355bhp

I was thinking of replacing my canister oil filter with a billet spin-on oil filter adapter. I would think this would be beneficial because I can use a K&N Gold oil filter. Any comments would be appreciated.

tfisher:

This approach is recommended by Charles Navarro and Jake Raby. They sell such an adapter. IIRC, using a Mobil 1 or a K&N filter is an improvement over the stock oil filter according to their recommendation.

Regards, Maurice.

What's the difference between the canister and billet spin-on type? Can/should this be done for a 997 M96 3.8 as well?

Sorry, completely sarcastic comment about recalls. I did not mean to raise false hope.

Silly me for biting.

The M96 is after all, a high stress motor extracting lotsa bhp for its displacement, and the one in mine make's it a blast (hopefully not literally) to drive, so I can't be too hard on Porsche AG.

Make sure that PCNA has your current address and vin so you won’t miss the updated component install recall.

First I've heard of that. Tell me more, or refer me to some posts/websites. Thanks.

Somewhere on this forum, it's said that if the IMS lets go, it'll be during the first 25K miles. . .

I don't know that there is any basis for the 25K miles comment. . .

Here's the post, in part, where I read of the IMS failing only in the first 25K miles.

. . . The intermediate shaft if prone to failure will fail at around 30 - 45K miles regardless of how the engine has been serviced or driven. There is no confirmation that every car will fail for this problem , but there do seem to be a number of cars reported all with the same issue.

OK, so it says 30-45K miles. Anyway, from subsequent posts and from expert sources suggested by you and others, the IMS bearing can fail at any time. As I interpret it, the IMS article from LN Engineering states that there's basically a one-in-ten chance (in the first 90K miles) the bearing will fail. Those aren't great odds, but they're lots better than 50-50. Still glad I purchased that extended warranty though.

Your 2004 is likely to have a dual row bearing - Porsche returned to using the dual row bearing until the MY06 where they went to a much larger single row. To date, every MY99 and 00 3.4 996 IMS has had the single row, but everything else I have seen has been dual row. There are exceptions though to the rule - I did a 3.6 X51's IMS and it had a single row like the 99-00 3.4 996, so go figure.

I updated our IMS page to try to be a little more clear in explaining the differences and what simple changes can be done to improve longevity.

In response to an earlier post someone where someone had thrown out a figure that inferred most failures occur early, there's no evidence to say that if it doesn't break early, that it won't.

Once I re-read the IMS page, I realized my potential mistake. I could worry myself sick over this, but I'm gonna continue to have fun with the car. If anything, perhaps I'm babying it a little too much, so I'm gonna increase my RPM shift points, and mpg be damned! I WILL increase the frequency of oil changes as cheap insurance, as well as look into other oil brand choices.

And that someone was me! I stand corrected.

I've found that those monster brakes on the S to be a bit of overkill--like the 19" rims (and phony quad exhaust tips!); unless you track the car of course.

From what I have read the new 2009 997.2 non-S tips fit directly on the 997.1 S exhaust. Even with factory pricing they may be the cheapest solution to your 'issue'.

Hey, thanks johnstoy! I just looked at an '09 (I can dream, can't I?), and I didn't even think to look at the exhaust tips. I'll get a quote from Sunset after a while. Gonna need new brakes and skins soon.

I don't know that there is any basis for the 25K miles comment. A better approach would be to read the article by Jim Pasha in the December 2008 issue of Porsche Excellence magazine, entitled "M96, Past, Present and Future", with input from Jake Raby and Charles Navarro. Then go to LN Engineering's website and read the article entitled "Intermediate Shaft", here: http://www.lnengineering.com/ims.html Both of these articles are well written and based on first-hand experience, and they go a long way towards explaining the IMS issues and possible causes and remedies.

IMO, they are must reading for anyone with an M96 engine. Whether or not you have read these articles, you have the right approach: "...having an absolute blast driving that little monster" is exactly the right attitude!

Regards, Maurice.

Gulp! I finally read my Certificate of Authenticity, and my car was built 29 October 2004 (that's right around Halloween too--yipes!), so it looks like it has the wimpy, single-race IMS bearing. I coughed up an extra 3 Grand for a four-year extended warranty that kicks in right about now, so I'm not gonna worry too much. Regardless, I'm not gonna enjoy "the little monster" one whit less! Watch this space.

Holy COW!! Aftermarket sellers want anything from $800 to $1200 just for the TIPS!! What are these guys smokin'?! I guess I'll just have to live with 'phony-balony'.

