JFP in PA

The dash gauges in these cars are not known for their accuracy, so I would not be overly concerned. Swapping out the cluster requires buying a new one (read $$$$) and having the system programed to the correct mileage using a PST II or PIWIS.

No, I rather doubt it. The car's use different systems, and the 996 has a lot of new technology and systems the 964/993 simply did not have, so the Hammer would not even see them. The 996 needs a PST II, PIWIS, or Durametric system.

You may or may not get 40-50K out of a steel bearing depending upon a lot of factors beyond those you mentioned, but you will get that and more from a quality ceramic bearing like the LN unit.

OK, here goes: One point you need to recognize is that the single row bearing Pelican is selling is simply a bad idea, as is basing your cost assumptions on mileage. According to Porsche's own data, somewhere around 10% of all single row OEM bearings fail in service, so replacing the much superior dual row with a weaker single row is a big move in the wrong direction from a durability standpoint. At best, the 30-45K mile service life estimate is a WAG type guess. Considering how many single row engines Porsche replaced under warranty (and well short of 30-45K miles), this mileage number could easily be too high and estimate as well. LN's service life estimate for the dual row replacement is a very conservative estimate, as they strongly prefer to under rather than over estimate. We have customers that are well beyond that number with no signs of problems. That said, no ball bearing will last forever in this type of application, it is a "consumable" component, not unlike brake pads, water pumps, or clutch discs. Sooner or later, they will need service, which is why Porsche redesigned their engines to eliminate them. At this time, the only known permanent solution for the IMS bearing is the "Solution" system which has no ball bearings at all; but this is only made for the single row bearing engines. At my shop, we simply will not replace an OEM steel bearing with another steel unit, simply because the economics do not make any sense. Most of the total cost for an IMS replacement is the labor to take the car apart and put it back together again; the parts costs are a very small percentage. With more than 12,000 ceramic bearings installed and on the road, LN has more than proved the case for the slight extra cost of the ceramic hybrid bearings.

Emissions related codes are capable of clearing themselves if the problem goes away for enough miles. Only problem now is if or when it returns.

I'll apologize for asking up front, but why do you want to cut costs on an item that could potentially reduce your engine to paperweight? Even Porsche does not sell this bearing anymore..............

The key here is "balance", namely which oil gives the best balance of cold starting, shear protection under heat, and show the ability to "stay in grade" (read still be the advertised oil grade after four or five thousand hard miles) Both a 0W and 5W oil are low enough in viscosity to handle all but the most brutal sub zero F cold starts; in reality, the two oils are only slightly different in viscosity at low temps. But as noted above, the 0W oil makes more extensive use of VI additives, so it tends to shear down faster (falling out of grade). One area where most 0W and 5W oils differ is in film strength; 5W tends to be much better in that regard. All things considered, I would look for a 5W-40 oil with ACEA A3, B3, B4 rating's with the highest ZDDP level you can find. If you lived in a more moderate climate, I would even consider a 10W-40 that met the other criteria as well, as 10W oils tend to be even better than their 5W counterparts.

Besides the obvious cooling system hot spots, the European weather can be a factor as repeated cold starts and shorter drive cycles lead to fuel intrusion into the oil which both washes lubrication from the critical trust side of the cylinders and reduces the effectiveness of the lubricants, as does the European penchant for putting a lot of miles on oil before changing it. While such action is obviously "green" and environmentally friendly, it can lead to accelerated wear issues in alloy engines. Add in the ever lowering levels of ZDDP in the oil and you probably have another contributing factor.

The oil viscosity difference is marginal at best, but the lower oil temps is important to the oil's longevity and hear resistance. What would also be important is selecting an oil with high ZDDP levels and film strength.

