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First off - thanks to everyone who has been down this road before me for providing tips and suggestions and troubleshooting regarding this common problem. I have been dealing with a key that would stay all the way to the right upon starting meaning that the A/C, heated seats and some other items would not function. My solution had been to simply start the car and then just move the key back one notch to the left and everything worked fine. So if others have that issue, my original solution will work but obviously the problem remains and at some point you may end up stranded if the ignition switch completely fails. I stumbled upon some of the other threads and found that this needed fixing and I opted to replace just the switch as opposed to upgrading to the new complete unit that Porsche has moved to. This procedure is not new to the board, but I thought a step by step with pictures may be useful to those looking for an inexpensive solution. It cost me $12.11 including tax. If your ignition mechanism has been changed to the newer revised unit the ignition switch is a different part number but I assume the steps would be the same. The part for just the switch - no longer available through Porsche since they are only selling the entire $150 unit - is 4A0905849B. The switch alone is available mail order through Pelican for $10, Autohausaz.com was +/- $8.75, Ebay has them all over the map from $15-30. All of these options will work but require shipping charges and delivery time. I was hoping for a local option since I had the time to do it today. Here is what I found in Houston - a local Audi dealer had one in stock for $35, while VW had to order it (for more than $35 believe it or not). Doing a search online at parts stores using my Porsche got me nowhere so I opted to use an older Audi - in my case a 1997 Audi A8 since the part is the same. I found Autozone had one for >$40, OReilly came up blank but I did not call to check, a specialty imports place had one for $27 and then I found it in stock at NAPA for $11.19 + tax. Since NAPA seems to have stores all over the place I suggest looking there first if you don't feel like mail order. The complete part number at NAPA was ATM 4A0905849B using the 1997 Audi A8 as the vehicle. Here is a picture of the NAPA part (left) alongside the original part which I removed from my 996 cab - note the AUDI rings on the old part. Equipment needed: Small flat screwdriver - eyeglass or electronics size Philips screwdriver Torx driver 10mm wrench rubber pry tool Cold beer to celebrate 1) Disconnect the battery - I just undid the negative with a 10mm wrench 2) OPTIONAL but makes the job easier than the shop manual in my opinion. Remove the side air vent by pulling the headlight switch towards you and inserting a small blade screwdriver up from the six o'clock position. You should notice a spring like resistance which will release the knob and allow it to pull towards you. Here is a picture of the back of the knob showing the release mechanism Once the knob is off remove the three torx screws – one in the headlight control recess and two on the side After the screws are out take a rubber pry tool (or be careful with a flat screwdriver) and remove the vent housing - it will pull towards you with a little effort but not much. Once off I pulled it out far enough to gain access but left the headlight control connected because I was lazy and saw no need to unhook it. I forgot to take a picture of this part but it should be self explanatory. You will now see a philips screw directly in the back of the air vent - remove. 3) Crawl under the dash and remove the center piece (A) of the air vent - there is not much room and you will not miss it. The piece can be nudged towards the side to release on one end and then the other. Since you removed the screw from above you should be able to remove the middle and side piece now out the bottom. 4) Unplug switch by pulling directly off the back - do not unhook the purple tabs just pull the entire unit back. Make sure to pull this off BEFORE unscrewing and removing the switch as the screws holding the switch in make this much easier than trying to get a hand in there - believe me I jumped ahead and then resorted to screwing it back in. 5) Unscrew two set screws - one on the bottom on one on the opposite side. The screws are coated with red paint that may need to be chipped through with your screwdriver before you can get the screw to grab. I unscrewed the bottom screw while under the dash and then from the seat I reached under and could view the top screw through the side vent area and unscrewed it. Do not remove the screws just undo them far enough to remove the ignition switch. Bottom screw noted in this picture Top screw as viewed from side vent opening - this can also be done from underneath but the small space and clutch pedal against my head led me to look for easier access 6) Now that the screws are loose you should be able to pull the ignition switch out and replace it with the new one. Screw in the set screws, hook the harness back to it and get ready for a cold beer - not quite but almost 7) Slide out from under the foot well, hook up the battery and see if all is well. You may as well check before reattaching the rest. If the car starts as it should you will notice a nice smooth ignition with the slight spring back to the left just after ignition. Hook up the air vents, screw everything back together and push the headlight knob back in place 😎 Crack open a cold beer and smile - you just saved a lot of money. This is one of the simplest "repair" DIY out there - it took me probably less than 20 minutes including removing the side vent and I took my time since I had never done it before. If I need to replace it again - which is likely - it will be even quicker. You can always replace the entire ignition module with the new and improved unit at around $150 I think - and alot more effort - but for $12 and 20 minutes I am hoping I can get some decent life out of this switch and then just replace it again in a few years if I need to. Like I said before - this is not a new DIY but I am hopeful that these pictures will be helpful. Thanks again to all of those who provided the prior posts.

