16 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHRear spoiler stopped working?
Leading reported evidence
Check fuse d7 and d8 and they're fine
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
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Leading evidence: 'Check fuse d7 and d8 and they're fine' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'battery' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check fuse d7 - should be 15a' (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.
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Suspected cause
If fuse is fine, its most likely the spoiler relay or spoiler motor itself.
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Suggestion
I'd check the relay and, like others said, then check the motor.
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Suggestion
Well the only real authority on this subject, the only entity with any knowledge based on testing, is Porsche, and it has set the spoiler to raise at 75mph (indicated at least) so there one has to believe the spoiler has some benefit in countering lift.
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Suggestion
I would urge the OP to avoid second guessing Porsche on this spoiler business and continuing to use the car with a non-functioning spoiler, unless the OP is certain the vehicle's speed will never ever exceed the speed at which the spoiler is deployed.
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.
16 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
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Second this, unless the spoiler fixes itself and begins working again.
In this case suspect a bad battery. Twice now with my Boxster the spoiler after having gone up at speed has refused to drop at the lowering speed, and the button doesn't work either, only to fix itself by just turning off the engine and letting the thing sit for a few hours.
But within a relatively short time -- just a few weeks -- the battery proves to be bad, bad enough the engine won't crank.
I'd check the relay and, like others said, then check the motor.
And, rwiii, I believe the spoiler adds at least 50hp every time it goes up...even when the car is off.
Eric
Well the only real authority on this subject, the only entity with any knowledge based on testing, is Porsche, and it has set the spoiler to raise at 75mph (indicated at least) so there one has to believe the spoiler has some benefit in countering lift.
In a car we are not really aware of the force the air has but as an ex-motorcycle rider -- and riding a "naked" (no fairing) motorcycle -- I can tell you at 75mph air becomes a real force to be reckoned with.
I have to wonder too if with the spoiler raising there is some extra air being forced/directed down through the engine compartment lid to help remove heat produced by the engine. At speed the engine is generating a lot of heat. Most gets carried away by the coolant but the exhaust system of course is cooled only by air.
The best advice I can offer to the OP regarding the spoiler's non-operation is to if the OP wants trouble shoot and fix this himself -- via fuses/relay testing -- to do so or if unsuccessful have this diagnosed and fixed by a professional tech. I would urge the OP to avoid second guessing Porsche on this spoiler business and continuing to use the car with a non-functioning spoiler, unless the OP is certain the vehicle's speed will never ever exceed the speed at which the spoiler is deployed.
However, this is harder than it looks. After having gone through a bit of a spoiler problems with my 996 Turbo and to avoid possibly damaging something by a spoiler that was leaking fluid and not going up and down evenly I removed the spoiler fuse I can tell you that even with conscious effort to avoid obtaining spoiler deployment speed that too many times I failed in this and had to live with the spoiler warning light on for the duration of the trip. My usage didn't involve open road/highway usage either but more "around town" and jammed freeway commuting.
Agree and disagree.
I'm sure it does something, but you have to consider that most of us aren't taking high speed corners at 80+ mph where we would need that extra force. Also for normal hiway driving most of us aren't getting the revs up anywhere near where we would need any extra ail cooling.
I'm sure they are perfectly fine to drive it around at any reasonable legal speed they want. Tracking it and 100+ mph, maybe not, but around town and freeway use would be fine.
I drove mine over 1,000 highway miles with the rear wing fuse pulled. My spoiler was going up crooked so I just took out the fuse until I got a chance to fix it. No issue at all with highway driving.
Double check fuse D7 - should be 15A. Check it with an ohm meter (out of the circuit). Also, there are 2 spoiler relays - one for extending and one for retracting. Positions 3 and 9 receptively - on the relay panel next to the DME behind the rear seats. Try swapping them and seeing it the problem reverses.
I assume gas milage would increase without the spoiler because by definition counteracting lift creates drag. I hate speculating without data, as those of you who have seen my posts know, but my guess is if you're not tracking or taking any turns at 90mph+ you're better off with it down.
IMHO
I was just wondering the same thing. Does anyone know how the spoiler affects gas mileage? Not normally an issue, but I'm going to be taking a long freeway trip, and if keeping it down makes a difference without causing an issue, I'd probably do so.
The Audi TT originally came out while the 996 was new. They had to be recalled and a spoiler added because they had a few cases at high speed where the rear created a vacuum that lifted the car enough for it to lose good traction and spin off the road. This even occurred in straights.
The early TTs shape is similar to a 911, but different enough that I'm sure there is a significant impact to what the air is doing back there without the spoiler engaged. You also have the big lump of metal back there to help hold the *** down which the TT doesn't have.
So in short, I have no real idea
From the 996 car designer himself stated that the engineers really required a rear spoiler but he fought like hell to come up with the budget to include a retractable version as he thought a fixed one would take away from the classic and timeless 911 sillouhette. So based on this, I would say yes a spoiler is needed(at high speed at least).
I also remember the TT incident too.
