Metty

Hi all. Hoping to become owner of 1999 996. This one has some residue at the bottom of engine. Rubbed off on my finger, but no drips on floor or ground. IMS done 30k ago, but no records of RMS. Driving it, the ride felt good, nice and tight, but clutch felt pretty tight, to me at least. I started it 3 different times and every time it was a slow turnover before it fired up. Owner said battery is new. Owner agreed to vehicle inspection, but I wanted to get some opinions.

motoo344

Honestly it is really going to depend on the inspection you are getting. Seems like the RMS should have been done with the IMS unless it went bad. The air oil separator is another issue that happens with these cars and can cause a leak although I am not sure if it would leak to the location in this picture or not. Someone correct me if I am wrong but the AOS is on the driver side rear of the engine.

Metty

Thank you for quick reply. He has records of AOS being changed as well. The vehicle is going to a 5 star reputable Porsche Audi mechanic for inspection.

Bash Hat

Turnover is always slow with 911s. Not sure why but it is. That’s quite a bit of oil. Would look into it further

motoo344

AOS are pretty notorious for being unreliable, if it was done in the past few years it could very luckily have gone again. That being said the inspection will turn up what it is.

Metty

The following was just done in October:
Oil breather hose
coolant hose breather
Connecting piece coolant
Hose coolant
oil separator

Bash Hat

Maybe the old AOS let go and that oil is the aftermath. Can you clean it up and see if it stays dry?

wildbilly32

That seems like a lot of goop on the engine. I would make sure the PPI dude concentrates a reasonable amount of time determining where that is coming from. One would think that if it was there prior to the last work done the mech. would have cleaned that off...

Bash Hat

Any particular reason you are set on this 996? If you like 99s check this out.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1999-porsche-911-36/

dporto

First time I've heard the Taco called a "folded magazine"... Geeezzzzz, what's the guy a librarian or something? I'd be wary of the new sump plate... What happened to the original one? Any surrounding damage to the sump? Welds? Certainly not a total dis-qualifier, but I'd have to hear the story ( "I took the motor apart and... lost the sump plate" ..."my dog ate it"..."someone stole it"... It's a nice looking car otherwise - I wonder what it will sell for?

Splitting Atoms

Description states they installed an X51 baffle. Looks like it happened recently, based on how clean the sump plate is.

Bash Hat

Yep. Maybe he had thoughts of tracking it?

GH996

Or maybe he has and doesn't like what he has seen or heard...

dporto

X51 baffle with no deep sump kit? Nothing like going half way...

NuttyProfessor

I wouldn't let oily residue stop you from purchasing it. However, if there is a notable leak, then that's a different story. The intermediate shaft bearing with 30,000 miles will need to be replaced unless it's the LN Engineering IMS Solution. Do you want type of bearing they put in the car?

Overall, you can get a good sense of how the car was taking care of just by looking at the appearance inside and out, and of course, if they had good service records on the car. The best advice is to not skimp on the Pre Purchase Inspection. Even if it passes with flying colors, be prepared to dump $5,000 in preventive maintenance. Good luck!