This DIY tutorial covers how to remove the intake manifold on the 3.6L V6 Cayenne. Removing the intake manifold gives you access to several parts of the engine that you may need to service. Disclaimer: Perform at your own risk. This is for reference only, I am not responsible for any damage/injuries that may occur from this procedure. Please do not attempt if you are not comfortable with doing work on your car or working around the fuel system. Work in a well ventilated area as you will be releasing a small amount of gas and fumes. Difficulty: 5/10 Estimated Time: ~2 hours If you’re getting a Durametric error code P0674, you likely have a bad PCV valve that needs to be replaced. An easy way to test a bad PCV valve is to unscrew the oil fill cap on the engine while it is idling. If you feel suction on the cap and/or the idle fluctuates once the cap is removed then your PCV valve is bad. The PCV valve is built into the valve cover so your options are to buy a whole new valve cover assembly (95510513500- ~$347) or buy just the PCV membrane (aftermarket $20-25) and replace it in your existing valve cover. To get access to the valve cover, you will need to follow this DIY article to remove the intake manifold first. Other reasons to remove the intake manifold are to service your fuel injectors or to make it much easier to replace the thermostat. The thermostat can be changed without removing the intake manifold (I did it twice), however you basically need to be a contortionist to reach the bolts to remove housing and you will scrape some knuckles along the way. Tools Needed: -Flathead screwdriver -Assortment of torx bits (T20, T25, T30, 6” long T30) -Pliers -Torque Wrench -3/8” ratchet set with various extensions and a universal joint -1 1/16” Deep socket -10mm Triple Square Spline Bit -Crescent Wrench -9/16” Open End Wrench -Dental pick Parts Needed: -Brake Booster Vacuum Hose- 95535557941 (your existing hose is probably brittle and will likely crack from removing it, I recommend getting a new one) -Lower Fuel Injector Seal Kit (3X) - 95511091000 (existing seals may be brittle and once you have removed the intake manifold, they may not seal properly upon reinstallation, I recommend getting new ones, need 3 sets) Procedure: First start by removing the plastic covers surrounding the engine. Using a flathead screwdriver, remove the quarter turn plastic trim fasteners. Rotate them in either direction by 90 degrees and pop them out. Be ready to catch them as sometimes they like to jump out. Next you will need to remove the 2 torx screws on either side of the engine cover with a T25 bit and the screw under the windshield washer reservoir cap with a T20 bit. Remove the oil fill cap and front engine cover by pulling straight up. They are held on by friction rings around a stud so pulling straight up will release it. Now that you have the covers removed, it’s time to remove the intake filter box and intake piping. Using your T25 torx bit, rotate the 2 screws until the dot on the screwhead lines up with the lower indication on the filter cover. Now gently use your pliers to pull them straight out. With your flathead screwdriver, pop up the two clips to release the filter housing. Pivot the filter house towards the passenger side of the car and remove it. Remove the engine air filter as well. Next, remove the wiring harness from the MAF sensor located in the middle of the intake piping. Loosen the clamp around the intake piping on the throttle body and gently work the intake piping back and forth until it releases from the throttle body. Remove the top bolt on the engine lift bracket and loosen the lower bolt with your M10 triple square bit. Then pivot the bracket towards the front of the car. Remove the bolt next to the throttle body with your M10 triple square bit. Then unplug the wire harness from the throttle body. Remove the top bolt from the bracket on the passenger side of the engine with your M10 triple square bit. Remove the vacuum lines from the intake manifold on the passenger side of the engine. One hose requires pliers to open the hose clamp, the other can be removed by hand if you squeeze the lock ring around the hose to release it. Next, from the passenger side, reach your hand around to the back side of the engine. There is a vacuum line that goes from the bottom surface of the intake manifold to the brake booster. You will need to pull the vacuum line fitting straight down to pop it out of the intake manifold. I don't have a good picture of it so here is a diagram of it. Pull down on the elbow fitting, not the hose. Also on the back side of the engine just behind the vacuum line you removed there is a bolt that needs to be removed using your M10 triple square bit. You are working blindly so locate the bolt first by feel and guide your bit to the bolt. Remove the 3 screws holding the actuator