Parking bulb replacement and leaves in the radiator

This evening I decided to tackle the task of replacing a burnt out parking light bulb that resides in the main headlight assembly. Now since I've had a Porsche since 2002 I've grown used to seemingly simple tasks taking me an entire evening... Wow was a I pleasantly surprised when I found that I was able to replace that little light in less than 5 minutes! It was pretty cool how the entire assembly just slid right out of the car and gave me access to the lights. I thought I was going to have to go into a contortionist pose and snake my arms through the fenders while sitting in the trunk to do this job. Between the oil change, brake caliper flush, and now bulb replacement, Porsche is beginning to lose their reputation (in my own eyes of course) of being a difficult vehicle for the home garage mechanic to maintain. Now on to the leaves... When I was walking up to my car the other day I noticed a bunch of leaves in the radiator intakes. Since I was working on it I decided to stick the vacuum hose in there this evening. What a surprise that there were SO MANY leaves in there. I'm glad the temperatures haven't been that warm because I can just imagine how bad the ventilation could have gotten with all that blockage! Just another happy day in 996 land! PS - if you're wondering, I had to purchase the bulb (H6W) at the dealership as I couldn't find it elsewhere and I didn't want to wait for mail order. $15 - not cheap but not all that bad.

that same awesomeness in one piece headlamps means that if something goes wrong in the assembly, you can look forward to paying $2K for one headlamp. Porsche is smart, either way

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I sorta figured that and was EXTREMELY careful with them as I was removing them. The last thing I wanted to do was drop them!

We have to schedule regular checks of our intakes during the Fall because of leaves collecting. The crevice tool on a vacuum is the simplest solution!

if you get really into it, you can take off the front bumper clip and pull the A/C condensor away from the radiator and find another pile of stuff blocking your airflow (especially if its been since 02') OH - sorry... Good Job!!

Really? Crap !

really really ! even after "cleaning" if you go in there you most likely will find a whole lots of sand, leaves, small animal parts and sometimes a really interesting surprise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um-h2...layer_embedded Really, Really, Really

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How hard is it to take off the front bumper? Do you mean the whole thing, the big bumper/facia piece that wraps around from the front of the front wheels? I need to do that to fab up some mounts for my Blinder M27s, but have been...afraid. Lol!! Edit: Ooops! I just took a look at the youtube link that fpb111 posted! That's the ticket to my answer, baby! Rockin.

awe - word to the wise... the youtube vid is awesome ! BUT take the damn screwdriver out of your hand when wiggling the inside of the truck out so you dont smack it into the paint like the guy in the vid does AND dont leave the condensor hanging!!! - put a block of wood or a paint can or something under it to support the weight! For me taking the headlights out was helpful (and a quick step) since you saved a ton of money from NOT going to the dealer - replace ALL the missing screws (this guy was missing a lot) and replace the broken plastic parts under the front that have been removed by running into curbs - BUT - all in all, that's it!

I guess bumper removal will be the next step. While cleaning I did notice that on the far corners there is still some stuff stuck in there but not too much - or at least from what I can see. But without crushing the thin aluminum of the condenser with my vacuum hose I can't get to it.

+1 remove the bumper and rotate the AC Condenser, you'll be amazed at how much build up it has. I did it for the first time last spring. It was an easy task. You may want a buddy to help you remove the bumper cover and put it back on but if you go slow it's can be a one man job. It really should be an annual maintenance item. There are good instructions on Loren's site Renntech.com. Going slow it only took me an hour or so.

The front bumper clean out has been thoroughly documented, and is an must IMO.

^^^ +1

I need to pull mine and do some maintenance, I usually just use my leaf blower on the "SUCK" setting , does a good job but cant really get it all.

Did mine in the spring...got enough mulch out of there for the garden!

pongobaz you didn't show all of the mulch that was between the ac radiators and the H2o radiators.

Bulbs are $5 from Pelican by the way. I bought a half dozen to spread out the shipping cost. They burn out too quickly, but like you say at least they're easy to change....and they look cool.

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Yeah, I forgot to take a picture of what fell out when I got between the condensors and radiators.

And while you're in a cleaning kind of mood, check the front and rear drains and clean those out too. If the car has ever been stored outdoors, they will probably be full of crap. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index...&hl=cab++drain

Can I play?

I see some good ol' pine straw there! A North Carolina staple that ends up EVERYWHERE! Smackboy - good tip, scary consequences!

After having taken my bumper off with the frunk closed (latch jammed shut), I can take it off and on with my eyes closed. There is nothing like getting to that last step where you have to rip the bumper off the mounts you can't unscrew with the frunk closed. Just pull it till it pops off, talk about cringing.

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If you didn't remove the bumper and then loosen the AC condensor and gently pull it away enough to vacuum behind the AC you didn't do the full job. Here's a pic of my 02 Boxster's passenger side radiator trash load. This car has had its radiators/AC condensors cleaned of trash now at least 3 times. Sincerely, Macster.

+2 on this, you must clean between the radiator and air conditioner condenser to properly clean the radiators.