I bought a CPO 2004 911 with 17,000 miles three weeks ago from a Porshe dealer. Lat week pulling out of a parking lot a heard a sound in the motor that last 5 seconds. I stopped and got out of the car thinking I had run over something. Got back in the car and drove 5 miles back to work (not exceeding 45 MPH). When I parked at work notices oil streaming out of the bottom of the car. Called Porsche dealer and car was towed.

Dealer says IMS failure and was planning to order parts and car would be ready in a couple weeks. I ask did this harm the engine and he indicated he would check to see if anything was in the oil once he fixed the IMS. He indicated since I only traveled a short distance at a lower speed he did not think this caused engine issues.

Anything here I need to follow-up on or need to ask? What are the chances of another IMS failure?

Thank you

 

As long as they drop the pan and check for any debris, it should be fine. If it didn't pop a check engine light, then the cams didn't lose timing which is good.

 

thank you so I should be able to tell once I get the car back if there is engine issues? Also chances of this happening again?

 

thank you

do not know if I replied correctly so sorry if this is a duplication.

Will I be able to tell if the engine was harmed when I get the car back and what are chances of this happening again?

 

Unfortunately there is no way to know if it hurt the longevity of the motor. Typically this issue is found in low mileage motors. Condensation builds up in the oil over time, and this condensation gets trapped in the bearing seal as it sits, which erodes away the ball bearings. As long as the car is driven on a regular basis and the oil is changed on a regular basis, you won't have an issue. People think they can go 15k miles on synthetic oil which is only true if you are driving the car daily. Otherwise you really need to change oil every 6 months. I have pulled IMS bearings out of 100k mile cars that looked brand new because the cars were driven regularly.

 

Thank you Doc

One last question...if there is trash in the oil and the Porsche delership does not replace the motor will I be able to tell there are problems when I pick up the car or should I bring to a independent mewchanic to check it out? My warrantly expires 6/2012.

Thabks again

 

More than likely the engine is going to run just fine or Porsche will replace the motor. Taking it to an independent mechanic isn't going to really tell you anything, there isn't any real way to diagnose anything until it fails. You can do another oil change and cut the filter open to look for debris after they do the work, but that is about it.

 

Doc-

Got the car back from the dealer-warranty paid bill was $5,300 to replace/repair the IMS. Appears to drive fine. Is there anything I need to look out for ?9such as excess oil burning etc) that would alert me to any future issues relating to this repair. Thank you

 

Monitor the oil consumption over the next change, but there isn't much you can do but drive it.