Suggestions on '02 996 Upcoming Maintenance

Hi gurus, I've been having fun in my 2002 996 C4 for the last 3 years and I'm up to 45K miles. So far, I've replaced: - Starter - Water Pump - Full Clutch Assembly - IMS - preventative - Convertible Top - Top Motor - New Rotors - Usual - pads, oil, wheels, etc The car runs well with the following exceptions: - Occasional puff of white smoke when starting - Rougher idle when stopped - not bad, but not as smooth as 3 years ago - Very rare - pause when accelerating (almost a slight deacceleration, then power) - Car doesn't hold a speed well - feel like I'm always adjusting gas pedal too much when trying to stay at consistent speed - could be driver Any tips on the above and other items to look at with a 14 year old car ? Thanks, Ward

sounds like it could use full service: -plugs -coils -perhaps AOS(white smoke) -belts other more mechanically inclined folks will chime in

Engine air filter and pollen filter new serpentine belt low temp thermostat oil filler pipe check all drains check all pulleys clean TB while it's out, MAF sensor, and idle control valve

https://pictures.dealer.com/porscheo...4bfcf1cb92.pdf

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You can go crazy and broke preemptively replacing things. About the only thing I believe you need to consider at this time is possibly an AOS. Some of the behavior suggests this is while not all the way gone is on its way. While 45K miles is not that many miles the AOS has 14 years on it... If you replace the AOS then road test the car and see what if any of the above symptoms are still around. Also, with the engine warmed up and idling open the engine compartment lid and check the oil filler tube cap is not loose. See if you can move it about or even raise it a bit and if you can or do does it leak? Does the engine react? If it does then replace the cap. I've had to replace this cap twice over the years with my Boxster. If the coolant tank cap part # doesn't end in "02" or "04" my recommendation is to buy one that does and replace the cap. While this won't affect engine behavior it can address a possible coolant leak. You might also consider a fuel tank or two before the car's next oil change running a bottle of Techron through the engine. Use the Techron according to directions on the bottle. The general rule is if one bottle helps use a 2nd bottle.

Don't forget motor mounts if it still has the original ones.

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I think you need to replace your wheels again. Those puppies are only good for about 20k miles.

Hi groovzilla, DBJoe996, kromdom, Macster, Triple Black, kcattorney, Sorry for the late reply, but I wanted to say Thanks for all the tips, pointers, and documents !! I ordered the filters, plan on cleaning the TB & MAF Sensor (since I have to open the airbox any), and plan on checking the AOS. In the middle of all this, I had the ignition switch go so I pulled the old one last night and the new one arrives tomorrow. Amazing how my key went from not working to working well (now that the busted switch is gone). And, I also ordered the plastic polish to clean up my pitted head lights. So - I foresee my weekends for the next couple of weeks fillled. Thanks again ! Ward

restoring/cleaning headlight surface: you may find that to clean the pitted headlights takes more than arm strength with those store bought products - i tried the stuff in a box but got nowhere fast so i had my sun-damaged headlights done last year on previous C4S and guy who did them was great - he used a drill with very fine sand paper and then finally a cream polish. looked perfectly new when completed **i don't recommend using a drill and buffing source unless you have experience - i'm fairly handy but would not attempt it.

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I recently did the drill and buffing on my old Subaru with great results. Got a kit from 3M that included the adapter for the drill, sanding discs, polish, and sealant. Took me ~30 minutes to do both lights, and now I can see at night again

Re: the lights - I used the Meguiars kit on my wife's car (buffing pad used with hand drill plus plastic polish). Tape everything up with blue autocross tape* and it works just fine. Re: lumpy idle: Consider cleaning throttle body and MAF. This issue MAY be due to a bad AOS, but you can't unspend that money if it turns out to not be the AOS... I have heard this called "painter's tape" in the past. *shrug*

I found a cracked oil fill pipe was the cause of my engine rounding a bit odd at idle. The good thing is that it's cheap!

I just did my first service in 3 years to the tune of $3,913. Did some things you mentioned but not all of them. I hate the idea of blowing all my cash reserves for unnecessary "preventative maintenance" only to have something expensive and unexpected break then to not have the cash reserves to fix it.

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good call - cracked oil fill pipes are a common issue and crack easily if wrenched on or moved out of position.

Hi groovzilla, vitaminC, 5CHN3LL, sweet victory, porsche951, Thanks for the additional thoughts. On the headlights: I tried using the Turtle Wax kit and it was a tiny bit better, but still not great. I have the Griots Random Orbital and found a good youtube video. That walks through cleaning them. I plan on taking my time. The one thing I noticed in the video is they pull the headlights out - which is a great idea since you don't have to tape. I taped up my lights for the Turtle Wax and it took me 30 minutes just to tape. On the ignition switch: As I last reported, my ignition switch went. I had been having difficulty inserting/removing the key and it finally went. I'm happy to report that the $27.75 4A0-905-849-B-M56 from Pelican worked and I can drive my car again !! There's a website with "Greg's 2004 996 Replace Ignition Switch" that nicely walks you through the process and requires minimal time under the dashboard. It took me about 20 minutes to remove and 20 minutes to replace. I also tested the oil dip stick and it came out easily (when the car was running and hot) so I'm hoping that the AOS is in an ok state. And I just received a new air filter. I was tempted to replace the whole air intake with either the K&N or FabSpeed, but decided to stick with a standard filter for now. I'll replace that over the weekend and plan on cleaning the TB and MAF at the same time. Thanks again for all the great advice ! Rennlist has probably saved me $2K already. Ward

Here are some more ways to spend money. Not only do motor mounts get tired with age, so do shocks and bushings and all the other eleastic pieces that make up much of the suspension system. Again...they are now 14 years old, and often time trumps mileage in terms of wear. Set some money aside for widow regulators, sunroof motors and cables, the little sensors that lower and raise the windows when you open the door, and if you have an inflateable spare, take a look at it, it might be dead (cracked and unusable) after all this time.

I'm curious, is there a list of all the rubber components that can/should be replaced to keep these cars feeling fresh? I feel like someone has to have created that, even if it was for personal use.