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YOUR RESEARCHThe Official "Things you didnt know about your 996" thread
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plastic connectors
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A fairly common issue was the plastic connectors on the ignitions coils getting brittle w/ heat and time.
The Official "Things you didnt know about your 996" thread
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Mine is 2m/h, checked with two different GPS devices.
The Official "Things you didnt know about your 996" thread
Clean radiators about a year ago
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Also I cleaned the radiators about a year ago, but do have a fan ballast out on one radiator (won't run medium speed)
The Official "Things you didnt know about your 996" thread
Fill via a
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The 996 version doesnt have a filler tube and gets filled via a fill bolt on the transmission.
The Official "Things you didnt know about your 996" thread
Install 50 watt halogen bulb in the stop light circuit
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To solve this problem I installed a 50 watt halogen bulb in the stop light circuit using the NC contacts of a 12 volt relay.
The Official "Things you didnt know about your 996" thread
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What are some things that most people do not know about their 996? Interesting little bits of information, odd facts, interesting tricks....LIST EVERYTHING YOU KNOW THAT YOU THINK SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT NOT!!!!
Ill start with a couple..
996 engines are hand assembled
996 NB width = 69.5 inches, 993TT WB width = 70.7 inches
There is a tool under the overhead lights to open/close the sunroof in case of failure.
Phil's former C4S is still in a garage sitting...
The 996/997 series are subject to condensation on the outside of the winshield due to a rather stupid design flaw that as of yet Porsche will not admit.
On "Auto" the AC vent aimed lower middle part of the windshield is on so it gets cold enough for condensation to form on the exterior of the glass. The net result is that you have to run your windshield wiper on a bright sunny day.
Even though you may turn off your AC(manually), when you restart your 996, the AC will return to the AC setting you had on prior to shutting it off.
Just because you had the RMS seal replaced (again),doesen't seem to prevent the same problem from occuring over, and over again...
Here's a fun fact: If you get the condensation on the window with AC on, press the second button from the top on the right side of the climate control unit. It's the one with the oval icon that represents the center vent. It will stop the condensation and you won't have to use your wipers. Works for me anyway.
I didnt know (for a short while) that there is a manual spoiler lift button, and that its press once to raise and press and hold to lower...
BTW, I LOVE that thing.... the spoiler automatically going up on the highway just does it for me...
- There is a light in my ashtray that comes on when I turn the headlights on and I can see this little light shining in there through the seam in the ash tray door when I have it closed. Interesting, my coins need a night light!
- Rim's are not 17" or 18". They are metric and slightly larger then the 'stated' size in inches. For example. Most 15" rims are 15.2 inches. Found this out last night while being taught how to use a wheel balancer machine. When you place the measurment arms onto each side of the rim, the unit reads out the size, (plus all other dimensions). We tried it on a few different rims and they all read (in inches) slightly larger then the 'assumed' size. For whatever old school ease of speech purposes I guess, we have stuck to 'rounding out' the measure of rim sizes in North America.
I wont say this is 100% across the board, so may be just a quirk of my car -
(1) If you fill the tank with the engine running the gas guage will not show full until you drive about 10 miles (or shut the car off, remove the key and turn it back on)
(2) The spedometer is off so that it reads faster than you are driving - almost all 996's from what I hear
cool idea for a thread Fred !
if you push and hold 2 (can't remember now which 2) buttons on your climate control you get a whole series of temperatures - outside, inside, engine, etc.
Only works on the Mk1 cars. I use this all the time to get a slightly more accurate reading of operating temps, but there's a long list of other things it tells you. Here's how to do it:
Press and hold in the recirculate and the top (arrow up) buttons on the right side of the panel for a few seconds. The left screen will change. Using the + key below that screen, advance so the display reads 6c. Then press the center vent button once. The display will show you your coolant temp.
To revert to the original HVAC settings, just press 'auto'. For the rest of that drive cycle, you can get the temp info again by pressing the recirc and arrow up buttons again, and the temp will appear immediately. You have to repeat the whole process for the next drive cycle.
Wheel installation guide pin in the tool set. Helps prevent hitting the calipers and just make it easier to put on the wheel.
Ignition Switch on the left side, came from when drivers had to run to the car and start up the car. This allowed them to use 1 hand to for the ignition and the other to put the car in gear.
Jump start the car from the rear compartment. Connectors are in the engine compartment.
There are power connectors in drivers side fuse box. Connect power to this and then you can pop the trunk lid to get at the dead battery.
If you have power seat with memory, you can set the passenger side mirror to tilt down when your put it in reverse by saving your seat memory while gear is in reverse.
Disconnecting the battery clears any codes and forces engine to recalibrate air/gas mixture.
Steering wheel lock. With ignition key in gently tug the wheel left or right to lock the steering wheel in position.
To turn off AC completely, keep lowering the fan level until it turns off.
