txhokie4life

I have the opposite issue -- I can't get the thing closed without a lot of effort -- can this be addressed similarly? Is this an alignment or internal friction issue. mike

I recently took my center console apart -- -but it was long enough ago I don't remember how to put it all back together. Is there a screw somewhere that connects the center console to the shift mechanism -- as my console seems to want to move around which is messing up the smooth movement of the shifter. Also I ended up with a small washer that has teeth to it -- almost like a gear washer --- Can't figure out or find in a diagram where this came from. the knob also now wants to twist -- or better said it twists too easily -- should I lightly glue this to the shaft -- i.e. strong enough to keep it from casually rotating -- but not so strong as to never get it back off. thanks, Mike

*** Sorry I originally had quotes and unquotes -- but the post engine didn't like it. Depends on the age of the donor, how long it has sat.. etc. With my projects I have used exclusively OEM parts, except for upgrades from LN Engineering for the IMS and Thermostat. I take the tact I never want to see a project twice. In my mind the effort to get an engine in and out is reasonably high and you already have a pretty good investment in the engine (and the car) itself so you want to have as "new" an end result as reasonable. Note my first project was the complete rebuild of a Boxster S -- what is now my everyday driver and I did all the below and more (since it was a tear down to the crank) (Jeff at Sunset and I became good buddies) So I guess I can say I stand behind my words :-) Clutch? Pressure plate? Not specifically engine related -- but I did both at 30k -- while you are in there you're looking at about $500 for parts and a tad extra labor. AOS/J-tube? Yes -- as they generally have been redesigned and upgraded Heat exchanger? In most cases this is cheap insurance. Water Pump? Thermostat? Gasket? Pulleys? Belt? Yes, Possibly, I like to use the LowTemp Thermo from LN, yes, not usually unless high mileage or issues,although replacing tensioner pulley is reasonable, almost for sure on the belt. Head gaskets? Only if the heads are pulled. Then it is a must. Plugs? Plug wires? Coil packs? Spark Plug Tubes? O-Rings? I have done this for every engine I have done -- but may or may not be required. Technically there are no plug wires. IMS? 100% of the time for me. RMS? Stairing you in the face begging to be done :-) very cheap part Chain Tensioner? Not cheap. when you consider there are 3 and each is pricey. Drain Plug? Probably not worth it -- but doesn't cost much Deep Sump Kit? If you are going to track it -- I think you should seriously consider it -- others might say it is a must. Otherwise -- probably not needed. Motor Mount? I would inspect these and make a call at the time Fuel-injector O-rings? If you remove the intake than this is reasonable. What else should you consider replacing/upgrading? You've covered a lot of stuff. Lets assume you are not tearing the engine down. The oil pump hexoganal stem that comes off the IMS is reportedly a weak link. The effort to pull the oil pump off if the engine is out is not that bad. LN? and/or Flat6Innovations sells an upgrade. Depending on the age of the engine, I would look at the timing chain tensioner blades for the cams. I've experienced excessive wear on those. If you are going to do this -- that means you pulled the cam cover, and then you might as well check the lifters. Then you can inspect the valve springs -- and decide if you want a valve job or not. You get your head gasket that way :-) I would inspect and replace any suspect hoses. Possibly do a transmission fluid change/filter as well. I'm probably forgetting somethings -- but your list was pretty extensive :-) All this starts to add up as death by a thousand cuts... No one part or replacement seems to cost all that much, but when you add them all together -- ouch! :-) look forward to others thoughts on this thread. Mike

You'll need to read the codes to see what they are.... I don't know the history -- but it is possible that that CEL is response to previous issue -- possible to clear and see if it reappears. Also double check your work -- making sure that the plugs are properly torqued, all connections are tight. Unlikely and just a WAG, but did you use the proper plugs -- possible wrong plugs may have it burn lean or rich due to level of spark? m

