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JasonStern

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About JasonStern

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  • From
    Reno, NV
  • Porsche Club
    No
  • Present cars
    1999 996 Carrera
    2002 Nissan Xterra
  • Former cars
    1999 986 Boxster
    2004 Mazda RX-8
    2000 Mazda Miata
    1988 Mitsubishi Starion

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  1. 996-107-225-53-M67 is the part number for the Porsche approved oil filter that I use. Hope this helps.
  2. I've got a 2002 996, only 26 K miles. It has a small oil leak, probably from the rms, but it's been trouble free for 8 years. From what i have read over the years on this forum, a small amount on the floor is no big deal, I understand this happens a lot. Any opinions on this ? BTW, I check my oil frequently, is there any need to worry about a tiny amount ? The car isn't a 1980s Honda where you can ignore maintenance, nor is it an (insert any year) Jaguar where the engine's life blood leaking out is acceptable - it's a Porsche. If you have had 8 trouble free years, bite the bullet and have the oil leak addressed. Outside of the RMS, which would have likely leaked prior to now, the M96 doesn't normally leak oil. But that is also a good thing as it means wherever the leak is coming from can hopefully be easily addressed. If the engine does have to be dropped to fix the leak, consider replacing the air/oil separator and, if it hasn't been done (recently), the IMS bearing with an LN engineering bearing, and also the clutch. No sense in paying the labor in dropping the engine twice.
  3. The length of the shifter affects the amount of torque applied - nothing more. My previously owned 986 very likely had the transmission fluid flushed using an aftermarket transmission oil that was not properly speced to the temperature range that the car saw - presumably due to the previous owner not driving it in winter. With a proper weight transmission oil, a short shifter should exhibit no side effects. But if you are not the original owner and plan on installing a short shift kit, then it is worth noting that the cost of a transmission fluid change might need to be factored in, depending on the service history and weather that the vehicle is driven in.
  4. So the bushings on my 996's steering wheel are starting to fail, leading to the occasional connector contact being made despite no force being applied. This is a common problem. I did search. It can be fixed easy enough and I found posts explaining workarounds. But unfortunately I was unable to come up with a specific answer to this question - "Does the three spoke steering wheel suffer from the same bushing/contact problem as the four spoke?" Thanks!
  5. The M96 ticking at start-up is common, as it is a boxer engine and oil drains causing the top lifters to be under-lubricated until oil flows through them. Likewise, the M96 uses a timing chain as opposed to a timing belt, so you're going to get more noise at start up until the tensioner is fully pressurized. When you first start it cold, blip the throttle above 2k RPM. This isn't going to hurt anything - the Bosch Motronics temporarily increases the RPM above idle at startup (although not to as high of an RPM as it probably should), and plenty of people drive the car with the engine cold to 3k+ RPM without any problems. On my 996, this stops the ticking. If ticking persists, especially when warm, then stop driving the car. Drain the oil and get an oil analysis done. Cut open the air filter and look for any metallic flakes. Worst case, you get a preemptive oil change. Best case, you identifiy an impending engine failure before too much damage is done.
  6. Copy/pasted from a post I made on Oppositelock about Porsche Boxsters, but it's still relevant: do yourself a favor with the cheap Boxster - save up an extra ~$2k-3k, and when you buy it, go to a local independent Porsche mechanic and have an LN Engineering IMS bearing installed, the clutch replaced, the rear main seal replaced, and the air/oil separator replaced. replacing the water pump and spark plugs would also be worth considering. the M96 is a solid motor once its weaknesses are addressed, and it costs a lot less to drop the motor once and address everything than it does to fix issues as they arise. plus, you'll have the peace of mind in knowing that everything has been addressed.
  7. Worth noting: If you switch to a magnetic drain plug, the torque specs will be different. Make sure to remember that to avoid having the magnetic oil plug fracture due to being overtorqued following a "by the book" oil change. Blackstone Labs provides an engine oil analysis that helps indicating what metals are present, which helps identify what metals are wearing at what rate. Given the M96's history, I personally feel that it is worth the investment - especially if you are already finding metal flakes in the oil filter.