To lock seat belt into position, move seat back all the way, then tighten up the seat belt, give it a quick snap once and it should lock. Move seat back into driving position. This keeps you nice and snug for driving and the track.
- Park any Porsche the furthest spot away from any other car, say a good 1000ft away from any mall entrance: wait 1 hour and come out and see, (often the only other car in the lot) a car parked BESIDE you when there were 900
other
empty parking spots they could have used. Fact.
As well on the 99 C2 drive by wire changed to egas in 2000. The 3.6l has an integrated fuel filter that doesn't require service. 3.4l's have a separate fuel filter which needs to be changed according to the maintenance schedule.
To name a few off the top of my head:
3.6 w/Variocam Plus
New headlight, Front fenders, Bumpers
15% Better Flow to radiators
Lift reduced 25% front and 40% rear
Substantially stronger body structure
Glove box!
some interior changes, Trip computer standard, 3 spoke wheel standard... blah..blah..etc ..etc
Only the 99 had a mechanical throttle (as well as the ones built prior... did you know there were even a handful of 996s that got 1997 VINs?). E-gas started with MY'00.
IMO, the 996 actually changed a lot from the earliest Mk1s to the Mk2s at the end of the series. The earliest cars were simpler, while the later ones became more GT-like. More power, more weight, more refinement, more comforts and conveniences. I think of the newer cars as not just 'better' but as a different flavour.
You can adjust the intensity of the convenient lights that stay on at night inside the cabin. MkI '01 and beyond. BTW, if you have the silver painted center console, the little convenient light above (behind rear view mirror) will make it glow at night. Its pretty cool looking.
2 biggest things I learned:
1) If you got a Porsche so girls would look at you, sorry. It's almost all guys staring.
2) If you wait long enough, something will invariably rattle.
-td
And your cruise control will be inop.
To solve this problem I installed a 50 watt halogen bulb in the stop light circuit using the NC contacts of a 12 volt relay. Without stop lights on the bulbs represents a LOW resistance load but with 12 volts applied to the stop light LEDS the relay picks up and removes the bulb from the circuit.
CC uses stop light applied voltage as a signal to turn off automatically. With LEDs installed, no bulb resistive load, the stop light voltage will "float" up to as much as 2 volts which is enough to make the CC inop.
That's one of the reasons why I had a toggle switch installed inside the center console glove box that I can use to open the A/C compressor clutch...off means OFF.
I do not turn the switch on unless I need cooling or initial cabin cooldown. It remains OFF throughout the non-cooling need season.
Ill have to try your method the next time the need arises.But mostly whenever I get into the car and I have the A/C enabled I depress the upper PB in the three group set that manually controls the airflow outlet direction to first open the defrost/defog/demist outlet and then depress it again to close it.
That action apparently puts only that particular fucntion under manual control while all others remain under automatic control.
*** I reserve the use of the "highest" seat memory PB to increase, slightly increase, the downward angle of both outside mirrors at night. Makes up for not having the self-dimming driver side outside mirror.
...
Put your ignition key into the door lock, turn it and hold it, and the windows will open. If you turn it the other way, it will close the windows and sunroof.
Oh, I see, at least I think so. Your proceedure would never allow the system to automatically switch to footwell and/or footwell and dash combined mode. That could get pretty discomforting if any level of cabin heating were required. If heating is the "target" then footwell ONLY would be the most desireable from a comfort standpoint.
On the other hand if a serious level of cabin heating is required then footwell AND defrost/defog/demist airflow would be desireable. In COLD weather the windshield interior surface should ALWAYS be continuously warmed.
Maybe I should revise my modification so that when the compressor is enabled the defrost/defog/demist airflow outlets are ALWAYS forced closed.
The early Litronics, HID headlights, were not truly bi-xenon in the modern sense. Up until at least '02 the 996's projector HID assembly would automatically tilt upward in high beam mode but the shading apperture within the projector assembly used to provide the sharp upper pattern beam cutoff remained in place.
Newer bi-xenon HID projector low beam assemblies not only shift the beam pattern upwards in high beam mode but also use a small 12 volt solenoid to move/flip the shading apperture totally out of the HID beam path at the same time. Negating, possibly, the need for a halogen high beam "fill-in" bulb entirely.
- Leave the car sitting for more than 10 days ...be prepared for the battery to be dead.
- If you zip tie the yellow button on the orange rectangular box above the clutch pedal on manual cars, it will improve the shifting.
The throttle map is different depending on if the clutch is in or out. Zip-tying the switch makes the throttle map the same all the time.
It seems like a lot of trouble to mess with when a little practice would do better...that being said I haven't tried it. But I don't plan to.
Okay here's one...the lug bolts have a special collar so that as you tighten or loosen them, they do not rub against the wheels and mar them up.
Also, the tip of the Porsche crest on the center cap is supposed to point towards the valve stem!
