We'll all be crossing our fingers - hoping for the best. Or at least minimal damage.

I was getting ready to jump on a nice '03 996 Targa at a local dealer - I'm going to wait a while now.

 

No this is not good news. They may likely find cylinder/piston damage with the scope. Removing and cutting the filter to look for metal trapped inside sometimes can show the same thing (some say you should do this regularly during service). Unfortunately all moving engine parts can get contaminated via the oil when this happens. I am going to go back and read Hartech's explanation. I think they say it has to do with uneven heating within the head and temperature spikes. Ne way you should know soon. Time then to carefully consider your options. Many emoticons are running thru my mind.

 

Well, I guess we were all hoping for the best, but that sounds fatal.

How long have you had it, and how many miles? Is it your weekend car or daily driver?

 

Thanks guys... I've now had it for almost 5 years... I got her with 49,500 miles and now it's just about at 99,000 miles... it is my daily driver...

 

Keep us posted

 

Precautionary note: There is a guy posting on this board that has been waiting on a private shop for 5 months for an engine rebuild and so far they have got the crank in. I don't know why that comes to mind but.......

 

How are you making out Headspin?

 

Don't understand the mechanic saying he reached in a checked the IMS and found no movement. You can't reach it from the pan area. The only way to check the IMS bearing is to drop the trans, take off the flywheel and the IMS flange. A few shavings in the oil pan does not mean the engine is ruined. If the pan has never been dropped these may have been there since the engine was new. Almost all engines will have a few shavings from the break-in period, this is quite common in 996's. Also these could be pieces from the IMS bearing races that are starting to come apart.

Do the boroscope and if you don't find anything then drop the trans/engine and check the IMS.

Are the shavings in the oil magnetic or not?

 

Hey guys thanks again for all the concern and great advice! I will not have an answer until early next week unfortunately... I will definitely ask if the pieces are magnetic or not...

 

crossing fingers for you, but at a minimum did the mechanic drop filter and pan to see what is inside?

Good luck

 

I think you meant can't reach it (the ims) from the pan. The symptoms of early ims problems don't fit what happened to Headspins car real well. I'm thinking that if it seized due to piston/cylinder binding and restarted after it cooled down that would account for the stall and the knock. I do wish they had done the borescope first.

 

Just found out the #1 rod bearing is "wasted"!!! So......... I was told that I will be shopping for an engine!!!
The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun!
That was random................ But I just had to say that to feel better!!! hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! DAMN!!!

 

Always a challenge as the journal on the crank is also probably damaged and at this time no over-sized bearing are available so turning the crank is not a option. I know that Jake Raby has been working on over-sized bearings. Might be worth giving him a call.

 

Well...after all the hitech Porsche engine concerns it comes down to that old internal combustion engine standby, the rod/crank; as we said in the beginning based on your description of "knock." You got near to 100K miles out of your old friend, not too shabby for a small displacement hi hp motor. I guess the question now is: Now what? rebuilt or remanufactured. Maybe you have a sense of the relative costs involved. Btw, just for the heck of it can you tell me what service intervals you were using for oil changes? I realise there was a previous owner.

 

I normally get the oil changed every 6,000 - 7,500 hundred miles... After doing extensive research and following the great advice of others here I have come to the conclusion that a rebuild would be the most reliable and intelligent solution aside from buying a new motor that is... Dharn55 suggested I should call Jake Raby and I must say he comes with a Porsche load of credentials and one extremely impressive website! I now await for his call to see how will he deliver me from the depths of darkness!!! Thank you Dharn55!