Re: The $1,000 camshaft...

The CEL starting flashing the other day in my '05 987...I parked the car & had it towed to the dealership. Diagnosis was a 'dead' 3rd cylinder...from a bad lifter, which took out the corresponding camshaft. The service writer called this afternoon with the tab...$2900 labor, $1530 parts (that's where the $1K camshaft comes in). Since the defective lifter was the curse of the situation, I inquired if this was normal on an engine with 27K miles. Of course it's not...but don't bother to ask PCNA for any help. Too much has been spent on an advertising campaign citing the 'magic' of ownership.
I love driving the car, but the issues with 'reliability' are fairly mind-boggling in this day & age. But I should be so lucky...it could have been the IMS.

I am so sorry about your trouble, but I don't really follow your argument about "'reliability' ...in this day & age". The car is 7 years old. Something broke. Is this so strange?

I guess it is.

It is very interesting for us old timers who's cars rusted into oblivion in 2-3 years (my father had a '72 Datsun 240Z. When he bought fiberglass fenders to put on it in '74, there was nothing left to bolt them on to). My sister had a 914 -- the interior fell apart in less time than that... Now we expect cars to last forever. I think that you can do this by designing them to last forever, but probably not if you design them to perform. I think PCNA's idea of the "Magic of ownership" centers around the idea that you should own a new one every 2 years or so -- that would be magic to them.

Over the past several years, Porsche has done well in JD Powers Reliability surveys. Imagine visiting a dedicated board for some of the other less reliable brands on the survey and hear what they have to say about their issues. Cars these days have tones of technology, motors, circuits, lighter components for fuel saving, etc. So, go have at another make, chances are, your luck won't be much different, but since there is not board for that brand, you have no idea of any issues, so you'll have a false sense of security.

Worst car I ever owned.

I had a 1971 240Z. It was a very reliable and fun car. Though it did run hot. I added a 4 core radiator and an oil cooler to correct the issue. I also changed the SU carbs to Webers and the throttle response improved dramatically. I have it for 17+ years. I sold it to a Japanese factory purchaser. Mine was selected as one of the factory reconditioned models.

It was common knowledge that the 1973 240Z and 1974 260Zs had vapor lock and other performance robbing issues (Related to stricter emission requirements).

Most of the cores that rebuilders receive have busted blocks from cracked heads and hydralock. I would guess they have more than a few extra sets of cams , it may be worth while making a few calls . Then have a indy do the work ,you may cut that bill in half.

Sounds like my 1982 Alfa Spider I owned back in the day. I had similar issues (slipped timing chain @20 mph, head gasket) on a garage kept car that was less than 4 years old and had about 20k mils (don't know exactly as the speedo quit working at 10k miles). I punted and sold the car to cut losses.

There is no way that you should face this repair bill on a motor with 27K miles. If you have any service history with the car, it seems it would be worth pressing the issue with PCNA.

dghii
2000 Boxster S 6speed 112k miles

... these cars like to be driven.
When they are parked, nothing good happens.
In this case, it gave a lifter a chance to freeze and then.... $1,000 camshaft.
Sorry to hear nevertheless.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Agreed; from the various posters on this board and fellow boxster owners that I know, cars that are daily (or nearly) driven seem to have the best chance of being able to go 100K+ without major mechanical problems.

I've experienced the same lifter problem--usually at spring start up when I was using M1; I've changed out to a different oil (Lubro Moly 5W-40) and it will be interesting to see if it reoccurs next spring when I bring it out.

BTW, my mechanic said that the lifters in the 987 motor (not sure about the 986) had very small orifices for the oil to enter and that was one of the causes.

get fewer oil changes (by time)
accumulate more moisture and acids int he oil
have a much higher % of running time as dry starts (horrible damage)

I can only surmise that the hydraulic lifter seized "expanded" and ground down or even bent a cam (probably damaged bearings too in that case).

yes, drive them.

if you don't drive them, become very knowledgeable about how to keep the oil fairly uncontaminated.

At minimum start somewhat regularly, but once started, warm up completely and drive enough to get everything above, oh, the boiling point of water :-)

Grant

I did notice that noise appearing in recent times...but it went away as the car warmed up. The oil (M1 0W/40) was changed every 5K miles, which translated to once a year. Ironically, the oil had been changed about ten days before this incident. The car ran fine right up to the CEL coming on the morning after I had driven about 150 miles over a hot weekend.

on most of my audis, i have had lifter that took their sweet time to pump up. It was, and is, part of the routine. Some of those cars went away with nearly 300k miles on them. So i dont take light tapping very seriously (maybe i should!).