  8. Right now my engine light is off and Durametric is showing normal values for the MAF. So I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude. But thank you for your advise. When my MAF was going out, it reported correct values as far as the Durametric was concerned. And pitching my indie repair shop the idea of "just drive around for 200-700 miles until something happens" wasn't something that they were too interested in. At first, I had the same self correcting MIL not illuminating a bit after a fault. But on a long enough timeline, the problem came back. And given how sensitive these motors are, I personally don't like the idea of running the motors too rich or too lean for an extended period of time. That said, if this is the first time the code has occurred, I completely agree with clearing the code and seeing what happens. But taking the MAF out and cleaning it first might be cheap and easy insurance against the problem reoccurring.
  9. More often than not, cold weather shifting effort problems are the result of the wrong gear oil rather than the shifter. We have installed a lot of short shifters, mostly B&M, and as some of the cars are used daily in zero and sub zero ambient temperatures without any shifting issues, while others have had poor cold weather shifting even with the stock shifter when using aftermarket gear oils which were completely remedied by going back to the factory fill, it is difficult to blame the shifters. I completely agree that, given the effect that temperature had, an improper weight of gear oil was likely used. But short shifters lack the leverage of the stock "tractor" shifter, which further exacerbates the side effects of running an incorrect weight of gear oil. Ultimately, I didn't own and drive the 986 long enough in cold weather to try replacing the gear oil, and was lucky enough to land a 996 that had service records so I have a more detailed record of what exactly the previous owner did. :D
  10. +1 on the MAF's lifespan not being mileage based. Mine started exhibiting problems after about 25k miles, but that was also 15 years. If you are unsure the age of your MAF and O2 sensors, replacing them is fairly straight forward and tends to be cheaper than paying a shop to try to diagnose the problem. Worst case, you have eliminated them as potential problems and now have a spare set of sensors.
  11. My 986 had a short shift kit installed by the previous owner. I am unsure the brand, but I recall it being difficult to shift at first in freezing weather. At first, I feared something might be wrong with the transmission, but apparently that is a common problem that may or may not be reduced by switching manual transmission oil weights. When I bought my 996, the stock shifter's throws felt like driving a tractor versus a sports car. I went with the 997 shifter. The shifts are a bit longer, but it hasn't exhibited the cold weather problem, likely due to the additional leverage the longer throw provides. Likely irrelevant, but I like it from a purist standpoint in the sense that I am still using factory parts. IIRC, two 997 shifters are available. I went with the cheaper one that did not have metal bearings as I do not shift like a madman. Regardless of what you go with, it's one of the only modifications that I have done to my 996 and it is well worth it.
  12. The rates seem excessive. If you aren't the DIY mechanic type, then the coolant I wouldn't touch. With the engine in the rear and the radiators up front, it's easy to get air bubbles that affect the car's cooling ability. The oil changes are fairly straightforward. I recommend doing that yourself so that you know it is done right. Also, this allows you to install a magnetic oil drain plug so you can periodically check for any potential IMS bearing debris. Likewise, you can cut open the oil filter and use a magnet to search for any unexpected wear. Plus at the price the dealership is asking, you can buy an oil with a high ZDDP content and send an oil sample off to Blackstone Labs to have an engine oil analysis done for roughly $100 less than they would charge. My girl is cutting me off from the PC, so unfortuantely I can't voice my opinion on the rest.
  13. +1 for Ahsai's recommendation. Best case, you average 60MPH at which point you're running ~2,500+ RPM for 6 minutes straight with zero coolant circulating. That sounds like a recipe for a cracked head/cracked heads. But if you want to gamble a $10k motor to save a $75 tow fee, the internet can't stop you...
  14. Hitting government mandated MPG levels - remember, the manufacturer is only on the hook during the warranty period. Mazda proved and burned themselves on that with the RX-8/Renesis...
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