Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:
Well bugger, just called to book it in, and they don't have a durametric after all. This was Curt's on 11 mile in Berkley. Back to looking for someone in the SE Michigan area who can diagnose Porsche's and has a decent reputation
There is a guy on telegraph in Monroe (?) who is really good. May be to far south for you; I'll see if I can find his name. He diagnosed a 944 problem and his shop was full of Saab/Porsche/VW
edit: not so far south as I remember, it's called Wuerths Automotive in Brownstone Township.
In reply to chandler :
Cool. I'll be giving them a call. Thx
So an update begins! As of 20 mins ago I just dropped the car off at Automotive Techniques in Novi. Having asked everyone I know and followed up on a lot of places to be told they can't diagnose Durametric era Porsche's, I came to Automotive Techniques who are a local German, but mainly Porsche specialists. Most important thing is I never heard a single negative thing about them from anyone. Heck even the Google reviews only had two complaints, one about a missing appointment, one about them using 5W40 instead of 0W40, zero of the usual (and potentially appropriate in my case) 'I spent $XXXXX and it's still not fixed' or the 'I had them replace my rear wheel bearing, now the front breaks (purposeful misspelling there) need fixing and it's clearly their fault'. Best of all the place and people just have the right vibe. So here's hoping there's a relatively easy and 'cheap' fix. Honestly the best case situation is I berkeleyed up something under there, but we will see.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :
I'm disappointed. I was hoping you'd do something like the exploding Tesla video by now.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :
I'll add to the endorsements of Automotive Techniques. They were the only shop I talked to that seemed to know what they were talking about when I had some questions regarding reprogramming a few modules.
I ended up only having them delete all existing keys and programming a new one for my Boxster. It was a good experience and I'd recommend them to anyone.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :
and another +1 for that shop, albeit only a third-person +1. A coworker used them for his 993 many years ago and was always happy with the work they did.
Monitoring closely while I bask in the glow of my check engine light.
Sigh. It suddenly feels like the last three years have been a waste of time. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
So, step one the shop did an initial look. They found a few things that don't matter right now, They also found that the shifter was out of adjustment (cockpit shifter end, not trans) and that the trans pan was crushed. That probably happened when the stupid harbor freight trans jack proved to be made from al dente pasta not real steel. Adjusting the shifter fixed the flashing light in the dash. I gave them the go ahead to replace the pan and continue diagnosis. Things were quiet over Easter, but they got back to it.
So......
Despite having drained and refilled the trans several times, and have the surface reading infrared thermometer to measure pan temp and top up correctly. It turns out there wasn't enough fluid in the trans which makes no sense as I know I warmed it up and topped up when Jeff was over helping me some time. Anyway. The harness for the valve body has got so hot the sheathing has melted. Additionally there is clutch material in the pan. So, basically the trans needs to come out again and be re-re-built. Also the shifter cable is also damaged at the trans end.
So right now I'm waiting for a quote for everything, possibly including doing the IMS bearing. Maybe I should have just paid to have the berkeleying thing fixed properly by someone who knows their ass from the elbows as apparently I don't. No matter, if I include the sunk costs to date, the final bill will be about the value of the whole car. So do I keep it, or sell it as an engine donor?
Damn. Sunk costs are sunk, so ignore them. That money's gone and nothing will bring it back. Figure if you had zero in the car would you spend what the shop quotes on repairing it? If not, then sell it. If so, just cover your eyes and do it.
dculberson said:
Damn. Sunk costs are sunk, so ignore them. That money's gone and nothing will bring it back. Figure if you had zero in the car would you spend what the shop quotes on repairing it? If not, then sell it. If so, just cover your eyes and do it.
This is 1000% correct. But it also doesn't factor in the emotional component of throwing good money after bad. Rationally speaking, you're dead right, though.
If it was me, I'd punt and sell the car for parts. At the end of the day, it's an early Boxster with an auto that's in average condition. The harsh reality is that it's not that special of a car. You certainly wouldn't get your money back out of it if you were to fix it and sell it down the line. And you've been making noise about 911s, Astons, and Jags, so I know you're strongly considering going that way. But again, that's me. I've always bailed on my cars much sooner than you have. For me, this type of repair would be a convenient excuse to give in to my Automotive ADD. But you're not me.
It comes down to how much this particular car means to you. Does it mean enough to invest the money into it and hope for many more years of trouble-free driving? If so, then go for it. If not, cut your losses and punt.
docwyte
PowerDork
4/19/22 2:45 p.m.
