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YOUR RESEARCHAero?s 996 C4S
Reported or suspected cause
fuel pump
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
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Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
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Reported cause · Original poster
With the help of some forum members on here I was able to determine the evap system had nothing to do with the drivability issues I was having, turned out to be a failing fuel pump.
Leading evidence: 'fuel pump' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'fuel pump' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Adjust anything' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
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1
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Reported cause · Original poster
The volume problem is now fixed (plays plenty loud) and the sound is much more full.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
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Reported cause · Original poster
Since it was the wrong amp and it didn�t work properly, I asked for a refund because I lost confidence in their operations.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Set the front to 5 and the rear to 6 as well as adjusted the height again.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
While doing the oil change, I checked the front springs under full droop (wheels in the air) and there is just too much play between the springs and the upper strut mount.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
While doing the oil change, I checked the front springs under full droop (wheels in the air) and there is just too much play between the springs and the upper strut mount.
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Suggestion · Original poster
It was interesting because the symptoms led me to believe it was a vacuum leak, as the car would actually drive fine under higher load, but I had triple checked for leaks using my smoke tester and was confident there were none.
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Suggestion · Original poster
After giving the car a good look over and pulling all the under panels, checking for leaks, I just drove it for a while but I quickly found some things that bugged me and though I could�ve kept driving it, I just wanted to get at the issues and enjoy the car.
These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.
fuel pump
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
Read evidence and context
Discussions that report identifying a cause
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Reported cause · Original poster
With the help of some forum members on here I was able to determine the evap system had nothing to do with the drivability issues I was having, turned out to be a failing fuel pump.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
103 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
4 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Outcome without a verified action link
It had a PCCM+ clone installed that worked ok initially but seemed to trend down hill.
You all have probably seen a bunch of my post in the �what did you do to your 996 today� thread, and following the steps of a few other members here, have decided to start my own thread.
I�ve always had the itch for a 911 but finally got to the point where I could afford one as a hobby. I was searching for a 997 for a loooooonnnggg time and, admittedly, I turned down some good ones in hindsight. But the 997 just didn�t do it for me at the price point they�re at.
Then, I drove a 6-speed 996 Turbo and fell in love. Unfortunately, it had the 2nd gear decel pop-out issue where the trans pops out of 2nd gear off throttle. I spent another 2 years looking for a good one when I came across a C4S on one of the big auction sites.
It had a lot of the big ticket items done, IMS/RMS/Clutch, etc but also clearly needed a bit of work. Overall, I thought it was a good deal and decided if I could get it for what I considered a great price, I would. I bid on it thinking there was no chance I would win, just to find out I did haha!
Had it shipped across the country and started my Porsche journey�
Had never even driven a non-Turbo 996 before buying this one but it seemed like a good deal and the right one. But what do you do when you buy a 23 year old car? You tear it apart of course!
The story was: 3 owner car prior to me. 1st owner was a Porsche dealer (or worked at the dealer), 2nd owner was his buddy. 2nd owner had the car from 2006-ish to 2019, didn�t drive it much and was said to be stored in a climate controlled garage. That must have been true, because I was amazed at how good of shape all the rubber bits were in!
3rd owner had it for a bit and did a lot of the big ticket items about 1.5 years and 1500 miles before I bought it. He was a great seller and very upfront, he found a good deal on a turbo and had to sell the C4S. He told me all the background, gave me all the receipts, and even sent me a little money back when the car showed up with a little surprise I wasn�t expecting (cracked paint on the rear bumper). Pretty stand up guy.
IMS was done by an LN authorized shop and registered with LN Engineering.
After giving the car a good look over and pulling all the under panels, checking for leaks, I just drove it for a while but I quickly found some things that bugged me and though I could�ve kept driving it, I just wanted to get at the issues and enjoy the car.
First thing I did was send a UOA sample to Speediagnotix just to set a baseline. Luckily that came back solid.
Next was just knocking out basic maintenance that I had no documentation of. Air filter, trans fluid, front differential fluid. Plugs had been done within the last year by previous owner along with 997 coil packs and stainless brake lines with a brake fluid flush. After that was an oil change with DT40 and the LN Spin on filter.
Also, a pic of my �daily driver��.
So, after driving for a while and learning more about these cars, I decided the water pump was the next thing to do.
Just ordered the kit from LN Engineering - had everything I needed with the low temp thermostat, water pump, bolts, new belt, and tool.
Also ordered the vacuum fill tool for the coolant. Ran by my local Porsche dealer and picked up 3 gallons of coolant. The wheels are hollow spokes and in pretty good shape but I decided now was a good time to get them re-done. Decided to powder coat, as my goal with this car is to restore it but also drive it without worry.
Got the wheels back and pretty happy with them!
While doing the water pump I noticed that the passenger side engine mount seemed like it wasn�t torqued down all the way. I tried to torque it but it wouldn�t budge, so I tried to back it off and it wouldn�t budge. Crap.
Turns out it was cross threaded when it was put on. The owner prior to me had RSS mount installed, so I called RSS and then sent me a new stud for a decent price. However, after reading all the concern about engine mounts, I decided to order and install OEM Porsche mounts. Would have used Rein mounts but they were unattainable.
After knocking out the mounts, I decided to tackle the suspension. I chose the RoW kit with Koni sports from Carnewal. Factory RoW springs with black painted Koni sports, seemed like the perfect mix for what I was looking for.
After working through a bit of struggles, I got everything installed. Koni paints these black just for Gert Carnewal, but this time they painted them yellow (like most of their stuff) and then put black paint over the yellow. That made them .010� too thick to fit on my car, so some sanding and repainting was in order on my end.
