JFP in PA

Usually, someone familiar with wheel bearing noises on these cars can spot a bad one quickly once the car is up in the air, just by turning the wheel and listening. Changing the bearing is not that bad a job but is made significantly easier using a specialty tool set like the SIR system.

@JFP, Thanks for the input... I cut my filter yesturday after 1k miles. Still finding some flakes...less flakes based on only 1k miles. What the hell...I changed the oil while I was there. Drain plug shows no sign of decay or flaking. There are no PST or Durametrics in my area. I have considered the purchase of the durametric for my personal use... If you strongly believe I should plug in and watch cam deviation on a regular basis... I will order one now... Let me know. The Durametric software is as close as you are going to get to having one of the $18K/year leased PIWIS systems at your disposal; you would be able to read and clear the codes (ABS, air bags, service alerts, etc.) that force most people with an aftermarket OBD II scanner to spend $100 at the dealer for a 5 sec. code clearing. If you intend to keep the car, or stay with Porsche in the future, it would be an excellent investment of $300. Every car that comes into my shop for any scan related work automatically gets a look at the cam values; to date they are the only known proven indicator of serious IMS issues other than having the engine crap out when the IMS bearing dies. Don't be overly concerned about occasionally seeing flakes or a few metallic bits in the filter, we probably do 50-75 Porsche oil changes a week in season, and just about everyone shows some "bits and bobs" in the filter. These bits can come from several places (valve springs, cam tension pads, chain wear, cam wear, etc.), and are a normal course of events for the M96/97; and while they should be noted and monitored, don't start losing sleep over them............

There should be no resistance in the cables to and from the battery.

Magnetic drain plugs are used on everything from motor cycles to Cadillac's to race cars, and on engines, transmissions and differentials; they are a low cost tool with no moving parts that can help you assess the general condition of your engine, and sometimes help identify a developing problem before it becomes a disaster. Not bad for a couple of bucks.....

What you may want to look at it the resistance (ohms) in the battery cables. From time to time we see a car with apparent charging problems that are actually caused by high resistance cables due to internal corrosion or bad connector ends

Going on a population of two (the ones I have personally seen) yes, but with a caveat: I did not have access to the car's records prior to them coming into my shop, and both were multiple owner cars; so I cannot say if the car was factory original, or if they had been "updated" at some point. Interestingly, the engine oil cooler on the very early cars (without a vent line), is almost a dead ringer for the trans oil cooler still used on the Tiptronic transmission; both mount via an adaptor plate, neither has the vent line. I have often wondered if they were the same unit, but have never had both in the shop at the same time to compare…………..

Yes.

No modifications? How do you seal the oil passages without modifications? What do you do with that tube that does not stick out of the top of the 1997 (986) heat exchanger? Very simple: That is the very early 2.5L oil cooler, that uses an adaptor plate (attached to the cooler in the photo) can be removed and moved over to the newer cooler, which is flat on the bottom, with openings for the oil and coolant. These adaptor plates were only used on the very earliest 2.5L motors. The later cooler will still fit, and this is exactly why most dealers seem to sell you more o-rings than you need to put it on most M96/97 cases; the extras are incase you have this adaptor plate and need to transfer it over, otherwise you only need four o-ring, two each in two sizes. The “how to” section on replacing the oil cooler on a M96 with an adaptor plate is even covered in the Bentley manual, shows the adaptor, and where the extra o-rings go.............. The very early 2.5L cars did not have a ventline running from the top of the oil cooler to the rear boot surge tanks (added early to mid 97 after problems with air becoming trapped in the cooler, which is the highest point of the cooling system, reducing its effectiveness). All replacement tanks have a fitting for this line, as do many cars built in 97. On a very early car, without the connection on the tank (which would be very rare as the tank without the fitting only exsisted for a very short time), you can simply plug the line on the cooler; but a far better move would be to update the surge tank to the new design, if one is not already in the car, to prevent air entrainment. To my knowledge, the tanks without the line for the oil cooler are no longer available. And just a by-the-by, I've only ever seen two Boxsters with the adaptor plate, both 2.5L 97’s, which is still listed in the PET, but unnecessary on 99.9% of the Boxsters ever built...... I la maika'i nou.....................:)

I would expect a more granular ferrous material, and a lot more of it, if it were the IMS bearing.............. That said, there are no "good" metal finds in the oil filter, and I'd keep an eye on it. Just to be safe, if you have access to a Durametric system, or a PST II/PIWIS unit, take a look at the cam deviation values at idle, if they are steady values the IMS is probably OK at this juncture.

Sorry, but that is not correct. E85 has a tendency to cause corrosion due to water entrainment in the fuel, leading to severe problems with injector, fuel lines, and components such as the pump, which also may not be able to deliver enough E85 fuel to begin with. Most to the seals and o-rings in the fuel system that are meant for gas will also tend to swell and leak, leading to additional issues. We have seen more than one "attempted" E85 conversion in the shop, most of the aftermarket kits simply do not hold up because they do not go far enough. As far as making more power and costing less, we have not seen that either. EtOH is about 1/3 lower in specific BTU output compared to gas, so if you have to use more just to get back to where you were, it is going to have to cost one Hell of a lot less, prices which I have not seen. And unless the vehicle was E85 from the factory, you also have to factor in the cost of the conversion over the miles run on E85, which will further impact the economics

So what? The part number designates it was for the "S" Boxster or the Carrera's, but it still fits as the mount on the engine case is exactly the same on all three cars. It is taller than the base unit, but that is why you want to use it: It has more than twice the heat transfer capacity. It fits, without any other modifications, and it works.......