I find it unusual that you have the CEL on and no codes; who's scan tool are you using? As for the tank vent valve, try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zulI06TPBVc

1997 boxster. It has 2 cats, one on each side. there is one O2 sensor between the maniford down pipe and the cat, on one sensor on the end of the muffler. Each side is symetrical (e.g. 2 O2 sensors/side, 2 sides, total of 2 O2 sensors). So now the question remains: for North American car, What side (driver or passenger) is Bank 2?? and where is Sensor 1 located? (between manifold & cat? or at muffler?) Any help is really appreciated. Thanks J Bank #1 is on the passenger's side of a Boxster, bank #2 is the driver's side. Sensor #1 is the one closest to the engine.

If you can get the car up in the air a bit, the sensors are definitely a DIY project. That said, I would not be buying any until you have the code(s) as many O2 sensor codes are actually caused by something else.

Try disconnecting the radar detector power connection and see if the problem goes away.

If you suspect oil leakage, it is not going to heal by itself. You need to put the car up in the air and have a look from underneath to try and spot the source. Oil leaks are common on these older cars, particularly from the spark plug tubes; fortunately and is a relatively easy and inexpensive fix..

Try removing the oil fill cap while the car is idling, if it come off easily and the car starts to idle funny, you are fine. If it is excessively hard to get off, the AOS is on the way out.

Unfortunately, I have no reference as to its ACEA ratings or ZDDP levels, and it is expensive. I think you can do better elsewhere.

As I noted, we have many customers running the 160F LN thermostat for years with absolutely no downsides. Changing the stat is a matter of draining the coolant out, and removing four bolts. Would also be an excellent time to replace the coolant if it is more than 4 years old.

Dealer's are going to pretty much "toe the factory line" when it comes to lubricants. 0W-anything is way to thin for an air-cooled car, and their recommendations shows they have not seen an air-cooled car in a while. 15W-50 and 20W-50 full synthetics are not that much different, except in the case of cold start in winter weather, and as you live in NY state, you see the cold. We use the 15W-50 Gibbs in air-cooled cars year round, and we see plenty of cold as well. You will be fine.

For an air-cooled, I would be going with a 15W-50 full synthetic with the highest ZDDP level I could lay my hands on, such as Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil 02806 DT50 15W-50.

To me, this product has always seemed like an expensive solution in search of a suitable problem. We see literally dozens of liquid cooled Porsches every day in the shop, some with over 200K miles on them, and not one of them are using this "magic ingredient" as you describe it, and none of them are dying from liner scoring. Long before I would head in the direction of "waterless coolant", I would simply cool the engine down a bit. It is well documented that these engine's run way too hot to begin with, and that problem is further exacerbated by the creation of localized hot spots that are caused by the coolant flow restrictions inherent in the engine case castings. The result is the general coolant flow is running at over 210F under good cooling conditions, with the localized areas running as much as 30F (or more) higher. My first step would be to change the car over to a 160F thermostat (the OEM stat begins to open at 184F, but is not fully open until nearly 210F). Just by doing this simple and relatively inexpensive change, we have seen car's coolant temps drop to 175F under the same conditions that they previously ran over 210F. We have also observed a drop of 25-30F in the oil temperatures as well, which goes a long way in helping the oil do its job while living longer. We have many customers running this configuration, and have done so for several years with absolutely no issues, and even their UoA's look better. You cannot easily address the engine's inherent coolant flow restrictions, but by lowering the coolant temp and keeping the front radiators clear of any debris, you will go a very long way towards eliminating this issue.

For a Cayenne, I believe it is under the A/C section (I am away from the shop at the moment).

The easiest way is to test it with a Porsche specific diagnostic tool like the Durametric system, you can simply activate it. I would be surprised if the car did not throw a code if the fan was bad.

That could be tough as it was never released in print. You may need to consider a subscription to Porsche's technical services system PIWIS TSI: https://techinfo2.porsche.com/PAGInfosystem/VFModuleManager?Type=GVOStart On the site you can purchase single pages or complete service manual sections as need.

Yes, check the tank vent valve as noted on Loren's response.

Cylinder scoring is more than a matter of clearances, there are other, more prevalent factors involved.