Ordered all the supporting parts for the suspension from FCP Euro. New mounts, bolts, bump stops, strut boots, spring pads, etc.
Needless to say, the bump stops needed if haha! The front passenger side bump stop was completely missing!
Took advantage of having things apart and cleaned the wheel wells. Measured the brake rotors to make sure they were within spec and the repainted the hats.
Replaced all the front control arms while I was at it. Tie rods were in good shape so even though I ordered them, I didn�t replace them.
Pic with the RoW springs:
Ordered the taillight LED kit from Adrian Taillights. Hard to capture the effect in pictures but it�s an awesome OEM+ upgrade!
Driver�s side window regulator started acting up, not dropping the window far enough to close it, so I also replaced that.
Following this, next up was the sunroof. Whenever I hit a bump, the interior sunroof cover would make a loud �thunk�!
After some inspection, I found this gray piece missing which holds the sunroof cover down in the closed position. Luckily, I found a brand new cassette on EBay that had some damaged parts on it from shipping. I bought it and swapped all the good parts from my sunroof onto it, making one complete unit. Even had some spare parts to send to a fellow Rennlister, a real Win-Win!
The car had a weird smell to it, like caramel or something. The previous owner had mentioned he had the blend door foam issue taken care of, so
I suspected maybe a leak in the heater core hoses or clamps. Turns out the entire heater core was leaking. Luckily no fluid in the floor boards or anything.
Installed a new heater core and seal, new hose clamps, and a new foam seal on the frunk side. Hoses looked good, almost new, so I chose not to replace them.
That pretty much brings us up to date! Just enjoying the car for what it is and trying my best to keep it original while also making it a good drivers car!
Found out the battery wasn�t tied down at all (while doing the heater core), so that�s my next project.
Don�t mind the drinking glass, there�s no chance there is bourbon in there�
Honestly - they feel a lot like the stock C4S suspension haha. The Konis full soft allowed the car to be a bit �bouncy�.
I dialed them up one quarter of a turn at a time until I got the bouncing feeling out of them (driving the same road) and now they just feel like stock suspension. Haven�t gone any more firm with them because I don�t want anything more firm.
Got the sunroof rebuilt and reinstalled. Drove for a few days making sure it was working properly and
wasn�t making any noises before I put the headliner back up.
Trying to find these fasteners for the headliner, the ones with the circular base and the foam. Some of mine are like that, some are not. Seems I can only find the ones without in the parts catalogue. Might have to make my own.
Still looking for a small rattle in the dash. Went to reinstall my PCCM+ clone from Ali Express (came with the car) and it�s not switching on.
I�ve isolated it to the CAN bus box, ordered a new one and swapped it out but no luck. Very odd because I didn�t do anything with the radio other than unplug it and plug it back in, no wiring changes.
The box has power and ground but appears to not be getting a signal that the key is switched on. If I jump the yellow (12v constant) to the red wired, the radio turns on regardless of key position.
Anyone know which wire on the harness sends the signal from the key to the CAN bus box?
Ha thanks! I was looking for a car to drive, not a museum piece, and this one was great but I�m just a bit of a perfectionist (though the car isn�t perfect!)
It�s also just fun to work on. Especially with my 7 year old Son. Sometimes expensive haha. But I�ve worked on cars all my life, so I enjoy the fun of making it a great car (most of the time haha.)
Well it�s been a while, life got busy, but I have made some more progress here and there in the car.
Did an oil change yesterday. I�m subscribing to the 5k miles or 6 months train of thought. Even if it�s overkill, it�s cheap insurance. Ordered the kit from LN Engineering with some more DT40 and a WIX 1042 filter, as well as the UOA for Speediagnostix. Added half a dozen Injector Defender as well just to have on hand.
Had some oil leftover from the last case I ordered - the next case I should only need 1 quart from and will have enough for a follow on change.
Quick tip if you have a Quickjack - I�m sure I�m not the first person to discover this. Go to your local paint store, get a 5 gallon bucket with lid (my Sherwin Williams gives them out for free), and then buy the spout for it - works perfect as an oil drain pan and then is super easy to pour into gallon containers for disposal.
I have been driving on the new suspension setup for a while now, maybe 500 miles, and I�m not very happy with it. I haven�t had an alignment yet, so maybe that�s a big part of it, so I scheduled on for next week. I�m just not so sure the strut/spring combo complement eachother. It�s less confidence inspiring than my 23 year old stock suspension through the turns and ride quality is about the same.
While doing the oil change, I checked the front springs under full droop (wheels in the air) and there is just too much play between the springs and the upper strut mount. I can literally stick my finger in the gap.
No idea why this is happening, Gert Carnewal sells this setup as plug and play to covert a US market C4S to RoW springs (w/ Koni Sport shocks) but it clearly doesn�t work.
I�m just not comfortable with it, so I decided to throw my OEM springs back on before the alignment. Got the fronts back on today after work.
I haven�t done the rear control arms yet because they appear to be in good shape, but I still have a bit of �crashing� in the rear and since I�m going to be back there swapping the springs out, I decided to order a rear control arm kit. Should be here tomorrow, so I�ll get the OEM rear springs in with all new control arms this weekend before the alignment next week.
Most recent UOA received today. Open to feedback as I�m not well versed in interpreting these.
Interesting that the fuel dilution dropped by over half but the silicon, even though within limits, is double what it was last time. I did use a bottle of fuel treatment between those two oil changes, so maybe that�s why I am seeing less dilution.
Can the increase in silicon be due to anything else or just coming from the cylinder walls? I�ll keep an eye on it.
The first UOA was as soon as I received the car. There must�ve been a misunderstanding on my part about when the previous owner had the oil changed because the data looks fairly consistent (to me) across all three analysis, so maybe there were more than 527 on that oil before I sent it in. The low mileage on the first sample is throwing off the wear/1000 mile data point obviously.
