fpb111

It is very unlikely that a IMS would take over two years after starting to rattle to fail, more likely two seconds. Before you pull the trans, pull the "fan" belt run the engine for 20 seconds and see if the noise goes away. If so check the idler pulley and start looking at the belt driven accessories.

Get a rubber mallet and tap the mufflers to see if the rattle noise is there.

As Loren said Filling with a vacuum filler is the correct way to fill.

If you have a lot of air you could damage the engine by driving, it can cause steam pockets/hot spots in the head.

That said sometimes you can purge the system by lifting the bail (snap it vertical) on the pressure relief valve when the car is cold and there is a vacuum in the system. This will often pull the AF out of the reservoir so you will need to refill it each time.

You will probably need to repeat this a couple of times to get most/all of the air out.

The needle creeping to the center of the "0" is not excessively hot., mine runs between the "8 & 0". On a hot day in stop and go traffic with the air on it will run on the "0"

The system is pressurized when hot, 1 bar-14.4 lbs, the valve lifting is normal operation.

Fister PSE mod, around $250 no drone sweet sound.

http://www.fdmotorsports.net/index_files/Page732.htm

Quick way to see if the clutch is dragging is to start car in neutral.

Let the clutch pedal up to start the trans spinning, then depress the clutch wait 2-3 seconds and slowly ease the trans into reverse. If it grinds the clutch is probably dragging. If it is dragging you can actually feel the gear teeth ratcheting past each other if you engage slowly.

Use reverse because it has no syncro.

My hard top goes on easy and works first time. Now I have probably jinxed it.

You can make an electric top hoist for under $150. Look here on Rennlist

http://forums.rennli...then-150-a.html

Loren,

Does the 996 have a "shock" switch to shut off the fuel pump in event of crash?

I know that on older 911s the ball joints could start to squeak. You would hear it when turning the wheel with the car on the ground and or at low speeds on uneven roads. The "fix" was to use a syringe to squirt a few CCs of ATF into the ball joint. This worked for my 1970. I am not sure if the new 911s are the same??

I had the same problem with our Mercedes ML. I boiled the bellows to get it hot and then used the little tube of rubber lube that came with it. It was still a fight to get the bellows over the "O" ring. Mercedes has a thin "O" ring at the end of the rack to help seal the bellows. I had to slide the Oetiker clamp onto bellows and then slide the bellows over the rack. Then I greased the outside of the bellows and slid the clamp over the bellows\rack.

My 2003 cab has had the RMS issue "resolved" 2 times and we are heading for a third.

Assuming that your car was locked and you had to open it with the key in the door lock. It wants to sound the alarm if you don't put the key into the ignition. Did you try putting the key in the ignition and turning it to "on"?

It sounds like a cracked 1-3 cylinder head. See Dharn55 posts about this on rennlist. Post #1 4-26-09 has pics

Car: 2003 996 C2 Cab, 30K, essentially stock. Purchased in '06 w/ 9K miles on it. Under CPO.

Noise: At slow speeds when I get on and off the throttle, through an open window, I can hear a "clack" sort of sound. Not a thud. If you had a group of dowels, standing on their ends and drew them together, they might make a similar sound as they grouped together lengthwise.

It happens in all gears, most noticeably at slower speeds. The higher the gear & the slower the speed -- the more noticeable it is (e.g. at 30mph, it is much more noticeable in 3rd or 4th rather than in 2nd). It may happen at higher speeds, but I wouldn't be able to hear it due to wind noise.

The transmission shifts well (no notchiness or vibration at 3,000 rpm). No klunking. No adverse symptoms.

It has happened since I purchased the car--so this is not a new or recent event.

It is almost as if when the engine torques against the transmission, there is a clacking sound. Guessing, it sounds like it is coming from in front of the engine or further forward....rather than from the very rear of the car.

Back on '06, the service writer at the dealership said the sound was 'normal.' (He never came out for a ride--just responded to a description.) But, I've never heard a sound like this from any other car (much less my previous Porsche's) -- and the car will be coming off CPO in April. So, I'm motivated to solve any issues while under CPO.

Any ideas or suggestions? (I'm ok if this is normal....but if it isn't, I'd like to address it.)

It sounds like the noise that the dual mass flywheel makes when you load and unload the drive train. I notice mine the most when I am backing up the driveway and let off at the street to check traffic. When one loads and unloads the drive train there is a muffled metallic clack and you can feel a little "play" in the drive train. There is a procedure for checking it.

Something like: Hold one face of the flywheel stationary while turning the other half 10 degrees (?10?) let it go and it should spring back. If it doesn't the dual mass flywheel needs to be replaced. I think if you were always going forward and never used engine braking the flywheel would always be against the stops. I was surprised at how easy it is to turn the halves of the flywheel.