Anytime.............................

RFM is correct, the switch changed in 2005 and now looks like this: Instead of this for the earlier cars: The aftermarket price as also gone from about $10 to over $130......................

On the 1997 (986) to install the oil heat exchanger: You do not have to: "Drain water from engine block." You do not have to: "Drain oil and changed the oil filter." You do not have to: "Remove J tube." You do not have to: "Detach throttle body and place aside (good time to clean it)." You do not have to: "Remove "vacuum tubes one on each side." 1. "Place top in service position." 2. "Open engine compartment." 3. "Remove air tube from throttle body and air intake box on the left side." 4. "Remove oil heat exchanger - 4 hex screws." 5. "Replace O rings." 6. "Install new oil heat exchanger." Installation is the reverse of removal. The seals for the coolant break loose before the oil seals are free. Gently rock the heat exchanger before lifting it up and off and the coolant drains out of the heat exchanger without going into the oil. There is no need to mess with the oil, coolant drains, throttle body, J-tube and vacum lines, if you are just changing the heat exchanger . The "S," cooler looks different and will not fit. As we currently have several dozen customers running the "S" cooler upgrade on base cars, I'm not sure why you posted this, but it is wrong on a couple of critical points: 1. Not draining the coolant will lead to a complete mess, and will most will likely get coolant into the oil passages. Even when the engine is off, the cooler if full of coolant (it is the highest point of the cooling system), containing a couple of liters of coolant, as well as a fair amount of residual oil. Pulling the cooler without draining the system first will dump the retained coolant out all over the area where the cooler bolts to the block and coolant will get into the oil passages, with residual oil getting all over the top of the area as well. Draining the system and using a plastic bag slid under the unit before removing it totally prevents any mess, or intermixing. 2. As mentioned, we have a lot of customers running the "S" cooler on base cars, they fit without any additional modifications, and are hands down one of the best upgrades you can do for the money. It is a very common update, even with engine rebuilders. 3. Several of the other "steps" the poster listed where of his choice (e.g.: changing the oil, pulling the throttle body, etc.) to do other maintenance while in there. While not required to swap out the cooler, they were being done in parallel with the swap.

I have never tried changing the diodes; I leave that to shops that specialize in these repairs. Quite often, changing out the regulator is a simple and relatively cheap fix. It is a bolt in item and common to Audi, Mercedes and even VW; often a better source for the part as they only charge about $40-50 for it.

That I do not know.

The designates that the car is in the "S" model trim: Carrera 3.6L 6 cyl 345 hp/288 lb-ft Carrera S 3.8L 6 cyl 385 hp/310 lb-ft The "S" is also the "wide body" car (rear fenders to clear larger tires) and sells for around $10K more than the regular car. For more, visit Porsche's website.

If you have a leak in the AC unit under the dash, any decent AC shop should be able to detect the gas (most now use electronic detectors that are very sensitive). If it is leaking, the under dash unit must be replaced..............

If the battery is draining but otherwise good, and there are no undo parasitic drains on the system, you probably have a problematic alternator. Check for electrical drains by putting a digital voltmeter set to current (mA) between the positive battery cable and the positive battery terminal. You should see something around 60 mA or less (normal current draw). If it is higher, something is pulling current out while the car is parked. You can locate the circuit by pulling the fuses one at a time until you see the draw drop into its nominal value; the fuse you just pulled is the problem circuit. As for the alternator, you can use the same meter to check the voltage output at idle, should be 14.3V or so. If it is below 14V, you probably need a new voltage regulator for the alternator (same regulator is used in Audi, Mercedes, and VW cars, so you should be able to locate one).

I would say yes, and not just because we do PPI's. When spending an amount that one of these is going to set you back, you want to know as much as possible about the car, even if it carries a CPO. Percentage wise, it is a small investment in peace of mind. If nothing else, an independant PPI may provide "tie breaker" facts between two similar cars, such as a DME read out of how many times the car has been to the rev limiter. PPI's have also proven to be handy negotiation tools when it comes to price...... If there is nothing to hide, no dealer should be hesitant about a PPI.

The electrical section of the switch is a $15 item and a simple DIY project to replace. There is no real way to test it other than replace it. Do a quick search, you will find several "how to's" as this is a comon item.

The mixture codes may simply be "ghost" codes caused by a lack of adaption values in the DME. I would clear the codes using something like the Durametric, or any OBDII scanner, and drive the car for a bit before doing anything else. The mixture codes may come back again, so be prepeared for one more "reset" before taking them seriously.

Year and model information is always helpful………. Possible issues are the ignition switch (always a favorite) and/or a bad battery cable or connection.

Do not even think about repairing it; it will not hold. This is why you have insurance; I'll bet if you check, your comprehensive policy will cover this repair, much like getting a windshield replaced after a rock hit.

Let me guess: your mechanic cleared the codes by disconnecting the battery....... P1602 is the code for memory loss of the DME adaption values. Usual suspects: Wiring issues at terminal 30, battery was disconnected, DME was unplugged. P1123 and 1125 are the codes for both banks being so rich that the DME cannot compensate. Usually this is caused by high fuel pressure or leaking injectors; but as it seems to have happened just after the AOS was changed out, it may just be the lack of adaptation values (running time) on the DME. If your mechanic did clear the codes by using the battery, first you need a new mechanic. That is not how you clear codes. Take the car to a shop with either a Durametric system or a PST II/PIWIS unit, re-read the codes and then have them cleared. If there really is a fuel issue, the 1123/25 codes will return without the 1602 code after the DME has relearned the adaptation values, which will require you to drive the car for a bit.