996TT engine rebuild

[bruceinmiami]

i had a 996c2 and sold it. it had high miles and i didn't want to be the guy having to pump money into the car as it neared 100k. especially since the car is not what i envision as my "dream car". my mechanic told me that 996 engines are basically "throwaway". as in, if you need to rebuild, its better to just buy a replace with a fresh reman. engine. i hoped to keep the car for many years but this kind of sucked my enthusiasm for the car right out. plus if i was going to spend the money to keep an aging car on the road, i'd want it to be the "dream car", not a stepping stone to the dream car. he told me that this is not the case with the turbo engines, which are "bulletproof" and rebuildable. hence, if i want to keep for over 100k miles, the turbo may be the better car (way more fun, better engine, etc) so the question is, how much do 996tt engine rebuilds usually run? is it an under-$9,000 proposition? i'm thinking stock engine rebuild - not upgrading for more power.

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[Red 9]

There is nothing in common between the 996C2 engine and the 996 TT engine. And I mean nothing. The TT engine basis is shared with the GT2,GT3 and all the current Porsche race engines. It is completely re-buildable ,in part or whole. You can get parts from Porsche, many used sources for every part.
It is impossible to put a dollar figure on a rebuild-you could go thru and replace every part -- or re ring and gasket sets and that is all.So it varies greatly by what the problem is/was.
If you are asking because you are looking at a high mileage car -if there is nothing ascertainable wrong with it-there probably is not anything wrong.
I would also guess that if you are thinking Porsche dealer doing any work-9K will not go far!
Currently you can get a used engine at very fair price.

[OS Inspector]

well if your not going to extensively mod 700whp or more id say i would not worry about an engine rebuild as long as the car has good history n prior service.

an engine rebuild for the 996non turbo and the 996tt will be of similar costs assuming no upgrades and no broken parts just worn out rings/pistons

people have hit 300k miles on stock turbo motors

if your that worried about engine failure for non abuse situations buy an easy care warranty. n sleep good.

[PeterK]

Well, there was just an alarming thread here describing intermediate shaft failures in a number of TT engines. I have to say that it was very disconcerting since the IMS failures is the achilles hill of the NA 996 engine. And while a rebuilt 996 engine will set you back about $10K, you'll pay tripple of that for the TT engine.

[bruceinmiami]

the reason i posted this thread is because i've been seeing 996tt's in the low 40's that seem fantastic except for the over 50k miles they tipically have.

i've seen some even in the upper 30's, but i wouldn't bargain-basement shop either.

under $50,000 seems do-able for a well-documented 01-02. thats just crazy low for what you get in these cars!

[PeterK]

Originally Posted by bruceinmiami

under $50,000 seems do-able for a well-documented 01-02. thats just crazy low for what you get in these cars!

Well, it is about 60-70% depreciation for 8-10 year old, mass produced car, that could expensive to upkeep. I wouldn't call it "krazy" low.

[buzzm]

has anyone ever heard of someone needing a re-build on a turbo engine ? i cant recall ever reading about anyone rebuilding an engine other than for modding purposes

[PeterK]

Originally Posted by buzzm

has anyone ever heard of someone needing a re-build on a turbo engine ? i cant recall ever reading about anyone rebuilding an engine other than for modding purposes

I guess, it is more like a complete swap with a rebuilt unit.
996tt Intermediate Shaft Noise

[Prche951]

Originally Posted by PeterK

Well, it is about 60-70% depreciation for 8-10 year old, mass produced car, that could expensive to upkeep. I wouldn't call it "krazy" low.

Mass produced? 2001 - 2400 cars. 02- 2300 cars, then half that for 03 and then crazy low after that. All the 996tt years put together equals the Zo6 production for one year and that is a rare vette. Price is way to low for what this car is and I sure hope they go up, which I am guessing they will.

