we have no axe to grind except that we prefer to do the re-manufacturing ourselves so we are in control of quality and specification. If a customer prefers a short block – that is entirely their choice and their responsibility and there are plenty of engines going wrong for everyone to benefit from lots of alternative outcomes – but you cannot beat experience or volumes when it comes to learning how to do the whole job effectively and you cannot beat the level of specialisation and equipment those that previously conducted the rebuilds on a large scale have got and that benefits the overall result.

So my final view and advice would be that there may be circumstances in which a short block is a viable alternative but that it would still be best to get the work done by those that also rebuild to their own specifications – wherever in the World they are – if they are prepared to do so (which most will not be) but in with most suppliers I am aware of – a better job for a similar cost is when they carry out all the re-manufacturing themselves.

Baz

Greg964

Thanks Baz. Your price range is equivalent to $10,000-$11,000 USD which if I am reading correctly, includes removal and re installation labor. That sounds like a great deal; I am not sure an option like this, at that price point, exists here in the US.