Grant

I suppose that we all go through the "what could I have done differently" scenario in possibly preventing such an implosion. Since last Spring the 987 has been my only vehicle...prior to that, it was only fired up when I was going to do at least 50 miles of 'spirited' driving. It was never driven in the commuter slog so common in large urban areas...my 'commute' is from the bedroom to the home office, so for many days, the 987 stayed on the battery maintainer. The intention was to drive it until the next generation of Boxster arrived...now some other decisions are in the mix. I still love the excitement the car generates...but at times it's like being in love with one of the fem-fatales of film noir. (Rita Hayworth in "Gilda" comes to mind).

Questions and issues as to the reliability of the failed lifter were pressed to the service writer. Btw...my 'relationship' with the dealer is good, and I consider them reputable & fair from all previous experiences. PCNA would do nothing after his inquiry, was what I was told..."shoulda bought an extended warranty" was the common answer. Is it worth pressing further? Fortunately, my PCA
membership discounts have pared $500+ from the tab...but still trying to feel the 'magic'.

Did you notice any engine "tapping" noise after start up or driving after a while? This spring I had the tapping noise when I first brought the car out but didn't really notice it until I brought the car back to the garage to be parked. At the time it had M1 15W-50 in it and had been sitting for 5 months.
I've got a short video of the noise which I can post if you heard anything.

Minus 40 degrees... Is that Fahrenheit or Celsius?

I had been using M1 15W-50- mainly for track days- and this was first year I left it in over the winter layup. The car started right up and was quiet initially but after a 15 minute drive I could hear the ticking which eventually subsided as the car was driven daily. Oddly enough, I've had the same type of ticking--intermittently--prior to that, using M1 0W-40. As I mentioned earlier, the mechanic at the dealer mentioned that this collapsed lifter noise is not unusual on boxsters and faulted small orifice size that prevented enough oil from entering the lifter for it to fully function.

I've got Lubro Moly 5W-40 in it now and it will be interesting to see what it sounds like at spring start up. Since it was added in mid-July, the engine has been noticeably quieter. It's a Porsche approved, full synthetic made in Germany that a local mechanic recommended.

i hear you on the reliability,92 Honda accord 240,000 miles when wife totaled it never a problem 98 Honda accord v6 215,000 the only thing i have changed are the timing belt, oil and brakes, wife's Toyota same never an issue, my Porsche, drive it a few days work on it for a few weeks, it seems. as much as these cars cost they should not only be the top in performance but they should be the leaders in quality. i always say if you are going to own a German car buy a Japanese car to depend on. Hell, you can buy a Japanese car for what it costs to repair our Porsche's. but then again they are like cigarettes no matter how much you are warned, can't live without them. wonder if Porsche and Philip Morris are affiliated????

On reliability versus a honda, can't really quite compare the two. Look at the HP Porsche can squeeze out of a 4.0L 6, think Honda could do that and keep the motors running to 200k? I very much doubt it. These cars are designed for performance, then reliability. Its a fine line the engineers must tread to come out with the best product possible, and it appears in some areas, IMS, RMS, they were a little too close to the poor quality side. Our cars are not designed for the faint of heart, nor for the faint of pocket. Sure you can save your pennies your whole life and buy a Porsche, Ferrari or Lambo, but you better have another pocket for paying for repairs. It goes with the territory, exspensive cars = exspensive repairs. Now I'm not saying there are some failures for our cars the are acceptable, and I know there are good cars out there pushing 200k, and there are bad cars blowing up ~15k, but I wouldn't be surprised when it happens, nor do I find it helpfull to dwell on it. When I purchased my 1999 way back in the day, the thought of a RMS or IMS failure, or D chunk, or slipped cylinder liner or porous block never came to mind. Wouldn't have thought it could have happened. As a matter of fact, if it weren't for the internet and PPBB or 986forum, I would be blissfully ignorant. I would not blame Porsche for these failures and "poor" reliability, blame it on the internet.
Blame Al Gore, he did after all, invent the internet...

Just drive your cars, have fun, enjoy them while they last, enjoy the friends that you make with them, and put some pennies in that other pocket for the repairs.

Steve
Guards Red 1999
I'm not a race car driver, but I play one in 2nd and 3rd gear

I would add that the money saved in other types of therapy pays for the extra repair costs.