with a T25 torx bit. Slowly pull it straight out towards the front of the car. There is an actuator arm that attaches to a shaft on the passenger side of the part. Once you have enough clearance to reach your finger in there, you need to slide the arm off the shaft as you pull the entire actuator off. Then disconnect the vacuum hose from the actuator. Now pull the coolant hoses out of their holder in the intake manifold and push it towards the driver side of the car. There is a T25 torx screw that attaches this water hose bracket near the back of the intake manifold. The screw is facing up, so you need to use your T25 torx bit and get creative with removing that screw. I used a crescent wrench to turn the torx bit while holding the torx bit in place with my other hand. With the water hose bracket free, slide the water hose bracket towards the front of the car to release it from the intake manifold. This bracket has a keyhole slot that will release once it's slid forward. Remove the oil dipstick tube bracket with a T25 torx bit. Just push it out of the way once you remove the screw. With your long T30 torx bit, remove the bolt on the intake manifold that was under the actuator. Next, there are 3 blind holes on the driver side of the intake manifold. You need to use your long T30 torx bit to loosen the screws inside those holes. Those 3 screws are captive screws so they will not come out. There are 3 bolts below the intake runners. They need to be removed with your M10 triple square bit. This is where your universal joint will come in handy. The bolt near the rear of the engine required me to use my u-joint with various entensions to acess. At this point, you will hear gas leaking out. Since you have released the pressure from the lower fuel rail to the lower fuel injectors, the pressurized gas in the rail will leak out. Make sure you are working in a well ventilated area. From the driver side of the car, reach behind the engine to remove the wire harness from the fuel pressure sensor. Using your 1 1/16” deep socket, unscrew and remove the fuel pressure sensor. Using your 9/16” open wrench, unscrew the nut that connects the metal fuel line running from the lower fuel rail. The slimmer your wrench the better. My crescent wrench did not fit here. Now that the intake manifold is completely unbolted, you can start to wiggle it free. You will need to lift the manifold up from the passenger side and pivot it up towards the driver side. You will need to wiggle the lower fuel rail loose to release the metal fuel line you just unscrewed the nut from. It is a flare fitting that pushes into the upper fuel rail assembly. Be gentle here as you don’t want to bend the fuel rail. Once the metal fuel line is free from the upper assembly, you can remove the intake manifold as described above by lifting up from the passenger side first to pivot it off. At this point, you have access to the fuel injectors if you need to service them, the thermostat housing and the valve cover. Unbolting the valve cover is straight forward from here if you need to replace the PCV valve, etc. The fuel injector seal kit comes with a rubber o-ring, Teflon o-ring, Teflon sleeve and metal clip. At the bare minimum you should replace the rubber o-ring and Teflon o-ring. Use a dental pick to remove the old o-rings. These 2 parts are the wear surface when you remove/reinstall the intake manifold and are prone to fail if you re-use them. Trust me, I learned the hard way. To install the intake manifold, reverse the steps above. Take care in sliding the lower fuel rail back onto the lower fuel injectors and lining up the metal fuel line back into the flare fitting. I found it was easier to pull the lower fuel line out of the manifold to line the flare fitting up first, then pushing it into place in the intake manifold. You want to apply even pressure on the surface as you tighten all 7 of the bolts down on the driver side. Torque the 3 triple square bolts evenly to 6 ft lbs, torque angle 90 degrees, then a final torque of 22 ft lbs. The bolts holding the engine lift bracket are 17 ft lbs, the other triple square bolts holding the manifold on the head are 15 ft lbs. Once you get it all back together, turn the key to the ON then START position without your foot on the brake. This will run the fuel pumps to build pressure back up in the fuel rail. I removed the key and repeated 2-3 times to get the fuel pressure up. The first time you restart, it may take a couple seconds to fire up due to the fuel pressure needing to build back up. If you replaced your PCV valve, it may idle rough as the ECU needs to remap since it adapted to a leaking PCV valve over time. If you did not replace the fuel injector seals and smell gas/hear it leaking after shutting off the engine, then your seals failed and you need to repeat the procedure and replace those seals.