I would send Lake an email and ask him your questions. He has been extremely responsive every time I send him an email. I heard that Driven has been adjusting their formulations which may explain the rise in silicon. Lake would know and could provide more insight.
I am sorry to hear that, I wonder why. I have had the same setup on my '02 C4S since September now and have been enjoying it. Car feels more planted and handles well overall. I for sure scrape my front lip on driveways on the occasion but that is typical with lowered cars I have owned over the years.
Do you by chance remember how your dampers are setup?
I started full soft and drove the same route, turning them up a quarter turn at a time. Ended up at 3/4s but the rear feels a bit stiff, so I might back those down to 1/2.
I have no idea what�s going on with this setup - I pulled the front springs off yesterday, verified everything in the stack against the PET to make sure I wasn�t missing anything and there is no explanation. Guess I could double check the part numbers on the springs?
Doesn't matter now, the OEM front springs are back on and I�m not doing this again unless I go full coilovers!
Can you share more pics of your bumperette delete. I have been wanting to do the same on my C4S, the plate that is offered looks great but leaves the holes by the license plate lights on the bumper. It almost looks like yours were maybe filled in? Car looks great by the way. I have the same spec on my 02' C4S.
It�s actually just a cover plate that looks fairly cheap to me but you don�t really notice it unless you�re looking for it. I didn�t even realize the car was like this when I bought it!
I will eventually have the car resprayed and, when I do, I�m either putting the bumperettes back on or I�ll see if the body shop can fill the holes in the bumper and make it look good.
I found an rear bumper support on EBay that was in good shape for a C4S so I snagged it, incase I ever want to go back to original with the bumperettes.
Got all the original springs back in and completed the rear control arm kit today. Should be ready to go. To be honest, all the rubber still looked pretty good and the ball joints were a little loose but still felt pretty good, so not sure I will see much difference but I had already done everything else so why not.
I know it�s good practice but I must be getting old because I finally bought some paint markers so I could remember which bolts I torqued haha! Worked pretty good!
Got it all back together this morning and drove it for a bit today - 100% better with the OEM springs back on! I�m super happy with it, can�t wait until after it�s aligned on Wednesday.
No idea why, but the only thing I changed was the springs and I triple checked them when pulling them apart to ensure everything was installed correctly.
I�m going to dig into the RoW PET and see if these springs are somehow not the correct RoW C4S springs but I�m pretty sure I checked that before I installed them.
I lowered the tire pressures to 32F/34R also, since this thing is mainly for just cruising around, and that seems to help with the comfort a bit. My rear tires are 6 years old but aren�t cracking and don�t feel rock hard, but I suspect replacing them would make this car feel like it did when it drove off the lot in 2003. Going to wait until next Spring though.
I would be worried about a large reduction in air pressure. P says 38F/44R for a reason. Ten PSI is a lot of difference in the back. Perhaps lower pressure would damage sidewalls or tire edge, dunno. Maybe increased tire heat, possibly similar to track usage. Comfort is fine, but a C4S is not a Cadillac. Maybe some of the "Track usage types" could explain what much lower pressure in hot summer driving affect tires.
I'm not selling "salt" here, just wondering about cause & effect, so to speak. Comments, anyone?
YMMV
Went and checked out PMB Performance today. They are local to me and apparently are the go to for all things Porsche brakes.
Met the owner, Eric, and some of his team. Chatted for a bit, then bought some brake pads from him. My OEM pads are quite dusty and, when they build up dust, it they start to squeal. Eric says these pads should handle everything I throw at them, with minimal dust and squeal.
Great small town shop feel that is doing business worldwide. Someone else at another shop told me, if you buy a new Porsche and want a custom caliper color or something, PMB is who Porsche sends the calipers to.
One of my calipers has a pretty good scratch in it, from where I think a rock got between the wheel and the caliper. When the weather gets cold, I�m going to pull them off and drop them with PMB for rebuild and new paint.
https://pmbperformance.com/
Also saw this today at another shop while getting my car alignment.
Really makes me questions whether or not saving for retirement is worth it or if I should just enjoy it all now and work til I die!
Got tired of looking for the dash rattle and decided to put my radio back together.
It had a PCCM+ clone installed that worked ok initially but seemed to trend down hill.
It has wireless CarPlay, but 50% of the time it doesn�t connect. When I plug it into the USB, it doesn�t do anything. Seems a lot of the settings I setup don�t actually do anything. The FM radio works though.
I just ordered PCCM+. Once I get installed and running properly, I�m taking the Ali Express one out back and going full out Office Space on it:
You'll like it a lot. It's not sophisticated and expensive but worth the price for the period look and reliability. Plus it connects to my phone faster than in our Cayenne with PCM5, and once the PCCM+ is connected it's never once dropped.
Well it showed up today, was super excited for the install.
Easy plug and play with my car since it has MOST, added the wireless dongle as well, and I must say this unit is very nice.
Except for one thing - I have zero sound. The amp is being told to turn, I can hear it through the speakers, but the fiber optic is not communicating.
Quick Google search showed some results:
1. My car didn�t have a CD changer, so looping the fiber optic there isn�t the problem.
2. I have switched the PCCM+ over to AMP from CAN, and that doesn�t work. The radio also doesn�t turn off with the key if I do that, so that�s clearly not how this was designed.
3. I have read on a few different places that early Bose amps ending in 01, 02, 03 are not compatible with PCCM+. Not sure why this would be and why it wouldn�t be mentioned when purchasing the system - if it�s a known problem it should be mentioned prior to purchasing.
