I owned a 1997 993 tiptronic cabriolet from 1997to 2002. When the service company owner [a Porsche factory trained mechanic] and I had a discussion regarding the car, which discussion I confirmed with two different Porsche dealers, I sold the car.
It seems that 993's have had a problem with cars, even low mileage ones e.g. 20K and sometimes less, burning valve guides. The problem was loss of lubrication around the guides caused excess heat and resulting in early wear and replacement of the guides a $6000 or more fix. While the guides can, of course, be replaced, the cause of the problem is due to the design of the engine and the internals of the engine cannot be updated to eliminate the problem. Porsche was, at one time doing the valve guide replacement under warranty, I do not think that they will do the fix now for free. Not all early 993's have already had the problem, but, according to knowledgeable sources, all 993's will eventually experience the problem. Porsche was reluctant to do a recall on the cars and many Factory Porsche dealers denied even seeing the problem, however I confirmed the problem with other members of The Golden Gate Region of PCA who told me that their cars had been repaired by the very dealers I spoke with who had denied having seeing the problem
I suggest the purchase of an aftermarket warranty to be on the safe side.
I owned a 1997 993 tiptronic cabriolet from 1997to 2002. When the service company owner [a Porsche factory trained mechanic] and I had a discussion regarding the car, which discussion I confirmed with two different Porsche dealers, I sold the car.
It seems that 993's have had a problem with cars, even low mileage ones e.g. 20K and sometimes less, burning valve guides. The problem was loss of lubrication around the guides caused excess heat and resulting in early wear and replacement of the guides a $6000 or more fix. While the guides can, of course, be replaced, the cause of the problem is due to the design of the engine and the internals of the engine cannot be updated to eliminate the problem. Porsche was, at one time doing the valve guide replacement under warranty, I do not think that they will do the fix now for free. Not all early 993's have already had the problem, but, according to knowledgeable sources, all 993's will eventually experience the problem. Porsche was reluctant to do a recall on the cars and many Factory Porsche dealers denied even seeing the problem, however I confirmed the problem with other members of The Golden Gate Region of PCA who told me that their cars had been repaired by the very dealers I spoke with who had denied having seeing the problem
I suggest the purchase of an aftermarket warranty to be on the safe side.
Allen, the problem you describe dates back to the 964 911s. The majority of people feel the cause is the aerodynamic cover the blocks the engine from the road surface. Since the car is air cooled, the theory is that the lower valve guides are deteriorating due to excessive heat. Many people advocate removing the cover to significanntly increase the cooling of the engine in this area.
You are lucky, you get to play around with nice cars at home and play around with powertools at work. Here is my collection of cars: one of two SLK230, Porsche Boxster, Porsche 911 SC Targa, Porsche 914, BMW Turbo, Ferrari Dino GT and Trans-Am:
A friend has his 993tt in for just this problem......
Take the engine pan off fopr sure! It will also help cool the engine after it is parked.
Gorgeous car and while they do make them in colors other than silver, this is the color that looks the best on this car!
My wife has her eyes on a friends '97 993tt in silver. If he decides to sell, we could start a joint silver 993tt/SLK 32 owners club! [][][]
Other mods worth doing right away are the turbo S oil cooler, Ruf pedals(with dead pedal) and either the Euro or Tech Art front bumper to get rid of the ugly little US rubber bumpers in the light clusters. Oh, the Tech Art brake ducts that replace the front reflectors are also a must do.
Enjoy!
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