Thanks... how do you check compression... will a Durametric tool tell me or is there more work to it? Well I'm not an expert -- but basically what you do is to pull the spark plug on one cylinder at a time. Than you get a compression test kit which uses compressed air through a set of valves. You put that cylinder at TDC -- i.e. where all the valves should be closed and you turn on the compressed air with one end of the kit connected to compressor and the other screwed into the spark plug hole. To get to TDC -- you turn the crankshaft until the valves of that cylinder are seated. It often ends up being a trial and error exercise. If the compression is good than you have good seals. That is all the valves have seated properly and the rings are sealing well. The absolute value is not as important -- as the test rig will vary. But you want each cylinder to be +/- 5-10% of each other. If one is out of range low -- or shows no compression at all then you do a leak down test. Again you goto TDC -- but here you try to determine where the air is leaking. Into the exhaust than the exhaust valve is not seated properly, intake leak is the an intake valve issue. Neither (which means rings) means the rings are leaking and probably need a rebuild. Do some googling -- and I'm sure you can find both a better explanation, and pointers to the equipment you need. mike

Have you checked compression on that cylinder to make sure there is no issues with the valves or cylinder itself? If low compression -- than check leakdown for source. If no issue there -- do you get oil or fluid build up in that cylinder? Lastly -- maybe there is a fuel lnjector probelm. M

Is there a way to jumper or finagle the ignition switch to get it to run temporarily? Will be inspecting a vehicle for purchase that has a bad ignition switch and want to "bypass" this to insure the vehicle will run, perform a duramatic, etc. thankx, M

I'll argue there is virtually no difference between 13k miles and 23k miles for a 9 year old car. get a ppi, and go with what ever one fits you. If you want a C4 with a tip -- get that one -- seems like it is the better bargain. If you drive it -- 2 years from now will you notice the difference between 30K and 40k miles? If you were going to tell me 11k miles and 50K miles like a previous poster mentioned -- than that is a different story. m

I've got a 3.4L engine I am working on and have the heads out to get a three angle valve job but neither the Cylinder Head expert, nor I can find any specifications. Anyone have a source for this information? thanks, Mike

Engine is toast. :( Any advice for where to get a new one? How was it determined that it is toast? M

The first M96 I rebuilt -- I had the cam chain off a few teeth. (how I don't know I was pretty sure I checked it -- and that's my story and I'm sticking to it :-) Of course we didn't realize it at the time -- but it behaved just like you are describing and like the video sounds. I don't remember the exact codes. At first we couldn't get it to start, then when we did it had a hard time idling. Devil of a time trying to figure out the cause. Finally my mechanic tutor who is deaf felt that it was taking exhaust through the intake, and the only way for that was if the timing was off. We pulled the valve cover and discovered the error. SOOO -- get this to a mechanic, check the timing, if off, find the cause and correct. As jake said he is not that far away -- let him or someone else knowledgeable help you -- I'm hoping you can salvage this relatively cheaply. mike

hmmm -- check to see if there is corrosion on the bolt that connects ground to the bottom of the car. Also check to see if there is corrosion on any of the wires in the connectors to the IMMOB. I have had the connectors off -- I'm told that the wires to the connector with the white lock "bar" can actually be removed from the connector -- but I have not done that before. They are supposed to be able to pull these and check for corrosion. for drying Another possible way is to get some Ready-Dry and place it in a bag with the IMMOB or whatever esp if you have opened it to insure no water is in there. mike

That is pretty high mileage (ok high kilometers :-) a 2.7L would require a new DME at a minimum. Maybe some wire changes as well. Depending on the extent of your damage -- maybe resleeving with nikasils is an option. see www.lnengingeering.com mike