Ok guys, you've been waiting for this, and as promised, here is my brief, but descriptive walkthrough. this is what you will need as the following: Porsche Panel wedge tool Screw Driver w/ T-20 bit and Flat head bit Turbo Instrument Cluster strong fingers! Ok with that cleared away, here is the first step. Remove the black plastic gauge cover above the gauges. Use the wedge tool or , in this case I used my fingers! (don't use the fingers, i highly recomend not to , it hurts hahahah). Remember , you will need to apply gentle but enough pressure to detach the tabs off from the top cover of the dash that is over the cluster As you can see, the reason why i say "gentle" is because you have the tabs, take them off or apply too much pressure, and those bad boys can break, if anyone had experience with plastic and heat, they can easily become brittle. Just make sure you use precaution. Next, there are 5 screws to detach the dash cluster cover. 4 screws are attached to the top of the gauge cluster, while one (in back) inside the housing is there to hold the cover in place on the main dash. Remember, these are t-20 screws. two are parallel on each side , symmetrical to each other The rear screw, is located in the center back of the gauge cluster cover. as illustrated here. Once all screws are removed, just like the black pastic gauge cover, remove the upper gauge cover off gentley. They are tabbed in place, so apply the righ pressure. Note: when you remove the cover, be sure you have the washer for the 5th screw. This holds and aligns the cover of the cluster in place. as shown here Once the top is off, you will need to gain access to the bottom half. this is where most of the work will be done. here are the major things you will need to do - Remove trip pieces - unscrew support holding ignition/key - remove driver left AC vent Lets begin with taking off the side cover where the fuse housing is and the AC vent. Use the wedge tool to open the side panel and to take the ac unit out. the AC unit pops out as an entire pice, though the trim may seperate, this is normal, but becareful , damaging the trim will result in a loose fit. The reason for this to come out is there is a screw that holds the lower portion in place, which later will be necessary to access the bottom part of the instrument cluster Next take off the trim. There are three screws, t-20's , that are behing them. use the wedge tool again, gentley take the trim off. Again use precaution when taking them out. the outer ignition/key cover is part of the trim. so make extra effort to be careful Once the trim is removed, and the screws , make sure you remove the support ring , which holds the ignition key in place by way of screwing around the threads of the ignition. there is a special tool for this, but i used a flat head screwdriver to pussh along some tabs gentley till it was unscrewed. Repeat for the trim on the right near the windshield wiper control arm on the steering will. there should be two screws to take off. Also note, the screw inside the AC vent on the left driver side, it should be on the upper corner. Next, once all screws have been removed, gentley remove the tabs off , again, use precaustion, these are tabs, and need to be taken off with extreme care avoiding damage to them, and causing not to fit properly Once the bottom is removed, go ahead and take out the remaining two bottom screws that hold/support of the cluster. Again,these are t-20 screws Once remove, it's self explanetory from there, there are a green and blue connector, with purple latches. unlatch both, and remove the old cluster. Put in the turbo cluster, and presto, turn your car on, and test the cluster b4 putting it back together. your cluster should then boot up and you will see what awaits! Further notes - When you hook up your gauge cluster, you will hear a weird buzzing noise, that's ok, it's just the cluster responding to its connection. You will also notice that your milage should be at 0.0 for new clusters or whoever's previous milage was on it, if you bought it used. So be forwarned, My friend who knows vw/audi's said clusters like these have a tendancy to carry over their last cars