Well, that didn't go to plan, 981 engine failed?

[cay]

After being almost idle for 2 years due to Covid I decided to pop over to Germany last weekend in my 981 GTS.

I've owned the car for almost four years and have done about 13k miles, serviced regularly and never had any issues.

Coming back after a very spirited drive on a quiet Autobahn I started to hear a faint ticking noise. Something in a tyre, leaf stuck in the fan? Hmm, noise not there when coasting in neutral but is when revving.

I pulled into a small town, only to hear the noise getting steadily louder.

It's now a loud knocking noise, changes frequency with revs, this isn't sounding good.

Called Porsche Assistance, ADAC arrive - the verdict - something mechanical, take it to Porsche Cologne.

Next day, two mechanics listen, verdict - maybe bearing damage or a broken piston !!!!

So, I returned home via Eurostar - still waiting for the verdict.

Could this be a failure of the reliable 981 engine at 29k miles?.

I've searched the web and they seem few and far between.

[bosshog]

Had the car been idle for 2 years?

[cay]

bosshog said:

Had the car been idle for 2 years?

Not idle, it had been driven every few weeks - but maybe only a few thousand miles in two years.

I'm also quite careful about letting the engine warm up before using high revs and generally keep an eye on temps when driving.

Edited by cay on Wednesday 4th May 15:24

[Discombobulate]

Even the world's most reliable engines sometimes let go.
If you called PA I am assuming under warranty...
If so, phew!

[cay]

Discombobulate said:

Even the world's most reliable engines sometimes let go.
If you called PA I am assuming under warranty...
If so, phew!

Yep, fingers crossed! Just waiting to hear from Cologne, and who knows how long it will take to get parts and fix.

[981Boxess]

That doesn't sound at all good, hopefully it will have a decent ending somehow.

Do you have OPC extended warranty and Porsche assist, I assume yes from what you have posted.

Can I ask how they are responding to your issues, I have always wondered how they react to this sort of situation and your circumstances are pretty much as bad as it gets as far as breakdowns go?

Assuming all was well with the car I think statistically your engine failure seems very unusual.

[cay]

Just heard back from Porsche Koln, they have found damage to cylinder 4 - no details of what exactly yet.

And the good news, Porsche has authorised an engine replacement. Car should be ready next week. No questions asked.

I am feeling very, very, happy that I have warranty now.

Porsche assist also paid ( or at least said they will - waiting for claim to go through ) for me to return to UK, and will pay for me to go back to collect car.

I dread to think what the total cost will be.

Quite funny that I spent many years worrying about the engine in my 987.1, which never had an issue to 80k miles when I sold it. Now the new unbreakable 981 engine has let go, funny how things go.

[GT4P]

Silver lining you now get a nice new engine instead of rebuild with 2 year warranty! When I got a new engine it came with all the ancillaries ie alternator, water pump etc

[cay]

GT4P said:

Silver lining you now get a nice new engine instead of rebuild with 2 year warranty! When I got a new engine it came with all the ancillaries ie alternator, water pump etc

Good point, I assume new - or do they use refurbished?

[GT4P]

Also use it more they don’t like sitting around and if you do leave it take it out often and for more than a few miles to get the engine well and truly lubricated

[981Boxess]

cay said:

Just heard back from Porsche Koln, they have found damage to cylinder 4 - no details of what exactly yet.

And the good news, Porsche has authorised an engine replacement. Car should be ready next week. No questions asked.

I am feeling very, very, happy that I have warranty now.

Porsche assist also paid ( or at least said they will - waiting for claim to go through ) for me to return to UK, and will pay for me to go back to collect car.

I dread to think what the total cost will be.

Quite funny that I spent many years worrying about the engine in my 987.1, which never had an issue to 80k miles when I sold it. Now the new unbreakable 981 engine has let go, funny how things go.

That is as good as it gets, delighted for you.

I would be very interested to know what the cause was if you ever find out and how the story ends.

[Fiammetta]

Great outcome and seemingly service .
Which engine is it in your car ? The CC and Hp ?

[cay]

Fiammetta said:

Great outcome and seemingly service .
Which engine is it in your car ? The CC and Hp ?

981 GTS so 3.4 and 340hp I believe.

[DJMC]

...and the year?

Great outcome. Well done Porsche... well, the insurers. Allianz?

[BertBert]

GT4P said:

Also use it more they don’t like sitting around and if you do leave it take it out often and for more than a few miles to get the engine well and truly lubricated

I think this is an internet myth

[Fiammetta]

High pressure injectors in todays DFI motors are susceptible to poor fuel and if left standing corrosion from damp inlet air seeping in from a open valve .
The cannuli are so tiny they soon block or crap sticks them open and the cylinders are hosed with fuel = extreme heat = holed piston.

I would say modern DFI s don’t like standing or crap fuel .
All this E 10 or what ever is not helping longevity of the injectors tips either .Holds water in it more than old fashioned unleaded .Water vaporisation = excess heat source as well = tip damage.

How many tank fulls did you go through in lockdown? Damage done then ?

[cay]

I think around 5k miles in two years, so some use, and tended to be longer trips or drives for fun.

I've always used Shell or Esso super which should be lower Ethanol.

Who knows what happened. When I purchased the car the brake discs had small cracks, also later discovered the pad wear sensors were disconnected ( Porsche didn't notice for two years ! ). Maybe it had a track life before I got it?

Did see one article about the fuel injectors leaking, causing excess fuelling which washes the oil from the cylinders.

It was a very loud noise where previously the engine was quiet, does bore scoring really happen that quickly?

[Slippydiff]

https://jzmporsche.com/news/gen-2-bore-scoring-smo...

And a Rennlist “all nighter” thread (62 pages) in the topic here :

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-forum/1120276-997-...

The DFi engine reliability is a quantum leap forward over the M96/97 units, but it’s prone to issues, as are all DFi engines.

LSPi explained here :

https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2017/10/solving-g...

[ATM]

BertBert said:

GT4P said:

Also use it more they don’t like sitting around and if you do leave it take it out often and for more than a few miles to get the engine well and truly lubricated

I think this is an internet myth

I agree

Total rubbish

How can you define the ideal usage?

If you leave a car undriven for say 2 days then are all the lubricants drained?

So then does this mean you need to drive your car without ever leaving it for 2 days?

A modern vehicle is designed to cope with periods of inactivity otherwise what would happen, there would be a lot of claims for failed engines.

[ooid]

Blimey, after a few years of not having a porsche, me planning to buy a standard 981 S, this unfortunate thread totally left me uninspired. I see a few engine issue on porsche forums here again, shame really seeing on special units like GTS or GT3.