Do you like the car? Will you keep and enjoy it for awhile if you get it fixed? If so, fix it. If not, sell it. Honestly the minute that auto trans started to go south I would've dumped it...
What's the going rate for a 50,000 mile 2.5L M96 engine? That's the valuable bit. I really have no interest, inclination, let alone time, to strip it and sell it bit by bit, I'd rather sell it as a full vehicle.
Leaning towards fixing it, but I need to know what I could get out of it if I decide to punt.
Well I've authorized removing the trans and having it gone through. Still in two minds over IMS. They fit the LN Engineering kit which is close to $1k for the kit plus whatever extra to fit as the engine is already out. There's never going to be payback for the work, so I'm just going to drive it for a couple of years rather than selling right away. The 911/Aston/Jag decision can be punted and I can see how we cope with a two seater rather than a 2+2 I've been talking about.
Were you ever able to determine if you have the dual-row IMS? As an early car, you should, but you also have a rebuilt engine, so maybe not.
Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:
.... There's never going to be payback for the work, so I'm just going to drive it for a couple of years rather than selling right away. ...
I think that's the better choice. Emotions and the past aside, making it back into a decent running car makes sense. As it sits, it's a liability and parting it out or selling it outright is not going to recover your loss. Values are way up on 986s right now and with the repair, you may not be too far underwater.
For price point on non-driveable 986s: I bought a 2001 with a bad Tiptronic last September. It had expired on Craigslist at least once with an asking price of $3,500. It is nice looking with a running engine, but does not move in gear. When the ad was about to expire at $3,500 again, I contacted the seller and offered $2,500 cash unseen, trailer ready to go get it. When I got it, he had mixed emotions. Sad to see it go and we both felt it should have sold for more, but he was very relieved to have the burden gone. A month later when I went back to pick up some other Porsche stuff he was cheerful and had no regrets. ...and I still have barely looked at the car with all my other projects going on.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :
Man I am so sorry.
E36 M3 happens guys, it's hurt, but I can do it. There are other issues with the car that I can pick away at. The upside is that even though it's the slowest least desirable Boxster, it's still a hoot to drive.
Tom Spangler. I don't know if single or double row bearing, unless someone can tell from this pic. At this point, I'm kicking myself for not doing the IMS bearing last time it was out. I may just suck it up and do it. The engine only has about 50k miles on it, so once the bearing and trans are done, I should be able to put a gazillion miles on it and drive the hell out of it.
Once back on the road I think I'll put regular insurance not Haggerty then I can daily the E36 M3 out of it.
I may be hitting AAZCD up to find various little trim bits etc. that are missing and tidy the damn thing up more once back.
It's most certainly not a marble in the ash tray, maybe a Molotov cocktail in the trans, but I still feel this pic right now as I'm paying by the hour!!
Single vs dual row: With the flywheel/flex plate removed, look at the IMS flange. The single row bearings have a deeper concave and show reinforcement of the mounting points.
Single row installed:
Dual row installed:
Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:
I may be hitting AAZCD up to find various little trim bits etc. that are missing and tidy the damn thing up more once back.
When you are ready, just let me know. I'll sell you what I have for a few $ over shipping cost.
In reply to AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) :
Just been back though my pics. I didn't take a photo of the back of the engine with the trans out so I can't see if it's a single or double row bearing.
What are your thoughts of changing it with the LN Vs stock?
Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:
Tom Spangler. I don't know if single or double row bearing, unless someone can tell from this pic. At this point, I'm kicking myself for not doing the IMS bearing last time it was out. I may just suck it up and do it. The engine only has about 50k miles on it, so once the bearing and trans are done, I should be able to put a gazillion miles on it and drive the hell out of it.
Well, I know you're in "just pay someone to do it" mode right now, but if you change your mind and decide to do the IMS yourself, remember that I have the tool kit now, as well as a press for installing the RMS.
In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
Cheers. But I'm never removing the engine from any car again. I'll hand in my man card on the way out. Sorry chaps.
Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
Cheers. But I'm never removing the engine from any car again. I'll hand in my man card on the way out. Sorry chaps.
Sadly I feel where you are at. Getting kicked in the gourds on a car hurts and it makes you not want to do it again. The older I get the less competent I feel to attack projects, I don't know if it is part of aging or because I have done less projects and don't have an in person support network to help.
IMO you get to keep your card, being a car guy or a GRM guy comes in all shapes and sizes, even pay someone to do work that you can't or don't want to do size.
