Technical

The head line didn’t exactly scream it but there it was: A modified Porsche Cayenne Engined Riley wins the 24 Hours of Daytona! Wow! I mean I watched the race on Speed Channel and saw it with my own, digitally enhanced eyes but come on—a Cayenne engine? Yes friends, let there be no mistake. One of the top endurance races in the world was won by a modified SUV motor. To be fair, even Porsche isn’t pushing this accomplishment as much as expected because the motor in question was prepared by Lozano Brother Porting in Texas who have been working on a derivative engine for another Grand Am DP class car (Spirit of Daytona) for the last two years. The key is that a race modified, 4.8L, Cayenne motor won the most prestigious endurance race in America.

Many Porsche purists were aghast when Porsche announced that it would bring to market a performance SUV but the Cayenne broke the mold in its class from a performance standpoint. Like the earlier 928 motor of the late 70’s, the Cayenne M48 motor came in initially at 4.5 liters with dual overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder and Vario Cam valve timing, all of which were being incorporated into 996 and later into Boxster and Cayman (987) motors.

Engine sizes for several 911 variants have increased in the latest model year to a whopping 3.8 liters. This includes the Carrera S, Carrera 4S, GT3, GT3 RS and most recently the Turbo. While this transition may seem like a natural progression for Porsche in the great “size and horsepower race” that many manufacturers have engaged in over the past decade, the move to 3.8 liters was not always a sure thing. For some it’s hard to remember that it all started 45 years ago with a 2.0 liter flat 6 engine that was “originally designed to be stretched to 2.7 liters”. Then came the 3.3 liter Turbo motor of the late 70’s and later the 3.6 liter 964 motor of the early 90’s. All of these air cooled engines were based on the same cylinder spacing (bore centers) with ever increasing cylinder bore diameters.

Contrary to the expectations of many, in 1992 Porsche was looking to upgrade the 3.6 liter Carrera RS with a more powerful engine. Again the cylinder bore was increased from 100 mm to 102 mm which, coupled with the standard 76.4 mm stroke, increased the overall displacement to 3746cc. This got upsized to 3.8 liters for marketing purposes. The question was how reliable would the new engine be given the minimal cylinder wall spacing in air cooled form. Porsche put the engine to the test and entered it at Le Mans and at Spa, both 24 hour races, where it won both GT classes and proved its reliability.

This month’s tech information comes from new SNR/longtime San Diego Region member Bob
McLaughlin. Here’s a few questions that should test even the most proficient Porschefile. See answers on the bottom of page 19 (no cheating).

1. Ferry Porsche broke ground for construction of the Weissach Research Center in the year:
a. 1951
b. 1961
c. 1968
d. 1971

2. Alternators produce 3 phase alternating current. To charge the battery and provide DC current to the vehicle, the current must be rectified. The component most responsible for this is:
a. Regulator
b. Phase Converter
c. ECU
d. Diode

3. Which of the following is not a 356 Engine type?
a. 616/1
b. 546
c. 753
d. 369

4. Production on the 912 began in:
a. January 1964
b. April 1965
c. January 1966

2009 Cayman S (Photo courtesy of Porsche AG)The US car journal Motor Trend has chosen the Porsche Cayman S as the "Best Driver's Car" of the year 2009. At virtually the same time, the Cayman was also picked by British car journal Auto Express as "Best Sports Car" in their New Car Awards 2009. In both cases Porsche's mid-engined coupé convinced the test experts in particular through its driving dynamics, precision, feedback and response.

Featuring PDK, the Porsche Double-Clutch Gearbox, the Cayman S proved all its strengths in the tests conducted by Motor Trend both on regular roads and the race track, making its way to the top against nine other thoroughbred sports cars. The test team including the two professional racing drivers Massimiliano "Max" Angelelli and Randy Pobst took their decision on the title at the Laguna Seca Race Track in California, lauding in particular the surgical precision of the car's steering, Porsche's mid-engine sports coupé thus scoring yet a further title in a most demanding contest.

With its circulation of 1.1 million copies and 7.6 million readers, Motor Trend, an internationally renowned magazine, is acknowledged as one of the leading car journals in the USA.

Question: I have read several articles about RMS and MidShaft seal leaks on early model Boxsters. My vehicle is a 2006 Boxster(987) 2.7 engine 5 speed transmission. Is this a problem with just early year Boxster (1997-2004) and was this problem corrected by the factory on 2005 and up Boxster. Also is this something I should have checked at every servicing by the Porsche Dealership. My other question is, if I have a Preformance Chip installed, will it hurt the engine and will I notice a increase in power and are cold intake boxes and K&N type airfilters worth the investment on a street driven vehicle. Thank you, Carlo V. Graziani MSgt.USAF

Q: I just found out I have a small amount of oil in the coolant and a small amount coolant in the oil. I have owned the 996 C4 Cab for 3 years, and the only symptom is I need to add a quart of coolant after a 500 mile drive. The car seems to run good, however, I have been told it is either a leak in the heat exchanger or an engine gasket. I am the second owner and the car has 63000 miles. Most mechanics tell me I need to replace the engine. Any advice would be helpful.