What should I do?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 459
Likes: 11
From: Western Slope of CO
What should I do?
New owner of 01 996 C2 Cab. Previous owner didn't drive it very much. In 1 yr period has only put 500 miles on it. I have driven it more in the 1st week I've had it. Car had under 40K when I got it. Had indy check it out. Has leak at RMS but not bad enough to put drips on floor. Oil change was done Feb of 2010. Only has 1100 miles since changed and looks like new. I run the car hard every time I drive it. Get up into 6000+ rpms after engine is warmed up. Should I pull the oil filter and check it for metal? I plan on doing a full oil change soon but hate to dump brand new synthetic oil. Wanted to at least get 2K miles out of the oil. Have a magnetic drain plug that I will install with oil change. Reading about the IMS failures makes me nervous. Will be doing a LNE retro fit when it comes time to do the clutch. Nearest service center/dealer to me that has done this is a 5 hour drive 1 way from me. This car has no service records after 2005 up to 2010. No indication that any warranty work has ever been done on it for the motor. What steps would you take? Wish the IMS detection kit would be released. Would make me sleep better.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 2,255
Likes: 5
From: Bastrop By God Texas
You never said what the problem is. Sounds like you have a 10 year old car you drive hard, with a small oil leak which isn't that unusual for a 10 year old car.
Driving a 10 year old car hard is going to break things. I'd just enjoy driving the car and fix problems as they occur.
Driving a 10 year old car hard is going to break things. I'd just enjoy driving the car and fix problems as they occur.
Nordschleife Master
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 5,815
Likes: 59
From: Mooresville, IN (Life Long Cheesehead)
What Dryslick is eluding to is his concern of the I-M'f-S........if I'm reading between the lines. If it bothers you get it replaced with the aftermarket gizmo. Or sell it.
Three Wheelin'
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,601
Likes: 6
From: Bay Area, CA
If this bothers you and you are planning to keep her you should get car looked at again. Get the proper analysis to make sure the problem is just a small leak.
Its better to do the preventive stuff IMO
Its better to do the preventive stuff IMO
Banned
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 471
Likes: 1
From: Northeastern Pa
Hey Dryslick I was in the same boat when I bought mine. Mine was off a lot with limited records. I chose to do the IMS right after I bought the car. I figured I plan on having the car for many years and it's my daily driver,so the additional cost is merely an investment in my future peace of mind. I did the IMS, RMS ,new clutch kit and AOS. Now I just run it and don't think about it anymore. Can't put a price on peace of mind.
Trending Topics
Pro
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 654
Likes: 0
From: Suburban Chicago
I've got to agree with the comments listed above:
Change the oil NOW. Mileage is irrelevant. The oil is 15 months old - that is OLD. Forget saving money on the oil. What you save there you are going to put many times more in your engine due to old oil lubricating the parts.
If you already have the money for the IMSR and a clutch, what are you waiting for? You are nervous about the IMS imploding. You already have leakage at the RMS, and you are planning on doing it. Let's see, $3,000 invested in a savings account at the bank at 0.5% will yield you $15 in interest over the next year that you'd be waiting. You spent that much when you went out for a beer last week. Get the IMS done and stop worrying about it.
larry
Change the oil NOW. Mileage is irrelevant. The oil is 15 months old - that is OLD. Forget saving money on the oil. What you save there you are going to put many times more in your engine due to old oil lubricating the parts.
If you already have the money for the IMSR and a clutch, what are you waiting for? You are nervous about the IMS imploding. You already have leakage at the RMS, and you are planning on doing it. Let's see, $3,000 invested in a savings account at the bank at 0.5% will yield you $15 in interest over the next year that you'd be waiting. You spent that much when you went out for a beer last week. Get the IMS done and stop worrying about it.
