getting back to different scanners for the 996/997 for a moment

seeing how I really do not care to ever take our car back to the dealership, what limits would there be on the publicly available scanners for the 996, 997 turbo (or non turbo) - now I have not spent a whole bunch of time researching yet, so im going to ask the collective minds of this group, We will probably end up with a 996 turbo, but the 997 is not out of question, still, could buy a non turbo later model 997 cab too anyhow I see people talk about buying the durametric on this list. There is also this.... http://www.porschecable.com/ , which I have seen a few people says works fine. other options? like a used piwis up to version 31? (expensive and few and far between) higher end obdII scanners, which only go so far anyhow.. is there anyone else making a tester that will read monitor, let you reset functions, (like oil service interval monitors) abs ect ect it seems Porsche is not letting the tool out of the dealers hands any longer (and then only some select shops) and at what some 18k a year who could buy one anyhow.... (that is based from what few messages I have read) got to run, hope this does not start another you need to buy a chevy thread....... We already own one chevy, and the last vette that interested me was made in 70..... I'd buy a Viper first for the wife to drive everyday (grin)

hi, not many options out there, as you mentioned getting a used piwis is both difficult (only a few ones left around with SW v31) and very expensive. so you have 2 choices: real durametric cable directly from them ( http://www.durametric.com/ ), with the issue that the enthusiast version for $300 is limited to 3 VINs, which was a deal breaker for me. Otherwise you can buy a knock-off from several chinese sources for ~$30. Don't buy the one from porschecable as it is just a knock-off cable heavily marked up. All the knock-offs will be limited to a very old version of Durametric and will only allow to read/clear codes and turn off a few warnings (like airbag light)

You can upgrade the Durametric enthusiast model to the professional model for just the cost difference between the two models, that's an option if you surpass the three VIN limit. From my research that's the only "real" choice, the only thing of concern to me that it won't do is recode key chips and remote fobs. I need to bite the bullet and order one soon, as my airbag light is on.

thanks, thought this might get a bit more interest (that or it has been beat to death and I just did find the thread yet)

I've only gotten a couple of codes in a few years, but each time I've gone to NAPA and they have read the codes for free and cleared them if I wanted.

One of my favorite generic scanners are on sale now. You can't beat it for $15.99 shipped. I've used this on many cars including the 996 to read generic codes and clear them. This one has made the rounds to all my coworkers too. I do have 4 other scanners but this one works just as well for most common codes. Doesn't need batteries or smartphone/computer. Small so I just keep it in the side pocket. Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA3ZW1A25705

Standard OBDII is invaluable to give you a basic idea of what's going in with the car. I just had some week done at my Indy and the CEL lit up 10 miles after getting the car back. Interesting that I spent $$$ for the work and the same 2 codes pop up again. At least gives me some confidence when I return to the shop to inquire about their work and troubleshooting. tjs12, Not to change the topic, are you considering selling your 996? Did you ever get the issues sorted out? Cheers

Just bought the newegg sacnner for $15.99. Thanks for the heads-up!

I bought a Durametric a few weeks ago, the amount of capability that it has is amazing. Worth every penny if you DIY.

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I agree and I have one too but I found 80-90% of the time that I got codes, my little Autel was all that I needed. It is great to have that extra info at times but not always necessary. The one I listed definitely has more value 85% of the time I would say.

I have a handheld OBD scanner as well. It wins on convenience, but also only gives you the generic codes. Ok for some stuff, but for some problems the extra detail on the Durametric is really nice.

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Thank you...ordered! NewEgg owes you a beer. I also have a Durametric Pro (anyone in NorCal that has a need, let me know), but as you point out, keeping this one in the car will be nice.

I have Durametric and a PST2. Durametric is a great value and does so much more than a scanner. There is a lot of data stored in the DME besides fault codes that is useful for diagnosing problems. Besides engine codes, Durametric can read and reset fault codes in all the other modules, you can't do that with a generic scanner. There is other data such as over-revs and operating hours which is helpful when looking to buy a used Porsche. Duramtric does almost as much as the PST2 except for some tests and programming keys and control modules, etc.

