KrazyK

After reading the posts about others finding metal shavings in the oil pan, I couldnt resist and pulled mine to see. I saw no metal, nada, zip, nothing. Is this good or bad? Does it mean this engine was rebuilt? The service records are incomplete so I dont know the full history. Any ideas?

I also included a pic of the rear main area. Should I dig into the pickup and AOS's or just leave well enough alone?

Dharn55

Nothing looks amiss so I would leave it alone. The engine has probably had the pan off before if it is that clean.

CDLVancouver

how old was your oil in that pic?

kromdom

have you already done a UOA?

KrazyK

Oil is about 3 months old. Have not done UOA. Now wondering if IMSB was replaced. There are no particles in filter either. Not even black or brown.

kromdom

I am sure you already know that UNLESS written documentation is available, the only OTHER way to know with certainty is to open up the engine and physcially inspect the IMSB

KrazyK

I know thats the only way to know for sure but it would suck to tear into and find it had been replaced. With 56K miles, shouldnt I have at least seen some brown bits from the chain guides?

kromdom

66K on mine and knock on wood, nothing in the oil. I will be doing an oil change in the next few days and UOA is on the TO-DO list.

WalterRohrl

Are you sure it's even the original engine that the car was built with?

KrazyK

According to the engine serial number, it is the original 2003 engine not a reman. It poses a delima because I was about ready to at least do the RMS, IMSB, clutch, and maybe chain guides but now I might wait.

WalterRohrl

If the RMS and Clutch and chain guides are not defective, why bother messing with them? That being said, chances are that your IMSB is original. Jake said somewhere recently that there are 7000 LN replacements out there. That's not a giant percentage relative to the total number of engines, thus it is more likely that your engine does NOT have one. Then again, there are many engines that have more miles than yours that are running great with the original bearing.

Maybe you should just have Jake pick the car up now and have him do a full rebuild... :-)

KrazyK

Im waiting for JR to release his NA M96 stroker kits to the public before I DIY rebuild.

Should I replace the sump AOS's while Im there?

white99c2

I change my oil every 5k miles. I check the coolant level once or twice per month, same with the tire pressure. Check the brake fluid level by giving it a glance when you open the front trunk. Keep an eye on the belt. Inspect the oil filter when you replace it. Keep the car clean, put energy into polishing at least once per month. My car gets polished every other week.
My advice is drive it enjoy it, don't beat on it, after all it's old. Do not be a paranoid Porsche 911 owner. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

perryinva

You should have easily been able to tell if the oil pan had been removed before, just from the look of the sealant at the pan/block joint. My '02 also had nothing, zilch, nada, no bits of anything when I dropped mine at 47k, and I had pulled the magnetic drain plug at each change, & inspected 3 of the filters, the stock Porsche one that was on the car when I got it, when I changed to spin on for full filtration, and 2 of the spin ons, the last the same time I pulled the pan when I installed the IMSG. Never anything in any of them. I just assume I got a decent engine wear wise. Sounds good for you , too. I thought I needed a clutch soon, too, but turns all I needed was new motor mounts.

DreamCarrera

Excellent advice but in case you have not already noticed...this is the home of the paranoid 911 owners...

I still say that the moderators should put a sticky at the top of the 996 forum warning that "Reading this forum could reduce your enjoyment of your 996."

Can someone else name a car/forum where the owner, after close inspection, finds no evidence of engine wear/problems but still seriously contemplates a serious engine tear down and rebuild...ridiculous.