After falling in love with a Porsche, it is likely you will think all other cars look like crap
- good info here - I have some new things to do on the car, tried the temp control unit thing and got in some wierd "mode" I will try again later... mine said "0" and something, then I mover the up and down arrows andit went to 1-2.... I stopped... what was that ? (pressed recirc and top ^ on right for 3 seconds)
Ed, do you have this?
Porsche AC Diagnostics
(undocumented, unsupported feature)
The AC Climatronic unit is actually manufactured by Audi. There is some sort of serial data stream (not CAN) that allows the AC unit to display engine parameters. This works on 1997-2000 boxsters. Same as 996....
To switch from F to C:
Hold down the recirculating button then push both the temperature + - buttons.
To access diagnostics:
Hold down the Recirculating & Air up buttons for 5 seconds. The + - buttons go up and down through the list of "c" codes. The center vent button switches the left display between the "c" code and its actual value. Press the Auto button to exit.
I have yet to verify all these, this info was copied from wonderful people on PPBB!
Here is a list of what can be seen:
0c - ERL
1c - Oil Temp?
2c - Inside temp. Sensor mounted in the aspirator assembly at the side of the dash.
3c - Outside temp. Sensor located inside the air inlet of the A/C unit.
4c - Outside temp. Sensor located in front grill of the radiator. The data is fed to the Climatronic from the instrument cluster. When not moving, the instrument cluster OBC temp display retains it's last setting until moving. This is to prevent heat emanating from the radiator affecting the temperature sensor. The A/C unit uses the lower of the two outside air temp values in determining fresh-air temp.
5c - Outside temp. (matches OBC outside temp display)
6c - Coolant temp.
7c - Footwell discharge temp.
8c - Sun sensor (dash top)
9c - Sun sensor.
10c - Passenger compartment fan speed.
11c - Passenger compartment fan voltage.
12c - Temperature mix Flap command 1=COLD, 100=HOT
13c - Temperature mix Flap position
14c - Central Flap command
15c - Central Flap position
16c - Footwell/Defrost Flap command
17c - Footwell/Defrost Flap position
18c - Recirculation Valve command 1=OFF, 100=RECIRC
19c - Recirculation Valve position (feedback)
20c - Vehicle speed in kph, updating only once per second. (real speed, not speed+safety margin as in the speedometer)
21c - Engine RPM in hundreds. This too only updates once per second.
22c - ?
23c - ?
24c - Sun sensor, exterior lights switch & panel lights control (term. 58 & 58d voltage) - used for A/C panel display illum.
25c - ?
26c - ?
27c - ?
28c - Fan speed?
29c - ?
30c - Engine run time in seconds (255 max.)(=0xff)
31c - Timing counter
32c - Displays test
33c - Software version? Mine states 3.4
34c - ?
35c - Outside temp. from inlet sensor (filtered?)
36c - temp?
This is the anti stall (when on a hill) switch... the map is slightly more aggressive so it is easier to drive forward when you are on a steep hill.
It does give it a better throttle response...
This is called a floating collar... it helps maximizing contact surface area of the lugs/wheel, centering the lugs.
This is a concourse detail thing.... this is a must!
That clutch switch is the clutch delay thinger, which actually cuts back on throttle response. I think Porsche wanted it in there so people wouldn't rip up their clutches so fast. A lot of companies do this, actually.
The little tab on the gas flap holds cord and cap away from fender.
Cab top only leaks at the car wash
Panties do not automatically come off passengers.
I didn't mention battery posts in the front becuase I think everyone knows that the battery has posts.
Some times you can get a check engine light and want to reset it to see if it comes back. Cats or air sensors could through a code. So yes it does save you a few bucks instead of getting a OBDII reader
Meant unlock, though to lock you need ignition key out.
Hitting the PB still will have the fan/heat going. If you want to completey turn off the unit do you need to hit the fan button until it says off. Also the AC/Fans stay off even after restarting the car.
Porsche AC Diagnostics
(undocumented, unsupported feature)
can the temps be converted, or do I have to do it... these are kind of useful if I can read oil temp and such
1c - Oil Temp?
6c - Coolant temp.
8c - Sun sensor (dash top)
9c - Sun sensor.
20c - Vehicle speed in kph, updating only once per second. (real speed, not speed+safety margin as in the speedometer) -
OH have to try this
21c - Engine RPM in hundreds. This too only updates once per second. -
cool, but slow
24c - Sun sensor, exterior lights switch & panel lights control (term. 58 & 58d voltage) - used for A/C panel display illum.
This is cool, I will try the other sun sensors, its like a smile meter... the sun hits the window and the meter goes up - COOL!!
28c - Fan speed? -
cooling fan maybe??
31c - Timing counter -
FAST !!!
32c - Displays test -
useful !
33c - Software version?