info on milage over to whichever car they are being installed. So note to yourself, to write down your actual mileage. Once done, and pre programed, go ahead and put everything back together, and yours should look like this Alright now! I hope everyone is successful as I was, and hope all you skeptics out there can take it easy and rest knowing someone already done this for you! hahahah Enjoy! if you have any other questions or comments, just PM or reply! I'll be more than happy to help! I will also be posting a turbo bumper upgrade too for those who are interested later once i get my spare headlight washer parts in! til then good reading folks :D :P

Note: Part numbers sometimes change without notice. Always double check with your supplier that you have the latest part numbers. (Edit - July 25, 2006 - Updated the clutch bleeding procedure to the latest procedure as outlined in supplement 98 of the Carrera Service Manual - Loren) Parts you will need: 1 liter (minimum) 000 043 203 66 Porsche DOT 4 Brake Fluid or equal (ATE Gold or ATE Super Blue) Tools you will need: Jack 19 mm socket for wheel bolts Motive Power Bleeder (or equal) image Needle Nose Pliers 11 mm wrench for brakes; 9 mm for clutch slave (sizes vary from car to car but they are usually 9 mm or 11 mm) Plastic tubing and waste container (at least 1 liter) Jack up the vehicle at the lift points provided and remove the rear wheel (you will need to do this for each wheel). Remove the cap on the master cylinder reservoir. Remove the plastic screen using a pair of needle nose pliers. This can be a little bit challenging but it will pop off (be careful with the brake fluid.. it eats paint!) Use a syringe (or turkey baster... just don't reuse it) and suck out as much of the old fluid as possible. Fill the master cylinder reservoir with new fluid. Put the rest in the power bleeder. Screw the cap that came with the power bleeder onto the master cylinder reservoir. Put the pressure cap with the pump handle on the power bleeder and pump it up to just under 20 psi - do not go over 20 psi! Bleed order - Right rear, Left rear, Right front, Left front. Place your drain tube over the outside bleed nipple and in the bottle (remember it will need to hold a liter when you are done). Bleed the outer bleeder valve first. Open each bleeder valve until clear, bubble free brake fluid emerges. Take care to bleed at each brake caliper and at both bleeder valves. Carefully tighten the bleed screw. Wipe off the area and replace the rubber protective cap over the bleed screw. Repeat steps 8-10 for the interior bleed screw. Then reinstall the wheel and move on to the next wheel. Note: It makes sense to check the pressure and amount of fluid in the tank between wheels. Running out of fluid means starting over and getting air out. Optional Clutch Bleeding This is best done when you are bleeding the left (driver's side) rear wheel as the clutch bleed valve is mounted high above the axle on the transmission. Push the clutch pedal in by hand (very slowly) and use a long piece of wood to hold the pedal down. I wedged the other end (of the wood) between the seat and door frame -- with plenty of soft padding to avoid scratches. A second option is to have a 2nd person sit in the car and keep the clutch pedal FULLY depressed. Open the clutch bleeder valve until clear, bubble free brake fluid emerges (at least 30 seconds according to Porsche). Remove the wood. Then, pump the pedal again very slowly by hand for a further 60 seconds. After pressing the pedal down fully about 10 to 15 times, leave the pedal in its normal position. After allowing a fill time of 90 seconds, check that no more air bubbles appear at the bleeder valve (use a collecting bottle with a transparent hose). Then close the bleeder valve. Wipe off the area and replace the rubber protective cap over the bleed screw. You may notice that the clutch pedal does not return... so carefully pull it up (slowly) to it's normal position. Then depress it (slowly) a few (at least 5) times. In a few cycles the feel should return. [*]Torque the wheels bolts to 96 ftlb. (130 Nm). [*]Do a final check on the brake fluid level and top up if needed.

