Last week I was driving my 03 S (62,500m) home at night when the car stalled at a stop sign. I restarted without issue and continued my short drive home. About 30 seconds later I noticed a large plume of smoke (too dark to tell color) coming from behind the car. I pulled over and shut it down within about 10 seconds of noticing the smoke. Had it towed to local shop the next morning where they confirmed that the motor is toast. No warning lights or indications of anything wrong beforehand. This is my 4th 986/996 (2 of each) and never had any serious issues with any of them. I bought this one about 8 months ago following a PPI and review of extensive service records which state that the IMS bearing was replaced a couple of years ago (will have to look again to see exactly what was done).

So far I have had no luck in sourcing a replacement engine or finding a shop to rebuild it. My local says about $5k to remove the old motor, swap whatever needs to be swapped, and put a replacement in. I really love the car which is in great shape otherwise (Paint 8/10, Interior 8/10) but need to make a realistic decision. Putting a run out Ebay engine in (around $5k) for a total investment of $10k doesn't seem to me to be a good idea. I am in Charleston, South Carolina.

Any advice or tips on a good engine source or rebuilder is appreciated.

PS I already contacted Flat 6 Innovations and they aren't currently supporting my motor due to supply chain/inflation.

Thanks

 

I feel your pain. You say the ‘motor is toast’, have you determined what caused this? I know the automatic assumption is the IMS bearing failed but could it be another failure? The IMS gets blamed for everything including the war in Ukraine it seems.

 

I do not know what caused the problem. Dead is dead though so not sure it really matters.

 

and they are sure that the air oil separator did not fail? That is an easy one. We bought a 2006 with 62000 miles about a year ago with a locked up engine from a salvage yard, beautiful car. They thought that the engine was bad. We drained the oil from the cylinder, replaced the aos and the car was fine

 

Well they say it is seized but worth a shot.

 

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

Thinking about it, simply put it in storage until you find a deal on a used engine, decide to pay for a rebuilt one or put an alternative engine in. Imagine an electric Boxster. No rush right now. I say "simply" but I realize that not everyone can pay for or already has a storage area. There seems to be a need in the marketplace for rebuilt Boxster engines or other engine alternative for a reasonable price and maybe someone will fill that market. It's a great chassis.

 

Not a bad idea but I already have a car "in waiting" for restoration. 2 of those would be a bit much. Still, I agree an alternative engine like an electric or something else might be the way to go.

 

You said later the motor had “seized”. The fact that it was still running when you saw the smoke and shut it off doesn’t square with a diagnosis of “seized” unless that happened in the shop while they were running it. Maybe a 2nd opinion would be useful? Also you never mentioned whether it was running roughly or making bad noises when the failure occurred - was it?

In any case, I too am sorry for your loss. I’m working thru one of my own at the moment.

 

Exactly what I am thinking. If the AOS failed, it could be “seized” because one or more cylinders are loaded with oil. Been there, done that. Pull the plugs and see if it spins over - you may be pleasantly surprised.

 

A cheap engine swap has been done a few times with the VW 1.8t, but nobody seems to have documented it. From what I've read it sounds like a conversion harness and a new front mount, at least for the 5 speed gearbox, and a new exhaust. Of course, that's easy for me to say, having no experience making a suitable harness, but it sounds like far less work than many other swaps.

 

Definitely something to double-check before any big decisions are made.

 

A failed alternator bearing can make a lot of noise and smoke, and can keep an engine from turning over.
Pull the plugs, remove the serpentine belt and see if you can turn it over.

 

"Removed spark plugs, oil came out of two cylinders. Let all the oil drain out, the motor turns by hand now but is noisy. Spun over with starter and its just knocking away (bent connecting rod)"

More to follow......

 

My mom has an '05 S that was just wrecked (front end collision) approx. 30k miles. The car coincidentally is in SC. Car likely to be totaled. Please contact me if interested.