Mine states 3.4 Mine says 3.5
Oh dude, awesome use of the third button! I used the reverse/tilt feature of the pass mirror until I realized it didn't do much for me and was just wearing out my pass mirror motor! Lol!
But that idea of using the memory button for nighttime mirror tilt is clever.
Awesome list! I've been looking for one that had all the goodies on one place, and with some input from people (like 33c info) to compare to. I just know 6C by heart.
-If you have an aerokit car, the spoiler switch is there but of course inoperable.
-If you have a Tip car, you will state that your car doesnt get hot and wonder why everyone elses does. Then you remember your 3rd radiator that only Tip cars have.
-The trans is in front of the engine so dont have your drunk brother who has never worked on a Porsche go change the engine oil. He will drain the Tiptronic fluid which will cause about 5 hours of research for cross-referencing what firggin' fluid can be used.
-No weight on the front tires being rear-engined makes any car on the road out stop your precious, high-priced German machine in low speed situations.
-If you get the *** to spin out in your 996, you will understand how much Engineering went into correcting this condition because your *** will be broke from being planted in the seat right before full recovery.
-The AOS is the biggest over-Engineered, under quality made component around. Most vehicles use a $4 PCV valve that takes 10 seconds to replace but the AOC causes you 10 hours of work because of the flat engine design.
I've got more but have to get back to work.
That's hilarious!
This transaxle design is actually pretty cool. One of the benefits of it is that there is less parasitic loss to the drivetrain than with a conventional layout. 911s only lose something like 15% of their crank horsepower getting it to the wheels. It's one of the things that gives a 911 its 'feel'.
Actually, I think the opposite is true. One of the charms of a 911 is that instead of weight transferring forward of the front axle when braking, it transfers from the rear towards the center of the car. I love the way it brakes at any speed.
Indeed. The rear suspension of these cars has a passive steering feature meant to reduce trailing throttle oversteer. I think it's called the Weissach axle, and was pioneered on the 928. It's an amazing piece of engineering.
It definitely is a different handling feel than a front or mid-engined car. Still trying to get used to the light front end.
I've owned many BMWs, an e55AMG, and a very ostentatious supra turbo when younger, but something about driving a 911 turns fellow commuters into racers. Can't seem to go a week without some yahoo wanting to show how his Monte Carlo or Civic can pass me by weaving in and out of traffic around me on the highway. I don't drive any faster than before on my way home from the office when I drive it on Fridays, but for some reason this car elicits such reactions in a way my others haven't.
It definitely is a different handling feel than a front or mid-engined car. Still trying to get used to the light front end.
I've owned many BMWs, an e55AMG, and a very ostentatious supra turbo when younger, but something about driving a 911 turns fellow commuters into racers. Can't seem to go a week without some yahoo wanting to show how his Monte Carlo or Civic can pass me by weaving in and out of traffic around me on the highway. I don't drive any faster than before on my way home from the office when I drive it on Fridays, but for some reason this car elicits such reactions in a way my others haven't.
Ferdinand Porsche designed the Volkswagen Beetle;
The Porsche 911 was basically a squashed Beetle, inheriting the air cooled rear engine layout;
Toyota taught Porsche how to make the 996;
Volkswagen owns Porsche.
In 20 years, Microsoft will own Porsche, Volkswagen and Toyota and the 911 will be known as the MS Porsche WinCar 9.11 - and the RMS will still be leaking.
Well, sort of anyway.
- The bracket under the steering column is for the owners manual
- You can purchase a "red clip" (about $0.75) for your 996 Cab from Porsche that will allow you to activate the in car motion sensors if you park and lock the car with the top down (they are normally not active if the top is down).
- The dealer can program the door locks to automatically lock at speed with the PST2 tool
- If you don't change your yellow sidemarkers to clear sidemarkets Tim will make fun of you every time you post a picture.
"...The bracket.."
You mean the one I drilled out and tossed...?
Hopefully NONE of need to have the owners manual that close at hand.
"...normally not active..."
That's strange, mine are active even with the sunroof fully open and both windows fully rolled down.
Oh, here's something I thought of...on the C4 cars with the "collapsed" spare tire, there's enough room under the trunk's false floor to squeeze a small set of jumper cables, among other things.
Here's a 996 factoid: A funny thing about the always controversial headlights . . . about 9 out of 10 non-porsche owners will pick the 996 as a newer model than the 997 based on looks.
In the Boxster in the storage compartment behind the seats and in the 996 in the glove box.
Opps, that's right you don't have a glove box in the mk I.......