I am trying to do replace the unit right now. It's super tight down in there and the wrench I am working with is cut down to about 5 or 6". the sensor on my car is in on very securely. I can't seem to get enough leverage to loosen it. I'm tempted to take pliers to the top of the unit and try to get it loose but am afraid I'll just crush it. Then it would still be stuck and I wouldn't be able to drive the car.

Anyone replace this and have a similar problem?

I have not replaced the sender in the 996 yet. You might try something I have done in the past when in situations like this. You have a cut down wrench, can you put it on the sensor so the you can reach it with a long dowel and push it in the correct direction to loosen it? If so put a V or U shape in the end of the dowel to capture the wrench - push and wack the other end with a hammer. The shock should loosen it.

" Has anyone in this community rebuilt their engine and what was your experience. The advice from the community would be greatly appreciated."

Thanks

Richard

Richard,

For one perspective go to Rennlist 996 forum and search for Dharn55. He had a cracked head and pulled & rebuilt his engine. He documented this in multiple threads with pics.

Keep us posted if it works this could bail out many folks. This cracking is similar to the problem that 914 2ltr heads had with cracks. If welded correctly they would last a long time. We did my friend's 914 about 17yrs and many track events ago and it is still going strong.

"My radio has been acting up for a while(switching on and off by itself".

Almost sounds like your ignition switch is going bad.

madporsche,

You will find that your Porsche mistress is much like any female companion. They need to be gently, thoroughly, warmed up before one can expect maximum performance.

Food for thought: with 15k mi recommended oil changes 30-40kmiles is right around the 2nd oil change, more sludge? Maybe sludge protection is one reason Porsche put a "sealed" bearing in an oil bath?

This was an exchange on Pelican Parts Forums-

I took my 1999 c2 in for a 45000 miles service to the dealer about a week ago. Got it back the next day and it felt like a brand new car. A couple of days ago tried to start it but made an ugly sound and went dead instead. Got it towed to the dealership and few hours later I get a call from the service guy telling me that the engine is blown and it needs to be replaced.

Does it make any sense to you guys? Isn't the service supposed to detect these kinds of problems? I’ve bought this brand car new and I’ve always kept up the maintenance and I only drove 150 miles since the last service. If I decide to go ahead with the work needed how do I know that it wouldn’t happen again next week?

Any advice is appreciated…

Thanks,

Dan

---

Unfortunately this is not uncommon. An intermediate shaft bearing can let go with little warning trashing the engine. There is also a condition with some engines cylinders that results in a "D" chunk failure.

See December Excellence for a good explanation of these two problems. Also see the buyers guide on the Hartech web site section 4 has much data and pictures.

http://www.hartech.org/docs/buyers%2...20part%204.pdf

Many of us read and quote Excellence Magazine. In this month’s issue, May 2009, Bruce Anderson’s technical answer column, addressing a question about the design of the M96 engine, contains the following information.

“When the Boxster and 996 were relatively new cars and the M96’s problems were not yet understood, rumors suggested that up to 50% of the cars were going to experience failure. Porsche addressed the problems and, today, I am hearing the number of cars that have had or will have a problem is closer to 20%, or one in five.”

It is good to see that “Porsche has addressed the problems”. So those who have a Boxster/Cayman/996/997 with an M type engine know that you have an 80% chance of not suffering a catastrophic engine problem.

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

Maybe we should start a club with a cloisonné car badge and “T” shirts? “The 20% Club”

FPB111

---

A tremendous amount of M96 engines have seemed to fail just after Porsche service!! I have 1/2 dozen emails that have the exact same words that your post does and thats amazing!

Sorry to hear about the failure, but I'd like to get more info from you about it to help build my data base..If you want to avoid all of this in the future, feel free to contact me :-)

Jake Raby

President, Raby Enterprises Inc

----

Blown engine after Dealer Service

Mr. Raby,

The first paragraph in your reply to 20n78x8 above;

“A tremendous amount of M96 engines have seemed to fail just after Porsche service!! I have 1/2 dozen emails that have the exact same words that your post does and thats amazing!”

Made me think about how some dealers might service an oil change.

For instance

I have a Mercedes that gets free dealer oil changes every 10K miles. I change it at 5k intervals so every other change is free. My point is that the dealer has not pulled the drain plug on this car, the glyptol I put on the plug is never broken. They must suck the oil out through the dip-stick port. This leaves some “sludge” in the pan.

If a Porsche dealer were to do this with the “M” type engine couldn’t that also leave sludge in the pan? If that sludge were stirred up when the new oil is added it could migrate to the low mounted IMS bearing and cause failures. Are most of the above mentioned emails IMS failures?