So now I guess I�m stuck buying another amp with a newer part number. I�m certain this is the problem. I plugged my CDR23 back in just to check and everything works perfect. So does the cheap Chinese radio I�m replacing.
But then, I wonder, what would Porsche do if I had them installing this? Come back and tell me it won�t work if I don�t buy another amp? Or could they reflash the software on the amp?
Hmm, not my area of expertise unfortunately, I had a professional do mine. There is an active troubleshooting thread for PCCM installation that might help.
Bradley
The early Bose amps have lousy software on them. I had mine reflashed by a company in New Jersey called Paulison corp and that fixed all of the problems I was having with the amp randomly not turning on, not turning off, blasting loud static, not working when cold, etc. I think they flash a Mazda image onto the amp.
Don't know if that might fix your issue. I think it's far more likely the MOST converter you got is no good.
I did some more troubleshooting this morning. I wrang out the wires in the harness from the PCCM to the MOST box with my multimeter to rule out any potential wire/pin problem, they all looked good.
When I turn the car on, with the fiber cables on the car side disconnected, I can see the light emitting from the MOST box for a couple seconds, then it goes out, then it turns back on for 1-2 seconds every 35 seconds.
I know the �hidden� volume setting should be set to CAN for my car but, when I switch between CAN and AMP, I get the same exact results and the interesting part is I get 5 seconds of audio on the very first try and switching that setting to either CAN or AMP, then it shuts down the signal and won�t work again until I change that setting.
Im thinking it�s something within the amp software shutting down the channel for some reason - not sure why.
I do think I�m going to do this though. It�s clearly something between the amp and the PCCM radio that isn�t communicating well. I�ve read that the earlier amps ending in 01, 02, 03 just aren�t compatible due to software issues.
The OEM radio and the aftermarket one I�m replacing work just fine (from a sound perspective).
I spoke with my local Porsche dealer and they have no idea.
I�ve come to the conclusion that my factory amp is not compatible with the PCCM+. There are a few threads on FB, Reddit, and all of the forums where people point this out but it was not something I was familiar with prior to purchasing, thought this would be plug and play. Here is just one example:
https://911uk.com/porsche/pccm-plus-....119546/page-2
I called Edwin at Paulison and chatted with him. He wasn�t overly familiar with replacing the amp as a solution but he had a refurbished one in stock so I bought it. He was very helpful.
I asked him to make sure it ended in 05 or higher, as it seems part numbers 996 645 333 01 thru 03 are incompatible, he said it would be the �latest�.
Hopefully this is the fix.
https://paulisoncorpserv.com/?produc...2-1yr-warranty
Surely the only difference between the 01 through 05 variations is the firmware and Paulison do know how to reflash them so you should be in good hands.
I'll add that Paulison received my amp, tested and reflashed it, and returned shipped it the day it was received.
Then fedex took 8 days to ship it from NJ to MA.
Yeah he was very helpful, he wasn�t sure at all if this would fix the issue and he was reaching out to a client to see if it solved his PCCM issues but I am too impatient haha.
Since I don�t honestly know the differences between the amps, I didn�t want to send mine in just to get it back and find out it didn�t work but you�re probably right, it might just be firmware.
If the new one works, I�ll give someone a good deal on my old one who isn�t looking to do PCCM and get some of the cost back.
Finally got all the brake parts in today and installed. First two pics are me waiting around for FedEx since the parts were supposed to be delivered two days ago�
After FedEx showed up, install was a breeze. I used the PMB pads and all other OEM parts.
The PMB pads came with normal shims on them but I opted to remove those and install new OEM Porsche shims all around. Also ordered new hardware for the brakes all around. Figured I�m only gonna do this once every 50k miles or so, since I don�t track the car, so might as well spend the $$$ and keep it as OEM as possible.
Be advised, if you choose to go the route I did, plan an extra $500 for additional hardware (shims, anti-rattle spring, pin, etc.). That�s for OEM stuff, not cheap.
Took the car out to bed the brakes. 6 rounds of very aggressive braking from 100mph to 10mph, without completely stopping, in a row. At pass number 5 is where I felt the brakes start to fade, so I gave it one more good pass then drove for about 25 minutes without coming to a complete stop to let them cool.
So far, very happy with the pads. Very linear, predictable feel on the brake pedal with zero noise. Obviously need some more time behind the wheel before giving them my full blessing.
Well it�s been a week and UPS shows that Paulison still hasn�t shipped the amp, which is super disappointing. I spoke with them today and got told it was shipped last night - not sure why it takes a week to ship something that is �in stock� and UPS still doesn�t show they have received it but I guess we�ll see. Was hoping to have it and install by the 4th. We have a really fun car show we do every year - would love to take the 996 but it�s 1.2 hours away and I�m taking the family, so I need a car with a radio.
In other news, about a week of daily driving and still very happy with the PMB brake pads. No noise at all so far and very minimal dust, but today I notice these rings on my rotors that appear to be hot spots. The front driver side is the worst, front passenger has a very faint ring similar in location, rears have none. No idea what is causing them.
This pic is also a week of daily driving use, for reference of dust build up (or lack there of).
Man low dust pads look great. I refreshed my calipers and installed new rotors, pads and all hardware. I went with the FCP Euro Textar kit; just as much dust as OEM unfortunately. I need to give the bedding process another go as I am getting intermittent squealing at very low speeds when I am coming home in my neighborhood and come to stop at stop signs.
So I received the amp from Paulison today and did a quick temp install to test it out. Turns out, this was the fix for the problem I was having with the PCCM+, everything seems to work as advertised.
Only issue is, the amp he sent me doesn�t physically match the factor amp. It looks similar and the electrical/optical connectors are the same but the mounting brackets are different.
