sparks259

Guys, long time member here. Looking for. 3.8 car. How prevelant is the bore scoring issue? If anyone is Florida with a car for sale , get in touch.
TIA
Dave in Vero Beach

ATX_Native

There is a stickied thread at the top of the forum on this topic.

8x57IRS

For the 3.8l machines (independent of the mileage), it is mandatory to perform a representative endoscopy before buying, the right bank with cylinder 6 and possibly 5 is sufficient for a quick decision. Best do it through the sump, that gives you the possibility to inspect oil and filter.

Amrit.boxer

i recently went through buying a car. best thing to do is find one you like, drive it etc and make sure you're interested in that. then pay to have prepurchase inspection (PPI) done along with bore scoring check. that will give you absolute peace of mind. they will let you know what is normal scouring and what is bore scoring.

ZuffenZeus

LN Engineering has mentioned many times they gets lots inquires about 3.8L M97 engines with severe scoring. Another problem is the lack of available core when these engines grenade.

Wonderdan

I have a 3.8 GT3 RS w/30k miles with 92 Range 4 over-revs about 300 hours prior me owning it.

I bought it sight unseen with no PPI, transmission had a worn gear and the hubs+LSD had already been replaced… but the engine scoping was perfect.

What’s mileage are people seeing these issues at?

ZuffenZeus

Your 997 GT3 has Nikasil plating on the bores and is not prone to scoring like the Carrera M97 engines with Lokasil.

From what I've heard, the low mileage "garage queens" are the worst offenders of cylinder bore scoring with the M9X engines. Driving these cars regularly with short engine oil drain internals (6 months or 5000 miles) is the best way to mitigate the problem IMHO.

yelcab

My wife drives her 997S everyday and racked up 120,000 miles now. Oil was changed every 5,000 miles and it has bore scoring.

Fahrer

That's the same thing that was said about IMS failures and we know that is not true.

My experience does not match up with what you've heard. My 2008S is a "garage queen" with 39K miles and uses no oil, make none of the noises folks associate with bore scoring. I believe how one manages break-in and warmups ( and cooldowns) is most important along with good oil change intervals.. I have the oil changed once per year which is about 3K miles. Oh, and I use the "wrong" oil.... Porsche recommended Mobil 1 0W-40.

G.I.G.

Ambiguous thread titles like "Bore Scoring" is why there is so much fear mongering on this subject.

I'm never the type of guy who says "try doing a search first", but....

There are more threads and posts on this topic than I can count. Yes, bore scoring can happen on any of these cars, including the 3.6L. No, it's not as prevalent as you would think. Do your homework when purchasing, and take the necessary steps afterwards that have been explained exhaustively here on what you can do to prolong the life of your engine and mitigate scoring.

With that said I will add something that is not a popular opinion around here, and that is cars with "scuffing" or "streaking" shouldn't necessarily be avoided. Many here will say run, don't walk, away from any car that has vertical marks in the cylinders. I suspect almost all of these cars, both garage queens and high mileage examples, have some form of scuffing on the cylinder walls. I have a theory and based on antidotal findings with not only my car, but friends cars and other RL members cars, that A) most cars have this and B) they can be driven for years and 10's of thousands of miles with streaking if maintained properly. To be clear, I am no expert and that is just my personal opinion.

997.1's, despite their flaws, are great cars and capable of attaining high mileage when cared for and maintained properly.

Good luck with your search.

groovzilla

When spending $40-$50K on a 997, $300-$350 on a Bore Scope Inspection is great insurance

I'd never buy any 997 without a Bore Scope Inspection especially a 3.8L.
Why?---> When I was shopping for my car last year I PPI'd 2 3.8L 997 S cars and both had very bad Bore Scoring issues - One has cracked cylinder wall.
**Both were cold weather cars and both had about 80K miles. Both cars looked excellent on outside but sick on inside of engine

Cold weather 3.8L cars are more prone to scoring - I got lucky on my current 107K mile 3.6L car with no scoring. It was born in California then raised in Northern Calif/Southern Oregon.
It is a crap shoot not getting thourough PPI & Bore Scope Insp so get the BS Insp.
Inspect ALL 6 cylinders as labor is almost the same as Inspecting 2 or 6.

Bore Scope Inspection well worth the investment for both purchase and resale.

Petza914

Oh no, hadn't heard this. What's the plan - rebuild, engine swap, or sell as roller?

sparks259

Thanx guys.

ZuffenZeus

Have you had your engine scoped in the last 24 months?

ZuffenZeus

Basically, what you're saying is you're letting her drive with an injured engine? Eventually she'll get misfires and potential collateral damage, but I'm not trying to fear monger. It's your car, do what you want with it. Rock on!