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The M96 and M97 engines are but the latest engine in a long history of both air and water-cooled engines offered in various Porsche models delivering excellent performance at a reasonable price. Just as with engines before it, there have always been little "hiccups" along the way. Even the venerable air-cooled flat-6 had its share of problems leading to fixes implemented as they were developed, from the ever popular Carrera tensioners to the cylinder head leak fixes required of early 964 engines. Once "updated", these engines have proven themselves to have excellent service lives, with many going hundreds of thousands of miles, as is normal with 3.0SC engines with their exceptional reputation for being bulletproof. Now that the first of many of the new water-cooled Boxster and 911 models featuring the M96 engine are approaching or already are ten years old, many fear impending cylinder or IMS failures as they learn of the weaknesses of the M96 engine. These are no different than some of the problems experienced with any of the air or water-cooled engines pre-dating the M96 engine. The best advice we have is don't let your Porsche sit - drive it and enjoy it, as Porsche intended. If it is of any consolation, many who track their cars have yet to experience failures, hinting that cars that are driven often and hard, but well maintained have less problems! The single most important precaution you can do is change your oil often, at least every 5,000 mi, and ensure your cooling system is well maintained and upgraded to handle the extra heat and abuse of track use. LN Engineering offers many products designed to extend the life of your engine from our low temperature thermostat to IMS retrofits, so there IS hope that you won't have to suffer a catastrophic failure. That said, if and when you experience a failure, be assured there are solutions to these problems as well as support for even the do-it-yourselfer. So don't fear, you and your Porsche can have a long and happy life together. LN Engineering is proud to offer our Nickies™, the ultimate cylinders for your Boxster/Cayman/911 models & 986/996 M96 and 987/997 M97 engines!
2.5 Boxster mod., with Nickies™ installed, stock 85.5mm bore size. As you can see, the wall thickness is significantly more than a stock cylinder and bores feature our NSC plating which is similar to Nikasil™, as used on the Carrera GT, GT2, GT3, and 911 Turbo engines! Nickies™ make the difference! Nickies™ feature our superior aluminum alloy up to 66% stronger than than the cast in Lokasil™ bores or MMC sleeves, improved thermal conductivity (unlike steel sleeves), reduced wear and friction, and allow for larger bores without any loss of strength or longevity. In fact, Our NSC-plated, CNC billet, solid aluminum Nickies™come with a lifetime warranty on cylinder plating. We have overcome the d-chunk and slipped-sleeve problems associated with Porsche 986 & 996 models by engineering an aluminum alloy that has both high ductility AND strength, allowing for larger bore sizes while still increasing reliability, addressing the well known issue of cracked bores in stock engines.
We supply both stock bore sizes and big bore kits and to date offer 2.5 to 2.7, 2.7 to 2.9, 3.2 to a 3.6, 3.4 to 3.6, and 3.6 to 3.8 kits including Nickies and custom forged JE Pistons for both normally aspirated and forced induction turbocharger or supercharger equipped engines as well as R&R Pro Billet 4340 Chromoly Connecting Rods.
In addition to Nickies™, LN Engineering also currently offers:
We've also partnered with Flat 6 Innovations, so make sure to check their website at http://www.flat6innovations.com and keep reading below to read more about our process and how we can improve the reliability of your Porsche. Have you experienced an engine failure? We would love to hear from you. Model year, model, mileage, and any other pertinent information will help us. Your data can help us ensure we provide the best support.
3.4 996, Classic D-Chunk Failure
2.5 986 model, Classic D-Chunk Failure coupled with MMC cast-in liner from 99-00MY In either situation, we can upgrade your engine to use our Nickies™ as long as there are no cracks in the case that protrude deeper than the bottom of the water jacket, where in that case, the integrity of the whole crankcase has been compromised! (see below). If the damage on the crankcase side, the damage is not repairable.
As you can see below, we machine out almost all of the factory cylinder and leave just a portion of the retaining support structure that was cast in to the case. This allows us to properly support the cylinder while increasing wall thickness of the cylinder up in the water jacket allowing for larger bores, thanks to the thermal and strength properties of our unique alloy.
Photo of a block prepped for installation of Nickies™,
Photo of a block
prepped for installation of Nickies™, as shown from the rear
side (non water-jacketed portion of cylinder). Note that we have left
the factory webbing that helps to support the cylinder in the case. Our
sleeves positively are indexed in the opening such that they are as
well supported as the factory cylinder and strengthened further by our
special alloy! Our conversion does not impede or restrict the flow of water around the cylinders and due to the high ductility and tensile strength of our alloy, a closed deck is not required. Our unique design retains the proper flow of water through the water jacket and actually improves upon the cooling capabilities of the engine due to over double the thermal conductivity of the alloy used.
On the 3.6 X51 M96 and all 2003 and later M97 engines, windage notches were added to reduce windage and increase horsepower. If your engine doesn't have these and you want to add them, we can put them in for a nominal charge. Click here to read more about the Secrets of LN Engineering's Nickies™ Cylinders Ready to upgrade? Don't worry, it's easy. Send us your case halves and intermediate shaft following our procedures outlined below. Normal turn-around time is approximately 6-8 weeks. You can either send each case half in smaller boxes or in one larger box - either way, follow these steps:
What pistons can you use with Nickies™?
LN Engineering’s custom forged pistons are the best of their kind. Every piston is custom made, so whatever the case, we work with your desired engine specifications to make the ideal pistons for your application, period. Our Nickies™ kits for 986 & 996 models includes custom forged side relief JE Pistons, including coated skirts, split oil returns, quench pads, and accumulator grooves, just like the factory pistons. Stock, high compression, or even turbo/supercharger lower conversion pistons are available custom at no extra cost. Our custom JE Pistons maintain proper quench, which allows for faster burn and better thermal efficiency, leading to better gas mileage, lower potential for detonation, and more power by retaining the factory inverted dome piston shape, mirroring the pent-roof four-valve combustion chamber! Our forged pistons are superior to the factory cast pistons found in non-"S" model engines and are as strong as the forged pistons found on "S" engines, but use a lightweight forged side relief design for improved strength while being lighter than the factory pistons.
2.5 Boxster "Spec" JE Piston (left), 3.4 996 to 3.6 conversion JE Piston (right)
Rear of LN Engineering's exclusive Boxster and 911 model forged pistons, showing the forged side relief design and construction and box slipper skirt like found on factory forged "S" pistons
3.2 Boxster to 3.6 liter conversion JE Piston
3.6 X51 to 3.8 liter conversion JE Piston
3.4 996 to 3.6 10:1 Supercharger conversion JE Piston (also available in 9.5:1) with optional thermal barrier coating and hard anodized top ring land for superior durability (shown below)
2008 Pricing Schedule
Contact us at 815-472-2939 or
info@LNengineering.com
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Copyright LN Engineering LLC ©2008-2009. *LN Engineering features a nickel silicon carbide composite coating similar in appearanceand performance to Nikasil™, a trademark of Mahle Corporation, backed by a limited lifetime warranty. Lokasil is a registered trademark of Kolbemdshmidt AG. Porsche, Boxster, 356, 911, 914, 986, and 996 are registered trademarks of Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG. All other trademarks and copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. This content may not be used for any commercial use without express written permission of LN Engineering LLC, and possibly other copyright or trademark owners. |
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Flat 6 Innovations has posted
a build-up of a 2.5 to 2.9 engine using our Nickies liners and many other LN
Engineering upgrades at
LN Engineering Nickies™
are Proudly 100% Made in the USA!