First of all a big hello to all of you Porsche owners.
Im a International Student who moved to Orlando at the beginning of 2012 to
study a Degree in GameArts.

Back in March i had made a choice to go for a used 996 arctic silver convertible with a 6 speed manual. I know i was going in for a great risk cause the car had 82k miles on it but being half German i couldnt resist! A s4 cabrio seemed tempting too but a bit of a big cruiser compared to the 911. So I purchesed the Porsche for a banging price in my opinion and have been sticking money into the car ever since. The previous service record had shown no major engine repairs. Once I got it I had to replace the oil seperator and flush the whole system. After that the rear disks had to be replaced and the belts. After all those repairs i installed a K&N filter and purchased a NHP maxspeed exhaust system that i yet have to install. Car was running perfectly all month till this night.

I went out for a short drive down to the 7/eleven. Got my things turned the engine on and it all sounded fine. Put it in first and as I was driving off the lot it was seesawing a bit. very strange feeling in the clutch pedal. Need to get home so me and my friend in the car risked it. It was only 4 miles back home. I kept it very much in low revs on 4th and 5th gear. On the last stretch i start smelling this nasty smoke. I look into my review mirror and its this massive smoke cloud that dragged itself out of the engine bay. Put it in neutral right away and switched it off as it rolled. Pushed it the last few miles home and opened a beer! Now too the after math which i hope isnt gonna be a cylinder issue.
The car has no leak signs and the engine block looks clean. its night so ill try to get a better look at it tomorrow but i hope the engine block is still in tact.
I gave the starter one try just to see what kind of sound it makes and it seems to get stuck on something. Some loose parts. Maybe IMS? Its got 85k miles now. I got a pretty good mechanic here in Orlando but im open for any suggestions if anyone knows a true german expert in the Orlando area.

This is a messed up situation as i was getting ready to order some speedlines and tires for the car as it desperately needs new shoes. Anyway im happy to be part of the 911 community here even if i showed up with sum sad news.

Cheers

 

forgot to mention there were no engine lights or oil pressure problems. The dash showed me everything was normal.

 

My first thought was AOS, but it sounds like you've already addressed that...

 

Yikes, That sucks. I hope it's something less than major.

 

thanks Dennish I hope its nothing serious too. I had a better look at it this morning
and there are no leaks. I dont have the guts to turn the key as i dont want to make things worse and it did make very strange mechanical sounds when i did that yesterday. It could be the AOS as i had it repaired in a not so good shop under time pressure while I was on a trip back from Miami. Tomorrow im gonna go look at 2 different shops here in Orlando, German Excellence, or EURO Specialists and then decide which one to go with.

Out of curiosity would 996 Mk2 GT3 cats fit on my C2?

Cheers

 

Sorry another update.
i just checked the exhaust tips and they are covered with oil inside that smells very burnt.. I take it we can take the trani out of question

 

Keep us posted :{ I sure hope it's not as bad as sounds

 

You're smart by NOT starting it. I think it's a huge risk to start it.

 

Good luck! I'm thinking it might be something small that seems like a big deal. Keep it off and tow it in to an expert.

Everytime I read posts like this the Jekyll in me that says "Hold off on the IMS Bearing" is overtaken by the Hyde that says "Get the IMS Bearing update yesterday!"

 

I think it sounds like something is amiss in the AOS. I def would keep it off

 

So i just got word from my mechanic that he had to take the whole engine out of the car.
He said the engine was flooded with oil and this could very well be due too the Oil seperator. He said they are going to turn it upside down and check if it still can run.
I hope its not a totale loss! I can count with this being a 4-7hour job if the engine is salvageable.

I got a question guys. I tried to get this issue fixed in Miami and the dude totally overcharged me and now i find out i got the same problem again! Is there anyway to sue them for not doing the job correctly or is there just no way to get those expenses back?

Anyway im happy with the choice of mechanic i got now. I got the car towed yesterday at 1pm and he called me today at 2 with an estimate of the problem.

Thanks everyone on this forum again for giving me a idea of what the problem was

Cheers

 

wow. where to begin .. Did you get anything in writing? Were any of these techs Porsche cert techs from reputable shops? I think you are hosed my friend. Sad but true. See if you can pick up a rebuild or salvage then pay the going rate to your new friend who I hope is a good tech.

 

Ey m8. I do have the bill with both my signature and the mechanics and the overpriced oil separator is listed on it too. After the job i had complained about his rates and he offered a free oil change down the road which i turned down. This guy wasent a certif porsche mechanic. He did show off saying that he repaired many 996s. I know there is nothing I can do about it but i still feel like burning his place down!

My mechanic that i got here in orlando is trust worthy. He is taking the engine bit by bit apart to figure out the problem. He said my biggest worry should be the crankshaft cause if thats gone, so is the engine. Anyhow ill find out next week wats up with it.

I got small glimbs of hope that the engine is fine cause there was no mechanical scratching noise when it broke down.

cheers

 

usually if the crankshaft (ims) goes out you'd be throwing out oil all over the place. Hopefully its just the IMS. When my IMS went out in my boxster the tow truck driver was saying it was a headgasket and wanted to tow me to his mechanic...

 

Not to sound like an *** but don't you check labor rates and get an estimate BEFORE any work is done so you aren't shocked when you get a bill?

Also any competent mechanic worth his weight should give you some sort of warranty on labor and/or parts. Porsche dealers, although sometimes more expensive, will usually offer up to two year warranty on their work.

Good luck and let's hope you don't need a new engine.