I thought I would collect this for ease of use by forum members. Hope it helps with questions like 'when should I do this', or what kind of maintenance at xxxx miles. All of the below pertains only to B markets. Porsche organizes countries it sells its cars to, into markets, classified as A, B, or C. USA falls into the B market category, and since I reside there, below info will be only for B markets. If you live in other market, I am sure you can approximate durations, etc, but from what I see, there is language stating countries with leaded fuel do their maintenance on intervals that are shorter than in B markets. So please go check your market or take the info as an approximation only. Also, I have Panamera Turbo, so these intervals are for this model. Most models follow same if not very similar schedule though. B market countries: Armenia, Australia, Bahrain, Brunei, Bulgaria, Estonia, French Polynesia, GhanaIndonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Canada, Kazakhstan, Qatar, KuwaitLatvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Moldova, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Oman, Philippines, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Korea, SyriaTaiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, USA, UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai), Vietnam, Belarus, Cyprus. PANAMERA 970: OIL CHANGE SERVICE: Oil & Filter Change - Every 15,000 km or 10,000 miles, or 1 year - ~9 quarts (Panamera V8) Whichever comes first - 1 year, or distance Oil & Filter Change - Every 10,000 km or 6,000 miles, in countries with leaded fuel INTERMEDIATE MAINTENANCE: Every 30,000 km or 20,000 miles If mileage for intermediate maintenance not reached, it must be done after 2, 6, 10, etc years (starting year 2, every 4 years) Change engine oil & filter - following oil & filter change schedule Windscreen wiper/washer system, headlight cleaning system: check operation and nozzle. Tires and spare wheel: check tire pressure Diagnostic system: read out fault memory; reset maintenance interval Read out out soot mass in particle filter (Diesel version only) Particle filter: replace filter element Check wiper blades All headlights: check adjustment Battery vent hose: check condition Replace fuel filter (Diesel version only) Tires and spare wheel: check condition Brake lines: visual inspection for damage, routing and corrosion Brake hoses: visual inspection for damage and routing Brake system: visual inspection of brake pads, brake discs for wear (not removing wheels) Drive shafts: visual inspection of the boots for leaks and damage Radiators and air intakes: visual inspection for external contamination and blockage Coolant: check level and antifreeze Windscreen wiper/washer system: check fluid level; check window cleaner and antifreeze, depending on the season PDCC and power steering: check fluid level Test Drive & check function: Remote control Front seats Electric parking Foot brakes (also actuation travel) Engine Steering Transmission ParkAssist Cruise control PSM switch Heating Air conditioning Instruments Any other oils, fluids: visual inspection for leaks REGULAR MAINTENANCE: Every 60,000 km or 40,000 miles If mileage for regular maintenance not reached, it must be done after 4, 8, 12, etc years (every 4 years) Change engine oil & filter - following oil & filter change schedule Windscreen wiper/washer system, headlight cleaning system - check operation and nozzle settings Horn: check operation Tires and spare wheel: check tire pressure Diagnostic system: read out fault memory; reset regular maintenance interval Seat belts: check operation and condition Particle filter: replace filter element Check wiper blades All headlights: check adjustment Trailer hitch: check function Battery vent hose: check condition Tires and spare wheel: check condition Brake system: visual inspection of brake pads and brake discs for wear Brake hoses: visual inspection for damage and routing Radiators and air intakes: visual inspection for external contamination and blockage Underbody panels: visual inspection for completeness, secure installation and damage Replace fuel filter (diesel version only) All other fluids visual inspection for leaks Brake lines: visual