Just catchin up GREAT THREAD! Did you know?....1. That you can operate the rear windows in a cabriolet by pushing in on the center top lock and pushing the rear window buttons at the same time? 2. you can roll down the windows and open the convertible top by pressing on the key in the door key lock. You can prevent the the battery losing charge while is short storage ( up to 10 days) if you lock the doors. Sport mufflers (Fabspeed) and Sprint Boosters are the two best additions that you can do to increase the enjoyment of your Pcar. I have a C4S TIP and proud of it. After having 6 Pcars all manual, including several with clutch pulley systems (356, 914 and 911 Targa)I love my Tiptronic S with paddle shifters in So Cal Traffic! I just feel sorry for all those 911 manuals, clutch pulling every 3 yards for 20 miles on the freeway.
Here's one that hasn't come up yet.
The oil filler pipe can be unclipped from the airbox. There's a bellows section in the pipe which then let's you tilt the pipe up a good 6 inches to make adding oil a no-mess breeze.
Used this today when I did my oil change.
The little led that is in the middle of the dash right under the windshield lights up red in conjuction with the led on the key remote to let you know it is working.
PCM 2 has a lot of out-there features such as a setting for calibrating the trip computer for each time you get new tires.
It also can detect CD names / track names for most CDs, even if they are a mix cd made by the user. For CDs that don't have readable track data, you can enter the name of the cd in PCM 2 so that it will show up in the CD list for the CD changer.
what I learned looking for tranny oil for my 2002 996 tip:
The tip-S is is made by Mercedes Benz and is also used in many MB cars, as well as some Dodges and Chryslers. The transmission is called "722.6". It is considered "bullet proof" mechanically and mostly suffers from electronic issues rather then mechanical. Some 722.6's have a bolt on the torque converter to allow draining the oil - the 996 version doesnt not. This tranny installed in most MB models has a filler tube in the engine compartment but the dip stick needs to be purchased separately. The 996 version doesnt have a filler tube and gets filled via a fill bolt on the transmission.
the correct fluid for this tranny is the fuchs 3353 labels "Titan" available from Pelican parts. The gasket and filter look identical to the MB spec ones but cost 3x and 7x more respectively for the Porsche.
Although not confirmed myself, I have read that the Tip cars have a direct pulley on the alternator while the manuals have a sprag type pulley.
I remember my Tip alt pulley was solid.
Can anyone confirm this?
"..The ecu will adapt to your driving habits.."
And here I thought Porsche owners were too bright to believe that CRAP..!!
Maybe in the general case.
Even if the ECU does "learn", adapt, to some aspects of your driving habits those will be, MUST, be erased upon each engine stop/start cycle.
Yes the 996 Tiptronic S transmission is a MBZ tranny. As for the AWD cars, C4, C4S, Turbo, only the 996 Turbo Tiptronic uses another MBZ tranny (F-1) with different OEM part number and they are not interchangeable due to bolt pattern. If you build an aspirated 996 with more horsepower (ie supercharger) you may risk damage to the Tiptronic Transmission, if you were thinking "the Tiptronic, if it can withstand the bHP from a turbo, then it is okay for a supercharger" idea. Not.
huh? So, when you put an exhaust or a cai... the ecu wont know the diff between aftermarket or stock? The engine management on these cars are adaptive... just about any modern sports cars have this feature. When you unplug the battery, the mapping goes to default... as you drive... the car learns your driving habits. In other words... it re-maps itself based on trending patterns of the way you drive.
Yep, Tippy, confirmed. Tip's pulleys are hard connected to the alt shaft, whereas the manuals have a free-wheeling clutch (sprag) type pulley, sort of like the rear cassette of a bicycle. Alt can then freewheel back down to engine speed rather than be sucked down with it.
I'm guessing this is this to decrease drag on the motor, and help keep revs up when shifting???
My statement applies to the systems "learning" "...your driving habits..."
Modify the engine in some manner and the ECU will eventually learn new parameters if/as needed. Or you can disconnect the battery for a period and the ECU will adapt to the "new" parameters more quickly.
Walk to the front of your car. Bend down and look into the big opening in the middle. If the opening is actually open and you see a radiator grille in there, then you have the third radiator (the other two radiators can be seen with a flashlight by lookng onto far corners of the front openings). If you see black plastic, or nothing but the outside of the truck well, then you DO NOT have the third radiator. Most C2 manual shift cars DO NOT. All GT3, and Tiptronic C2/C4 (should) have them. C2S/C4S may have it, depending on year.
Another thing.... The driver's side rear fog light is operable but the passenger side rear fog light does not illuminate. It comes that way from the factory.
True if the original engine. All M96/01, M96/02 and M96/04 replacement engines from Porsche have a Tip harness installed and the sprag type pulley. Therefore, the replacement engine can be used in either a Tip or a manual car. The freewheeling pulley was to fix a belt shredding problem IIRC.
+1
and if you want to get a redneck to laugh at your car because it has "electrical problems" just drive in front of your brother with that on and he will be happy to do that for you......
Then explain that it is "normal" and you did that on purpose to see what he would say and it will confuse the sh^t out of him as he will again explain that something is wrong with your lights.....
