Are there known problems with the 996/997 engines?

I have not heard of this either and I had a 996 turbo and have a 997 GT3RS. There are some known issues (Rennlist is a good source). A couple I know of off hand are the press fittings for the coolant hoses- they are known to fail and dump coolant- very bad thing on track! The rear diff has also been an issue. There are some others like rear main seal leak for the GT3 variants. Overall, they are solid and very reliable. I had no significant issues with my 996tt and tracked it a lot over the years.

 

Read here

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=256852

 

6speedonline is also a good source for Porsche stuff.

We've got 21,000 miles on the 997 with no problems at all.

 

Andrew's problems, while severe, are not *totally* unheard of.

996s and some very early 997's did have a RMS problem, so check for that.

in other words, due diligence and a solid PPI and you should be golden (or, buy a car with a CPO warranty).

I've had two 997's and one 996, combined somewhere close to 30k miles, with no issues. although my first 997 did use a quart of oil every 1500-2000 miles.

 

Im at 50.000 miles now. Before the RMS issues, i had to replace the muffler 3 times (under warranty) as it was making a very metallic sound.

I fell out of love with it when i had the engine issue but after having the muffler by pass pipes installed, all was good again .

 

you did fabspeed, yes?

how is it, volume-wise? still a decent DD? does the exhaust drone at all?

my poor, base-model Carrera needs some more sound and fury. I'm thinking softronic ECU upgrade and by-pass pipes, maybe an airbox.

 

I did fabspeed yes. I love it, even DD. It sometimes drones a little (esp if you have windows UP, windows down, it's just amazing..so i always have them a little down which my wifes hate when its 5 degrees ). People on 6speed were complaining but they are ******* .

I was looking at an airbox too..not sure i'll hear a difference.

 

The IMS issues are heared of on boxter-911 motors 98-08. The GT3 and Turbo uses GT1 engine and 993 crank style, built like a tank and engine's use a different bearing style less prone to failure.

http://www.excellence-mag.com/resources/buyers-guide/1041874889
http://www.excellence-mag.com/resources/buyers-guide
http://www.rennteam.com/forum/thread/235623/996997_engine_failures/page1.html

... Of course, all cars have their issues, and the 996 and 997 are no exception.........Today, a used 996 or 997 with an RMS failure isn’t a lost cause, but we wouldn’t buy it unless it’s been fixed.

 

I have 125K miles on my daily driver 99 996 and its original engine - no RMS or IMS issues, but may do IMS bearing upgrade when clutch is replaced. Right now, I plan to drive this car until a no frills 997 PDK is within my target depreciation rate.

 

Mine had a cracked cylinder wall at 3k miles. The engine was replaced under warranty.

Kinda long...but this is one of the best articles I've seen on the topic.

http://www.hartech.org/docs/buyers%20guide%20web%20format%20Dec%202010%20part%205.pdf


An extended warranty on this car is worth it...imo.

 

A picture is worth a thousand words:

http://x17online.com/celebrities/mark_wahlberg/mark_wahlbergs_porsche_breaks_down_at_madeo-01132010.php

 

I put a side muffler bypass from fabspeed on the 997 and it was insanely loud... completely unusable for a DD IMO and I like loud exhausts. Tons of drone. It sounded absolutely amazing though and the guys at Fabspeed were great to work with and let me send it back. I kept the Fabspeed air intake, which I really like. If you're using your 997 as a DD I'd skip the side bypass and maybe do center bypass? I've heard that really doesn't add much volume though...

 

hmm, thanks for the advice.

I'm not really looking for volume, just a bit more power and a better noise. but it needs to remain "daily driver" acceptable, and I can't stand exhaust drone.

 

Then I'd skip the side bypass pipes for sure. You may want to do primary bypass and an air intake or something along those lines. The intake makes it sound a little more aggressive over 5,500RPM or so.

I personally love the stock sound of the 997.1. Much more than the 997.2.