What Is Porsche 987 Bore Scoring?
Bore scoring is a serious internal engine issue that affects Porsche 987 models, including the Cayman and Boxster. This condition occurs when the cylinder walls wear down excessively, leading to oil consumption, performance loss, and eventual engine failure. At Seacoast Specialist Cars in Candia, NH, we’ve helped many local Porsche owners from Manchester, Portsmouth, and all-around Southern New Hampshire identify bore scoring on their vehicles.
What Causes Porsche 987 Bore Scoring?
Understanding the root causes of Porsche Cayman bore scoring and Porsche Boxster bore scoring can help owners prevent catastrophic engine damage. Here are the primary reasons this issue occurs:
1. Design Flaws in the M97 Engine
The Porsche 987 Cayman and Boxster are equipped with the M97 engine, which is prone to bore scoring due to its cylinder liner material and piston clearance tolerances. This leads to excessive friction and wear over time.
The M97 engine was designed with a hypereutectic engine block, which means the aluminum alloy contains a high silicon content. The high silicon content is meant to improve wear resistance and reduce expansion rates under heat. While it allows for lighter and more efficient engines, it also creates potential durability concerns when subjected to poor lubrication, excessive heat, or improper break-in procedures.
Specifically, engines in colder climates like ours in Southern New Hampshire (and New England in general) can experience increased cold-start wear where oil doesn’t fully coat the bore before the piston starts moving. This is especially important to consider when your car sits for long periods of time, like when your vehicle is away for the winter.
2. Inadequate Lubrication
Oil starvation or the use of low-quality engine oil can cause excessive friction on the cylinder walls, accelerating wear. Ensuring proper oil viscosity and frequent oil changes is essential for longevity.
It is recommended to never use an oil viscosity that is thinner than 0W-40, i.e. 0W-30. Additionally, reducing the number of cold-starts after the car hasn’t been driven for an extended period of time (2 weeks or more) can help prevent a “dry start” where there is less than ideal lubrication on the cylinder walls. This means that you should just let your car sit until spring after driving it into the garage for the final time in the fall.
3. Cold Weather Engine Stress
New Hampshire’s cold winters can worsen bore scoring due to improper warm-up procedures. When a Porsche 987 is driven hard before reaching optimal temperature, the pistons expand faster than the cylinder walls, increasing friction.
Porsche Club of America recommends avoiding excessive idling to warm the vehicle up as it can actually increase risk of bore scoring. This, combined with the aforementioned advice of avoiding hard driving before the engine is fully up to temperature, means that after starting your vehicle, gently drive away and be easy on the throttle until the engine has reached operating temperature.
Porsche Bore Scoring Symptoms: How to Spot the Issue
Unfortunately, once the cylinder bores have been scored, the only permanent solution is a complete engine rebuild. However, if caught early, there is minimal damage to other internal components which means the rebuild cost is typically no different than an elective or voluntary rebuild. By knowing the Porsche bore scoring symptoms, it can help prevent a misdiagnosis of unnecessary repairs and prevent additional, unnecessary engine damage. Here are key warning signs:
1. Ticking or Knocking Sounds from the Engine
A metallic ticking noise (similar to a lifter tick) coming from the engine, especially when the car is idling, can indicate bore scoring in a Porsche 987.
2. Excessive Oil Consumption
If your Porsche Cayman or Boxster requires frequent oil top-ups, bore scoring could be to blame. Additionally, if there are metal shavings found in the engine oil filter and oil that are non-magnetic, this is a good sign that there is excessive wear on the cylinder bores.
3. Sooty Exhaust Tips on One Side
Oil burning from a damaged cylinder wall often leads to black carbon buildup on one exhaust tip (the affected side).
4. Performance Issues and Rough Idling
Loss of power, rough idling, or engine misfires can all point to bore scoring in a Porsche 987 Cayman or Boxster.
Porsche Bore Scoring Prevention: How to Protect Your Engine
While bore scoring in Porsche 987 models is a known issue, proactive maintenance can reduce the risk. Here’s how:
1. Use High-Quality Engine Oil & Regular Changes
We recommend premium fully synthetic oil changed every 5,000 miles and/or before the car is put away in storage to ensure proper lubrication and reduce wear. If the car is tracked, it makes sense to increase the frequency of your oil changes and overall maintenance schedule.
2. Let the Engine Warm Up Properly
Allow your Porsche Cayman or Boxster to get up to temperature before any aggressive acceleration or high-revs. PCA recommends to start driving the car shortly after starting it, not allowing it to sit idle while warming up, especially in New Hampshire’s winter months. If your car is in storage or sits for periods longer than two weeks, we recommend not starting the car at all unless you are taking the car out to drive, and leaving the battery on a tender to prevent the battery from dying.
3. Get a Professional Bore Scoring Inspection
At Seacoast Specialist Cars, we specialize in early bore scoring detection using bore scope inspections and oil analysis. If you’re experiencing any symptoms, don’t wait until it’s too late.
If you are not experiencing any symptoms, or are looking to purchase a used Porsche, having an oil analysis done can give you a better idea of where your engine’s health is at. If there are indicators that there are contaminants in the oil, it would make sense to do some deeper digging into why that is the case.
Need a Bore Scoring Inspection? Visit Seacoast Specialist Cars in Candia, NH
If you suspect bore scoring in your 987 Porsche Cayman or Boxster, schedule an inspection today.
📍 Visit us at Seacoast Specialist Cars, 174 Raymond Road, Candia, NH.
☎️ Call us at (603) 782-0870 or schedule an appointment today!