Most avg diy'ers aren't gonna be rebuilding or doing any heavy work IMO to actually "need" the additional info that Durametric provides. Is it nice to see all that data, yes. But what is that data actually gonna help you achieve for the avg DIY doing light repairs? Too often these days, I see a new wave of mechanics that are relying more and more for a computer to tell them what's wrong instead of actually doing real good ole trouble shooting or common sense diagnosis. People have to remember that OBD scanners gives a good star,t or point you in the right direction but not necessarily there to give you all the answers. When my coils went, it gave a generic ignition fault code but for me that was enough to know where to start looking. It's good to have both obviously and if you can afford and warrant the "need" for the more expensive Porsche specific scanner then by all means, they should get one. But all too far often, I see the casual enthusiast or avg diy guy wondering why a check engine light came on and how to turn it off which usually ends up being some common issue majority of the time. For less than $20, this is a no brainer to have around the place or in your garage. It will save you time from wondering, taking it somewhere, reading it and getting it cleared for dinner money. I've diagnosed many friends and family member cars too, you can't exactly do that with a Durametric. I've lent out this b!tch so many times to various coworkers and friends, it makes "Houston" look like a virgin. Yes we all know how great the Durametric, PIWIS, PST2 is but if you just need basic diagnosis tool(and one that can be used on many cars), something like this is handy to have in your toolchest.

^^ The cost of the OBD-II scanner in inconsequential compared to (a) having your car towed because you freaked out over what turned out to be an incredibly stupid code (say, your gas cap was loose) and/or (b) burning lots of money in repairs you wouldn't have incurred if you hadn't just assumed the blinking malfunction indicator light was probably something like a loose gas cap. At the risk of beating this dead horse further, it's inexcusable to not own an OBD-II scanner for any car that's OBD-II equipped. It's just daft - imagine a doctor trying to diagnose a patient without bothering to ask the patient his/her symptoms...

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I agree but with a lower cost of entry, it now makes it even more "inexcusable", even for the 996 crowd.

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I agree that having a $20 scanner in your tool box is a no-brainer if all you are interested in doing is reading and clearing generic OBDII codes. Like tks12 who started this thread, I avoid the dealer and like having the ability to diagnose, read and clear codes on all the 996 control modules. For the sake of the readers who may not know, the 996 has a handful of individual control modules such as for the airbag, abs, instrument cluster, alarm, seat memory, xenon lights, radio, climate control, PSM, etc. Not everyone will see the value in spending $300 to get this information and capability.

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funny this post popped up again, ya know that car is still in the trailer waiting to be taken someplace for repair, I have tried to get it to several different shops in the north atlanta area outside of taking it back to Hennessy or Ellis (I wont go back to Hennessy as we never got one bit of a call from them, when they let it sit for 5 weeks there before, haha and all it would had taken was a phone call from someone to keep us as customer.. But I just went off on them today for getting a email today telling me how great their service is, the GM doesn't even care there. Oh well they don't care about losing a customer anyhow, I did take it to one place about 30 miles south of me, they looked at the car would not let me leave it as they could not get to it for two weeks and were supposed to give me a estimate, which I never saw. The only person that tried to help does engine upgrades and a very busy shop, and still took his time to look at it once, we tried a couple things but still have the intermittent misfire on it, I really need to stop and get this car fixed, sell it like it is, or part the damn thing out, shame as it is really a nice car. it has literally been inside my car trailer for quite some time now just waiting for me to be able to take it someplace........ (edited, I just have not had the time to deal with it here)

Buy a scanner and list the codes here. It would be a shame if it turned out to be something simple.

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I have not bought the durametric, but have put the otc on it but codes vary between cyl misfires, p0301,305 ect ect, could be cyl 1 one time, 3 the next time 6 the next time doesn't seem to make a difference when or why, could be right after startup, could be after driving it 20 miles, it tricked us last time (which has been a while, it did not act up for days. Car has new MAF and all new Coils and plugs, 70k on odo, Intermittent issues can be a real pain.

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This is a great example for having more information. Instead of repeatedly resetting fault codes to make a determination you could monitor individual cylinder misfires while driving, maybe find a manufacturers� specific fault code or look at the mixture adaptation. I took a look at the service manual and some of the possible causes are variocam plus malfunction, mixture too rich or lean, etc. Also, the problem is probably present, you are only looking at the fault codes. feel free to pm me if you would like some help.

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thank you

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In this case, Durametric would've definitely paid off. Does the car run rough when the cel is triggered? What are all the codes you've gotten? Did you put in a new MAF and Coils after you got the codes? Jim Ellis wasn't able to diagnose it? I hate intermittent issues the most.

