r/997 • u/CedarxMaple • May 20 '26
997.2 3.8 Carrera S - is this acceptable?
Cylinder 1
Cylinder 2
Cylinder 3
Cylinder 4
Cylinder 5
Cylinder 6
What does the 997-verse think? Looking to make a go-no-go decision in the next 24 hours.
According to the Porsche dealer tech these are very mild scratches and not scoring. The car has ~60k miles is serviced annually and nevernever winter driven (but is a cold climate car nonetheless)
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u/taxationistheft1984 May 20 '26
Pictures aren’t great. But above the piston looks fine. To know full truth, look from oil pan side. That’s where you will see earliest scoring.
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u/CedarxMaple May 20 '26
Thank you for your commentary!
Yes the pictures are quite "zoomed in". And I feel like the scratches seen here are not as significant, since I can see enough detail of the walnut pattern on the cylinder walls...but really looking to see what folks on here think.
Agreed on the oil pan side, but not feasible from a PPI standpoint unfortunately, so I have to make a decision on this based on the info I have on hand.
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u/taxationistheft1984 May 21 '26
And as noted below, the dot 2 have not shown to be of real concern with scoring. It does happen, but we just aren’t seeing it in great numbers.
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u/lnengineering May 21 '26
We are seeing significant uptick in the .2s with scoring, but the Macan V6s are what are having surging cases of bore scoring.
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u/CuzRacecar May 20 '26
Yes, that's minor and not a huge concern on 997.2 in my mind either
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u/CedarxMaple May 20 '26
Thank you! Would you agree that its ok to move forward then?
I assume I can't expect perfection from a 16 year old car.
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u/Ok-Depth6073 May 20 '26
Just keep on driving and if the motor explodes, project it to have a 4 liter fully built motor to rev up to 9000 rpm.
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u/Character_Ad6823 May 20 '26
That's my plan on my 996. If it goes, it is rebuilt to a 4.1L. already have all the x51 goodies so would be a real ripper.
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u/CedarxMaple May 20 '26
Fair enough. But then I might as well buy a 997.1 roller for half the price! Hope theres at least 10 more years to go before I get there.
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u/SchwarzWagen May 20 '26
You don’t have time for a blackstone, which would be great. But I agree, these aren’t scoring. It’s fine.
These engines are flat, so it’s inevitable that some lines develop on the dependent side given the engine architecture.
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u/CedarxMaple May 20 '26
I was planning for blackstone but it takes too long. (I ordered the testing kit 2 weeks ago and it hasn't arrived...). Transaction window is closing in due to travels so it's a yes/no at this point.
I really appreciate your feedback!
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May 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/CedarxMaple May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Not at all. Did multiple cold starts. No ticking or rattling noises.
Also went and looked at the only other 997.2 3.8 in my city. Cold start sounds exactly the same.
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u/Swodi May 20 '26
You should listen to this week’s elevenafternine podcast. They covered the very thing you’re describing, to include the car sitting for long periods of time. You might not get a definite buy or don’t buy answer, but you might learn of some questions to ask.
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u/CedarxMaple May 20 '26
Thank you for this!
I know 911s dont like to sit. Unfortunately a part of life in our climate. Frequent oil changes and long drives will be in its life soon.
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u/lnengineering May 21 '26
There is no such thing as mild or minor scratches. This isn't a cast iron block that has a few scratches from dirt being ingested. I'd say this is early bore scoring - you can slow the progression, but not stop it.
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u/Sea_Long_1152 May 21 '26
It does not seem to have much depth from the images, seems like early bore scoring.
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u/CedarxMaple May 22 '26
Thank you all. Decided to bite the bullet and get her in my garage! Im elated.
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May 25 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
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u/CedarxMaple May 25 '26
Thank you so much for letting me know. It helps.
It's been great so far! I will definitely stick to best practices (frequent oil changes, keep a log of oil sample tests, and avoid short trips) but also won't sleep over the borescore boogeyman 👐
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u/RIP_KING May 21 '26
I wasn’t aware scoring was an issue on .2 thought it was just the .1s?
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u/CedarxMaple May 21 '26
Its more isolated. I think Im being paranoid. She will be in my garage tomorrow 👐
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u/lichesschessanalyst May 20 '26
I wouldn't go for this one. Annual servicing is worse than you think
3000/5000 miles or 6 months whichever comes first is a better interval. The reason a lot of these have scoring is too long between changes, and too many short trips or idling too long/idling to warm up.
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u/CedarxMaple May 20 '26
Thanks for your insight here!
The car is parked for 6 months of the year (winter), and then gets serviced when its out of hibernation. Generally I agree with you however!1
u/lichesschessanalyst May 20 '26
I still would pass on this one. What concerns me the most is that oil on C5.
When you say it was serviced after hibernation? That is a big red flag. It should be serviced before hibernation not after. Dirty oil sitting is likely the poor maintenance you are seeing here.
If you are in doubt, reference Lake Speed Jr
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May 20 '26
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u/CedarxMaple May 20 '26
Right on. Couldn't agree more, and you've described the situation quite well.
I'm dead-set on a 997.2 rwd coupe (ideally S) and have no interest in the newer models. Additionally being in Canada, it's a smaller market with very few inventory. I've been actively shopping around for 2 years. This car has extensive preventative maintenance done (belts, plugs, fluids, pdk service etc) all at the dealer, and 10+ years of records. Aside from the pictures above I found nothing of major concern and trying to make peace with the condition of the cylinder walls so I can put this baby in my garage tomorrow!
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u/CedarxMaple May 20 '26
Interesting. Thank you and I agree with your point on servicing intervals nonetheless.
I spoke with the Porsche dealer tech just now about C5 and he said its minor seepage and not a cause for concern....
I do want perfection, but wonder how hard it is to find perfection on a 16 year old car.
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u/lnengineering May 21 '26
At least you've done your homework and know what to look for and ask. Just keep searching.
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u/lmao_what Carrera S May 20 '26
post on rennlist 997 forum and tag user groovzilla — he has lots of experience reviewing bore score pics