UCrazyKid

Fricken cracked me up. Thanks for the laugh.

UFO007

Of course I looked at repair costs. However, under no circumstances did I expect the engine to let go after 3 weeks and less than 1K miles of ownership. You don't expect to buy a car and have to replace the engine in it. And when the Porsche dealership tells you it will be $20K then you tend to listen to that. You can sit back and laugh at me all you please, I'll still sleep tonight.

Just to brighten your day: Stealership finally called and believes the timing chain broke and all the valves are bent. So, they're telling me it needs a new motor.

Chads996

OK now we're getting somewhere.

One last question. Did you money shift? I had a suspicion about this when you posted what was happening. The smoke, not starting, etc...is a classic symptom of a money shift. A typicla money-shift is going from 5th to 2nd gear accidentally.

Money shift = over-reving the motor. When you do, valves float and pistons slam into them. This sounds like what you did. In fact, the the ECU will have recorded event the second it happened. The dealer will be able to tell you if that is what happened. It's called a Type 2 over-rev. FWIW, the timing chain would have broken when the valvetrain suddenly stopped.

Sounds to me this is what happened to the motor...

C.

UFO007

I was at about 4K in 2nd gear when the motor let loose, not even full throttle. No over-rev.

Chads996

Ask the dealer to check the ECU for Type 2 over-rev conditions. I'm curious if the motor had been at some point or another. It would explain A LOT.

And...get your car out of the dealer and take it to an Independant Porsche specialist. If you don't know where...contact your local PCA and ask for a recommendation. You'll likely save a lot of $$$.

C.

AndrewWK

Based on the other problems you've had, it sounds like you got a car that was abused by its previous owner(s). Sorry to hear about the motor, I think you will find exactly what you are looking for at the link below. They can probably even set you up with TWICE the power for under 20k.

because a boxer is a dog and a V8 is an engine

Todd Holyoak

There is no way you should pay $20k for a new motor. The last retail price quote I had in August on a reman. 3.4 was ~$11.5k. If your engine is a suitable core you get $2500 of that back for a total cost of about $9k. Not the best way to spend the money, but certainly a long way from $20k.

Todd

ElTorrente

lanny

my thoughts exactly

dresler

Hey, the guy is hurting. Come to think of it, we are all hurting. I doubt I could sell my car for 80% of what I bought it for in April. But, if the engine blows I know where I can get a new crated 997 engine for $15k. And I'm not telling any of you where it is. Nah nah. (wouldn't fit a 3.4 car anyway).

Pugnacious P

UFO, it may be some small consolation that, according to some here, the 996 engine grenade is just a myth, or happens so rarely it hardly worth thinking about....

Seriously tho, drop the hammer, shop around, get a reman installed for around 10K and you'll have a great chance at a super car that will be uniquely reliable for many years to come.

IN the meantime I feel for you. Grenades were a real concern for me before I pulled the trigger on a 996.

rountreed

Sorry to hear your bad news

Swede_Matt

UFO, really feel for you. 3 weeks of ownership and the engine blows up. I would not be as positive as you are towards P-cars after that......

I hope it all works out for you in the best way possible.

faszinated

UFO:

There are a few things you should know:

1) You are not alone. I agree with you: 996's feel slow when you first start driving them, especially if you are used to turbocharged japanese cars. The reason, in my opinion, is that the torque curve is very flat, the acceleration is, as a result, very linear, and the refined nature of the car makes the speeds attained hard to notice, unless you look down at the speedo. You really don't feel the speed building because it happens without drama and the car feels the same at 150 as it does at 45. In cars from Japan or Detroit, you notice the speed. 150 is a white-knuckled affair.

Additionally, a turbo'd car produces more of a sensation of quickness, because its acceleration is exponential and, because of this, you get most of the acceleration over a shorter period--when the turbos are on full boost spooling towards red line. If two cars both get to 60 in 5 seconds, but car #2 does half of all the the accelerating during second 4 of 5, car #2 will feel faster than a car that accelerated evenly throughout the 5 second period. My freind's old Mitsubishi 3000GT Twin Turbo (a complete piece of ****) felt much much quicker than my 996 and has a slower 0 to 60.

2) Yes, some people have pride issues, but your car is also worth its reputation. Most people here are proud of their cars because they have been able to drive them long enough to find where and how the cars can be very fast and fun to drive. Once you unlock a 911's secrets, few cars will deliver an experience like it. Few cars are faster (I pass Evo's all the time at track events). I think it takes a while to really get all you can out of a 996, but once you have done so . . . you become a nut like all these people. Unfortunate thing that you did not get that chance before the car bit you. Pretty unfair, but there is hope. Read tmy next post.

ElTorrente

Great post- I agree with the whole thing, though I didn't want to quote the entire novel.

This point you made about passing Evo's at the track events got me thinking about the show Top Gear. The Stig lapped their test course in a 996 GT3 *in the wet* faster than he could drive the Evo *in the dry*. Pretty good stuff. The GT3 obviously is more capable than a regular 996, but I figure the wet track evens it up.