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and a shop manual for this car and the time to work on it yes, and it flashes, shut car off, start it back up and it usually runs fine for undetermined amount of time, but we are not driving the car at all for months now , we did after I put the new coils, plugs and maf on it one day and got about 25-30 miles before it acted up up po305 303, ect ect, depending on which cyl decides to misfire yes I have not got the car to ellis, just have not had time to deal with it at all lately. yea, if I still did this for a living and was familiar with the 996 it would be a whole different ball game, I don't even have a lift here and I hate working on jack stands anymore, I'm old <g> I have a skid steer up on jack stand right now of ours im having to repair that is nothing but in the way have to say, im ready to get rid of it, just no time to deal with it

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I thought you had it at Jim Ellis for a dead battery? I thought they would've at the same time done a diagnosis on it? You also took it to Flat6 before as well. Why didn't you have Jake fix it? If he can't fix it, I don't think anyone else would be able to, including you. If you took it to both places and you're still having issues for whatever reason, I don't know what to say or how we can help. Sorry but hope you can resolve this issue. Personally I'd take it back to Flat 6 since you're close.

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jake doesnt do that type of repair, they concentrate on engine overhauls upgrades and ims failures, he took time out of his schedule to put it on a scanner and that is where we learned the codes, next, as far as ellis, the car was at ellis body shop due to a break in attempt in fl, and it had sat at Hennessy for five weeks when we had ellis pik it up, ellis body shop had to put a battery in it when they picked it up from hennesy as they (hennesy) just let the car sit and it ruined the battery. the break in damage happened before the car ever started acting up, and note, they never got in the car, all they did was scratch a panel where it looked like they tried to get someone in to unlock it, which buffed out and damaged the convertible top rail where they tried to pry into the top of the window, which ellis had to replace the top over when I called the service department about this, they just said, it needed coil packs, I have not had the time to get it there to have them actually diagnose this, we threw a maf on it as it still had the factory one, and when I found out how cheap coil packs were, I said WTH, and put new ones on, this was long after it had been sitting, hope that explains it all clearly Jake did say, if they got some free time sometime in spring, they might be able to take another look at it, again Jake does not do drive ability repairs he took time to put it on his scanner in because I am about 12 miles from him, trying to do me a favor, it did not act up while on the scanner though, figures, I even drove it all around while we were there..... I don't blame them for not doing these type of repairs, , they are flat slammed all the time doing engine mods, people send them their cars from all over the place just for engine mods and ims failure repairs, Jake has a nice setup there and is setup to do those repairs very well, being a tech way back when, I was more impressed with his place than walking into most any place I have been, I wont go into detail of the other places names, but no one wants to work on a 996 intermittent drive ability problem here,

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let me add, I know the car had a oil leak repaird at 60k before we bought the car, I do not know if any IMS update had even been done, doubtfull I would say as it was dealer maintained supposedly anyhow, with cams being with 2 degrees or so of porsche spec, ims at least needs looked at I bet that will be a few grand to have done but before I do any of that, I want to be sure what this intermittent misfire is, face it, although the car is in nice shape whats it worth in top notch running shape, even with that spoiler what tops 23-25k? and only because tires are near brand new and a cab? I hate to drop 3-4k to find out it needs another 3-4k so fixing the issues jakes does, is not an option until we know what all this is going to take, I would not drop drop 6k in this car, I would part it out or sell it as is first and look for another later model or turbo, I have to say, I wish I would not have let her buy this one, I should have stuck to my guns and bought the newer (forget now this it was a '08, or the older '05 turbo)

PM'd you. I hope you get your issues worked out.

The attached may help.

I would bet a cam issues. Could be a stuck lifter.

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thanks!

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never seen a stuck oifter on anything with 70k miles, but there is always a first time man with all the different complaints on these 996's how did Porsche not go out of business <g> car seems to be the worst Porsche ever built btw thanks for everyones help

The worst Porsche ever built is still better than the best [insert most car makes here] ever built.

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Sorry to be a dick, but your problem isn't the car. Your problem is that you haven't properly diagnosed the problem, and that you haven't taken it to a competent shop to do so. Thus far you've thrown parts at an intermittent issue that you don't understand, and now you're frustrated that you can't fix it. Understandable, but not really the car's fault. I bought a mint low mileage 1999 Boxster years ago for next to nothing because the owner had dropped $2k at two shops trying to figure out a misfire. I bought on a hunch, and my hunch was correct. $35 and one coil pack later I had a fantastic little car. I suspect that if you took your car to a quality independent specialist who is experienced with the 996, it would turn out to be a relatively simple repair. If you don't know where to take it, I'm sure you can find a referral from Rennlist or your local PCA chapter.

