j beede

I am "this close" to closing the deal on my first Porsche, a nice MY00 coupe. The car has slow oil leaks and I already picked the shop where the RMS and IMS retrofit will be done as soon as I get the keys.

Yesterday I made a few "cold calls" to Porsche dealers in the areas listed by CarFax as being where the car had been registered. I was able to learn quite a bit about the car's past this way. All was good until I found out that the motor had been replaced in late 2005. Of course the seller sees this as a bonus. To me it likely means: no IMS fix for you!

I am trying to get the engine code/number to see if the IMS bearing type can be determined that way. From what I have learned it seems that pulling the transmission and looking at the IMS bearing nut is the only way to know for sure whether this motor is a candidate for the LN Eng retrofit.

In my case the motor replacement is no bonus. Had I not happened to call the right dealer (1700 miles away) and reached a cooperative service adviser, I would not have found out about the engine swap until the call came from the local shop saying this motor can't get the LN Eng IMS fix. Quite an education I am getting. I know the bearing can be upgraded with a tear down... for that level of investment I think would make more sense to buy something other than a 996.

ivangene

there is NO upgrade for the larger bearing offered, only OEM

I suggest calling Jake Raby and see if he gives you a warm fuzzy so you can continue. For me a new engine would be a plus, but i understand your position. Dont know if Jake can provide you the info or not, but worth a call... heck calls is what got you here

best of luck

Flat6 Innovations

The original poster also sent us an email.. I just responded to him.
:-)

ivangene

and along comes the warm fuzzy

hope things work out or at least the OP discovers his efforts PRE - PURCHASE were well validated

Analog Theory

I've never heard of a replacement motor failing you should see that as a bonus.

TRT41

I would look for a car with a factory replaced motor, over the original '00 motor.

Mfletch

Jake, I just tried to go to your website with the link you provided. Norton blocked it and gave me a warning that it is a malicious website. I have gone there numerous times in the past without problems. I just thought you might want to know that there is possibly a security problem with your website.

chsu74

I would make sure you find out where the leaks on the car is coming from. My car's motor from 2000 is dry as a bone. Perhaps you should look for a car with a dry engine?

Ahmet

I'd consider the replacement engine a big plus. That engine should have the updated oil filler tube, air oil separator, clutch/pressure plate, throttle not to mention other accessories like starter/alternator, etc. many w/997 part numbers.

That said, if it's in the budget, the 02+ cars have numerous upgrades that make them a better car.

j beede

I must say that the car in question sounds, revs and drives as well or better than any MY99/00 996 I have driven. Maybe I'm drinking the Kool-Aid but I'd rather invest $3000 in a fresh RMS and IMS retrofit than not have the option with a MY05+ refurbed motor.

FYI: So far two of the four 996 I have seriously looked at have catastrophic IMS failures in their histories. If the claims I have read here are correct... there have only been 8 other m96 IMS failures worldwide

j beede

The newer bearing is bigger but is still greased and sealed like the apparently flawed original m96 IMS bearing . To my knowledge there is only anecdotal evidence regarding IMS failures with any of the bearing types. I have personally been acquainted with two M96 engines that suffered total IMS failure.

I got a quote of a llittle less than $3000 for RMS and IMS retrofit when the motor was thought to be a MY00. I don't have a formal quote for a MY05 motor, but was told to expect to spend more than double for the equivalent work by the same mechanic. Wow.

mikes_996

I'm with you... I'd rather get the car with the 00 motor so I can do the upgrade. Sure a new motor in 05 is nice but wouldn't be so nice if in the end it became a huge paper weight in the driveway..

j beede

I've seen one 996 with a dry sump cover. All the others have had a thin layer of black wet oily dirt. Of course I prefer a bone dry engine. I have owned Japanese and european motorcyles...guess which dripped oil on my garage floor. I've heard seom experts say that they have seen Ducati's and Porsches that leak oil through pores in the castings.

Charlie C

Same thing here too!

awrryan

I was under the impression that the bearing fix did not occur until 2006 which means that even a replacement engine from 2005 may be subject to failure; however, it's been a while since I read that article in Excellence and I can't remember if that's accurate. I just remember that it wasn't an issue for me because the engine in my 996 was replaced in 2007.