Fracture

really?,... it's a known issue and an obvious knee jerk question

possibly expired motor (we don't know yet) = a death in the family?

wow,..just wow

c4racer

well it may not have been an IMSB related failure - it hasn't been diagnosed yet.

I have no motor sources, but as a recent new 996 owner this really sucks - I can sure feel your pain....

C4911

That sucks. Hope you get the car running again soon and as inexpensively as possible.

dgjks6

Damn. That sucks.

I know there are places to read about what to do next, but I am happy to give you my opinion and tell you what I would do.

First - take it to a trusted mechanic and get a diagnosis.

Second - get a drink or two and wait for the diagnosis.

Third - figure out how much you like the car.

It may need a new motor but maybe there is a way that the car can spew oil and make funny noises and just need a minor repair.

After you get a diagnosis everyone here will be happy to chime in about what to do if you need a new or rebuilt motor. Me included.

johnireland

Sorry to hear this. I haven't looked back at Cuda's post but I believe he was also just pulling away and at low rpms when his let go.

Diesel76

I have owned the car since 2007, it got driven on a regular basis (though usually for not great distances) from March/April through Nov/Dec every year. I garaged it when the snow started in the winter and did oil changes in the spring.

I guess you could say my car was a high risk one and I should have had the IMSB replaced, it was certainly something I thought about at times, but for one reason or another I never did and it came back to bite me, live and learn I suppose.

thebowl

Sorry to hear. Very similar to my situation. I am in my second break-in oil. I wound up having LN bore mine out to 3.8 this past late summer (it's a 2003 C2), and I now have the Solution. My advice is:

1. Do not drive it. I know, that one is obvious.
2. Get it to a reputable Indy. If you can't find one locally, contact Jake Raby. I didn't use Jake because I have an excellent guy nearby; no other reason.
3. Don't assume that you will need a new engine. You may, but don't assume that. It will need to be taken apart, and the damage assessed. Do what needs to be done, along with the typical wear items that you will be in a position to do (i/e., clutch, AOS, etc.). With low mileage, you may not do too badly.
4. Feel free to message me with any specific questions. I am not an expert; only experienced in the process.
5. Try to overlook some of the passive-aggressive stuff you will see here. There seem to be two camps here. One, "it is such a wonderful car, it probably didn't actually even happen and, if it did, it is your fault". Two, "you mean you actually bought one of these???" What's weird is that some folks seem to drift from one camp to the other, and then back again...

JMLavoie

Sorry for this miserable situation Diesel, but perhaps we should all wait for thorough diagnosis results before we collectively go apoplectic.
That would be the 2nd one in 2 wks for this group of addicts: Not good.

5CHN3LL

Sorry to hear this. Keep us posted. Since you're not in CA, it may be possible to go with a non-Porsche swap, should it turn out that the engine needs replacing. However, I don't know what the smog/air pollution laws are in your state, so some research is advisable before you start spending any money...

FRUNKenstein

Diesel - It is a good thing that you are choosing to share this info with the forum because we can learn from it - it would be less hassle to just stay quiet about it. So, thank you for sharing your experience.
Without assigning any blame to Diesel, I think his routine of use for the car put him squarely in the high risk category. The "low mileage car that sits over the winter" seems to be a common trait in the IMSB failures detailed in this forum. I'm certainly not an expert, and maybe someone with more experience and knowledge than I can chime in here.

gnat

I know IMS is the first thing many like to jump to and the rattle can sound is definitely attributed to that specific failure, but I didn't think dumping oil on the ground was a symptom.

I thought all the damage was internal in that case?

Regardless, sorry to hear about any failure. Seems to have been a bad few weeks for 996 owners

Mark Hubley

Diesel,

So, you're in the DC Metro area? So am I. Are you familiar with dorkiphus.net? It is a fairly active forum (though certainly not as much traffic as Rennlist), that is frequented by Porschephiles in the DC area. Post on that site, and you'll get lots of good information on mechanics/shops in the DC area. Some places to consider: Intersport in Northern VA, AtSpeed Motors near Columbia, MD. Depends on where in the Metro DC area you are.

Sorry to hear about the problem, and I hope you find a good solution.

KrazyK

More of an end result. Quite common. Most famous IMSB failure is:
Mark Wahlbergs

gnat

IMA in Chantilly, VA is probably another good one to talk to. Ivan drives 996s himself and seemed pretty well versed when I had him go over ours pretty good this summer.

gnat

Ahh. Thanks for the clarification, in all the threads I never seemed to pick up on that one.

Makes perfect sense that it would be a possibility, just didn't gather that it was common enough to say "oil on ground = imsb".