wildbilly32

Not trying to be snarky here, but 19 years and your engine hasn't blown up!!?? That's seems to speak well for at least your 996 engine. Do you think you have been lucky or got a really good engine? Just curious.

plpete84

Is there an expectation that the engine should blow up after an X amount of time and particular time of use? I mean sure it could but clearly it doesn't always.

@GC996 - that's mighty impressive! Out of respect to Aaron I want to keep this thread about his experience and journey but it would be cool to have a track focused 996 conversation (separate thread) covering what people have done to their cars over time that have made them live for so long despite the abuse. Include all stuff no matter how insignificant it may seem. Sometimes it's the little things. Clearly there are no guarantees and things can go south quickly but it would be cool to have a referenceable data points to look at.

zbomb

Glenn is super **** (compliment) about his motors upkeep, has developed a good routine with good support... and he’s lucky.

I hope his luck continues in perpetuity.

Flat6 Innovations

After seeing the disassembly photos, I strongly recommend sourcing another core engine. Give me some time and I can help you find one at a good price, and hook you up with the seller directly.

GC996

I ask myself that question every day. It's an 02 with 56k miles. Been tracking it since 2004 but have been spotty with track days over the past 5 years due to kids/family events.

Have done everything you can do to it from a preventative standpoint early on in its life including: motorsports aos, Ims retrofit, deep sump oil pan. Have a great Porsche Indy (Midwest Eurosport) that is exceptional in taking care of it. Smart guys that are preventative when going over the car.

Have run Mobil 1 0-40 the whole time. After every track session I take it in immediately to the shop to change the oil and brake fluid. If I do 8 DE events in a year, that's 8 oil changes. While we haven't tested it for bore scoring, there are no signs of it.

​​​​​​Not afraid of high revs on the track with the engine, but learned early on that you don't have to beat the he'll out of your car to go fast around the track. So I learned "smoother was better" and how to carry more momentum.

So in answer to your question, I have been very lucky with my engine. But very early on preventative medicine with motorsport AOS, deep sump, Ims retro, plus obsessive oil changes, coupled with an exception Porsche shop probably helped.

GC996

Yeah, I'll but out. I get a little excited over anything 996!

plpete84

Hah no worries! Was mean in the upmost positive way Just want to keep the thread clean and thanks a lot for sharing the info you did!

De Jeeper

Thx. I may need the parts. I am agresively trying to find all the answers to my questions so i can get started. I will let u know.

Very nice of u. After going through the core costs i basically came to the same conclusions. I will be in touch but ill do my research first so u can be a more educated student

No problem. Happy to have preventitive measures in this thread. I had basically done what u did but the oil changes. Probably my downfall but i have to imagine with how common the failure on #1 is that there is an accumlative degrading effect on that rod and pressure drops and oil shear just magnify an underlying issue.

theprf

I think you're in need of a crankshaft mon ami. No regrinds are possible on these cranks. I note in the parts catalog that a 3.2 from a Boxster shares the same crank - perhaps that could be a route for a core engine. There are lots of 3.2's and a few 3.4's on ebay and in the rennlist classifieds if all else falls through, to use as cores for a rebuild.

golock911

Joining the consensus on having a known race engine builder do the work. There's no question you have the skills to rebuild it, but the devil is in details that aren't published. How many builds does it take to learn those details? If you want to become a builder, this is a 'trial by fire' number one...

TexSquirrel

Yes, unfortunately oversized bearings aren't available for the M9x so you have to replace the crankshaft.

De Jeeper

Yea i have read that. If i rebuild it will be with a new core. im still waiting to talk with 2 different race shops.

Whats tempting is a brand new corvette lt2 in ebay. Just not sure u want to go through making it work. Not a lot of support for the mid engine stuff yet.

zbomb

I’ve got an LS guy DJ... if you’re into doing it yourself, YOU could and probably be less than M96 rebuild with a used LS3.

Let me know if you want their contact.

Mike Murphy

I have always felt that tracking any car is going to be an expensive endeavor. And that an engine at 100% throttle and redline on every straight will only last for 30,000-50,000 miles. The more power, the less miles.

No, they won’t always blow up, that’s for sure. But if they do, I’m kind of expecting it. Especially a stock motor that hasn’t had cooling and oil improvements made already.

Mike Murphy

Stock Chevy motors actually have similar fates as the M96, unless oil and cooling mods have been made.