Electric Lizard

The service adviser at West Houston Porsche just informed me that the reason my '04 996 (40th Anniv, 3.6L with X51) was bleeding oil all over the hotel parking lot upon my return from a day of DE is that my intermediate shaft has failed (I asked:"What causes that?" Answer: silence). I heard a rattling noise just before pulling into the lot and discovered the leak shortly after parking. He will call me back after hearing from PCNA.

The car just exited the regular warranty period in June, but there is a CPO warranty in place through 2010. I would appreciate your opinions on these questions:
1. From reading the copious postings on this subject, it seems that my IMS did not walk out of the block and "grenade" the engine, but rather probably just dropped the front bolt. Should I insist on a new engine or is just fixing the shaft itself sufficient?
2. From what I've read, it seems that I have a good argument in the event that PCNA claims that somehow tracking the car caused the failure. Agreed?
3. If they do replace the entire engine, how can I make sure that I get a 3.6L X51?
4. The car has about 30K on the odo. Is it a good idea to replace the clutch? About how much should that run?

Anything else you can add would be appreciated. I'm not trying to shaft the dealer or PCNA on this nor do I have any reason to think that they're trying to shaft me. I'm just trying to insure that I feel comfortable about the outcome. Thanks in advance for your input.

Tippy

I believe Renntech has the X-51 serial numbers.

deckman

CPO will cover replacement of the engine with the same engine type if it's a full failure. Regarding the clutch have them look at it to determine wear, as well as the flywheel. If they seem like they may need replacement before your next scheduled oil leak, replace them.

gota911

Greg,

Well, that is bad news and good news. The bad being the IMS failure, the good being that maybe it did not grenade the engine.

1. Don't assume that the engine is toast. Let the techs determine if the engine has been compromised.
2. Not sure, but you should be OK, especially if you have a good relationship with the dealer.
3. If the engine needs replacing, Porsche replaces "like for like" engines. There is an alpha character in the engine number that designates it as an X-51 engine. I don't recall (Grey Matter failing me) but I think the designation is "S" (edit based upon Pauls post) but I'll see if I can find that thread.
4. Ask the tech to measure the clutch. Someone recently (within the last two weeks) had RMS replaced under warranty and they charged him $785 for the new clutch, and no additional labor.

deckman

That last one was me. I was down to 3mm surface material, and minimum is 2mm. At least that's what they told me.

Eric - Plug Guy

My engine was replaced 2 weeks out of factory warranty. No track, no issues, always dealer maintained. Damn thing just gave up the goose on the way to BRBS in Blowing Rock back in May. I believe the majority opinion was shaft, but who knows. They crate it up and ship it back. I got a new heart, courtesy of PCNA. My '04 had 16k miles on it and was always maintained by the book or annually at the selling dealer. That relationship surely made a difference.

GMS

You may find that the current policy of Porsche is to repair not replace engines with IMS failures if at possible.

gota911

Eric, is the the first time you mentioned this on the 996 Forum? I don't recall reading about this before.

It is a good thing the dealer gave you "slight extension" on your warranty, otherwise it would have come out of my "Will Money!"

juankimalo

Anoyher IMS failed story....

Why don't you talk to Jake Raby?

Electric Lizard

Eric, do you think that it should make any difference in that this car has Bumper Plugs and a Door Plug?

67FJ45

Greg,

Sorry to hear about your engine. I remember talking to you about our cars at TWS last June.

My 40th Anniversary engine had IMS failure one year ago at 30,250 miles, in a parking lot. I had it towed to Roger Beasley Porsche in Austin, where I have all my service done (including my pre-DE tech inspections). I had purchased it as a CPO with the extended warranty, so no issues there at all. PCNA had Beasley Porsche tear the engine down to assess whether it could be rebuilt or would need replacement. The diagnosis was replacement. Beasley shipped the original engine back.

IIRC, the replacement engine came with everything on it except the exhaust (alternator, AC compressor, etc.). The dealer serviced the clutch at n/c as part of the serivce. It took two weeks to get my car back, and the service manager apologized for the long time and described to me the entire process (how many days for teardown, shipment, installation, etc.).

After getting the car back, the clutch felt fine, but I could hear a faint noise when I engaged and disengaged it, almost like a cable was rubbing somewhere. I took it back, the dealer adjusted it, and it's been perfect ever since (8k miles). It runs like a top and feels exactly like it did with the original engine.

I agree with Eric, the dealer relationship makes a difference. I hope you have the same experience I did.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

SH || NC

Paul 996

Your order will identify the engine and it's last Digit will be and S (for x51). eg M96.03S

Also, no dealer is going to try to trick you and downgrade your engine. The x51 is readily identifiable from the outside. The entire intake distribution system on the x51 is a one piece cast alum unit vs the standard engines have an assortment of black plastic tubes.

RF5BPilot

I was at the local dealer a couple of weeks ago. They had a 996 engine in pieces saying that their techs were now factory trained on rebuilds and all the parts were easily available. Thus, they expected to handle engine issues in house rather than get factory remans.

Traditionally, it was thought that a factory reman was built to better tolerances & was expected to last longer than a field rebuild. Not sure if that is still so.

mglobe

We were all sad to hear about your engine when you told us at the Manor Ho on Saturday. Personally, I would push hard for a new engine rather than a rebuild if at all possible. I've been pretty happy with my experiences at W. Houston. Hopefully they'll treat you right.

If they give you any crap about track use, I'm happy to vouch for the fact that the car has never been driven fast enough to cause any damage.

j/k of course. Have you thought about putting in a single mass flywheel while it's apart? Hope it resolves quickly, and in your favor. Look forward to seeing you out with it again soon, it's a beautiful car.