997s burning oil at track

[mkk62]

sounds like a great idea particularly in Florida....track days here are REALLy hot...if you dont mind, how much for the radiator and labor? may be my next mod... mk

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[obsessed]

Originally Posted by mkk62

sounds like a great idea particularly in Florida....track days here are REALLy hot...if you dont mind, how much for the radiator and labor? may be my next mod...

mk

1K total in round numbers - radiator kit 235 (200 at Suncoast but with shipping and tax roughly the same), grilles 200, plus labor, some coolant and taxes. As I understand it, the biggest portion of labor was removing then reinstalling bumper cover so I did both grilles and radiator at same time

[e3113v]

Originally Posted by mkk62

So the saga starts with purchase of my 2005 997s with 4k miles that i got 3 yrs ago...sounds like a launch car with fully loaded pccb, nav, full leather, adaptic seats, came with fabspeed headers and mufflers(stock cats) . Loved the car and is my second 997s...I have been a track rat for yrs and this was the second 997s I tracked about 15-20 days/yr..about 2 yrs ago noticed some mild white smoke on start up after a track session and had the oil separator changed under warranty, scavenger pumps checked and leak down done, all ok....GIAC and EVo intake was added...still smoking
Then I moved to r compounds with gt3 control arms (after I corded a brand new set of Michelin ps2’s in one day I figured I was ready)and started instructing and pushing 8-9/10ths . then the smoke got worse, again only on track days after each session upon start up..burned about 1 qt/day...had the car checked out again....last six months burning 2 qts/day...smoke only at start up..none on street..had the car rechecked recently with scoping the cylinders(looked ok), leak down compression test ok, and had the dealership drive the car for 500 miles and no oil loss during those miles..no oil leakage on the floors and RMS ok .now I have 19k miles still cpo’ed till march 2011...

Was hoping to keep the car for a while but really concerned about oil consumption even if only at the track. I assume the r compounds with more g forces is doing something to make me burn more oil...i have lots of buddies with 997s’ that do not burn any oil at the track...in fact one had his engine replaced after scorched cylinders and similar smoking as mine...(all mods done at dealership so warranty still ok)The baffled oil pans I believe only help with smoking ON the track, and not with this problem like the smoking caymans( I have been smoked screened by them on the track before).

Any ideas or solutions would be appreciated.. My thoughts are that one day soon the engine will blow, and my only hope is that is does before warranty ends...thought about moving to a 996 or 997 gt3 and maybe this would be a good excuse.

Hey MK, just realized that we have the same car, ie. 2005 997S launch.
So you fried the front PCCB's already! Yikes! Yes, due to the high replacement costs, I've been told by more than one person to replace them with good steel ones if I'm going to track on a regular basis.
As I said in my thread, I too love this iteration of the 911.
Interesting that you're having somewhat similar oil burning issues. You haven't smokescreened anyone while on the track like I did though, right?
-E.

[mkk62]

obsessed thanks will try the heavier oil first and then see...would love to get the radiator , and the motorsport aos and the x 51 oil pan....looking at around 4 k for all .....i have an itch though to get a gt3 so i may wait til next yr and trade in..before spending any more money on this car....

e3113 yes same car...never smoked much on the track just start up unless i overfilled then a little more smoke...i have been smoke screened by a few caymans as they have a reall problem with this....that much smoke on the track on a 997s is even more unusual than my start up smoke which is pretty common....dealer should find something....hope..otherwise, trade up to a gt3 like i may do

[obsessed]

MK, if you are serious about moving to a GT3 in near future it doesn't make sense to upgrade. Try the 5w-15 Mobil 1 that is approved by Porsche maybe it will help - will be interested in how it works for you. You could go with the more readily available 15w-50 that isn't approved, but I doubt the small cost savings is worth the risk of a challenge to your CPO coverage in the unlikely event you have an engine mechanical issue and they figure out you were using an unapproved oil. Small risk but also small savings.