inspection for damage, routing and corrosion Steering gear: visual inspection of bellows for damage Tie rod joints: check the play and dust boots Drive shafts: visual inspection of the boots for leaks and damage Axle joints: check the play and visually inspect the dust boots for damage Exhaust system: visual inspection for leaks and damage, check engine mount Fuel lines and connections: visual inspection (in visible area) Coolant: check level and antifreeze Windscreen wiper/washer system: check fluid level; check window cleaner and antifreeze, depending on the season PDCC and power steering: check fluid level Test drive & check function: Remote control Front seats Electric parking Foot brakes (also actuation travel) Engine Steering Transmission ParkAssist Cruise control PSM switch Heating Air conditioning Instruments Other oils, fluids: visual inspection for leaks ADDITIONAL MAINTENANCE EVERY 2 YEARS: Change engine oil & filter - following oil & filter change schedule Change brake fluid (use only original Porsche brake fluid) Tire sealing compound: check use-by date and replace if necessary File Condition Report for long-life guarantee ADDITIONAL MAINTENANCE EVERY 4 YEARS: Change engine oil & filter - following oil & filter change schedule Replace tire sealing compound ADDITIONAL MAINTENANCE FOR SPARK PLUGS: V6 - Replace every 60,000 km or 40,000 miles or every 4 years V8 S - Replace every 45,000km or 30,000mi or every 4 years GTS - Replace every 60,000km or 40,000mi or every 4 years Turbo - Replace every 45,000km or 30,000mi or every 4 years V8 S E-Hybrid - Replace every 60,000km or 40,000mi or every 4 years ADDITIONAL MAINTENANCE EVERY 120,000km or 80,000 miles: Do every 120,000km or 80,000 miles or every 6 years For markets A & B Change oil & filter following oil & filter change schedule maintenance Air cleaner: replace filter element ADDITIONAL MAINTENANCE EVERY 180,000km or 120,000 miles: For markets A & B Do every 180,000km or 120,000 miles or every 12 years Change engine oil & filter - following oil & filter change schedule All-wheel final drive: change oil Rear final drive: change oil Other noteworthy remarks from reviewing the maintenance schedule: - PDCC reservoir change replacement recommended only for C markets (non USA), at 90k km or 54k miles, then again at 240k km or 144k miles or after 16 years - PDK transmission oil change mentioned only for B markets (Panamera S E-hybrid, Panamera S hybrid only), at 90k km or 54k miles, then again at 240k km or 144k miles or after 16 years. I will be checking the maintenance schedule book inside the car to compare. If there are differences, I can chime in. This is really surprising. There are many places where PDK, PDCC reservoir is called for after 60k. I do not see that in the FSM. Some food for thought.

DIY tutorial to remove center console and replace stock shifter with a Numeric shifter. I completed this modification on my 2010 C4S. Center Console Removal and Shifter Replacement.pdf

Symptom: Your LCD display inside your instrument cluster is very dim, or was dim before, but now you cannot see anything at all on it. So you are left with only the analog dials (needles) to rely on, for information. This prevents you from accessing settings for the car. This DIY will help you fix this issue. Most of the time, the issue is a transformer located on the main board of cluster, that becomes defective. Remedy is to replace it. Below info will show you every step of the way, from trim removal, taking cluster apart, doing solder rework and putting it all back together. Pictures are very self explanatory. I just completed this, after collecting information from multiple sources. Collected so that one can do it all from one place. Hope this helps. Do yourself a favor, review entire DIY before you start, so you know what you will need, what you will need to do, etc. PART INFO: Ordered from: http://www.keyecu.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=3003&search=A44002 Ordered from this place for $25.90 plus about 23 bucks for shipping. If you plan to replace both transformers (one for LCD, another for analog dials brightness), order two and replace both. If you are not sure you can tackle this, get someone that can solder. Good luck.

