landila

I just picked up a 2004 c4s cab with 100k miles on the clock, southern owned with some shoddy maintenance history. I got what I think is a pretty good deal (23k) for a clean car and would like to plan to do a cross country road trip in it sometime next year. The PPI showed the car to be in pretty good shape and after a power steering leak repair I'm a happy camper.
With that being said, the clutch is due for a replacement and my mechanic said the AOS is showing signs that it's starting to go. While we're in there I'm thinking to do the IMS solution replace clutch flywheel and RMS. Wanted to share the quote with you all and get some second opinions on pricing and whether I should consider any other preventative maintenance. Should I be doing a borescope first before throwing thousands of dollars at the engine?
Would love to hear any thoughts comments and concerns - can my cross country dream in this car be realized or would it be shot down?
Grateful for the priceless wisdom these forums provide.

GC996

Congrats on the car.

The first thing I would do is test your oil to see whats in it.

The second thing is to drop the sump and see what's in it, and cut open your oil filter and see whats in it as well.

Then I would scope the bores from the sump.

If all looks good, then start refreshing the engine with the items on your above list. You would improve your engine durability if you add a new oem water pump to the list and the UAOS Track. For sure, replace the oil cooler as well.

In addition, replace your fuel injectors, plugs, ignition coils, maf and might as well do the oxy sensors. No reason to promote excess fuel in the cylinders that can lead to bore scoring. For sure, don't forget to go over the cooling system with a fine tooth comb. If you don't want to spring a leak on a road trip, you might as well replace the tanks and hoses.

While you are in there, may want to replace the oil pressure sending unit. It will eventually go and scare the hell out of you thinking you don't have oil pressure.

Good luck with the refresh. The 996 is a great road trip car. I do it every year. Especially enjoyable with fresh parts!

landila

Thanks for intel. In your experience, how much of this is DIYable for someone at say an intermediate skill with a wrench, a jack and some jackstands? And what would be good to offload to an indy to do while they're doing some of the other major jobs listed above?

GC996

Quite a bit is doable. Question is do you want to do it?

Some guys love DIY stuff. My preference is to save the engine work for my indy. Key to saving money is to group stuff together that saves in man hours.

There are plenty of threads here on RL from guys that DIY. You will find that the majority of us are 996 enthusiasts and want to help out.

uscarrera

Congratulations on the 996, over the years I have done almost all my own maintenance and repairs with a Quick Jack and a good set of tools and support products, I don’t do engine or gearbox work I too leave that for an knowledgeable independent shop. Enjoy the ride 😀
Rich

tommelton

In March 2020 I purchased a 2003 C2. Drove it home from Dallas Tx to a suburb of Atlanta. I have a lift in my home garage - after taking the wife on a test ride - on the lift it went. I did the 3 items you mention above. Of course, for the AOS - I installed Skip's (Porschetech3) UAOS as I wanted to not have to do that install again. And I did not use Mobil 1 - I used Driven DT40.

Definitely not a hard DIY job. I did not drop the engine - I did, of course, drop the transmission. But, I have been working on cars, bikes, you name it since I was riding my first bike with training wheels. I had my father remove the training wheels, I fell down, had him put them back on, then never asked him again - I did it. So let's just say almost 60 years...

-Tom

landila

This is all helpful - seems like I'm on the right track. I am willing to do a lot of DIY stuff and learn along the way. My only limitation is a lack of a lift of any sort but I imagine if I do not have to drop the engine jackstands should be enough. Hoping to invest in this car and that it can serve as a daily for many years to come.

sur4die

Very DIY able. You'd have to get the car like 18 inches plus the height of your transmission dolly off the ground to drop the transmission, which can be an issue. Much more doable with a lift in a garage. LOVE my Bendpak MD-6XP. Best tool I bought.

996-CAB

The quote is reasonable. I would replace the AOS with the UAOS. Dont bother with the replacment. Get the track drain option and never worry about it again. I have done all these things, although not all at once!

landila

Thanks, I think I'll start with IMS and clutch/flywheel and tackle the UAOS myself

Major Dash

Any idea on when the water pump was last done? I basically did the exact same thing you did (bought a $23k C4S with 100k miles, replaced clutch/FW, RMS, IMS), and the service manager said that it would probably be a good idea to do the water pump and thermostat while the car was already on the lift. I don't think it was really *that* expensive either.

landila

No idea when any of the maintenance was done tbh. Records are slim to none but the coils and plugs look new as well as front shocks and I believe the car was well taken care of by the last two owners who did their own maintenance. PPI said car looks good for it's age. Rolling the dice a bit but I have a good feeling about it. Good call and thermostat and water pump.

Has anybody here ever replaced the soft top on a cab?

Major Dash

Your car literally must be the twin to mine. New plugs and coils as well as a suspension refresh. One of the previous owners put in a LN IMS bearing and PSE (wasn't on the options sticker, but it has the button and opens/closes a valve), so it definitely had some care and love.

As for the soft top, there are videos on Youtube that show how to replace the top. It isn't trivial, but I would imagine if you plan on doing the AOS that you've probably got more than enough mechanical aptitude to do the top yourself too.

landila

How long have you had yours? Mine is going for that clutch and IMS later this week.
And let's withhold assumptions until the AOS is done, I might be biting off more than I can chew, we'll see.

GC996

Water pump!!!!!