Porsche Service
Some common service issues for Porsche
Shuttering when Turning Corners
This issue, unique to the four wheel drive vehicles, occurs when the vehicle is driving at slower speeds. The wheel stutters while turning from left to right, or right to left. The vehicle will vibrate or sometimes even “hop”. Although we thought it would’ve been as easy as an alignment, we needed a transfer case service instead. The transfer case could lock up since it is a four wheel drive vehicle.
Oil Leaks
Owners have also frequently complained of oil leaks, especially on vehicles with over 90,000 kilometers. Valve cover gaskets and oil pan gaskets have been implicated in many leaks. It is something to investigate.
Cooling Issues
Coolant distribution pipe resealing is a common procedure on Porsche Panamera and Cayenne. If this coolant leaking develops on your Porsche, you may not see symptoms of coolant dripping onto your garage floor because the seal that fails is located above the center of the engine inside the “valley”.
This causes the coolant to puddle on top of the engine between the cylinders. It is important to have your Porsche GTEK mechanic check your cooling system during each routine maintenance. If you notice any musty smell coming from your engine it is important to drop by and have us take a peek under the hood.
We have seen pattern failure with the Porsche expansion tanks especially on the Boxster 986. Being that these cars are nearly 20 years old now, we see that these cooling systems begin to break down due to the excessive heat and pressure that they operate under.
If your Porsche is running hot or shows signs of coolant leakage such as wet carpet in the trunk behind the engine, pull over immediately and give us a call.
Power Steering Leak
This often presents itself as a screeching noise while steering, or you might even see some leaked fluid on the floor. If you notice any of this, do well to check the power steering oil reservoir. The leak usually comes from a faulty hose. Make sure you address it early to prevent further damage.
Engine Smoke
Excessive engine smoke usually is a terrifying thing to see coming from your Porsche 911 or Boxster. Fortunately in many cases, it does not mean that your engine is due for a rebuild, instead, it may possibly be from excessive overfill of oil which is common for shops that do not have proper Porsche experienced technicians.
Porsche’s oil capacity is much higher than most performance vehicles and must be properly filled when the vehicle as at the correct operating temperature and on completely level ground.
Another common cause of excessive engine smoke is caused by a faulty Oil Separator. This component separates the air from oil and commonly fails internally. If you begin to see so much as a puff of smoke from your exhaust on your 996 or 986 it is important to have this issue inspected by our experienced Porsche mechanics.
IMS (Intermediate shaft)
If you have owned or are considering owning a Porsche 996 or 986 between the years of 2005 to 2008 then there is a very good chance you have heard about the notorious IMS (Intermediate shaft) bearing failure. The intermediate shaft bearing commonly fails on the Porsche 996 and 997 models.
It is located in the front of the engine behind the transmission. The failure is caused by the bearing becoming washed out, or in some cases the retaining hardware can fail.
Timing Chains
Porsche has used timing chains for many years. It is an effective design for these high-performance engines. However timing chains do stretch, and chain guides do become worn. Starting from the first year Porsche 911 to the most recent Cayenne, timing chain failure, if not dealt with, can cause internal interference in the valve train and lead to catastrophic failure.
Fortunately, we have the tooling to check the chain on both the classic and modern Porsche motors.
Steering & Suspension
ABS warning lights can be triggered on your Porsche for no reason other than that your ABS Electronic Module has failed. It is a rather common failure on Porsche and can be replaced, and in some cases rebuilt.