The mounting bracket on the OEM amp is built into the amp housing with the two bolt holes on the top. The bottom of the amp has a slight lip on it that slides into two clips on the bracket that mounts it to the car. The amp Paulison sent me has four mounting holes, two at each end, that are 90 deg out from where they need to be.
The one with the shiny bracket is the new amp I was sent, no idea what model it�s actually from. I sent them an email, we�ll see what they say.
I�m also not overly impressed with the sound quality coming out of the PCCM+. I finally figured out some of the volume quirks but overall the sound, whether from the radio or my phone thru Spotify, just doesn�t sound clean. Like I can hear some �noise� in the signal.
I guess the issue could also be the amp I just received - I�ll have to do some more research. Overall I think the original stereo sounds much better, hopefully there is a resolution to it.
I thought about it, so I started taking my old amp apart yesterday to take a peek at what it would take to make it work. From my initial glance, it might not be as easy as it seems.
I�d rather just return this one and get the correct one, or I guess I could send mine in to get flashed.
Finished the install today. Overall, I like the interface better than the Chinese knockoff that was in the car (funny that the PCCM+ has �made in China� stickers all over it). The USB module is in the glove box with a wireless dongle, it connects super fast and seems to work every time. My old one wouldn�t connect half the time.
The sound is disappointing but whatever, I really just wanted the Apple CarPlay functionality of hands free calling and the navigation. The sound at lower levels seems fine.
Tested the internal microphone and external microphone. The internal microphone doesn�t seem to work if you are using CarPlay, at least I couldn�t figure it out. You have to not have your phone connected via CarPlay, go into the Phone settings and deselect �external microphone�. That works if you are just Bluetooth connected to the radio, but if I try to use Apple CarPlay it doesn�t work (Wife can�t hear me on the test calls).
Ultimately placed the external microphone on the steering column. I know a lot of people use the factor location but I didn�t want to mess with the factory microphone. Tested a few different places and the steering column seemed to provide the best audio to my Wife on the calls.
Washed the car and found the driver�s side headliner was a bit wet afterwards, so I took that side of the headliner down to take a peak at the sunroof drains. Sure enough, I found one torn - I probably tore it somehow when I reassembled the sunroof with the new cassette.
Repaired it with some self fusing silicone tape. Says it takes 24 hours to fully fuse, so I�ll wash it tomorrow and see how it worked. If it doesn�t hold, I�ll replace the drain tube but I�m pretty optimistic about this stuff - feels strong and appears to have made a very good seal.
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...SACEgIPi_D_BwE
I used a Philips head screw driver and inserted it in the tube so it wouldn�t collapse when I applied the tape, which requires you to pull and stretch it a bit in order for it to function properly.
After reading through the literature that came with the PCCM+, I realize there must be a difference between equalizers on a MOST car and others.
Top pic is what the manual says the equalizer page should look like (love the attention to detail for the pic - reference the time). Bottom pic is what I�ve got.
Really wish I had the full equalizer settings - anyone know how to make that happen? Surely there is just someway to �unlock� that feature? I did find another hidden developer menu but didn�t see anything in there regarding this.
Have been messing around with the settings in the PCCM+ and discovered that my rear passenger side speaker is not working at all.
I pulled the speaker out and put amy ohm meter across it, it measures at exactly 4 ohms. I then shot the wires from the speaker to the amp, they look good at 0.4 ohms.
My conclusion is the amp is bad - is that valid or do you guys have any other suggestions?
It�s also doing this weird thing where, when I change the volume, it creates a weird noise in the sound almost like a CD skipping but only when the volume **** is moving. I don�t know how hot amps should get, but this one also get so hot you cannot touch it after normal use. Seems odd.
I�m chalking my issues thus far up to the amp, will reserve my complaints about the PCCM+ until I get the amp issues resolved. I will say, I�m very happy with the interface and usability of the PCCM+, it�s night and day better than the Chinese knockoff but I think the software on the knockoff was getting goofy over time.
Going to send this unit back to Paulison for a refund and try another place I found:
https://www.beckerautosound.com/harm...ask-amp-repair
Ok, update to the PCCM+ drama:
I sent the amp back to Paulison corp. Since it was the wrong amp and it didn�t work properly, I asked for a refund because I lost confidence in their operations. That�s just my experience, others might have positive opinions.
I found a used amp on EBay, same amp as my original but part number ending in 05. I had read up of others having success with this, so I bought it. Received today, quick install and it works great!
I�m chalking up the terrible sound and low volume issues I was having to the amp Paulison corp sent me. I haven�t driven my car yet (waiting on evap parts) but testing it in the garage reveals a distinct difference. The volume problem is now fixed (plays plenty loud) and the sound is much more full. All the speakers are functioning properly now too.
I remember when I bought my car, I was pretty impressed with how the factory stereo sounded. Well, it now sounds like that again. Very happy with this solution.
So, to summarize:
Bose Amps ending in 01/02/03 likely will not work with PCCM+.
Bose Amp ending in 05 works. I haven�t seen one ending in 04, so unknown. Whatever Paulison corp is doing (which I�m pretty sure is just one or two
guys) seems like a coin flip at this point.
Had a bit of a fuel vapor smell last weekend after a long mountain drive on a hot day. Parked the car in the garage, came back out about 30 minutes later and my garage smelled of fuel.
The day prior, I filled up the gas tank. My needle never reads full on the gauge and I was messing around with it and caused fuel to overflow out, so I figured I may have somehow screwed up the evap carbon canister.
To be safe, I parked the car outside away from the house until I could inspect it. Finally got it in the air and can�t find any fuel leaks. I ordered a new evap canister and the purge valve just incase it was intermittently failing and then smoke tested the evap system looking for leaks, couldn�t find any.
