JFP in PA

You may as well drain everything at this point and start fresh. The OEM coolant should cost about $22-24/gal, you will need at least two, plus distilled water.

I would replace the water pump, but I would not use sealant on the thermostat housing. You need to clean the metal mating surfaces (non-scratch scotch brite pad does an excellent job) and then use a new gasket. I would also only use the OEM coolant (you can do a search for info about known compatibility issues) premixed with an equal amount of distilled water (supermarket item, but very important). Once you get the system filled and "burped", you will be set for many years of service.....

Yes, it was most likely caused by an air pocket; this happens frequently with these cars when they run low on coolant due to the design of the cooling system. Refill the system using a vacuum fill, or use the alternative "burping" procedures and you will be fine.

The "non return" or check valve is on the oil supply side of the actuator; I think you are correct on where it is located.

Yes, it can be done on jackstands. Usually, a pair of 4 or 6 ton stands positioned ahead of the rear tires (at the jacking points) will get the car more than high enough to do it. Use hockey pucks ontop of the jackstands to protect the underbody and you are in business...............

Without knowing where you are located, outside temp displays can vary wildly during ambient temperature extremes. Yesterday, the air temp here was 95F; driving around over super heated asphalt, I saw outside temps that ranged from 85F to 110F.............

I would be circumspect about running the engine with the actuator removed as the oil pressure loss could cause starvation elsewhere, causing a entirely new set of issues (oil flows from the pump, to the crank journals, then up to the heads). Ideally, you would pull the actuator in question, and then push oil from the pump up to the now open actuator port (you could drain the engine oil into a suitable container, pump from that container through the engine, and let the returning oil drain back to the container). This is going to require fabricating some items (like a small rubber plug with a suitable tube sticking out of it to use at the oil pump, as the pump oil passage is not threaded, and you are going to have to push the plug in and hold it while the oil is pumping. Obviously, an extra pair of hands is going to be useful for this. A good idea would be to do this first with the actuator that is working properly so that you can see what the flow should look like before checking the problematic unit. Another possibility, and this is a bit of a “wild hare” approach, is to use vacuum rather than pressure. You would need to fab up rubber plugs and lines for both ends (oil pump and actuator port), and add a second collector container on the actuator port end to catch the oil and pull the vacuum from; but this would then become a “one man” operation………….. You could also skip opening up the oil pump entirely, and just use vacuum and the intact oiling system to pull the oil up to the actuator, saving a lot of “wrench time” for the process………

That is going to be complicated…………only way I can envision is to push oil from a pressurized container thru the system from the oil pump side with each actuator alternately removed, as you obviously cannot do this with the engine running. Another possibility would be to push compressed air backwards through the system; I'm trying to think of any downsides to doing this (like how the pressure control valve and spring in the oil pump would respond), and cannot think of any problems pushing air backwards might cause, but I cannot think of anything problematic. Before you assembled the engine, did you blow out the passage ways? Sometimes machine work and block cleaning leaves small bits of trash in these passage ways……… There is also the possibility you may find that one bank has a leaking oil passage way that is bleeding off the oil pressure on one side, but usually that shows up somewhere else, like oil in the coolant. I'm afraid that none of these "Easter Egg hunt" diagnostics are going to be easy or quick………..

Knowing that this is a recently assembled engine, are you sure there isn't anything obstructing oil flow (I have seen problems when people put too much sealant on surfaces and it ends up where it does not belong over time)? These actuators need both pressure and a level of flow volume to work correctly...what kind of oil pressure does the engine have?

You DME will reset, which you need to allow for when state inspection is on the horizon; but why not just put a good battery maintainer on it and leave it connected? I do this for very long periods of time with no problems, you just disconnect and start the car...................

Thanks for your advice. I'm guessing the tank is the original one. It is an .04 revision stamped 99. Sounds like a good idea to replace it. I was contemplating the nipple bypass just because I would love to get it fixed this weekend. :) But I'm not even sure that's the problem - it there a way to tell other than pressure testing it? Or any experiences that helps to point in this direction? Atle 99 Boxster w/996 Turbo front end conversion, 03+ rear w/PDC, 03 roof w/glass window, ++++++++++(!) Pressure testing the entire system is the correct way to go...............

Fred, I am happy for you; replacing the VarioCam actuator is the least objectionable out come................

If you know the final torque required at the fastener, couldn't you back calculate the torque wrench setting for any length special tool;s "arm"?

Porsche has (for many years) used a proprietary gear oil formulation that several oil companies (the honest ones, anyway) admit they do not have a match for. Considering that the OEM fluid is a full synthetic, and doesn’t cost that much, why would you risk an expensive gearbox on what may or may not be a suitable lubricant?

Sounds like the most likely possibility from what has been said so far. It may in fact be unrelated to the IMS retrofit work if the tensioner guide simply failed. Actually, they are somewhat related as you have to release the chain tensioners to do the IMS, then reset them afterwards………..

Reason I ask is because the failure of a tensioner guide will result in one bank jumping time.................

Why not just go back to the OEM unit; they work pretty well and would address all your issues?

Good luck with it Fred, you've got it in the best hands possible.. These are the kind of issues that keep some people awake nights................ Is Jake refering to the chain tensioner guide?

Yes, it is possible for only one bank to have jumped time. Each bank has its own chain run off the intermediate shaft, so if one chain became too loose during the IMS change out, and the cam was allowed to move due to valve spring pressures, it could jump time. This is why the engine is "locked down" prior to doing the IMS. As mentioned, the five chain motors are less prone to doing this than the three chain models, but they can still do it if the proper precautions are not taken……….

As I mentioned, going after the actuator is a time consuming job; that said, $1300 to just look at it is more than a bit much.................particularly when to check the allocation, all you need to do is set the engine at TDC and pull the two green plugs…………

You shouldn't be running 18's on a 97 in the first place; the later cars had to be reinforced in several critical areas in order to run 18's...................

seems odd the cam timing would be off after 200 miles - it was a rather sudden event - one minute, it was fine - the next, rough idle. Had the IMS been done incorrectly, wouldn't have the engine thrown a code and started rough idling immediately? one other question - if this were a faulty sensor, which sensor would I be looking for? Thanks Normally, I would agree that it is a bit odd, however the 1340 code is pretty specific to the issue. What has me intrigued is that all the codes are to one bank, which means the relationship between the intake and exhaust cams on that bank is outside the limits. On a five chain motor, that is pretty much impossible as there is a short chain connecting the two cams on each head that should have never had tension relaxed during the IMS install, which is why the IMS upgrade is less problem prone on 2003 and earlier cars. I think it would be useful to have the car run on a PIWIS or Durametric system to see where the cams actually are; could be that the one bank has a dying VarioCam actuator, or a position sensor that is causing the problem. Hopefully, that is the problem, but if it is, you are not out of the woods just yet because the actuator can be fun to replace with the engine in the car…..

Retiming is not required if the IMS change out is done correctly. As yours is a five chain motor, it should have been a relatively simple job to lock the engine down before changing the IMS. Without a full analysis of exactly how the service was done, it is difficult to positively connect the two incidents; but I have to add that if your cam timing is off, it would not be the first time I've seen this happen...............

Try here: Ruf

Actually, any water cooled system can benefit from a vacuum fill, which is why many OEM's such as Nissan are now recommending it for all cooling systems. While other designs are not as prone to the issues Porsche sees, they can still get air pockets in them. Vacuum filling eliminates any chance of that, and typically also reduces the total service time as well............