I'm curious to know how this turns out...kindly update as the situation develops. good luck... Just an update. Happily I have my ride back on the highway and running perfect. I have collected the hard data on paper with the requisites written statements backing up the data from qualified personnel and am proceeding in discussion with a lawyer to move forward in small claims court. Dealership responded to the Better Business Bureau investigation by saying that I got angry for no reason and removed the car before the had a chance to fully investigate the situation. Justice moves slowly but I am confident the "black box" data proves them incorrect. Take care Relaxed motoring good evening to all this is an update to the problem that occured as per the above information. The Porsche dealership and Porsche North America took over 2 1/2 years dragging out this situation before we reached a settlement in my favor. Happy motoring Take care Happy to hear it worked out for you -- sorry it took so long. m

Cool, that would explain some of the errors I get on the touareg too ;) The main thing you can see is the motor revs. I think there are 2 classes. As I understand them -- the first is not serious -- and while is high revs (maybe even hitting the rev limiter) -- they are within spec. the second is more serious and are true overrevs -- usually during downshifting. My guess is you won't find any other codes of significance. m

If they understand the M96 engine -- they can check engine codes and check timing before they have to pull the engine. They can check compression as well. I've got a boroscope I use to look inside the cylinders to see if there has been any valve contact with the pistons. You can also check the oil and coolant to see if there are signs of intermix. Just because you have intermix does not mean you will overheat. These steps might indicate the issue -- but if not then the transmission and engine can be lowered and separated and at that point you have access to the IMS flange and you might be able to determine if it has issues there. Starting the engine and listening around is possible -- but if something is on its last legs and gives out and it takes the engine with it, you might have been able to detect and save/replace before running the engine -- you'd be kicking yourself. good luck with it and keep us posted. helps everyone the next time around. I'm still learning and this board is always helpful. Mike

There is 8.8liters of capacity under normal conditions, but if there is an access to a location that should not have oil in it -- than you could be filling it as well. Check your coolant -- is there oil in there? It could be the IMS as folks have mentioned -- and it might not be completely gone yet. so you might be able to save it. It could also be a timing chain loose slapping against something as it looses tention -- think of a loose bicycle chain slapping against its housing. Unfortunately there are many possibilities. The two interesting points is that the engine shut down and you were able to re-start it and drive it. I would find a good indie and have them check on it . where r u located? mike

I've heard Porsche has been replacing engines with IMS issues with 2005's even out of warranty. Check with your dealership. mike

Possible bank 1-3 is off timing. there is a way to check this -- but if you are not comfortable doing this I would seek help. To do this you would check to see if the exhaust camshaft is aligned north south when the crankshaft is at TDC. There is a green plug at the end of the shaft. unfortuntately the removal process is typically destructive to this cap. They are inexpensive to replace. I have not had a chance to listen to your video -- I will try to do that tonite. Mike

Loren -- as always -- is right on the mark. Just swap the engine, while you are doing that consider changing the clutch and doing an IMS retrofit. mike

2.5L to 2.5L -- straight swap assuming they are both the same type of transmissions. If not pull the TC/Flywheel from one to the other AND there will be a slight hose difference for the AT vs Manual on the lower drivers side front. m

could be a spun bearing too. m

Have you checked the timing? Can you tell if you are getting back pressure into the intake? We had one that was off a few teeth on the camshaft -- it would turn over -- but it was not happy and would not idle. m

Very, very nice -- what was your original symptoms and how was it diagnosed? thx, Mike

actually just pull the drivers seat --the IMMOB sits in a recessed area that is not covered by carpet. Then you can check the carpet area as well as the ground connection. The immob is easily removed. It can then be opened easily and checked for dampness and corrosion. I found that if that ground connection is corroded or loose -- you get no crank action either. New IMMOB and keys programmed is ~$550-$650 depending on number of keys and if the wires need cleaning. The programming of the IMMOB and Keys can only be done at the dealership. Also when you check the drain plugs - check the shell that drains into those plugs to see if they have been compromised. If the top ever slipped out of its tracks, it can slice those trays and then water will seep under the carpet into the padding. The carpet is water resistant from the top. So any moisture under the carpet stays there! mike