04 GT3 with 41k miles, should I worry

[johnr265]

Hello all, great forum. I am considering an 04 GT3, Porsche Certified with 41,000 miles on the clock. I have not yet seen any cars with higher mileage than this. Should I be worried and wait to find a lower mileage car? Aside from routine maintenance, are there any major repair or problem areas I need to worry about that wouldn't be covered under the warranty (in particular, the 2 year extension).

Also, under hard acceleration, it seemed to pull to the side. I couldn't tell if it was cold tires, ruts in the road, or a true alignment problem. It felt like an autocross car with a toe out alignment. I know these cars are darty on the street but is this normal?

All in all, awesome car. Any input appreciated.

Edited November 20, 2007 by johnr265

[2Fast996]

Pulling under acceleration is most likely rear tire pressure imbalance or alignment. Of course check the easier of the two first. The alignment would be covered under the Porsche warranty before they can sell the car.

[johnr265]

Another thing, the clutch pedal seems quite stiff. Is this normal or is it a sign the clutch is going? It otherwise seems to engage fine and I don't feel any slipping. Any good way to check the clutch? Thanks. I appreciate the speedy feedback as the dealer is pressing me to make a decision soon.

[clord]

Hi Johnr.... The Mk II GT3 is a fine, sound, 911 with, arguably, the strongest normally aspirated 911 drive train of the 996 series. If normal service has been performed, I would not worry about the engine. You should, though, have a PIWIS scan of the ECU done to read out the number of over revs. Many over revs over a long time can indicate track, or other abuse. A leak down test can reveal any internal damage too. As for the pulling under acceleration, it can be caused by a number of things. As was said, uneven tire pressure is the easiest to check for. It can also be alignment (they are Very Sensitive to alignment), and, uneven tire wear or internal tire damage. GT3's can be darty, but, pulling on acceleration is a problem that can be fixed. Yes, the normal GT3 clutch action is noticably heavier than the standard 996. Let us know what you find and decide.

[Bostonduce]

I would echo clord's comments.

There are two types of overrevs: Type 1 which are those where the rev limit has been activated and type 2 which are the mechanical over revs generated when the gear selected is too low for the given road speed.

Type 2 overrevs are also refered as THE MONEY SHIFT. They WILL cause valve train damage, and it may be impossible to detect for many miles after the event which percipitated it.

There have been MANY internet threads which talk about PCA denying warranty service when type 2's are present- whether original or certified.

You need to see the history of these overrevs which is stored in the car's ECU before you further consider purchase. If the dealer says he doesn't know what you are talking about- RUN!

Regards,

BD

[johnr265]

So I checked, no type 2 overrevs but 2800 type 1 in 41,000 miles. Is that an unusually high number or par for the course for a car like this? I already put a deposit on the car but have one last chance to back out before it is finalized. Thanks for everyone's help.

I would echo clord's comments.

There are two types of overrevs: Type 1 which are those where the rev limit has been activated and type 2 which are the mechanical over revs generated when the gear selected is too low for the given road speed.

Type 2 overrevs are also refered as THE MONEY SHIFT. They WILL cause valve train damage, and it may be impossible to detect for many miles after the event which percipitated it.

There have been MANY internet threads which talk about PCA denying warranty service when type 2's are present- whether original or certified.

You need to see the history of these overrevs which is stored in the car's ECU before you further consider purchase. If the dealer says he doesn't know what you are talking about- RUN!

Regards,

BD

[jmatta]

no type 2 overrevs but 2800 type 1 in 41,000 miles.

2800 hits to the rev limiter? Apparently the prior owner needs some driving lessons.

[Loren]

So I checked, no type 2 overrevs but 2800 type 1 in 41,000 miles. Is that an unusually high number or par for the course for a car like this? I already put a deposit on the car but have one last chance to back out before it is finalized. Thanks for everyone's help.

I have yet to see any Porsche without some type 1 over revs. Type 1 are the safe over revs - they were controlled by the rev limiter. As said here before we suspect that the actual count is "ignitions" - so in one crankshaft revolution there would be 6 ignitions.

I would not worry about any type 1 over revs when buying a used Porsche just type 2.

[johnr265]

Thanks, you have set my mind at ease. The paperwork is finalized and I will be picking her up sometime next week. I can barely sleep.

-John

So I checked, no type 2 overrevs but 2800 type 1 in 41,000 miles. Is that an unusually high number or par for the course for a car like this? I already put a deposit on the car but have one last chance to back out before it is finalized. Thanks for everyone's help.

I have yet to see any Porsche without some type 1 over revs. Type 1 are the safe over revs - they were controlled by the rev limiter. As said here before we suspect that the actual count is "ignitions" - so in one crankshaft revolution there would be 6 ignitions.

I would not worry about any type 1 over revs when buying a used Porsche just type 2.

[Michael K.]

2800 hits to the rev limiter? Apparently the prior owner needs some driving lessons.

2800 type 1 pings is very little. You have to remember that each ping is an ignition of a single plug. I have over 20,000 type 1. When would you be available for these driving lessons?

[johnr265]

So fyi, I went ahead and bought the car and I love it. There is nothing quite like the sound of that engine as it reaches for redline (perhaps that's why the previous owner exceeded it every now and then). Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone for their advice. It was very reassuring and I look forward to some seriously fun times with this car.

-John

[Loren]

:clapping:

[911-Sun-Race]

So I checked, no type 2 overrevs but 2800 type 1 in 41,000 miles. Is that an unusually high number or par for the course for a car like this? I already put a deposit on the car but have one last chance to back out before it is finalized. Thanks for everyone's help.

I have yet to see any Porsche without some type 1 over revs. Type 1 are the safe over revs - they were controlled by the rev limiter. As said here before we suspect that the actual count is "ignitions" - so in one crankshaft revolution there would be 6 ignitions.

I would not worry about any type 1 over revs when buying a used Porsche just type 2.

Just a correction, one crankshaft revolution is 3 ignitions ;)

Don't worry about overrevs 1... Only 2800 rev's correspond approximatively to 6 - 7 revs during one second.

The man who drive this car was very cool B)