WP0DD

Hello,

Looking at a 1997 986 with around 25k miles. I've checked around, but info about what models needed to be "sleeved" is hard to come by... some say 1998s, some say 1998s and 1999s, some include 1997s too. Others say any car with under 30k could be an issue. Does anyone have confirmation? Should I be worried if this car is on its original engine and hasn't been "sleeved", or is it OK because it's a 1997?

Macster

Can no longer remember the MYs which could have potentially been sleeved at the factory to address a porous block due to a casting problem.

Best I can do is suggest you visit Mike Focke's Boxster web pages and I believe he has a link to a write up that covers this subject quite thoroughly.

Sincerely,

Macster.

aron in toronto

The '97 model Boxsters were not affected by the re-sleeved motors which came later, unless the motor was a replacement built in '98.

Aron

racer

x2.. when I was looking for a Boxster, '98s and some early '99s were affected.

btw, '97s were not recommended to run 18" wheels from the factory. Wasn't till '98 that Porsche "allowed" that.

I would be curious to hear more about the '97 you found. IMHO, unless insanely low priced, or simply the car you can't live without, it would seem MY 2000 and newer boast a host of upgrades and can be found for low to mid teens...

mikefocke

Porous Block - Early '97 engines had a "porous block" problem that generally massively failed within the first 10k. Check through the dealer and see if there is any record of the engine serial number being a replacement and if they can give you a date when the remanufactured engine was redone.