1999 Boxter 57,000 miles - new engine?

[DavidLev]

I have taken my car to a Porsche specialist in Southern California. He is going to drain the oil, remove and cut open the oil filter, and see if it has any debris – metal or plastic - from a tensioner or intermediate shaft.

 

I am unlikely to hear back from him for 2 to 3 weeks.

 

While I wait and worry, I would like to know if anyone has a recommendation as to what the best path to go is:

 

Do I remove the engine and rebuild it at a local machine shop?

 

Do I find a used engine and hope that it hasn’t exploded?

 

Do I buy a long block from a larger re-manufacturer?

 

Does Porsche sell a crate engine?

 

I will not be doing the labor on this vehicle myself. I would need to know the names of shops you have used to do this type of repair successfully in the past. There are probably 100 Porsche specialist shops that are in the greater Los Angeles area.  I am happy to tow my vehicle anywhere. 
 

it would be helpful if in addition to the name of the shop you have used, you also let me know how much you paid or how much I should expect to pay. At this point I have heard everything from $4000-$18,000 for a new engine for a Boxster. This is not an S. It is manual transmission. 
 

thank you in advance! I appreciate you taking the time to read. Bonus points if you respond lol.

[JFP in PA]

Rebuilding the engine is questionable; it requires specialized tooling and knowledge, and there are only a small number of shops that can do this well.  Same applies to block or cylinder head work.  It is also going to be pricey, like in the $12-16K range.

 

Porsche has stopped offering replacement engines for this car, but companies like RND, which is an LN Engineering affiliate, offer complete replacements for around $22K RND replacement engine for 1999 Boxster

 

A used engine can be had for around $3 to 5K from wrecks.

[mikefocke]

Years ago I wrote up all the options I had heard of. https://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/what-can-you-do-if-your-engine-is-blown

 

Some of the prices may be out of date but their relative cost is probably in the right ballpark.

[JE 17]

Why do you think you need a new engine?

I have a '99 with 67k which runs great!

[DavidLev]

Are you telling me @JE 17 that you have one for sale in Wyoming? Link to details. 

As to why I think I need a new engine, I guess I would say it is the very visible pieces of metal in the oil filter and oil pan I removed this morning. 

Might be just IMS stuff, might be sleeve, either way I did not take off the valve covers to look, and the oil pump screen didn't have any big chunks sucked to it, but as I've shown others the photos, the consensus is that I have a good core but probably not just the IMS bearing. 

Here's so photos - feel free to chime in. 57,000 miles. Oil changes every 5,000 *and* every year despite low mileage car. 

I am in no way an expert on Porsche, but I assume that is either IMS parts or maybe rings or valve seals? I have no idea. 

 

 

Edited January 13, 2022 by Loren
Made images viewable here

[JFP in PA]

The biggest question is are the metal bits ferrous (can be picked up by a magnet)?  If they are, the problem is serious.

[DavidLev]

That’s a test I should have done but honestly I don’t think they would glisten like diamonds if they were rubber or plastic so we don’t know. I wanted to touch them but thought I’d probably get hurt or at least oily. 

[JE 17]

No, my 99 isn't for sale!

Is there any plastic in there, or is it all metallic? I've had three of these engines apart, and while I don't have the mileage on all of them, each had significant wear to the cam actuator pads. And as posted on this forum and elsewhere, when they wear enough, the cam chain starts chewing up the metal parts of the actuator. Of course, there are many possibilities for this debris, including bearing material as you noted.