I stand corrected....

I checked the Fabspeed site and it appears that the 996 and 997 is a totally different design for the way the tips connect.

Fabspeed has these. They look a lot nicer than the stock(to me.)

Close, but no cigar (granted, they DO look nicer). Thanks though.

Anybody know of a replacement for the phony-balony quad exhaust tips on a 997-1 C2S? I'd rather have two big tips than four fake ones.

Somewhere on this forum, it's said that if the IMS lets go, it'll be during the first 25K miles. I've got 30K on my purchased used '05, and so far I've left no engine parts on the freeway. And I'm having an absolute blast driving that little monster.

Dang! Bimmers have to be awfully expensive to maintain, if Porsches are cheaper! But seafeye is right, they're tons of fun to drive; I can't leave mine in the garage. Best grocery-shopping and freeway-fighting car I ever had.

I don't see where it would make a difference, because the arc of the speedo increments looks exactly the same for both mph and kph; e.g. 62mph looks to be where 100kph is on the Euro face. Request a part number on this forum, and perhaps you can order the faces directly from a Porsche dealer.

After a Google search, I found a link right back here at Renntech to a 986 Boxter thread a coupla years old. The Porsche 9204 tool is 74mm dia with 14 flats. Vector and Assenmacher have equivalent metal tools for Toyota, and they run about $8 to $15. One could likely find them at good auto part stores or a Toyota dealer. The Vector might also be found at motorcycle parts stores, because the 74 mm/14 flat tool also fits Ducati filters. They're all available online, but shipping seems to be as much as the tool itself, and I'd inquire first to be sure that they're of the correct configuration. Cheers.

I'm having a tough time trying to find a proper oil filter wrench. Sunset Porsche stocks them, but they run $33 with the discount and apologies! I've called three L.A. area Porsche dealers' parts departments, and they said they don't stock ANY tools. One suggested Snap-On, so I checked their site http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/tools.asp?t...re=snapon-store, and they have three such wrenches; a 65/67 mm with 14 flats; a 76 mm with 14 flats ("for VW, Porsche, BMW and Mercedes"), and a 93 mm with 15 flats. All are 3/8" drive and look to be of stamped sheet metal. They cost between $10 and $13. Would one fit the Porsche oil filter housing?

Thanks

After prolonged idling in neutral when stuck in heavy traffic, sometimes it takes a little coaxing to get it into first. Also, if I hesitate between upshifts, it'll be reluctant going into the next gear. And the gearbox is always stiff when cold. I also have just shy of 30,000 mi on the odo.

Tips are more complex than a 6-speed, and they're heavier too.

Only goes to show you that one can never be too rich or have too much horsepower. I want one too.

Re: the Mercedes 123 diesel (I assume all older diesel engines with mechanical low-pressure injection systems), would they have this PCV valve?

If the diesel engine is in a California car, I assume they do.

Direct injection is nothing new; D-B's been using it in their diesels for decades. My old W123 turbodiesel has 270,000 miles on the motor, and I expect its new owner to get 200,000 more.

Sounds like you will be buying an M6 coupe next....this has the features you are looking for. :rolleyes:

I PM'd you on this.

Only technically spoken, the alternator will charge the battery at idle. Unfortunately this procedure is not good for the engine health, better is to take the car out for a 10 miles drive once a week, if you can't use a battery tender.

I agree with RFM.

My old M-B needed a jump a few times (the original radio was somehow causing the new battery to completely lose its charge overnight), and the AAA guys used a portable battery booster about the size of an old portable typewriter (remember those?) Might this work for you? Here's a link:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_0...rs+%26+Boosters

Cannot say I understand the reasoning behind specifying navigation as a costly option if you don't intend to keep the maps updated.

I bought my car used, so I didn't specify the option. When I read the long and arcane procedure to punch a destination into the PCM, I decided it wasn't worth my time. Personally, I think all navigation systems are the "TruCoat" of the 21st century. Perhaps if programming and updating were simplified, and the maps were projected onto a head-up display, I'd see them as more practical and useful.

It turned out to be the incorrect DVD! I tried to use the 2004 DVD in the PCM with 2005 software. This leads to the error: PCM is overheating! Dealer advised me incorrectly to replace the PCM!

This is why I don't even WANNA know how to program the thing! And updating it? Not a chance! I'll occasionally use the map, but Ol' Cousin Weak Eyes here can have difficulty trying to read the itty-bitty text. I'll get my directions from Mapquest or the AAA thenkyouveddymuch.