Silver_TT

That makes more sense. Yes, I definitely would have expected the bearings to be at least pitted, so no surprise there. I know I speak for both myself and JFP in wishing you the best of luck. Keep your eye on the oil and maybe you catch a lucky break. I would be very curious to know how this goes so let us know how it goes in the future as you put some mileage it. All the best.

Ya, I know it's not recommended when you have had metal debris like that. A lot of knowledgeable folks would say the textbook next move at that point is a complete rebuild of the engine -- that flushing it won't be possible. But I have read posts similar to yours where people tried to flush the engine and it seemed to work (either that or they never followed-up on their post after the fact). I'm also not sure how much debris those people had, but that pic of your IMS is shocking -- there's nothing left but a metallic paste.

Yes, I would say that bearing is completely toast. I would be curious how much metallic debris you find the next time(s) you drain the motor. With the bearing that far gone, that means a lot of metal was in there -- I'm surprised that he was able to flush it out with just 3 drains.

Yes, that's exactly right, 987_RDC. I believe that the IPAS codes are the "database of car codes" that Kim was referring to. The indy I use has a good relationship with a dealer and I'm sure that's how he gets IPAS codes when he needs them. At any rate, if your indy is similar and has a PST2/PIWIS, then all you need is the key head and the code on the card that came with it (and be sure to save this card, without it the key head is worthless if you ever want to transfer it, etc). It literally takes 5 mins but most dealers will charge you an hour. Richard Hamilton, another member of this forum, has a lot of expertise in this area. If you're driving 6 hours though, I would relay this info to your indy to be sure everyone's on the same page. You might also want to consider giving Sunset a second chance if they are the only dealer within 6 hours of driving for you. You can do 99% of jobs without a dealer but it's a good thing to have a relationship with one, I think. Every once in a while they can be useful. I have no experience with Sunset service dept but I have bought parts from them for years and I would give them a 10 / 10 for outstanding prices and top-notch service As with any mechanic, you have to keep your eye on what they are doing, how they are doing it, and what/how you're being charged for it -- and a "stealership" is generally the worst culprit so Sunset may be no exception on the service side....or maybe you just caught them on a bad day or two. But it might make sense to maintain a relationship with them at some level...even if that means always getting quotes for the work they do and preauthorize them to be sure you're ok with it (per your concerns about the tension wire overcharge, etc). Good luck!

The P0139 indicates you might need a new post-cat o2 sensor

As Ahsai said, you will want to do the due diligence and read the O2 sensor values (very easy to do with a Durametric, especially if you read that post) but I also think your cat is bad given the code and what you have said. I went though the same thing on the exact same car. Also, this isn't a fact but it's my strong opinion after doing a lot of reading back when that post was made: The 2002-2004 C4S have cats that seem to go more often after 60-80K miles (the C4S in fact has cats with a different part # than its brother and cousin, the C2 and Turbo). This is disproportionately more common on the C4S cats for some reason. I don't really have the exact answer to why that is but one thing I noticed after switching from the C4S to a Turbo was the Mezger seems to run with a lot less vibration in the exhaust (making them last longer). Just my personal opinion as the result of my own experience with the same issue.

Unless there has been a change in the last few years, it takes more than the diagnostic computer to program the car (not the key). PCNA maintains a data base of car codes and access to this database is required when programming the car to accept a new key head. Not really. The code comes on a little card with the key head (and should be saved by the owner for this purpose). If you have this, then what wross996TT said holds true and all you need is a PST2/PIWIS.

This thread is a few months old and has already been resolved. As already stated previously, it's not advisable to use anything other than a Porsche-specific reader (eg. PIWIS, PST2, Durametric) with these vehicles. The Durametric is both an inexpensive and a very capable tool.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply PDK would have long-term reliability issues or that they are generally problematic. My point was only that if a problem does occur and the unit needs to be worked on, you're probably looking at a replacement unit from Porsche and they are expensive. As opposed to the manual -- which can be rebuilt at a much lower cost. Again, not knocking the PDK, just stating the facts.

Also, to JFP's point, you may want to at least consider a manual transmission instead of PDK for exactly this reason. If your gearbox ever needs to be worked on or the oil needs to be changed, you won't need a PIWIS and will have a lot more options. As JFP said, if there's a problem with a PDK gearbox that's anything more than minor you're probably looking at a replacement reman transmission from Porsche = $$$$. Even if you prefer the PDK, that's ok, I think it's just important to understand this distinction upfront.

