996 Phone not available

Hi, I've a 996 C4S with PCM 2, Bose, CD Changer and Phone. About a month ago, I got a System failure error Amp, CD Changer and Phone error and no sound. I took the car to a local independent and they could not find any specific issues with the PCM after connecting it to PIWIS and playing with it for about 1/2 an hour. They came to the same conclusion as I had, that the amp had gone kaput... I sent the amp to Cartronics and they repaired it and sent it back. When I refitted it the sound was back and the cd changer worked, no system failure, but I got a "Phone not available messsage" when I select the telephone. If I disconnect the fuse for the phone, all sound stops, so it suggests the MOST can't create a loop if the phone unit does not have power, so I think the phone unit is working. So to the question, is it possible that this message means that the independent could have disabled the phone whilst looking for an issue, as the only other occurence of this error message I can find on the net is when someone has the phone PCM, but no phone modulein the PCM setup? Sorry for the long winded question. Any help appreciated. cheers, Anthony

Did they check the coding of the PCM? I remember one of the other members here having the same issue, and we found it had mysteriously lost its coding.

Thanks Richard, That's sort of what I thought, just didn't realise it could also happen unknowingly. do you know anyone close to Gillingham in Kent with PIWIS who could look at it. All my independents and PCs are about 45 minutes away and fairly busy.

Sorry, I don't know any individuals with a PIWIS in that area. Looks to me that you are fairly equidistant to La Rose (Sevenoaks), Project 9 (Marden), Brooklands (Swanley) and Elite (Erith)

Yep, I usually go to la Rose or PCTW. but there not easy to get too during the working week when there open. thanks for the res, I'm going to replace the pcm shortly, so may not bother with a fix until next time I have a service. cheers

Hi Richard, i've had the car connected to both the old and new versions of the porsche test systems and they both crash when they get to the PCM section. Have you any ideas why that would happen? La Rose could not explain it. The replacements amp works as does everything but the phone? Really odd. cheers Anthony

Very odd indeed. I would get a fibre optic loop cable and bypass the telephone module to see if it is the module or the PCM head unit causing the testers to crash. You can get them on eBay for about a fiver.

I've got a loop but no tester, the car goes to lacrosse on the 13th for a serv so I,lol get them to have another check then. Thanks

Hi, i've now had the pcm recoded, apparently it thought it was a left handed boxster without a phone.Do you know how this could happen, just because the amp was repaired and replaced? cheers Anthony

Good to hear that it was a relatively simple fix. As I said, it is a random event. Could be a voltage spike perhaps.

hi everybody, So I'm having the same issue. the guy who had a look at the car, linked out the telephone module and advised that i need to get a new amp. I got and fitted a new amp, but still no sound. How do i find the link out to the telephone module he did. I would g back to him, but he's retired with no contacts! Any help how would he have linked out the telephone module? Thanks

Welcome! Difficult to know, but he could have coded the system to remove the phone module, or simply fitted a fibre optic loop, something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153719258674