I too have been toying with the idea of moving to a 997 GT3 and have made safety and suspension mods that could be moved to the GT3 and return the 997S to stock. The cooling mods could be moved theoretically, but not economically - would be cheaper to buy another radiator and grilles than to remove them from the 997S unless DIY.

[mkk62]

yeah my thoughts wil try the oil first....do you think the x 51 oil pan will help longevity of engine if tracked a lot? avoiding oil starvation?

[obsessed]

Originally Posted by mkk62

yeah my thoughts wil try the oil first....do you think the x 51 oil pan will help longevity of engine if tracked a lot? avoiding oil starvation?

I haven't heard of anyone with an oil starvation issue with the 997S engine. I am not an expert on the topic but I never see oil pressure drop below 4-5 bars under any acceleration, deceleration or cornering situation, so I have no interest in the pan at this point - seems designed to solve problem with different engine. I can find enough things to spend my money without buying things I don't clearly need (knock on wood). I'll spend that money on more track time, tires, rotors and pads. I would personally think regular oil and filter changes would do more for longevity than the pan.

[Misanors4]

Man you guys are making me nervous. I have a DE at Summit this weekend and I'm afraid I'm going to run into some other the stated problems :/

[cibergypsy]

Originally Posted by obsessed

I haven't heard of anyone with an oil starvation issue with the 997S engine. I am not an expert on the topic but I never see oil pressure drop below 4-5 bars under any acceleration, deceleration or cornering situation, so I have no interest in the pan at this point - seems designed to solve problem with different engine. I can find enough things to spend my money without buying things I don't clearly need (knock on wood). I'll spend that money on more track time, tires, rotors and pads. I would personally think regular oil and filter changes would do more for longevity than the pan.

Good that you mentioned this. When I retrofitted the X51 kit on my '06 Carrera S, amongst the extensive list and part numbers of all the items that come with it, there wasn't a single mention of a different oil pan for the X51 kit on the 997 version. I think this X51 oil pan being sold is for the 996s. Does anyone know if this is so?

[obsessed]

Originally Posted by Misanors4

Man you guys are making me nervous. I have a DE at Summit this weekend and I'm afraid I'm going to run into some other the stated problems :/

Stop worrying, stay on the track and have fun. It will be cool at Summit now so even if your engine is prone to burn a little oil or smoke a bit it is unlikely to be an issue in fall weather. If it does smoke on start up, most find idling 5 minutes after a track session will reduce or prevent it. If your oil temps read below 250 usually not an issue and with the fall weather it is unlikely you will get that hot at Summit. I would take a quart or two of oil with you to top up if necessary.

If you are casually tracking most of what you see here is a non-issue, just add oil when low. If you get really hardcore and spend a lot of time on the track, you start to want to mod and tweak the performance and try to address otherwise modest issues. I have never pulled off the track due to oil consumption or smoke - just add a little oil before the next run if down 2-3 bars, but I track a fair amount so if I can reduce the consumption and smoke that would be great.

[mkk62]

thanks obsessed...i will hold off on mods and start workin on the wife for the gt3 hitting road atlanta next month. should be cooler there...we'll see how much smoke i get...although it did smoke a bit last yr when it was 40 degrees and raining the whole weekend....good thing it gets cold up north where you are otherwise you might be doing 100 events per yr

[mdrums]

Originally Posted by cibergypsy

Good that you mentioned this. When I retrofitted the X51 kit on my '06 Carrera S, amongst the extensive list and part numbers of all the items that come with it, there wasn't a single mention of a different oil pan for the X51 kit on the 997 version. I think this X51 oil pan being sold is for the 996s. Does anyone know if this is so?

Yes the X51 oil BAFFLE...not a oil pan is from a 996. You have to do some small grinding to make the baffle fit. The 997 X51 pkg did not have this baffle system.
Do a search on the PCA Suncoast Club site. I believe it was the April or May issue and they did a pictorial of this install. mkk62, call Vortex and speak with Carlos as he has doen a lot of these.