I've been playing with that climatronic diagnostic. Super cool stuff. It's fun to watch the coolant temp (6c, I believe) get up to 87 degrees, then drop down a few as the thermostat opens, then climb up into the 90s.
We'll have to figure out what some of the "unknown" codes are.
I've been playing with that climatronic diagnostic. Super cool stuff. It's fun to watch the coolant temp (6c, I believe) get up to 87 degrees, then drop down a few as the thermostat opens, then climb up into the 90s.
We'll have to figure out what some of the "unknown" codes are.
That a CEL on the 996 is usually FI/sensors related whereas other cars I've owned were always polution emissions related. This caused me not to diagnose for 55k miles thinking, "ah, its ok", when the whole time the MAF had croaked.
Bosch electronics..........Germans cant make anything electrical worth a crap and plastic for that matter!
Relax, I'm kraut.
My Bosch dish washer is the best and quietest dish washer ever! That said, it's had to have it's front pannel and another electric component replaced thanks to German over-engineered yet crappy electric components!
"...Bosch..."
You've GOT to kidding...
The Bosch climate control design is head and shoulders above ANYTHING else in the market. Projector Bi-xenon.... VSC/TC.....
The two choices, Bosch vs Denso US (formerly NipponDenso), Bosch clearly is the most logical thinkers._
Lucas factory motto "A good days work and home before dark"
Why do Brits drink warm beer? Lucas refrigerators.
Why are there so many jokes like this? Lucas electronics
Here's something I didn't know about having a 996. I get treated with better manners and respect on the road than I do in my Accord. I expected the opposite.
Factoid:
Germany never has, and probably never will have, rubber or plastic products that are anything but marginal. That is because, unlike the United States, Germany does not have its own indigenous supply of petroleum. Every drop is imported, thus making it far more dear than here. In Germany, products made from petroleum are designed to the best of their engineering hearts to make the best of a very pricey, and 100% imported, commodity. Porsche is not the only German car manufacturer to suffer from poor quality rubber and plastic. They
all
do. This (partially) explains the problem with the RMS and the rubber-centered clutches.
They do.
Folks just have a very short memory and glazed vision when it comes to this because they don't drive a lot of Japanese cars over 10 years old. The vast majority of Japanese cars are driven hard and put away wet when it comes to ownership and car care. The mystique surrounding their longevity usually is limited to their engines that go 200,000 miles before completely dying. People drive them into the dirt. Cosmetics are of little concern to them. Then the cars get recycled, and the evidence is lost. Only a tiny percentage are cared for at even a fraction of the level we care for our Porsches, Mercedes, BMWs, Volkwagens...
A lot is just plane mystique and good old advertising. Japanese car advertising almost never shows off their predecessor vehicles. You will see plenty of German car companies showing off their vintage hardware.
The reality is that Japanese cars that are original and 15 or 20 years old don't look anywhere near as good as German cars or American cars of the same vintage.
Don't believe me? I suggest you take a personal poll as you stroll through a large parking lot and see how many 20 year old Japanese cars you actually see. Then look at the rubber around the windows. Remember, if it is at least 20 years old then somebody thought enough of it to care for it to last that long.
When I owned late model Nissan Zs (plural), they had a direct ignition system w/ coil on plug. A fairly common issue was the plastic connectors on the ignitions coils getting brittle w/ heat and time. It wasn't uncommon at all to pinch the connector(s)(to disconnect the harness from ignition coil(s) and hear the dreaded snap. The only fixes after that was buy an entirely new vehicle wiring harness (expensive) or pull out the electrical tape or zip ties to keep the connector(s) on the ignition coil(s).
I haven't looked deep into Porsche plastic connectors, but BMW's connector designs are pretty damn slick and last a damn long time. I have no worries about plastic getting brittle at connectors in my 1995 M3 at all.
I will say that part quality on Japanese cars, at least Nissan, is consistent overall and every little part lasted consistently long. OTOH, part quality was inconsistent on my BMWs -- some parts last a very long time and others didn't last very long at all. Fortunately, the parts that didn't last were silly things like chrome flaking off emblems.
///Michael
+1 w/ caveat.
As a vehicle ages (w/ mileage), it wears down various sensors (i.e. an old oxygen sensor may not provide as accurate readings as a new oxygen sensor). Modern ECUs are smart enough to "fill in the blanks" to ensure optimal engine operation.
Google "short term fuel trim" and "long term fuel trim" to learn more.
///Michael
Sorry - BS!
Okay, so now the obligatory correction issued by a polymer scientist.
Germany was the pioneer in synthetic rubber. Germany is still the home to the world's largest chemical manufacturer (BASF) and still are leaders chemical development.
We live in a global market dominated by large multinational chemical companies. To assume that raw materials stop at national borders is naive in the extreme. Raw materials are limited only by what people are willing to pay to get them.