FPB111

----

Never really thought about this, because I can't fathom doing an oil change without purging the oil via the drain plug!! I can see where it could contribute to a failure, but it could never be proven.

even the drain plugs on the M96 are cheesy, they need to be replaced after 5-6 oil changes because they are internally stripped of their hex used to remove them, so thats more reason to purge the oil via the method you mention..

That makes our billet aluminum, magnetic drain plug even more of a benefit to the engine, IF the dealer changes the oil with this method! (and it won't strip out!)

Jake Raby

----

Mercedes and BMW have been sucking the oil out through the dipstick hole since the 90s.

It's why on most models, the the oil filters are on top of the engine.

For an oil service, the vehicle does not need to be lifted on a hoist.

It comes down to the same scenario...you are only meant to keep the vehicle until the warranty expires, then you buy a new one.

Gerber Motorsport Inc. 206-352-6911

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I don't know about BMW but that may be why Mercedes changed thier oil spec around 2002 from petrol based to synthetic oil due to sludge formation. TSB S-B-18.00/16a.

I would think that even a very slight amount of sludge in an M type engine would be more critical due to the sensitive IMS bearing immersion in the sump oil.

FPB111

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

After 10+ years of the company line, “There are no inherent design problems with M type engines” Most of us have given up on expecting a repair/retrofit/recall to address the alleged problems.

You might think that with all of the engineering and financial resources that Porsche has they could at least equal the successes that the aftermarket has had addressing the M engine’s explosive weaker points.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see our favorite car company step up and at the very least offer a line of “Severe duty” replacement parts that address these M-type engine weaknesses?

Many of us read and quote Excellence Magazine. In this month’s issue, May 2009, Bruce Anderson’s technical answer column, addressing a question about the design of the M96 engine, contains the following information.

“When the Boxster and 996 were relatively new cars and the M96’s problems were not yet understood, rumors suggested that up to 50% of the cars were going to experience failure. Porsche addressed the problems and, today, I am hearing the number of cars that have had or will have a problem is closer to 20%, or one in five.”

It is good to see that “Porsche has addressed the problems”. So those who have a Boxster/Cayman/996/997 with an M96 engine know that you have an 80% chance of not suffering a catastrophic engine problem.

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

:clapping:

I'll through my 2 cents in on this. I'd say all of those early single mass flywheels had no trans rattle at idle; as long the 5 lb chunk of rubber bonded between the clutch disk and splines had not disintegrated. After that they were usually replaced with a spring centered disk. Then you could hear the trans rattle at idle with the clutch engaged.

At least that is the way my 1970 2.2S E/W 901 trans, 1972 2.4 E/W early 915 trans and 1978 3.0 E/W 915 trans were with a spring centered clutch disk. The 1978 was the one with the disintegrated rubber center and had the most noticeable rattle after the swap. Not sure if the other two ever had rubber damped disks. They did not when I bought them.

RMS on US 2003 C2 6spd Cab 34k miles

I am on my 3rd RMS. (2nd IMS is dry) All replaced under warranty

I have a question about these seals. I saw the new (latest greatest updatedest) replacement before they put in yesterday, is it true that Porsche does not put a tension spring around the lip of these seals? Evidently the new Cayenne seal has a spring on the lip.

Does anyone know what the thinking is on that? Is the crankcase pressure supposed to pressurize the lip enough to seal it? What happens when the seal gets older and harder? What happens in the winter when the car is parked facing up hill?

Frank

Read the M96 article in December's Excellence by the late great Jim Pasha. Jake Raby (a contributor) has long been known in the Type IV/914-4 world. He and some others re-engineer the M96 to avoid RMS, IMS and PMS problems while rebuilding to better'n original.

http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?...p;highlight=M96

And Motor Meister has a terrific rep, reportedly doing shoddy work and using used parts. No personal knowledge, but I checked them out a few years ago.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread....t=motor+meister

Read the M96 article in December's Excellence by the late great Jim Pasha. Jake Raby (a contributor) has long been known in the Type IV/914-4 world. He and some others re-engineer the M96 to avoid RMS, IMS and PMS problems while rebuilding to better'n original.

http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?...p;highlight=M96

And Motor Meister has a terrific rep, reportedly doing shoddy work and using used parts. No personal knowledge, but I checked them out a few years ago.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread....t=motor+meister

So BEEP, NO TP means no traffic program? I guess that is something we need to know every 20 minutes or so. Thank you for the info. If I only have to pull the fuses every once in awhile to get the audio system back on line I can live with that,

It is funny that my younger brother's Kia audio system does not do that.

I guess our audio software is early Microsoft. At least the ECU does not seem to be the same or the car would stop periodically and you would have to turn it off, take the key out and have everyone get out to restart (reboot) it.