Installed the new canister and took it for a drive. So far so good, fuel smell is gone. Time will tell.
I did weigh the canister new vs my old one. It�s a food scale so that�s why it�s in grams but the old one is about 44% heavier. Converts to 3.9 lbs on the old one and 2.7 lbs on the new one. I think the old one was spent haha!
I think those are right - “label toward the engine”. That’s how I’ve been running mine anyhow. I may be wrong (wouldn’t be the first time : )
ETA: Yeah, I had to go check. Aero is positioned correctly…
It�s not a difficult job - just need to get the passenger side front wheel in the air, remove the wheel, and remove the fender liner.
Once those are off, there is one 10mm bolt holding the canister to the car, then two cylindrical tabs on the back that slide and fit fairly tight into some rubber grommets. Mine was really tight, felt like it must�ve been attached with another bolt, but it was just how snug the fit in the grommets was.
Then 3 hard plastic evap lines that pinch and release.
Depending on where you buy, it�s anywhere from about $350-$450. Pelican was more expensive but they had it in stock and I knew I would get it quickly, so I went with them. Others said 2-3 week lead time but they were $100 cheaper.
Well I�m a bit stumped now.
Car drove great for the 30 minute test drive last night. To be fair, the car has always driven well from a engine/trans standpoint.
Took the kids to lunch today and the engine stalled out of nowhere as I coasted to a stop as I was waiting to turn left. All the dash lights came on and that�s the only reason I recognized it because we had the stereo up. It immediately started back up, no problem, then I pulled over thinking maybe I had left the negative battery cable loose. It was fine when I checked it.
Car was idling fine but struggling under 2k rpm, like a large vacuum leak. Once it breaks through that struggle, it drives just fine. Came home and searched for vacuum leaks, cannot find any. Used the smoke tester on a vacuum line running into the intake post throttle body and no leaks found there either.
Car started idling a little rougher, thought maybe the MAFS was dirty so I sprayed it with some MAFS cleaner once it was cooled down, then let it dry, now the car runs worse. The idle smoothens out if I disconnect the MAFS and the DME goes closed loop.
I suspected it�s highly probable that I messed something up unintentionally last night, so I�ve triple checked everything I did and all is well. My only guess now is that the MAFS is bad and this is just a coincidence but that feels unlikely.
With a scan tool hoked up, the car is running way too rich at idle. When it is doing this, the airflow reading from the MAFS seems way too high as well. After idling for a bit, that value drops to what Google says is �in range� for a 996 at idle, and the idle smooths out.
I hope you�re right because that�s an easy fix!
I didn�t think about this until after I was done working on the car today but, if I pull the vacuum line off between the purge valve and the intake, then plug the port on the intake side, that should take the evap system and any associated leaks in it completely out of the equation, I think.
If I do that and it still runs rough, I�ll order a new MAF Monday.
Zero codes stored and no CEL.
Well I isolated the evap system from the engine today by removing the hose between the purge valve and the vacuum manifold on the throttle body, then capping the port on the throttle body.
Still have the same problem. I guess that�s good, means the evap system isn�t the problem and hopefully just a bad MAF (I think). The Airlfow value that the MAF is reading is higher than the top end of the spec at idle and the car is dumping fuel in.
So do you order a Bremi ($122) or a Bosch ($193) MAF? Those are far less cost than "official" Porsche one. ($670) [FCP prices] Do you have any "clues" from others which ones are fine and do the job?
How many miles are on your car/MAF?
Curious.
YMMV
I ordered the Bosch MAF. No idea about the others but I typically try to find the OE manufacturer if I can.
If you pull the MAF out, it has Bosch printed right on it with the Bosch part #. Then, below the Bosch #, is the Porsche part #.
I�m at about 41k miles now.
Thanks for answer. I don't know if a MAF is tested on a rebuild engine, but I hazard a WAG that fuel mixtures and similar are tested. If failing, put a new one in.
Agree. I do the same thing, looking for Bosch or whatever name & numbers are printed on a part. Sometimes we will see "Beru" on parts, or Bosch, same as OEM. On other items "not-so-critical", like cabin air filter or some other non critical - like air filter I go middle of the road. I won't change the P-design dry air filter for a wet-oiled gizmo or similar, no deal. I did find very cheap resistors, same specs as OEM, on a thread here for the front fans, good to have on hand. By cheap, IIRC they were about $5-$6 each, or came in pairs, so order 4 of them or 2 pairs.
I also cringe at the "Crankshaft Position Sensor" failure, so one of those is on my list of obscure new parts to have for a possible failure. It isn't that expensive and is really an odd part that can shut down the engine.
YMMV
With the help of some forum members on here I was able to determine the evap system had nothing to do with the drivability issues I was having, turned out to be a failing fuel pump. Just a coincidence they happened one after the other, within a day or so of me replacing the evap canister.
It was interesting because the symptoms led me to believe it was a vacuum leak, as the car would actually drive fine under higher load, but I had triple checked for leaks using my smoke tester and was confident there were none.
Then I decided to check the fuel pressure at idle and it was low. 30 psi at idle, should be around 55 +/- 3 psi. At times it would drop to 20 psi and obviously the engine would struggle. These engines actually have a test port sitting on the passenger side fuel rail, which is pretty convenient. Unscrew a 13mm cap and screw on your fuel pressure tester.
Now, if you haven�t seen the inside of a C4S fuel tank, it�s interesting and has quite a bit of hoses that could split and fail, which isn�t uncommon I guess. I opened the fuel tank and inspected the pump/hoses before removal, everything looked fine, but after carefully removing the pump I found a hose completely sheared. It�s possible it was already cracked and failed completely with the slightest force, the other hoses didn�t feel so brittle that they�d just break that easy.