[QUOTE=onewhippedpuppy;11153619] , I had this nice long replay explaining the places I have tried, but ya know, your just wanting to be a dick so I'll let you....

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now I will agree it is a pretty sweet car, but that is a stretch!

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ya know, I thought about this some more,and , you really have nothing to post that added squat, in fact looking at some the replies in other threads ive seen, your pretty much spot on just screwing with people.... yet you have the ***** to tell me I threw parts at a car, when you did the same? BWHAHAHAHA its my money, I took a gamble like you on a day I had some time on, I even paid extra for the parts for the convenience of having them that day, wow! imagine that! I bought brand new OEM Coils and MAF if you had any idea how many places I have tried and the high end shop that actually saw the damn car yet never got back to us with a estimate after me paying for the damn diagnoses you would just keep shut up or at least add something positive to the thread... you hammer anyone that does not say this car is a perfect machine, the car is not the problem? the hell it isnt, there are several Porsche shops that wont even work on the 996 Right here in Georgia now being a retired mechanic (note I said mechanic not some yuppie tech), as we actually had to fix everything on cars back then, I will say, and say it LOUDLY, you only hear the bad in any damn brand, perhaps there is only a small amount of failures on these cars! well considering there are so many low mileage ones, I'm not surprised at that at all, just look how many 996's only have 30 40 k on them, some of these cars are 99's! hell I bet over 50% of the ones not totaled out are under 40k miles! if true, they really do suck eggs as many reports there are all over the web on catastrophic engine failures, take that for what it is worth to you. the car is a fine car, I personally think it is overrated and damn glad I did not pay the 87,000 sticker price on our ours when it was new, our mustang will leave this thing in the dirt until you hit a curve, this is our third Porsche, our first carrera. sheesh.............

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You obviously didn't read many of my posts, including those on your threads where I attempted to help with your troubleshooting. Most of your posts mention that you used to be a mechanic, but it's very clear that you don't know the issue with your car. Unfortunately your inability to properly diagnose the car has no manifested itself in frustration, it is now the car's fault that you don't know what is wrong with it. You need to take it to someone that knows the 996. Note that this will probably not be the dealership, and probably won't be some of the independent shops in your area. This is the nature of SPECIALIST shops. Many intermittent issues are something stupid, sometimes you need an impartial 3rd party to help you see the forest for the trees. BTW, thanks for the education on the 996, but I've owned five of them and one Boxster so I have a pretty solid opinion on what these cars are and aren't. In the case of my Boxster I actually diagnosed it by driving until I got a CEL for a misfire, moved the coil to another cylinder, drove until I got another CEL for a misfire on the coil that I moved (problem followed the coil), then replaced the coil.

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still I see nothing you have added of value.... so how about quitting the pissing match, and telling me i need to take it someplace, like I said it would have, if there was a place I had the time to get it too, edited - Ill add one more time, I have talked to several that wont work on these, I talked to another that just spent more time telling me what it needed over the phone where I would not take it there if it were the last place on earth, I know that bill would be stupid just by his attitude how great they are.. I want the car diagnosed, not a bunch of parts put on it "because" it needed them anyhow....... I can do that here.

yesterday I found out l was not going to have help for what I need done here, so we decided to see about trading the car in first thing to do make sure ir runs right so seeing how there is a 11 red cab on the lot we took off to see that car, drug the Porsche with, left it at dealership to see if they can fix it and trade it off got a call from dealer for trade in if we fix it (they have the car) on the 11 red cab, (again if we fixed the misfire) so seeing how the car is there, and we have not quite made the jump to another Porsche wife really does not want another to worry about getting serviced so far from us.... but she does like driving it... anyhow we also looked at a SL 600 yesterday, which she really liked too I decided to put the car on CL asking 25k (note car will be running correctly before I sell it, if I sell it on the street retail, I wont screw someone around) , services are up to date, and have been done at the dealers, - well the 75k has not been done by a dealer yet, (after all it only has 71-72k on it,) which I need to contact them about monday as they said they want to do the 75k while it was there and all that is inspections and oil change from what I read, (which oil and oil filter was just changed plugs and coils were in the last 40-50 miles, which I noted to them in writing, anyhoot I got a reply from a guy on CL - here it is, honestly I do not know if the IMS was ever done or not, I only know at the 60k the dealer fixed an oil leak on it - should be a very interesting car to try and sell even with it running perfectly...... here is the message I got "From: "John xxxxx" Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2014 06:09:58 -0500 IMS bearing and RMS issues addressed ? John"