996 Engine failures

[cozynp]

Hi, I bought my '98 996 C2 3.4l because I loved these cars. I had it for one week when I had to take it back to the car yard as it had a very bad oil smell. It had 86,000km on the dial (53,000mls). The car stayed in the workshop for more than a week. I was told to take out extended warranty to save myself expensive repair costs. I have driven it for more than 20,000km since, with no problem. I do get that rattling sound when I start it up from cold. However when it reaches normal operating temperature, the rattle disappears. I change the engine oil every 10km and the gear oil every 20km. I'm nervous the engine will fail. Is this rattling sound a signal that the worst will happen. I now have 123,000km (76,000 mls). Anyone out there with a rattling sound when they start the engine from cold.

[wvicary]

The hydraulic valve train often makes a rattle at start up. If your that worried about it failing then get a warranty. Have a look around the forum using the search button, loads of good info on both issues.

[c70Pete]

get a warranty!!! you will not regret it... .the rattling sound is not good... it will manifest itself in an engine failure one day... warranty is best $$$ you will be spending... @ 123,000 km on a 3.4 I'm surprise it hasn't grenaded yet...

[c70Pete]

i agree with Pete. I have a c4s which needs a new engine with 46116 kilometers. It all started with rattling on cold start. i would roll it off a cliff if i was you and save the headaches.....believe me...

a 3.6 with 46K on it and it failed? what was the diagnosis... hmm.... apparently they didn't do much between the 3.4 and 3.6.... design... I know its got more parts in it but they are still failing.... a common failure seems to be the bearings at the intermediate shaft (IMS)... .I guess that's why in the new 997.2 they have done away with IMS... cause they could never get it right...

I've read so many failures on these motors that its clear to me you won't be enjoying them for "years to come"... and what is porsche doing about it... NOTHING... making clients pay for a new motor... where companies like BMW when they had bearing failures on their E46 M3 they warrantied all these motors for 160,000 km.... now THATS standing behind your product.

[1schoir]

Hi, I bought my '98 996 C2 3.4l because I loved these cars. I had it for one week when I had to take it back to the car yard as it had a very bad oil smell. It had 86,000km on the dial (53,000mls). The car stayed in the workshop for more than a week. I was told to take out extended warranty to save myself expensive repair costs. I have driven it for more than 20,000km since, with no problem. I do get that rattling sound when I start it up from cold. However when it reaches normal operating temperature, the rattle disappears. I change the engine oil every 10km and the gear oil every 20km. I'm nervous the engine will fail. Is this rattling sound a signal that the worst will happen. I now have 123,000km (76,000 mls). Anyone out there with a rattling sound when they start the engine from cold.

Total engine failure often comes with no advance warning whatsoever.

If you can't stomach the risk, get a warranty ASAP.

Regards, Maurice.

[laverda668]

This will make you cry. I bought a 1998 996 C2 with 145,000km on the clock. I bought it privately so no warranty. I had a Porsche mechanic spend two days checking it out and got a clean bill of health. Two weeks later the head cracked, flooding the cooling system with water and turning the oil to greasy milkshake. The engine needed a complete, top-to-bottom rebuild costing $20k.

GET A FARKING WARRANTY! End of story.

Cheers

David H

[c70Pete]

This will make you cry. I bought a 1998 996 C2 with 145,000km on the clock. I bought it privately so no warranty. I had a Porsche mechanic spend two days checking it out and got a clean bill of health. Two weeks later the head cracked, flooding the cooling system with water and turning the oil to greasy milkshake. The engine needed a complete, top-to-bottom rebuild costing $20k.

GET A FARKING WARRANTY! End of story.

Cheers

David H

that really sucks... why didn't you just buy a new one from Porsche with a 2 year warranty? it would have been a lot cheaper no?

[ecgross1]

Funny how isolated bad experiences can be given the same weight as a statistically significant sample. This means you need to look at hundreds or thousands of these cars to determine reliability - not just the one car that died on you or your buddy. No car is perfect, and the same is true for the 966. For the track miles I've put on my car, the engine has been bullet-proof.

As for the "ratttling" when it starts - it could be any number of items. Do not listen to all of the Chicken-Little, the sky is falling posters here. The noise you reference is most likely normal and nothing to worry about. Many older cars develop some noise on start-up - my E36 M3's valves and lifters make quite a bit of noise on start and then quiet down. This is not a sign of any pending failure. Of course, without hearing the noise your car makes for myself, I can only speculate.

Final note - warranties are for suckers. By definition, the the time-value of the insurance premium you will pay will not only cover the cost of any repairs, it will provide a profit for the insurance company. Now, if you could not bear the loss of an engine failure (I don't know who is foolish enough to pay $20k for an engine rebuild when a new plant costs thousands less), and you would be left with a worthless car that you could not repair, then you should consider a warranty. If you have the resources to buy a new engine yourself, the rational move is to self-insure. If you are looking at car warranties, be aware that many companies are fraudulent - they will take your money and then declare bankruptcy in a year or two when the claims start.

[c70Pete]

Funny how isolated bad experiences can be given the same weight as a statistically significant sample. This means you need to look at hundreds or thousands of these cars to determine reliability - not just the one car that died on you or your buddy. No car is perfect, and the same is true for the 966. For the track miles I've put on my car, the engine has been bullet-proof.

How many track miles do you have on your car...?

Final note - warranties are for suckers. By definition, the the time-value of the insurance premium you will pay will not only cover the cost of any repairs, it will provide a profit for the insurance company. Now, if you could not bear the loss of an engine failure (I don't know who is foolish enough to pay $20k for an engine rebuild when a new plant costs thousands less), and you would be left with a worthless car that you could not repair, then you should consider a warranty. If you have the resources to buy a new engine yourself, the rational move is to self-insure. If you are looking at car warranties, be aware that many companies are fraudulent - they will take your money and then declare bankruptcy in a year or two when the claims start.

umm... I big to differ here... if you are buying a used 996 get a warranty that will cover full engine and transmission replacement... and your absolutely right about the fraudulent companies out there... they say they will cover you but in the end will not...

does anybody know how much a good warranty for a used 996 costs?

[Ruf987]

i agree with Pete. I have a c4s which needs a new engine with 46116 kilometers. It all started with rattling on cold start. i would roll it off a cliff if i was you and save the headaches.....believe me...

Yeah but before you find a cliff Get a warranty..

[porschedr]

Unless you have the time, energy and facilities to rebuild these engines get a warranty.

They are poorly designed, structurally compromised and hence prone to catastrophic failure.

If Porsche had any decency they would of recalled all engines instead they made a series of modifications and denied any issues.

I would very much like to quote engine failure statistics unfortunately Porsche will not release these figures. That is why the only evidence is anecdotal. It always ends up Porsche apologist v Porsche realist.

What I can tell you is:

My car has had 2 catastrophic engine failures in 3 years.

Several companies exist purely to remedy the engines specific problems.

There are very few early 996s with original unmodified engines. Most have had replacement units or rebuilds with upgraded components. If you bought the car secondhand you may not even know.

Porsche unwittingly admitted to there being problems by modifying the crankshaft/chain/IMS mid-production.

Porsche offer deals to customers whose cars have engine failures. Why, if there aren't inherent flaws?

The great thing about being a realist is firstly you are prepared for the worst and secondly you know the apologist is going to have a very nasty realisation of just how wrong they are.

I am getting rid of my car now while the going is good.