Since the C4S has a saddle shaped fuel tank, it uses additional tube and Venturi pumps to help move the fuel from the depths of the saddles on both sides into the main fuel pump in the center.
I probably could�ve taken a chance and just replaced the broken hose but if that one got old and brittle, all the others are soon to do the same at some point in the near future so I just replaced them all. And I didn�t have any proof that the old pump wasn�t failing, could�ve put it back together and run the fuel pressure test again but I was already in there, why not replace the pump. Not cheap but bought a new Porsche fuel pump kit and new Venturi pumps, as well as a new seal and locking ring just so I don�t have to go back in here again anytime soon.
New pump and fuel pressure at idle:
Car is back to running great, just in time for my new UAOS w/ track drain to show up!
New Venturi tubes arrived.
Previously reinstalled the old ones with the new pump to verify the fix. Also verified they could be installed with the pump in place, so it�s a quick swap to get the new ones in.
Decided to mess with the Koni Sports a bit. The instructions say to start full soft and increase firmness to your liking, so that�s what I originally did. However, I decided the crank them full up and see how it drove the other day.
All the way firm was a bit too firm for street comfort, so I backed them down 1/4 turn at a time. Found what I think it�s a good compromise at 1 full turn from the most firm setting.
During this time, I noticed a clunking sound coming from the rear. Sounded like metallic clanking, like a ratchet had been left in the engine bay and was randomly banging against the body.
Put the car in the air and double checked all my witness marks on the suspension, everything looked good. Found the sway bar link had appeared to loosen a bit from where it connects to the shock. I disconnected it completely, went for a drive, and the noise had disappeared. Came back home and reinstalled, problem solved.
Took the opportunity to clean the barrels of my wheels too. This mess, I think, is years and years of brake pad dust built up in the drilled rotors. Then, after washing my car, all the wet gunk from inside the rotors splatters all over the wheels.
Hopefully all the gunk is out by now and this problem becomes less of a hassle. The PMB pads I installed are really low dust and I�m still very happy with their performance, so hopefully they save me the headache of pulling the wheels to completely clean them.
When I purchased the car, the previous owner told me it was �wired for PSE� which is weird, because the car wasn�t optioned with it nor did the car has a PSE installed when he bought it. I don�t know which �wires� are involved but I removed all the vacuum lines for it today.
Was this a standard thing for cars to have the vacuum lines routed with and without PSE?
im running centric semi-metallic pads on my TT, they leave very little dust compared to the textars that I had on before. After 1 or 2 days of driving the fronts were essentially covered in dust and the wheel barrels were totally coated.
i actually wax my wheels after i wash them to help stop any brake dust becoming embededded/stuck. i have other cars that have chunks of brake dust embedded into the wheel barrel due to neglect..
Good update sir. Great you were able to fix that strange issue.
I recommend to you both, consider applying a quality ceramic coating to your wheels inside and out. Washing wheels is so much easier once you have a protective barrier iron particles/contaminants can't cling on to. Most of the dust is gone after just a rinse in my experience. 💯
Been driving the car a ton and it�s been great but one thing that has still been bothering me a bit is the ride height. The front wheel gap on the US C4S is just too much for me. It�s one of those things that, once you see it, you can�t unsee it.
I originally came to the conclusion I was going to order PSS10s and actually ordered them back in January but then found out they were on back order forever. The next best thing for my use looked like RoW springs but, as alluded to earlier in this thread, I didn�t like the fact that there was zero preload under full droop when paired with the Konis, so I put my factory springs back on.
Well, somehow I came across a set of PSS10s in stock from TireRack last night. Decided to sleep on it, work up this morning and ordered them. Not excited to do the suspension for the 3rd time in 6 months but I am very excited to dial in the height how I�d like.
I keep telling myself that I bought this car to drive and it�s worth spending the money to make it enjoyable. Well, that�s getting expensive haha!
@AeroF16
The P.O. put the PSS10's on the C4S I bought a couple of years ago (THANK YOU Bernard!).
And I haven't touched them.
I think you will be happy that you will get it "just the way you want it".
Paul
What did you use to clean barrels, etc? I have done mine 2x and some crap is still on them.
What PMB pads have low dust? I am on my 3rd set of pads, some "claimed" to be low dust. A lie. I have near new rotors on my C4S, about 12k miles. The black dust on front wheels especially, drives me nuts.
I have to get to wheelwerks sooner or later to have wheels checked/fixed if not true. There aren't any curb rash or other signs, but high-dollar Pshop balanced them and said some were "bent". No detail as to how much, diagram or whatever. I'll call wheelwerks after I test car with a different set of wheels/tires for "vibration comparison". Who to talk to at wheelwerks? TIA
YMMV
Came home to these waiting for me. Super excited to get them on. Was surprised they came with sway bar links, wasn�t expecting that. Only the fronts though, so I assume the stock rears should be fine?
Perfect timing because I planned to use this weekend to work on my daily (BMW), as I have it torn apart to fix a coolant leak and doing some other work, but the hoses aren�t shipping until next week so my weekend is free!
Don't worry, there is clear tape covering those intake ports.
Nice! Which Bilsteins are those - PSS9?
...and do these have also ride height adjustability, since there seems to be only 2-rings on shok body for preload set up, or am I looking at this wrong?
You can use 997c4 top strut mounts in the front unless yours are new enough to keep. It's one of those deals where the upgrade is less expensive than the original.
Got the PSS10s installed today. My initial impression during the install is that these are very well built, they�re built like a tank.
Haven�t driven the car yet, running into an issue getting the rear adjustment ***** reinstalled. I cannot figure out how to assemble them in a manner that makes me believe they are actually adjusting anything.