Simple facts:
i) There is no such thing as a "low" or "high" quality synthetic rubber - only variants on the same theme. A molecule doesn't come in low and high quality derivatives. Much as there are several types of synthetic rubber they are optimized for specific performance rather than price.
ii) Synthetic rubber is superior to to natural rubber for most applications.
iii) Oil is priced in dollars, we all pay the same price depending on the source. Last time I looked Brent crude (North Sea) was cheaper and higher quality than what we buy in the US. BTW, we import 70+% of our crude oil supply, so calling Germany out for importing oil is like the pot calling the kettle black.
... just few things to think about before making such silly comments that those that don't know better might believe.
I've got to admit that your comments did give me a good laugh though.
This one made me laugh so much that I had to come back for more.
Another thing to think about to help drive home my point.
One of the world's largest butyl rubber plants is located in Notre Dame de Gravenchon, France and is owned by ExxonMobil.
Do you believe that the material made there is not available in the rest of the European Union?
Do you also believe that the material made there is not chemically identical to the material made in ExxonMobil's Baton Rouge, LA plant?
I've worked at the NDG facility, so can answer both those questions. I'll let you guess the obvious.
I yanked the gas cap tether off mine and cutt off the plastic ring around the gas cap (with no trace left of it). That way, if the cap slips out of your hand, it will just fall onto the ground.
Had an "emergency" Weds. nite and drove 300 miles into Wisconsin and back....then drove 300 miles down into Iowa today. Never saw another Porsche and had NO problems AND the engine didn't blow up. That's all I have to add
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Porsche AC Diagnostics (post #53 of this thread)
6c - coolant temp
can some of you post numbers.... mine was 101-102 today driving home, normal traffic, no stop and go, light driving, outside temp 57 F, seems a little on the high side???
Is this an accurate way of checking coolant temp ?
996 Cab is a great family/touring car, too. Last weekend wife, 9 year-old daughter and I went to Las Vegas for 4 days. Admittedly required light packing (for the women) but it was a comfortable ride and all arrived in good spirits. The car ran beautifully, San Diego to Las Vegas (350 miles) on a single tank of gas each way, nearly 25 mpg and 85 - 90 most of the way. Cruising along The Strip at night with the top open is amazing, approaching sensory overload!
This is more accurate than the gage on the dash, though some will say it's still not precise.
IMO, this sounds a little high. I used to get temps like this when I was having cooling system problems (first, a failed ballast resistor on a cooling fan, and later the discovery that both radiators were blocked with corrosion from road salt). Now, in the conditions you describe, I would see temps in the mid 90s. I would only get temps above 100 on a hot day, with the car stopped for extended periods in traffic.
I should add that I can still get temps as high as yours if I run with the AC turned off, a mistake I won't make again.
Bruce, please explain the part about the AC off ??
Also I cleaned the radiators about a year ago, but do have a fan ballast out on one radiator (won't run medium speed)
Sorry Ferdn my thought is IF there is something about driving with the AC on - it is relavent to this thread - not hijacking (this time)
When the AC is on, the fans run all the time (high speed when the temps warrant it, low speed the rest of the time). This seems to forestall the engine building up heat. When you run with the AC off and watch that readout, you'll see that engine temps get higher, much sooner.
I think this is also the logic behind the 'fan mod' a lot of people have done.
I just noticed this driving in the rain.
The driverside wiper's action extends until the top half of the wiper arm is off the left side of the windshield. My BMW does not do that. I also checked if the wipers' windshield coverage is correct for both arms and it is.
could just be sloppy bushings causing a very slight additional amount of travel at the one end that shows as slightly overtravel at the other end....
ALL Seattle cars suffer wiper bushing slop!! LOL !
Hmm... I tried the AC Diagnostics thing (post #53) in my '03 C2, and it doesn't work. The screen doesn't switch over to the code readout mode. Anyone else have a mk2 who got this to work? Or is this audi hvac unit only in the early boxsters and mk1 996's?
1. The rear suspension design of the 996 is virtually the same as the one on the 993. The 993's rear suspension was such a leap forward in design compared to the earlier (964-previous) that it was carried over to the 996 and 997 basically unchanged (and also to save money), just tuned to the new chassis/weight.
2. The reason why 4L is the maximum displacement that will be probably be achieved on the current flat six is because Porsche is and has been using the same machining/boring tool on the engine cases over the years. It can only make the same distance for the in-between piston spaces, thereby, making every displacement increases over the years, with thinner walls in-between.
Read both of these in one the Porsche design books on the 996, when the 996 first came out.
Not sure if it was posted yet, but I was pleasantly surprised after having the car for a few weeks that when parked the light switch pulls out and to the left for European style parking lights (left or right side only).
I use the feature sometimes when parking for a short time.
Also that pulling out the switch further turns on the rear fog light.
All the previous VWs and Audi's I've had only had a dumbed-down American style switch without that functionality.