larry
Rennlist Stories
The Best Porsche Posts for Porsche Enthusiasts
9 Vehicles Porsche Helped Engineer that Aren't Porsches
Verdad Gallardo
9 Features and Characteristics That Only Porsche People Understand
Verdad Gallardo
I've Written 500 Rennlist Articles: Here's How Porsche Has Changed Along the Way
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Unnecessary Porsches Ever Built (And Why We Love Them)
Verdad Gallardo
Porsche 911 GT3 S/C vs 718 Spyder RS: 10 Categories, One Winner
Joe Kucinski
This Builder Is Turning Heads With Its Slantnose 911 Creation
Verdad Gallardo
Porsche 911 GT3 Artisan Edition Pays Homage to Japanese Culture
Verdad Gallardo
Porsche Reveals Coupe Variant of the Electric Cayenne With a Fresh Look
Verdad Gallardo
10 Porsche Colors That Have More Personality Than Most People
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 459
Likes: 11
From: Western Slope of CO
Thanks for all the advice. I will definitly change the oil now. It has 0W40 Mobil 1. Will go up on the viscosity. Will cut the filter apart and inspect. Have an apointment on Tues at Porsche dealer (500 mile round trip) to get coolant flushed since it is not the correct color. Will have them check closer and talk to them about IMS retrofit. They just did one last week for $1650. Sound reasonable. I can get the RMS seal fixed too while they are in there and get a clutch inspection. Didn't really have the money since I just paid cash for the car. Will try and get the work done after I get another paycheck I guess. Will see if I have enough money after paying quarterly taxes 
Love the car so far!
Love the car so far!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 459
Likes: 11
From: Western Slope of CO
Just changed the oil. All looks good underneath the car. Not much oil at all. I think some of the leaks were from long periods of inactivity. Cut the filter apart and found nothing in it at all. Puts my mind at ease somewhat. Glad I did the oil change. Went with Castrol Syntec 10W40. Wanted to use a 5W40 of some sorts, but my local autoparts store didn't have any on the shelf.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 459
Likes: 11
From: Western Slope of CO
Forgot to mention that I caught some of the oil (1+ qt) for oil analysis. Ordered a kit from Blackstone. Will send it off when it arrives. I guess this should give me a good baseline to monitor how things are going?
Pro
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 654
Likes: 0
From: Suburban Chicago
For an oil analysis from Blackstone, you need about 4+ ounces of oil. Since you know what kind of oil was used in this last oil change, and when it was done, you will know more about your car's engine than most of us did when we did our first oil change. Mine was a "mystery" situation, since I had no idea what kind of oil was used, and no idea when it was changed. In our case, it will provide a nice baseline for your next oil change. What you are really looking for is their analysis of the oil components and additives, and the amount of wear components. This will, in future oil changes, tell you whether you can change your oil less frequently or need to change it more often.
Regarding oil weights. I have read that the vario-cam structure of the 996 engine uses the lower weight number to do it's job. That means that an oil heavier than 5W may not be advantageous for your car. I don't think that it will hurt your car, but it won't run optimally. Whether you will notice the difference is anyone's guess.
As far as a source for oil. WalMart sells Mobil 1 in a 5w40 flavor. My guess is that you have a WalMart somewhere nearly. That is a turbo diesel oil, but from what I've read, it won't hurt your engine. It has more zinc and phosphorus, which are anti-wear components in the oil. Logic tells me that this is a good thing, but none of the oil gurus on this forum seem to have jumped on that bandwagon.
All the best, and welcome to the forum.
larry
Regarding oil weights. I have read that the vario-cam structure of the 996 engine uses the lower weight number to do it's job. That means that an oil heavier than 5W may not be advantageous for your car. I don't think that it will hurt your car, but it won't run optimally. Whether you will notice the difference is anyone's guess.
As far as a source for oil. WalMart sells Mobil 1 in a 5w40 flavor. My guess is that you have a WalMart somewhere nearly. That is a turbo diesel oil, but from what I've read, it won't hurt your engine. It has more zinc and phosphorus, which are anti-wear components in the oil. Logic tells me that this is a good thing, but none of the oil gurus on this forum seem to have jumped on that bandwagon.
All the best, and welcome to the forum.
larry
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 459
Likes: 11
From: Western Slope of CO
Just got back from my 500 mile round trip to my nearest Porsche dealer. They had a new GT2 RS in the showroom that was making me drool. Got the correct coolant in my engine/cooling system now. Had them look at RMS. Said it had a slight leak. It is not enough to drip just got on to the bellhousing. There was also a leak that is causing a slight drip around the cam sensor and/or AOS. They cleaned it up. I'll drive it a week or so and see what gets oily.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,219
Likes: 3
From: CURRENT: Audi TT / Audi A3
For a car with a lack of service documentation, wouldn't it make sense to have the 30K or 60K mile service performed (this is the heavy service), regardless of the mileage on the odometer?