Lee Quave

Vipor501 thanks for the offer of assistance. They use the good will assistance statement to make it sound like they are supporting a charity when in fact they should be supporting their customers by backing their product. It shouldn’t matter that my car is out of warranty because the components in question should not have failed. Thanks again Lee

I won’t give up without a fight that’s for sure. :angry: I sent an overnight letter this Monday and called again just yesterday. I again received “its Porsche’s policy that we don’t provide good will assistance on a vehicle that is out of warranty.” The CSR wouldn’t transfer me to anyone of higher authority because they aren’t allowed to. I told him that these policies sure don’t build good will with customers. :soapbox: This guy was a little more forceful and defensive that the first CSR I dealt with. I guest the computer told him to step it up to the next level since it was repeat call. My car will be ready either Monday or Tuesday at the latest and I’m sure they won’t let me have my car without payment and I’m not going to let them keep it while I wait on PCNA respond being its their policy to respond within 15 days of receiving a request. I sure don’t feel the love from Porsche.

John, I read your post along with as many others as I could find having to do with engine failure. I hope your issue is favorably resolved. It would be great to get photos of the suspect parts as you have but the dealer doesn’t plan to dismantle the engine unless I or PCNA pays for the work at $102.50 per hour. I called Porsche’s customer service number and told the person who answered the phone that I wanted to talk to someone about my engine failure. I though it was strange that he said he could answer my questions. I related my story to him. He then asked me what I propose they do. I told him that I wasn’t looking for them to give me an engine but at the same time I don’t think that Porsche should profit on replacing an engine that should not have failed in the first place. I told him that it would be fair and reasonable for Porsche to provide the parts and labor at cost. He gave me the standard reply that Porsche doesn’t pay on out of warranty cars. I was unhappy that he wouldn’t transfer me to someone else. He said my only recourse was to write a letter to PCNA. I am sure the work on my car will be finished before they respond to a letter and I’m afraid that once they have my money it would be unlikely that they would give me any money back. Any help with contact information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Lee

Al, No I don’t want to spend $13,000 on a remanufactured engine but I also don’t think the option of getting an engine from a salvage operator would be any better. The remanufactured engine comes with just about everything expect the AC compressor whereas a salvage yard would likely sell just sell the block. That how it is done with domestic car I wouldn’t think it would be any different with a Porsche. Most likely there wouldn’t be any warranty whereas the Porsche rebuilt engine comes with a two year unlimited miles warranty. Then there is the uncertainty of the condition of the used engine i.e. RMS and intermediate shaft. I would also have to find a quality shop to remove the old engine and install the replacement engine. I’m sure I could save some money but I’m not sure how much and I wouldn’t have a warranty. A found a company on the web, Motor Meister, out of California that sells rebuilt 3.4L engines for $6,000 with a rebuildable exchange. The remanufactured engine from Porsche with all the improvements cost $8,129 with the exchange plus a couple of hundred more for antifreeze, Freon and oil. The labor estimate comes in at 36 hours at $102.50 per hour.

I put maybe 70 miles on the engine with coolant in the oil and had only a little smoke for one side. There were no other signs of trouble. The temp and oil pressure were normal and the engine sounded and felt the same. See my post on the coolant issue below. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=12030

I Keep forgeting to put in my Car information. I have a 99 C2 with six speed manual transmission.

I’ve been told that my engine needs to be replaced. :cursing: A couple gallons of coolant entered the block, from either a crack cylinder head or failed gasket, and has wrecked havoc on the rings, bearings and other internal parts. The Porsche service manager said the leak down test points to one or the other but doesn’t know which one until the engine is removed. He said Porsche recommends replacement rather than trying to rebuild and that it would cost just as much to rebuild as to replace. He quoted me $13,200 total. I have a few questions and would like some opinions and advice: :help: • Seeing that my car has less than 70,000 miles, 50,000 of which I put on since buying the car less than two years ago, and has never been raced and I’ve done only one DE event, should the cylinder head crack or the gasket fail? I haven’t driven the car extremely hard and I change the oil every 5000 miles. The RMS was changed when the clutch was replaced even though it wasn’t leaking. • Are head gaskets prone to catastrophic failure? I had the 60,000 mile major maintenance completed a few months ago with no issues. Could or should this problem have been detected then? • Do I have any hope that Porsche would help with the cost, bearing the above in mind? I see no way that this problem could have been caused by anything other than poor design and/or defective parts or workmanship. I don’t buy the “accidents happen” theory. • Have the problems with RMS and intermediate shaft been fixed on Porsche rebuilt engines? • Would it be advisable and/or cost effective to upgrade to a 3.6 engine? • Is $13,200 price reasonable or is it too high? I’ve been a life long fan of Porsche cars and it’s very upsetting and discouraging that a car costing this much and promoted as being reliable could have a failure of this nature with so little miles. Lee

It wasn’t the Oil Separator that the Service Manager said was the likely problem but the oil/water heat exchanger. :oops: I have read that there have been numerous incidences of the diaphragm failing causing coolant to mix with the oil. Judging from how much coolant that I’ve added I figure that close to a gallon has been mixed with the oil. Has anyone had this happen to their car? I’m hoping this is the case instead of the head gasket because it’s my understanding that if it’s the head gasket that the engine will need to be totally rebuilt and that there are only a few individuals that has the expertise and because of this Porsche opts to replace the engine.