Total # of 996 TT sold in U.S. by PCNA:

6,604 Coupes

2,556 cabs

2001 Coupe: 2418
2002 Coupe: 2318
2003 Coupe: 1384
2003 Cab: 482
2004 Coupe: 298
2004 Cab: 1490
2005 Coupe: 186
2005 Cab: 604

[OS Inspector]

usually the only reason people rebuild their motor other then to make it stronger ona running engine is they either pushed it too hard ona bad tune or they just plainly abused it beyond normal hard driving.

[rosesplus]

Originally Posted by PeterK

Well, there was just an alarming thread here describing intermediate shaft failures in a number of TT engines. I have to say that it was very disconcerting since the IMS failures is the achilles hill of the NA 996 engine. And while a rebuilt 996 engine will set you back about $10K, you'll pay tripple of that for the TT engine.

I've seen one case of a documented intermediate shaft failure here and a couple of other people mentioning the possibility. The one thread where the engine was replaced with a factory remanufactured engine the cost was in the order of $15-$16K for the complete engine.

[ard]

Suncoast was selling a factory reman X50 for $18k

[VAGscum]

Originally Posted by bruceinmiami

i had a 996c2 and sold it. it had high miles and i didn't want to be the guy having to pump money into the car as it neared 100k. especially since the car is not what i envision as my "dream car". my mechanic told me that 996 engines are basically "throwaway". as in, if you need to rebuild, its better to just buy a replace with a fresh reman. engine. i hoped to keep the car for many years but this kind of sucked my enthusiasm for the car right out. plus if i was going to spend the money to keep an aging car on the road, i'd want it to be the "dream car", not a stepping stone to the dream car.

he told me that this is not the case with the turbo engines, which are "bulletproof" and rebuildable. hence, if i want to keep for over 100k miles, the turbo may be the better car (way more fun, better engine, etc)

so the question is, how much do 996tt engine rebuilds usually run? is it an under-$9,000 proposition? i'm thinking stock engine rebuild - not upgrading for more power.

All of the 986 and 996 engines are considered to be throw away to a certain extent, even the TT. If you have major engine issues on a 996 engine(NA or TT) it is a higher possibility that the engine can be beyond economic repair compared to the aircooled engines. The watercooled engines have thin cast walls on the water jackets that can crack easier. The main case may be nearly the same on the TT, but the sleeves and water jackets take alot of the damage in a catastrophic engine failure as well as the heads. These are pricey to get replaced. The 993TT engine are far more rebuild friendly when it comes to failures.

Now the TT is supposed to be less likely to have a failure as opposed to the NA engines, but when they do let go it is $. The only really scarey part of the 996TT is the intermediate shaft. But it doesn't seem to be as common as the NA RMS issues. All that being said, I personally wouldn't buy a 996TT unless I had either 12k in the bank for just 996TT repairs or an aftermarket warranty with $ in the bank.

[aircavscout]

Wow....

I personally wouldn't buy a 996TT unless I had either 12k in the bank for just 996TT repairs or an aftermarket warranty with $ in the bank.

You could always just park it in your garage and stare at it for no cost!

It's not like your buying a KIA here! 12K in the bank may be a stretch.. Besides, all you really need is a 12K credit line on your CC Hey PRCHE 951... Thanks for the production run info.. Didn't even know that.

[rafiki]

Originally Posted by VAGscum

All that being said, I personally wouldn't buy a 996TT unless I had either 12k in the bank for just 996TT repairs or an aftermarket warranty with $ in the bank.

Do a pre inspection, buy it, drive it hard and service it regularly and you should have no issues.

I have almost 80km on mine, these engines are race proven and should see 250000 with no problems. Save your $$ and forget aftermarket warranty (unless it's used Porsche factory...read the fine print).

Then again, I'm a real risk taker: I ski, I go to the toilet in the middle of the night without turning the lights on. When there are no cars around, I occassionally cross the road, but always make sure that I have clean undies on...just in case..

Sorry dude, but based on my experience I totally disagree.

As with any car, house, pet, if something goes wrong, you simply need to access money, either credit card or worst case scenario, get a loan.But if you did have car repair $$ in the bank, your bank manager will love you for it...while he uses it to make much more $$$$ for bank executives and shareholders.