I Bought The Cheapest Porsche Cayman In The World and It's a DISASTER!!

Okay the engine is probably (mostly okay). Think this through: the AOS is definitely shot and needs to be replaced. In the process it has likely coated the cats and O2 sensor in oily garbage leading to it struggling to keep idle and rev. 1) Replace AOS, and run a few bottles of injector cleaner+93 octane at high RPM. 2) The old italian tune up + new spark plugs. May need new 02 sensors too. 3) Replace oil and add Liquimoly MOs2. Do not overfill the oil. Keep running 93 octane+injector cleaner and driving the snot out of it to try and de-gunk the cats.

Number one - your engine oil is overfilled. Your oil level gauge top bar should not be lit. These engines run better with oil level half way filled. Overfilling will destroy your AOS. You should have drained the oil first.

Quick easy check, try removing the oil filler cap with the engine running, if you can’t get the cap off it’s the oil separator creating to much vacuum in the oil system and oil is getting sucked into the intake. Hence all the smoke coming out of the exhaust

Guys buy a cheap scope and compression tester. With the amount of cars you buy not having these tools is criminal.

Would always recommend oil change before start if you’re not sure. Would ensure proper level and no risk of over/under filling. Cheap way to avoid the grenade.

i think most of the smoke came from overfilling, bad air/oil seperators dont help either though. Drain more oil out, or just simply do a full on oil change. All the smoke coming out after the seperators were plugged in briefly couldnt have been caused by oil seaping past the piston rings and into the combustion chamber, its too much smoke, and too long lasting for that to be it. i'd recomend trying to clean the carter vent hoses leading to the separators, and cleaning/replacing the seperators. Also i'd try to clean the combustion chambers, maybe by using some fuel additive and tanking premium gas for a while, since the oil coming into the chambers cannot folly combust and will likely leave loads of carbon buildup, eventually leading to sticky valves, and at worst complete valve failure making a full on engine rebuild neccesarry. With future cars i'd really really recommend draining and refilling the oil when your not sure at what level it is at, If you get too much non-compressable oil in the combustion chambre, instead of compressable air, you actually have a chance of blowing head gaskekts because of overfilling. And once again the carbon buildup won't do any good for your engine. Wishing you guys the best with this project!

987 owner here.. So I had all the problems demonstrated in the video. I'd say in your case definitely change the AOS. I'd would inspect the engine for scoring, although with the AOS functioning properly, what you would see is a lot of smoke on a cold start, and then it would clear up if the engine had some bore scoring. The end off the video where it struggled to rev. Is most likely the CATs being clogged with oil. I had to have my CATS and AOS and ultimately my engine rebuilt on my 2008 Boxster S.

It makes perfect sense. On BMWs the oil separator will stop up also and smoke heavily. My X5 did this. BMWs don't like short trips where the engine doesn't get fully warmed up. Moisture builds up in the valve cover and eventually destroys the oil separator diaphragm causing massive smoke. I had a coworker who sold his car because he thought it was blown up. It was a worn out oil separator.

I watched a PCA video discussing the bore scoring issue. From what I remember, the bottom of the cylinder is where the scoring normally occurs. You must scope the engine from the drain pan and look at the bottom of the cylinder walls. Also normally the cylinders on the right bank fail.

This brings back memories to me of my denial of bore score on my 2006 987S. Changed the oil air separator, thinker oil, and new filter. Finally was putting in a quart every 300 miles and the knocking was getting so loud! Had a full engine rebuild and had steel liners put in. Now had her back 3 years done 5K miles and doesn’t drink any oil, sounds amazing and pulls so strong. I reckon you need to do a bore scope and keep your fingers and toes crossed.

Long time watcher, this car is such a dream for me, and to see it be brought back to life makes me happy. Some day I'll hopefully be just like you guys! Thank you for the inspiration.

Sounds much better than the 996 C4 cabriolet I bought 3 weeks ago. That was banging like Neil Peart used to.

Compression test and bore scope to see if it is worth investing in parts. If it has compression and not a lot of scoring, change the oil, plugs and AOS. Maybe the mass air sensors. Then run it. Might have messed up cats by now as well.

Yup, AOS issue I think. Change it, change the oil and fill to the proper level this time, change the spark plugs and then give it a chance to burn off any residue left in the pipework etc. I think it could be OK. Most bore scoring happens before that mileage.

I owned a Cayman Base and my AOS went out. The volume of smoke was identical despite the engines being different. Had AOS replaced and issue was resolved. Later saw video on how AOS unit is replaced and almost wish I had done it myself. The gentleman who made that video has posted here. Cayman 987s are very different than Boxters from the same era, and better because of the added rigidity that body is a hardtop. These cars are the best sports cars you can buy for the money. Once fixed, and very dependent on the mileage, a car like this can command as much as $30k+. Especially one like this with lap chronometer right in the top middle of the dash. If the engine did turn out to be toast, you can still recover your investment parting it out. EBay/etc. Oh, after the AOS replacement; expect some smoke, unless anything related is not taken apart and wiped clean. Once AOS is the likely possibility, running it is just adding more oil to associated parts. GOOD LUCK!

It’s your AOS… change it. Change spark plugs, and do a proper oil change

Bad oil separator is also a massive vacuum leak past the MAF, making it not run right now. Replace that thing, make sure the vacuum hoses are all sealed up properly, drain all the oil, do an oil change and refill the correct amount. Change spark plugs. Clean the heck out of your intake tract BEFORE you try starting it up again.

This is the best /funniest video I have ever watched in years of my subscription to JR Garage . Keep it up

They might have poured oil in the cylinders in order to ensure that they are not locked, you might be burning the oil that they soaked in the cylinders. It looks like the rings are falling tho…

I'm not a mechanic. But I own a 2008 Cayman S and do the maintenance myself. I'm fairly convinced you have a bad AOS. And if overfilled with oil, basically dumping it straight into the cylinders with crank case pressure. Albeit, that's more smoke than I thought possible. It's likely not bore scoring because the smoke would never have cleared. It's classic AOS failure. My prescription is new plugs, new AOS, new air filter, new coil packs, oil change using Driven DT40, new brake pads, cabin filter, pull the entire intake off and clean it out, a detail and remove that bed liner (fingers crossed), new front tires, maybe some used Porsche turbo wheels from the period, and work that leather until it's soft again. Also replace the radio with a touch screen. Then you can sell it for like $25k. Get a leak down test. That'll tell you if bore scoring is present. A diagnosis that is quite over blown and usually caused by deferred maintenance along with lead footed cold starts. Yes, the nikasil liners can start coming apart. But it's not as prevalent as people think. Plenty of these engines approaching 200k miles out there. If you find that you do indeed have a bore scoring issue, LM Engineering is where I'd go with it.