I’ve owned the car for about two years and haven’t had any major engine issue. I had the starter replace just a few weeks ago and the coolant reservoir but that was over a year ago and the oil fill tube. I had the 60,000 mile service completed a few months back with no reports of any engine issues. The Porsche service manager said it was likely the oil separator. I plan to have it towed there Tuesday. If anyone else had this part go bad please reply or send me a PM. Thanks,

I have a 1999 996 C2 with 69,000 miles and the temperature warning light started to flash yesterday. According to the owner manual this indicates that the coolant level is low. I checked to coolant level and found it to be about ½ gallon low. I refilled the coolant to the correct level. Today the light started to flash again. It was low again so I thought I must have a leak somewhere but I couldn’t find any leak. I decided to check the dipstick and found the level very high and the oil light brown in color. I figured that someway the coolant got in the engine. I’m afraid to ask but how serious a problem is this? I found references to porous engine in early 996, could this be my problem? Could this be an oil/water heat exchanger problem or a head gasket? If so how can I tell? Will I need to have my engine replace? If so any ideas on how much it will cost? Thanks, Lee

are you having fun with us? that's how much it takes, friend B) This DIY at Loren posted has 8.98 US quarts for a 3.4L C2 99 engine, but 10 QT is what mine takes. :cheers: Lee http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=7055

Loren, I’ve took off the under body panels and searched for a ground strap. I’ve been looking for a braided medal strap that I assume should be bolted to the transmission housing on one end and to the chassis on the other. I can’t find anything that looks even close. Any idea where it should connected to the transmission… the front, back, top, bottom left or right. Thanks,

:oops: I didn't give my car information. I have a 1999 996 C2 coupe with 6 speed manual tramsmission. Lee

It’s been suggested to check the transmission ground strap for a problem with my car cranking when hot. The problem started after I got my car back from the body shop for repairs from being read ended (while standing still) on the interstate and it may not have been correctly reinstalled resulting in the starter not getting enough current. Where is the ground strap for the transmission and is this a DIY to check or change? Thanks, Lee

Since you mention that you have a warped disc I though you might find the following link interesting. :lightbulb: Lee http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

After stopping and starting my 99 996 C2 a few times while running errands the car was slow to turn over. I though it must be the battery so I checked to fluid level and found that it needed 4 ½ cups. I put the battery on to charge and though this would be the end of my problem, but the same thing happened again a few days latter and this time the car wouldn’t start until I let it sit for a few minutes. The battery is only about 8 month old. I replaced it with an OEM battery that cost me $165. :eek: According to some post I’ve read these batteries aren’t very good. While having my clutch replaced at the Porsche dealer in Mobile, AL I asked that they check the system. They said everything checked out fine and that it could be an intermittent drain on the charging system. Could I have overcharged the battery since some fluid leaked out on the garage floor? Since the dealer said everything checked out fine could it be that I need to install a higher amp battery given that it seems to have problems cranking only when the engine is warm? Any pearls of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. :beer:

The only advantage of a plug is cost and time, lower cost to you and less time for the shop. It’s better and safer to have it patched and plugged. :beer:

I replaced the original battery in my 1999 C2 in November of 2005. I replaced it with the OEM battery from Porsche. The battery comes dry and the parts department adds acid at time of purchase. My car has been slow to turnover for the last few weeks and last night I thought it wasn’t going to start. When I made it home I checked the fluid level in the battery and all cells were low. It took 4 ½ cups of distilled water to refill. My questions are: How much fluid does the OEM battery hold? Is it normal to have to add that much water to a battery that is barely 6 months old? Could an electrical or mechanical problem cause this? :renntech:

Check these post for information on the same subject. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=9431 and http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...=7188&hl=clutch I though mine was going out because of the chirping noise but the Porsche service manager said it would make a noise like that. The service manager is going to contact me on Monday regarding changing my clutch and I plan on asking about the oil separator that slbates mentioned in the clutch replacement post. I will give you a PM with any details I find out.

I figured it out. It was real tight coming out also. I had to use WD-40 and a pry bar to get the right side disconnected. I took the generator out and lightly filed the contract points and it was able to slip right in. The next project is the front brakes. Porsche service dept. said the front pads are getting close and should be change along with the front rotors. The car only has 58,000 miles I would think the rotors would be fine. Is this just the service dept. selling their services or should rotors be change at the same time the pads are changed? Lee

Help! I have a 1999 C2 with six speed and I’m the process of replacing my cracked oil fill tube. All fine so far but I’m having trouble installed the generator. The workshop manual for installing the oil filler neck says install generator, but it’s not that simple. There must be a trick. I’ve crack a vacuum line already and I’m worried I might do more damage. Any clues would be appreciated. Thanks, :help:

:help: Help! I have a 1999 C2 with six speed and I’m the process of replacing my cracked oil fill tube. All fine so far but I’m having trouble installed the generator. The workshop manual for installing the oil filler neck says install generator, but it’s not that simple. There must be a trick. I’ve crack a vacuum line already and I’m worried I might do more damage. Any clues would be appreciated.

Lee, Note my recent post on the identical symptom. You may even note that it makes one final chirp as you shut off the engine. Quite the coincidence I'd say. Even more coincidental is that we essentially have the same model/year/mileage. I found the noise is caused by a unique failure of the oil separator. Accesibility is definitely an issue, especially if you have a tiptronic. Porsche calls for pulling the engine (13 hrs flate rate). But with the insight offered to my post and further research locally, I found it can be done by going through the intake manifold. The estimated time required is 2 - 4 hours. If you would like further details, I'll certainly know more and would be happy to share. Thanks for the info. I haven’t noticed the one final chirp you mentioned, I’ll have to pay closer attention the tomorrow when I bring the car in for its 60,000 mile service. The information you gathered may come in handy if the dealer suggests the engine pulling route. Let me know how the repair went on your car and I will do the same.

Thanks for the info. I haven’t noticed the one final chirp you mentioned, I’ll have to pay closer attention the tomorrow when I bring the car in for its 60,000 mile service. The information you gathered may come in handy if the dealer suggests the engine pulling route. Let me know how the repair went on your car and I will do the same.