Nosubstitute531

I get a nasty sound when I start my 997.1. Odometer has 88k miles but It has a brand new rebuilt 4.0L engine. The car starts perfectly and there’s no issues afterwards but it is of concern to me cuz it’s a nasty sound. Anyone know what it could be ? Is my starter going bad ?

I have a brand new battery and just replaced the voltage regulator also. No electrical issues to report and car drives perfectly fine once it starts.

Here is a video of the sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxXYs1oW_F0

Barry987

Hi
Sounds like starter motor not disengaging properly.

Barry

rtl5009

Yea that’s the starter throw out.

Mike Murphy

Sounds like the starter bearing to me.

Petza914

Agree. You need a new starter. The Bendix isn't retracting fast enough once the engine fires.

Nosubstitute531

I’m assuming I should replace this ASAP ? Sounds like it’s on its last legs and I could get stranded if I’m driving far from home and the starter gives out ?

Petza914

I would. The motor that makes it project may fail to allow it to retract at all and that would be bad.

Mike Murphy

Is this car that can be push started? Park on a hill to be safe, lol.

Petza914

Good thought. Sure it can with the manual transmission. Just one more benefit to a Manual. In college, I did a 600 mile trip home in my 914 with a non working starter.

Find gas stations on hills and ask the attendant if he'd be willing to help push me off the flat filling slate before shutting off the car. And for God's sake, don't stall IT at the drive through or in traffic LOL

G.I.G.

I agree with the others, that sounds like your starter. I'm a little surprised they didn't replace the starter, or at least ask you if you wanted to replace it, when you did the rebuild. That's the time to replace the ancillary components that are hard to access when the engine is in.

Off topic: curious who did your 4.0L rebuild and if you noticed any significant performance increases afterwards?

Back on topic, the starter is a relatively straight forward DIY project if you have the time. A lot of things need to be removed or moved (airbox, throttle body, intake plenum, etc.) but there are some good write-ups here and some good YouTube videos on how to do it. I replaced my starter proactively this last winter due to slugish starting. If memory serves, a new, OE Bosch starter was around $180 from FCP Euro. You can save quite a bit on labor if you tackle it yourself.

Sporty

Yes, def sounds like starter.

Who did your motor? was it a 3.6 or 3.8L to begin with? cause for rebuild ? where you in NJ?

Nosubstitute531

Thankfully, it is a manual. You couldn't pay me to drive an automatic car. Just soooo boring. Would you recommend buying a new Bosch starter or a remanufactured one? They have both on FCP but the new one doesn't seem to have very good reviews.

In regards to the 4.0L, long story short I bought it off of a friend which is why some of the components like the starter were not replaced and probably should have. It's always going to be a special car for me since it was my first Porsche and my friend and I essentially put the whole car back together and dropped the new rebuilt engine in. The engine was rebuilt by Jake Raby and it was originally a 3.6L.

Re performance gains: I can't tell you how happy I am with this engine. I always wanted a 997 turbo but this engine more than satisfies my needs for power and torque. The power/torque build up in the car is so smooth and linear - the car really flies and his more than enough power to put a smile on my face every time I drive it! The engine I have is theROAD AND TRACKPERFORMER (STAGE II) engine build and its a night and day difference between the 3.6L and I would say the 3.8 also because I test drove one

Nosubstitute531

I'm in North Jersey in Montville - are you close by?!

Petza914

I wouldn't worry about using a rebuilt starter. Just put one into my daughter's X5 and it works better than the original one did.

Nosubstitute531

the funny part is, they are both the same price. In that case should I just buy the new one?