Some guy just told me that 997.1's have a 996 motor in them!!! Can anyone shed some light on this please. If so does the 997.1 have the same problems we all hear about in the 996?

 

M96 engine was shared between both models (probably some minor differences but basically same engine). The 997S had the m97 engine - slightly different than the M96. Certain runs of the M96 in the 997 did have the same potential IMS problems that 996 owners experienced. There have been lots of posts and articles about this - check Excellence back issues.

 

Do the S and the 4S have the M97 engine and the this engine have the same issues? I was told that modifications to the design were made to eliminate the issues?

 

997.1 S and 4S both use the same 3.8l M97 engine. I'm not knowledgable enough to answer your second question - as I said previously, lots of discussion on the topic for the last 8+ years. 997.2 uses a completely different engine (9A1) - DFI and no IMS to worry about.

Start here - Raby is the expert.
http://www.rabyenginedevelopment.com...Explained.html

 

Search under upgraded or revised IMS bearing or the like. Also D-chunk and #6 cyl failure. Then go out and drive your car like you stole it.

 

This has been discussed to extremes on another competitive site.

 

Time to sell it an get a Volvo or something else engineered well. You would think the stupid Germans could get it right for once. German cars are by far one of the most unreliable cars on earth. It's not like they are a start up company. Why the hell was there no recall. They don't car about customers either.

 

Hmmm. Volvo now owned by GEELY, a holding company in China?

Anyway, I think that's a pretty general statement. Cars of and brands are always evolving and any model can and will have issues.
So many brands have them especially with their "all new" models. New technology and all.
And I think it a bit unfair to label a whole brand, segment or country for that matter based on a few.

Would you say Americans cars are as terrible when you look at say GM and all their ignition snitch issues? Or Japan with Toyota's floor mat issue?

Sure Porsche's IMS was an issue and it seems to be less than 5% have failed from informal surveys and now they make engines with out it.

 

Well other brands don't cost as much. One would think that cars priced at over 100k should be built well and if not the manufacturer should stand behind the product when a defect such as this is discovered. It it dishonest and greedy at best to do otherwise. They are a huge company and certainly have the where with all to rectify an issue this significant if it should occur. We are talking a 30k repair it's unconscionable that they leave people out to dry. China? I remember when the Germans almost ran Chrysler out of business when they owned it.

 

Put your VIN in any VIN decoder and you'll see engine type of M9701, some earlier build MY05 997 had the M96 engine, M97 is the newer engine. Less prone to IMS failures but doesn't eliminate it entirely. M97 IMS engine failures were rare enough that it wasn't included in the IMS lawsuit.

 

Thank you for the info.

 

M96 is the 3.6l engine in the non-S 997.1's. M97 is the 3.8l engine in the S 997.1's.

 

Just because something has a significant costs doesn't mean there is no room for issues or improvement. Space shuttles cost allot more than a Porsche and they still have issues. No man-made machine is perfect.
Honda or Toyota may not have such expensive issues but their engines weren't pushing 355hps in 2006. you want something special, you need to pay more.
And if not for Mercedes, Chrysler would not exist anymore. Because of Chrysler Mercedes quality dipped and Chrysler survived because Mercedes parts and design.

 

Space shuttles and 911's now that's apples to elephants for comparison. 30 grand to rapair a known design flaw is not reasonable no matter who builds the product.

 

I get where you are coming from but..... would offer two thoughts here.


As I read this your Porsche has not cost you 30K$ to repair and most likely never will.


It always pays to do your research BEFORE investing your hard earned $$$.


At this point: just drive it and get your smile back.


Good Luck