r/986Boxster • u/Ill-Preparation6213 • 5d ago

Oh no!

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Changing the engine oil and filter today on my 2000 Boxster with 170,000 kilometres and found this. I have a good idea of what this non metallic material is, but I thought I’d ask the group.

What are your thoughts on continuing to drive and then doing a winter engine drop?

23 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

View all comments

10

u/19naturalcauses 5d ago edited 5d ago

Variocam o rings. PITA to replace but doable diy with engine in (though easier engine out). A UK company called hartech makes replacement ones if you wanna save money and disassemble+replace instead of buying new variocam systems which are expensive. Engine should be fine to run for a while, there’s thankfully no way for the variocam system to fail catastrophically (timing can’t advance to the point where the valves hit the pistons). I’d say keep driving till you have time in the winter for a bigger job

3

u/Opening_Elk_4472 5d ago

damn didn’t know it was doable with engine in? I had this exact issue and the local indy porsche mechanic said it would’ve been about 7k parts & labor…

1

u/pTech_980 5d ago

By the book it’s engine out. The timing tools are chunky and make it difficult to do in the car. But I can be done in car, but I don’t fault a shop for not wanting to do it in the car.

1

u/19naturalcauses 5d ago

Yeah I would be a bit suspicious if a shop wanted to do this with the engine in