Porsche Mechanic Tips: Warning Signs It’s Time For An Engine Rebuild
There is just something special about a Porsche. The combination of rear mounted engines and high performance is something you must experience for yourself. Porsche enthusiasts all agree the best 911 experience is an air-cooled model, but with the youngest air-cooled models now approaching 26 years old, engine rebuilds are a reality for many of their owners. Our Porsche mechanic team discuss some of the warning signs that your Porsche may need an engine rebuild.
Drop In Performance
Putting your foot flat in a Porsche should lead to a surge in power that pins you to your seat. If your Porsche has lost some of the thrill and you find yourself struggling to keep up with Camrys, you might ​​​​​​need to consider a rebuild. The loss in power is often due to a loss in compression. A loss of compression in the engine can be caused by multiple factors, but the most common causes are worn out piston rings, Leaking valves and blown head gaskets. During an engine rebuild, the head gasket, valves and piston rings are all replaced, restoring the engine to like new performance.
Knocking Sounds
So, you’ve started your Porsche up on a Sunday morning, preparing yourself for a rip through your favorite roads, only to be greeted with a knocking or ticking sound from your engine. The knocking shouldn’t be ignored as its your Porsche trying to tell you something has gone wrong. This new noise is usually caused by worn bearings that are either near the end of the life cycle or are in desperate need of oil. Unfortunately, by this point, there is no coming back, and your best bet going forward is to have the engine stripped down to replace the bearings and repair any issues causing oil starvation.
Excessive Smoke
A little bit of smoke on start up is pretty common in high performance and older vehicles, as some condensation that has built up in the exhaust gets burnt off. If you start seeing excessive amounts of smoke out your tailpipe, it could be a signal for one of several problems, depending on the color. We’ll just focus on the issues that may require a full rebuild.
White Smoke
White smoke is a sign that coolant is being burnt up. One of the most common causes of coolant being burnt up is a blown head gasket that is allowing fluid from the coolant jacket to leak into the combustion chamber, which is then being burnt off. One of the biggest concerns with white smoke, is if it is left for too long, and gets severe enough, it may cause hydro locking.
Blue Smoke
Blue smoke is associated with burning oil. The most common way in which oil makes its way into the combustion chamber is from worn piston rings As we previously mentioned, if the rings continue to wear you may begin to experience performance loss from a lack of compression.
Bore Scoring Repair
Bore scoring is where excessive friction occurs between the piston rings and cylinder walls, that lead to scratching and scarring on the inner surface of the cylinder walls. This can cause ticking sounds, increased oil consumption, carbon build up and misfires. The only way to repair this is to bore the engine out to a larger diameter or to fit cylinder sleeves that will keep the stock displacement.
Bore scoring is most common on Porsche’s M96 and M97 engines.
Decreased Fuel Economy
When performance drops, the engine needs to work harder to achieve the same results. This often leads to revving the engine higher, more fuel being requested and lower fuel economy. In fact some modern Porsche’s adjust the tuning map to compensate for aging valves and seals and the lowered economy that comes with it. After a fresh rebuild, these adaptations can be cleared, resetting the engine to the factory tune and improving economy back to stock.
The Benefits Of A Full Engine Rebuild
While the main reason you would consider a full engine rebuild is to repair an issue, there are other benefits to having a rebuild completed. The internal components of an engine do wear down with age, and try as we might there is nothing we can do to prevent this. While using a heavier weight oil is a great way to compensate for increased tolerances, a rebuild is the only sure-fire way to restore your engine to its original condition.
An engine rebuild also increases your engine’s longevity and reliability. New parts that are operating within manufacturer specifications are less likely to fail and leave you stranded. If you intend to daily drive your older or higher mileage Porsche, rebuilding your engine with new parts will give you back the confidence that your vehicle will get you where you need to be.
Porsche Mechanic In Pompano Beach
Foreign Affairs Motorwerks is the go-to Porsche service centre in Southern Florida. We built our name by servicing, repairing, and modifying Porsches. We’ve gone on to build some of the wildest and most unique Porsche’s , like The Outlaw 911. So if you own a Porsche, make sure you bring it to the Porsche mechanic experts at Foreign Affairs Motorwerks. Call today, 954-746-0488