failure in the cam shaft drive train

michael.wallett · 29 Jan 2009

Hi,

I recently took my car to garage for its MOT. I have since heard back that the the cam shaft drive train has failed! They say this means the engine may be terminal! I dont know a whole lot about cars so maybe someone can give me more info. I was driving the car fine and wasnt aware of any major problems.

Borsche Boxster 2.7 Year 2000

I have found these forum posts:

http://forums.roadfly.com/forums/porsche/porsche_boxster/6774262-1.html

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wild-ass-rumor-of-the-day-porsche-boxster-engine-failures/

They seem to describe my problem?

Thanks,
Mike

917k · 29 Jan 2009

Seems an incredible thing to discover on an MOT?

However you'd be best served talking to

http://www.hartech.org.uk/

Speak to Baz

Pretty much the counties premier Baoxster/996 engine experts

Daniel · 29 Jan 2009

Sorry to hear the bad news..

Would that not be the MOT centres problem as it was with them ?

michael.wallett · 29 Jan 2009

I find it amazing that this was picked up for my MOT! I drove the car to the garage without any problems
.
This is from an email the Porscheshop.co.uk sent me

'As you know from speaking to ... your car failed to start when we attempted to move it into the shop Saturday lunch time when we were closing up. On Monday ... went through a diagnostic analysis with the Porsche system tester to determine the problem and as this did not show any signs of electrical malfunction we had to investigate the problem further. On further investigation, with the car on the lift a compression test was used to determine the fault.
The outcome of this inspection revealed a failure in the cam shaft drive train. In our experience this problem can be terminal to the engine, however we will need to strip the engine further to confirm this. As a gesture of good will we are happy to strip the engine further ( at no cost to yourself ) to reveal the true extent of the damage, and I should have your quote tomorrow."

I don't think they are lying to me, but I would like some more input from you guys on the forum.

Is this a known issue? Something I could chase up with Porsche. Do those links to forums have anything to do with my problem? Here is some more background. My car is year 2000 but only has 45,000 miles on the clock. I bought it off my uncle 1.5 years ago. He had it fully serviced (From Porsche dealer) just I became the owner. Last year I had a minor service at Porscheshop.co.uk.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

PolarExpress · 29 Jan 2009

Have the car trailered to a proper Porsche independent garage where they can do a thorough check.

JZM, Fearnsport, 9M, etc. They are all capable of doing a proper engine diagnosis and can determine the cause of any problems.

matt_964 · 29 Jan 2009

did you note the milage before it went it???

wizard993 · 29 Jan 2009

If your in the North get the car over to Ninemeister or the guys at Malton ASAP

michael.wallett · 30 Jan 2009

Thanks for all your help guys!

I have been in contact with Hartech who have been very helpful. Thanks for the recommendation. I have decided to move my car from the Porscheshop and go with Hartech. This will cost me a lot of money to fix, but better than losing the car! Porscheshop say this problem is terminal! Hartech say this is *****!

917k · 30 Jan 2009

michael.wallett said:
Thanks for all your help guys!

I have been in contact with Hartech who have been very helpful. Thanks for the recommendation. I have decided to move my car from the Porscheshop and go with Hartech. This will cost me a lot of money to fix, but better than losing the car! Porscheshop say this problem is terminal! Hartech say this is *****!

I'm confident that Hartech are right and Porscheshop are wrong

Will be intersted to hear the final outcome

Good luck

For anyone wondering about the knowledge base at Hartech, have a read of this thread
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=48&t=624223&i=0

michael.wallett · 21 Feb 2009

Car Update

Hi,

Here is an update with what is happening to my car. I have moved my Porsche Boxster to Hartech. This is what they have to say:

'As discussed, we've stripped the engine now and can confirm that the chains are intact. It has low compression and we've found the valves to be badly seated. We've also stripped the remainder of the engine (since we last spoke) and found the white metal plating is peeling off one of the big ends so it also needs a set of crank bearings.

Minimum work:

Remove & strip engine, overhaul valve seating, clean, re-assemble with all new gaskets, seals, main & big end bearings, & several new chain tensioner pads, fit to car & get running etc. Also fit various new exhaust clamps, re-secure loose shields, supply & fit used oil filler tube, & new coil pack set. £3409 + VAT = £3920

Optional Extras:

New clutch kit (existing one quite worn) £320 + VAT"

----------

On top of all this the car needs to pass its MOT. Wind screen washer needs fixing, and it may need two new types.

I expect the final bill to reach £4,500 after VAT. The car is year 2000, 2.7 and has 45,000 miles on the clock.

I would like to know what everyone thinks of this. Also I would like your advice on what to do next. Should I repair and sell? Repair and keep for a long time to get my money's worth? Or sell the car in its current state to cut my losses?

Seagull · 22 Feb 2009

That's a difficult decision Michael. It sound like you are in for the bill anyway if the engine is in bits. I guess one option would be to ask Hartech if they would make you an offer for the car.

If you are happy with the car and intend to keep it for a while, then personally I would say to bite the bullet - to replace it with something else, you'd have to put a load more cash in anyway.

Of course, if you have the space and time, you could always sell it piece by piece on ebay.

lk993 · 23 Feb 2009

If you sell it after all that work's been done on it, the only person who will benefit will be the next owner, with probably years of fresh engine reliability ahead. Also, if you change it for another used car, the next one could also have an expensive problem lurking.

failure in the cam shaft drive train

michael.wallett

New member

917k

Magny-Cours

Daniel

Donnington

michael.wallett

New member

PolarExpress

Banned

matt_964

Barcelona

wizard993

Donnington

michael.wallett

New member

917k

Magny-Cours

michael.wallett

New member

Seagull

Estoril

lk993

Monza

Similar threads

Latest posts

New Threads

Porsche Model Range

Porsche 911

Porsche Hypercars

Other Current Porsche Model

Porsche Legacy Models

Forum statistics