Glad you got it sorted. Gotta be careful with after market stuff and I'm personally not a fan of it at all. As I alluded to, adding aftermarket flashes, parts, etc -- you're taking the car away from a known, heavily tested configuration. Your car is an amazing car just as-is, stock, in my opinion. Very happy you are back in business.

Porsche 356 Speedster?

Anything is possible and one's always more paranoid when it's their own car. But any reputable OPC isn't going to put a different engine in your car. But ya, one of the best things about this site is it helps you understand your car better. I always prefer to know as much as possible about what's going on, whether it's my car...... my doctor........ my investments, etc. May hire a professional to do some work. But it's always a good idea to understand what they are doing in detail. Good luck with your car. I know that's disappointing but if you get a new engine out of this it might not be as bad as you might have thought when they first told you this was a possibility.

Yes, I think that goes without saying.

Was just about to say something similar to JFP. It's not like your car was in an accident and needed a new engine. If they pull the lump in its entirety and replace it under warranty, then you basically have the most up-to-date engine (could have upgraded components above what was pulled if anything was superseded, etc) with 0 miles on it. I would think that would actually help the value of your car. But it often comes down to selling to an educated buyer.......

Not very often assuming there was never any moisture in it, etc (although not impossible). I know it sounds like they already have but I would just double check to make sure all the connections and downstream wiring are good.

Actually there have been a number of folks who were victims of IMS failure that had no warning signs. Just driving down the road, minding their own business, then CEL and dead car. As JFP said, just be really careful of what your mechanic is recommending. In addition to checking the filter and sump, you can also inspect the bearings and make sure they look good and are not pitted. If they have been wearing, then the debris has gotten into the oil and you will need a new engine or a complete rebuild. Trying to flush the engine doesn't work.

I'm sorry you think I have come across as upset or otherwise not calm. Don't get me wrong, it's your car and your money and this is a free country; you can do whatever you want and I have no problem with that. But this is a moderated site and comments like yours need to be caveated. If you want to run a non-OEM oil in your transaxle, that's fine. But you're doing so at an increased risk of causing damage that will be very expensive if it does in fact occur. Aside from your tests over the last 10K miles, if you do your homework on this you will see that there are a number of people who had to figure this out the hard way. Shoot, just call Stan at Gbox and ask him about it since he sees these things every day for a living and has been doing so for the last 30 years. He has seen everything under the sun with Porsche gearboxes and no one is more qualified to opine on this topic than he is. You saying "they probably got sand in it" just isn't a constructive response or one that makes it very interesting to have a conversation with you. The last thing is that those teeth aren't "broken". That's what metal-on-metal wear looks like when you don't have proper lubrication.

Did you not look at the picture I uploaded? Look at the teeth. I'm not sure where you get your "science and specs". I have spoken at length about this topic with Stan, the owner of Gbox. I'm sorry, but there's frankly no way I'm going to be able to take your advice with your tests over his 30+ years of knowledge from working on Porsche gearboxes. Ask around, people in the know respect his knowledge. I had a conversation with him about this specific topic and he told me that if you use non-OEM gear oils you are playing with fire. Might take a few thousand miles, might take tens of thousands of miles....but over time you're running a higher risk. You never really know what shape your gearbox is in until they get inside it. It really is incredible, these gearboxes are extremely complex. I just like for other people out there to know the truth: Frankly that if you use any other oil aside from OEM fluid, you're rolling the dice and taking a big chance for very little upside. Sometimes what's cheap is expensive.

Along the same lines as what binger is saying, if what you stated is the case I think it still could be the software flash rather than a hardware problem with the DME. I'm not saying this is definitely the case, a hardware fault would not be completely unrealistic. However, at this point I still think it would be prudent to try the stock flash just to baseline what's going on here. You need to do your best to take this back to a known configuration to get to the bottom of this seemingly random erratic behavior that the car is exhibiting before start-up. As I mentioned earlier, this takes just 5 mins with a PIWIS or with your tuner's software and a laptop. I've done this myself and it's so easy. The flash file for your car is just a few hundred K in size (less than a megabyte if I recall) or so -- tiny. It doesn't make sense to me for you to spring for a new DME $$$ until you've ruled this out and are operating in a configuration that is known/tested/etc.

Please let us know what happens when you have the stock flash on there (through a reflash, or by replacing the entire computer). As stated, I don't think you need to worry too much about how the car would run with the modified hardware + the stock tune, as this should tell you right away if these issues go away before you even start the car. From what you have said, this happens frequently (< 10 tries) and the PIWIS won't even communicate with the DME....and this is all happening before the engine is even running. This will serve to baseline what's going on. If you're still having problems after the above, it would also be helpful if you can post the exact codes that are showing up on the PIWIS when this problem occurs.