It doesn�t feel like the front, where there are distinguishable clicks you can hear and feel. The **** just kind of spins. I also have no idea where the reference is when setting the firmness, there�s no line or reference mark that I can find.
More to come tomorrow�
Ok, got the rear adjustment ***** figured out. There is a little spring inside the shaft that rides within a track that allows you to feel it clicking from one position to the next. Well, that was slightly out of position and explained why I didn�t feel anything when turning the ****.
There are also some set screws that I loosened and re-clocked everything so that the current setting is viewed as straight on when I fold the back seat down, basically at the 6 o�clock position from a Birds Eye view and facing forward.
Finally drove it today and wow, I�m a very happy with these so far. I have the damping set midway on front and rear (5/5) just as a starting point and it rides so good. It�s very smooth and very composed, much less crashy feeling that my previous setup with the Konis. I was very concerned that these might be too stiff for my liking but that�s not the case at all. Hard to explain, the car is just so much more composed, quieter, and smoother than my previous setup. Feels like a brand new car.
Interestingly enough, it has quieted down the tire noise as heard from the cabin, which I didn�t expect at all. Maybe it�s just because they are bigger and heavier than the Konis and damping out some of the tire noise through the suspension?
I haven�t really messed with the height adjustment yet, just verified they were the same on each side for the front and back and within the range Bilstein specified and then tossed them on.
Drove it to work today and heard some clunking from the rear. Decided to get it back up in the air but first I took measurements on all 4 corners from the Porsche defined reference points.
Turns out, right out of the box, they were set at GT3 ride height from best I can tell with a little searching, about 116mm in the front and 129mm in the rear.
With those specs, I think the rear sway bar may have been making contact with the rear lower control arms. There wasn�t a lot of clearance but I didn�t see any real witness marks as evidence of contact, hard to think it had proper clearance though. I also unbolted and re-torqued the sway bar incase I messed up the preload the first time. Either way, the clunking sound is gone now.
I raised the car from GT3 height to what I think is X73 height, 128mm in the front and 133mm in the rear. Since there is a 10mm tolerance, I dropped the front to 123mm to try and get a relatively level look front to back. This seemed like a logical setting, as it was a factory option for the Turbo and C4S, so I feel like this is my best bet for height/alignment specs. GT3 height scraped coming into my driveway - the X73 height doesn�t, so that�s also a win.
Messed around with the damper settings a little more. Set them softer, 4/4, and drove to work and the gym today. That setting is very comfortable but can definitely tell you�re sacrificing performance for comfort when you start to push it a little in the corners. But if you�re just tinkering around town, that setting feels softer than the OEM suspension to me.
Got the car back in the air when I got home. Set the front to 5 and the rear to 6 as well as adjusted the height again. I set the front to 120mm and the rear to 125mm. From the info I�ve found, X73 is 128F/133R +/- 10mm, so this still puts me within X73 spec. The only reason I care about this, and maybe I shouldn�t, is because I don�t know if going too low will compromise the front axles (I assume at some point it surely would). Since X73 was a C4S option, I feel safe within that spec.
I think to finish it off, I need to find a rear tire with a taller sidewall. From the Porsche defined reference points, the car has a 5mm forward rake. Measuring ground to fender arch apex, it�s pretty close to level. But the rear tire with a low aspect ratio makes it look worse.
What size wheels/tires are you running? Any spacers? I am not a C4S expert as it pertains to PSM, but if memory serves, you gotta keep the rear tire diameter within a relatively close diameter to the front or you may have PSM problems. Hopefully some of the C4S owners can pipe in.
Yeah I know that may be a challenge but I haven�t really looked into it yet. My BMWs with Xdrive have a really small tolerance between front and rear.
Tires will be a next Spring issue if I buy them. Right now I�m running the factory sizes, 225/40/18 in the front and 295/30/18 in the rear.
Your tire diameter is pretty close with what you are running between front and rear. Are the wheels 8x18 F and 10x18 R or 11x18 R?
Sure looks like you can use a set of 15mm spacers.
They are hollow spokes and 11� rear. I have started reading about spacers and how they might impact performance, as I haven�t really thought too much about them in the past.
Looks like you have the perfect tire sizes for your wheel sizes.
Spacers do wonders for the visual. They do help to widen the stance which arguably may offer some handling benefits.
I run wheel studs which makes it pretty easy to change spacer sizes.
Agreed. Tire options are super limited with AWD but spacers make a huge difference. I�m pretty similar height to you on KWs, 1/4 inch higher in the rear fender to ground on stock size tires. Running 12.5 rear and 15 front spacers.
All the awd cars have that reversed rake look. It's needed because of the viscous coupling center diff. We had threads years ago where changing tire sizes to get rid of the front higher impression caused odd handling quirks.
That said most of the viscous couplers are dead by now and the cars are effectively RWD. A quick test of the viscous coupler is to jack up one front wheel only. Spin that wheel as fast as you can by hand. If the resistance increases after two or three revolutions the viscous coupler is working and you've actually got AWD.
Good to know!
I did test the VC when I first got the car, though with a different method. Mine indeed works.
I don�t quite remember how I set it up. Think I had the car on my Quickjack, effectively chocked one rear wheel, spun the other rear wheel, and watched the front wheels start spinning.
Drove around today and changed the damping a bit. So far I have done 5/5, 4/4, 5/6, 4/5. For daily driving, I�m set on 5F/5R.
Prerty happy with 120mm in the front and 125 in the rear. Car is measuring pretty close to 25.25� from the ground to the fender arch all the way around and isn�t scraping much. It does scrape if I back into my drive (slightly sloped) otherwise seems good.
Now it�s time for an alignment.
