smshirk

Has anyone read this artical. Best news I've heard in years. there is some discussion on Pelican, plus the flat6 link is for the guy who can fix these motorss. This is good stuff.

smshirk

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?t=439308

http://www.flat6innovations.com/

oops left out the links

LJpete

Great info in the article. I'm now considering adding the lower temp thermostat and the IMS shaft bearings as preventative upgrade items. I'm also considering the 3rd radiator to assist in cooling. I'm curious to how much these first 2 items will cost and if they can be done with the motor in car or not to help me ball park the price.

Addressing the issue of the "D" chunk cylinder walls and the IMS shaft failure would do a lot to help many owners with their engine longevity concerns.

smshirk

+1 on everything. The website sounds like he prefers to deal with DIYers rather than Indys. I thought that was a bit odd.

smshirk

+1 on everything. The website sounds like he prefers to deal with DIYers rather than Indys. I thought that was a bit odd.

Barn996

At least somebody other than Porsche, is trying to enable engine rebuilds through different channels. Long overdue.

smshirk

I thought this would catch on big time. This is the best news we've had. At least someone has identified the reasons the failures have occurred. At least in part, if not altogether. there is a ton of info on the flat6 website. It's going to be expensive, but in the long run, our cars will be bullet proof and have GT3 like power without forced induction.

htny

the picture on the flat6 site of the block with only one cylinder sleeved (delaminating too) is frightening. How could that car have possibly shipped with one sleeved cylinder and the rest as standard? How could that NOT cause a problem?

Charles Navarro, who developed the Nickies liners used in this application, is a frequent poster on Rennlist on the air cooled forums, and I've asked him in the past to post over here to clear things up when we had all that huge "I know why these motors blow up" controversies earlier in the year. He knows his stuff. His username is "Charles Navarro" as well, and he's very, very responsive and helpful.

zdek

Jake Raby is one of the most helpful and knowledgeable people I've ever met. He's helped us with many VW / Type 4 projects. He rocks.

manny_g

based on the article, porsche depended on this engine to help get the company get out of trouble and back on track. for all their effort in the field of research, development, and manufacturing, this is what they ended up with...a porous block, cylinders which are subject to slippage and/or cracking, improperly designed ims, RMS issues, weak connecting rods, and cylinder heads subject to cracking. for a car manufacture that its known for its history and racing heritage, this is embarrassing. even today, the rms issue still plagues the 997's including the gt3. you would think that after 10 years dealing with this, that a permanent solution would have been implemented. no wonder porsche wants to put all this behind them with the introduction of the new 9A1 family of engines. but hey, based on their recent track record, this new engine needs to proof itself in the streets and not in the testing lab. getting rid off the ims is a step in the right direction.

glad to see tuners getting into the m96 engine re-build and the information described in the article appears promising to all.

salayc

Should you write me a check for $5000 now? Because I think that's about the drop in value of my car after your post...

smshirk

I think in the end this will be a positive thing. Porsche has to be embarrassed if these guys fix their mess. They are are on the verge of stopping their core replacements, at least as economically as they have been offered thus far. Since these guys can back up their claims with real data, and fix the motors, Porsche is going to have to admit their errors. Not convinced they will pony up any money, but in the end, if these cars get fixed like the SCs had tensioners upgraded, those of us who do the upgrades, and hold on to the cars, will have something really special. Eventually the market will bear that out. As Jake Raby sells independents into his program it will get less and less expensive to repair over time. I like to see the half full glass

salayc

Point is: these guys cannot back up their claims with real data. I was on their site, I am not sure which data you are referring to? It looks like some pretty aggressive scare tactics, and some angry rhetoric. The hypocrisy is: the M96 is no more troublesome than other Porsche engines (or most sports cars for that matter.) The hype has been built around disgruntled Porsche fans who believe air cooled is the "real" Porsche, and is further fueled by hysterical rhetoric. It doesn't help that 996s are a cheap modern status car, therefore people who cannot afford to maintain them now own them.

juankimalo

Excuse me but where is the article?
Have I to be registered in Pelican to see it?

Could anyone to scan the article please?

manny_g

lets face it...porsche knows how to permanently fix these issues, but it has been cheaper for them to replace these engines and mickey mouse temporary repairs like the "up-dated" seals for the rms issue.