Silver TT, these transmissions are not bad they are just not as good as the G50 made by Getrag. I have just finished a 1 and 1/2 year experiment using 5 different transmission oils in my car through all the weather conditions we have up here in New England and I will be posting a DIY on transmission oil changing including all of the results of this experiment. It took so long because I had to use all the oils in winter conditions and it took two winters to get them all in. In most circumstances but not all, Millers is the best and my personal favorite. But, you are welcome to chug along with PTX. That is why Howard Johnson's made 28 flavors. A34735, when someone tells you something that is wrong they are full of it. I myself have been full of it on occasion. I am with you on the voltmeter but the water temp gauge is important. As you have noticed there is a lag between oil temp and water temp. This is because the oil is down in the sump where the water is hopefully not. Going the other way, if your car starts to over heat, under some circumstances you will see it sooner in the water temp Wouldn't ever think of putting anything but the OEM PTX in the gearbox. I have first-hand experience with the damage this will cause. $6K for a gearbox rebuild, or you can buy a reman from Porsche for $10K (before labor). The OEM PTX is an oil which is unique in that it literally has properties that no other oil has. Using the non-OEM will cause wear inside the gearbox over time (some people notice right away, in other cases this can take many thousands of miles). A lot of things people do with their cars I think are obsessing more than anything else, but with this topic I know first hand that if you use anything but the OEM gear fluid, you're asking for trouble.

How are you sure there was no problem ever before you got the car? I don't see how it's possible to know this for sure unless you know the previous owner personally and trust them. The problem should have nothing to do with the lower temperatures where you are, etc, which means if this really only first happened right after you took possession of the car, it's a pure coincidence. As a matter of fact if this is an electrical problem, which we already mentioned to look at closely, these usually get worse as temperature gets higher (aka increased resistance) -- NOT as temp gets lower. Get a new loaner DME if you want. The memory on these cars can be flashed and reflashed over a thousand times and it would take a lot less work than swapping out the DME, but you can do it either way. I don't see how if a new loaner DME solves the problem though you think this points to a hardware fault in the current DME you have. The odds of you having a hardware fault are pretty low (unless your car has specifically been flooded or had moisture in it, etc). The odds of behavior like this due to a flash, regardless of the tuner's reputation, is much more probable. Not saying the flash is for sure your problem, but I've been down this road. I personally would never run a flash because of the issues it can create.

With respect to your comment "But N to 1st often needs a throttle blip to allow the teeth to engage at all" and general issues regarding shifting, especially in 1st and 2nd gears, you might want to read up on the following link. It's not only for pop-outs (that's the extreme case) and you should not be having any trouble with 1st or 2nd. They should be just as smooth as 3, 4, 5, and 6. http://www.gboxweb.com/detent.html Also, disagree that these transmissions are not good. They are good transmissions but you have to be careful with them and only use the OEM spec fluids, etc. They are not forgiving when you don't.

This subject is an area which I've learned more about than I wish I ever had to. You're not going to want to hear it, but JFP is right. Trust me on this, if you're sure your wiring is all in good shape as Loren alluded to (each cable in the series to needs to be tested so check and double check the work on this, there have been some good write-ups how to do it), and you're still having these "random" issues and it's telling you it can't communicate with the DME, for example, I would definitely go back to the stock flash immediately to see if your problems go away. It should be very easy to re-flash to stock to test this. Takes 5 mins with a PIWIS. Literally. Or if you live close to your tuner, most tuners keep stock flashes on hand and some tuners even allow for switching between stock and custom tunes with a device (Revo SPS comes to mind--biggest piece of !@$% ever by the way, I hate that company with a passion). I don't think PCNA is going to be much help. They are going to tell you that it's not their flash and you have molested the OEM state of the vehicle and your warranty is void. Running these myriad of aftermarket flashes can cause all sorts of headaches not limited to this. You're taken a known, tested, proved software configuration and modified it. As with any kind of software, just like on a PC, there are millions of things that can go wrong when you make just one little change. This is why it's so key having a configuration that has been tested so heavily, like the OEM stock flash. No tuner can match that. What I have seen first hand in the tuning world frankly scares the daylight out of me. People put faith in these guys like they are Gods and it's really not like that. I have first hand experience with similar types of issues and going back to stock fixed the issue immediately. Also, for what it's worth, I never could tell the difference with the tune off. She still ran like the wind.