Hey Tim, there's even a little reason for that.
In Germany, there is no passing on the right on the Autobahn.
Since people are 'verboten' from passing on the right, the rear fog is traditionally only on the left side.....
Sounds like your mirror is out of adjustment - you should be looking out the rear window. I think the dealer can fix that for you for about 2 hours of labor.
Did you know:
1. The C4S is 10 mm lower than the other non-turbo Carreras
2. The "Big Red" brakes are Brembos
3. The front spoilers on the C4S are interchangeable with the Turbo spoiler, and visa versa.
Yes, you are correct. The problem here in the USA is that if you use the rear fog light (singular) LEO may pull you over for having a light burned out (right rear) because they (LEO) don't understand the "Euro thing."
I ran a jumper wire from my left rear fog light to the right one to make it work. I never had the occasion to use the rear fogs. Man, those suckers are really bright!
I don't know just what the A/C subject matter was, but...
Years ago in our '99 996 driving in a long construction zone on a HOT summer day in Ar the engine begin to overheat. Pulled over and discovered I had a cooling fan failure. Back on the road, no A/C, windows down, still HOT (and likely HUMID). Few miles of that and it occurred to me that I might be able to use the A/C if I could improve the efficiency of operation dramatically.
So, I turned the A/C to maximum cooling (bypassing the reheat/remix function entirely) rolled the windows back up used the blower to "regulate our comfort level, and drove home to Seattle.
"..off the left side.."
I would bet that you mean "off the left side" due to the windshield curvature, not beyond the frame. My '78 (and '88) is really "bad" about that.
To save power the alarm goes into hibernation after 72 hours. unlock with the key in drivers door and everything wakes up, then use remote to shut off alarm. Pressing twice on arm/ lock shuts off interior motion sensor and draws even less when parked, you will hear a beep when this is done to confirm.
My 1999 C4 just turned 84,000 miles. I mentioned to my mechanic that he may want to change the transmission fluid at 90,000 and he said there are dangers in this. Has anyone had any problems after changing the transmission fluid? It has a Tritronic transmission.
Some people say its just a simple Mercedes Benz trans and service is easy, some say the new fluid has to be put into the trans at a certain temperature, have to be very careful not to over or under fill, etc.
At 43k miles (and at 16 years age) I had my fluid changed (which includes a filter and seals/gaskets), and six months later the trans let go. Who is to say why, but it did, and that was the first time the transmission was serviced. $6000 later I only know one thing...the next time I have mine serviced I'll have a Porsche dealer do it.
I�m the original owner of my 996, build date 1/99. The fan display says �Manuell� instead of Manual. Also, I hit 167 on a long open FL highway stretch (shhhh!!!)
There are 2 phases to heated seats. If you press the on button once it gives you full power, if you press the on button twice it gives half heat power.
I still don't know how the windshield wipers work... lol.
Reviving a post from 11 years ago that still holds true today. I�ve driven many different cars, and never experienced this as often as I do in a 911. Other random non-sports car drivers seem to feel the need to show everyone around how fast and aggressively they can drive. It usually happens when I�m at speed limit in regular traffic doing nothing to attract attention.
Doesn't happen that often to me but when it does I ignore them and/or actually slow down. That usually gets them to leave. Happens in my Macan also though
The 996.1 and 996.2 have different Tiptronic transmissions. I have a 03, which is the 996.2. I have changed the fluid and filter, and then recently topped it off because of a small leak. You need to be careful with these things, best to have an experienced mechanic work on these things. If you search for my posts you'll see a lot of detailed information on how to service these transmissions.
Both my 2011 997.2 GTS and my 1985.5 944 also show 2 MPH higher than the actual speed as demonstrated by every police speed camera and school zone radar I drive through.
I learned that my 02 996 C2 speedometer reads 4mph faster than several school, construction, and "Your speed is" radar set up by local police. So when my wife glances over says "You're doing 80mph on the highway" I say, "Relax, we're only going 76."
I also learned that the variable wiper speed on the lowest setting is just a bit fast for a light rain or mist. Leave it to the Porsche engineers to tell us what we need in the rain instead of actually testing it in real world conditions, I assume.
After owning the car a year I finally figured out how to turn the fog lights on. Pull on the headlight switch and then turn it left or right for two different modes. I also learned that the U-AOS collects moisture and deposits water in the catch tank. Why that surprised me, I don't know. Where else would the moisture go when disconnected from the intake.
Wheels and tires are stock - 225/40-18 front, 285/30-18 rear. Both 17 and 18 size wheels are listed on the fuel filler door. Maybe I have the performance speedometer option. Hahaha
For the thread. Cigarette lighter can be OEM upgraded to a slightly smaller aperature to better hold chargers and other adapters. I did it and that solved lots of frustration. Suncoast has it.
https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/PK9X6LIGHTER.html