Having wasted too much time determining what could be done to replace the Becker CDR23 in my 2004 Boxster 986S I have decided to provide a comprehensive document which may be helpful to others. I am currently an automotive engineer, but previously I was an audio engineer, so I understand both sides of this equation. Becker CDR23 Replacement.pdf

EDIT: Fixed text boxes to see text better. This is an AOS DIY that walks you through the process of replacing the AOS. This is for a 2000 996 C2 Cab, six speed. I tried to be as thorough as I could in writing the DIY. If there is something left out or lesson learned from your personal experience with the AOS and or this DIY, please let me know so I can incorporate it into the document. Regards, Ken How do you eat an elephant? -- One bite at a time! Air Oil Separator Replacement.pdf

I installed matching speed yellow seat belts today, and very happy with the result. (As usual, my stealer wants $300+ just for labor, but it turned out to be less than 20 mins job including taking pictures) It was easy enough, 3 bolts each side. 0. Here is my Christmas gift, colored seat belts. 1. Disconnect the battery! 2. remove side-lining panel 2-1. remove a small screw outside 2-2 & 2-3 there are two plastic bolt & hook, shake it a little to find them and pop them out. (a little different from 986) 3. There are 3 hex bolts to be removed. 3-1. This is the tricky one. There is additional metal hook to the roll bar and because of the limited space, it's hard to get the old seat belt out. (even harder to tighten the correct torque later. too). 3-2 & 3-3 just remove them. simple. That's it!. Just make sure you wash your hands before installing new one and buy fabric protector & cleaner. Many thanks to Loren and 996 gangs who posted an instructions. I just followed their instructions. My next project this coming summer might be speed yellow seat back (factory option $1500!!!).

One of the problems that I see with many 996/986/997/987 owners complaining about is a lumpy or erratic idle and sometimes sluggish acceleration. I have a quick cure for this problem. In fact, this cure will work for any car that has a throttle body. The issue is that over time a sludgy gunk will build up in the throttle body where the throttle butterfly opens and closes. This gunk will eventually change the airflow characteristics of the gap between the butterfly and the throttlebody which will cause the erratic idle. In addition, this gunk can cause the butterfly the stick as it opens which will effect acceleration. The car's DME will compensate for this buildup over time, but if it gets too thick, then the "Throttle Adaption" will reach its limit, and will throw a code. Many times people think that it is the MAF that is bad, when it is just a dirty throttle body. Notice that the butterfly valve is slightly cracked open. This is for the idle airflow, and that crack can get clogged because of the gunk buildup. The solution is to remove the air cleaner box for access to the throttle body, and simply clean the throttle body with spray carburetor cleaner. Open the butterfly valve with your hand, and wipe out all of the gunk on the backside of the valve, and the inside of the throttle body. You will see a dark brown ring inside the throttle body. This is the buildup you want to remove. Take a rag, wet it with carburetor cleaner, and wipe out the gunk. Be sure to get the edge and the back side of the butterfly valve as well. You will know when you are done because the surfaces that you are cleaning are polished, and easy to see if there is stuff left on them. Here is a picture of what your throttle body should look like after it is cleaned. Notice how shinny the inside is. Don't worry if you spray too much in the engine, when you fire the engine up, all of that stuff will burn off in the combustion chamber. Where does the gunk come from? It is residue from the crankcase vent opening that is right there behind the butterfly. The reason it is there is because there is high vacuum there that will suck the crankcase oil vapors back into the combustion process of the car. Over time oil solids will accumulate there and will form a sticky lip around the opening. This cleaning should be part of your 30,000 mile maintenance as a minimum. However if you have never had your throttle body cleaned, try doing this weekend. You will be amazed at how much better your car runs.

Note: Part numbers sometimes change without notice. Always double check with your supplier that you have the latest part numbers. (Special thanks to Chuck Jones for being the guinea pig and for taking the photos.) Parts you will need: 997.624.113.00 Actuator Tools you will need: Very short Torx T20 driver and right angle ratchet or tool to use the short T20 in a very confined space Regular screwdriver, phillips screw driver, and 10 mm wrench to remove th wheel well liner 1. Jack the car so that right front wheel is off the ground and secure it with a jack stand. Remove the right front wheel. 2. Remove the wheel well liner by removing the the plastics rivets (pry them out with a regular screwdriver). As well remove the 10 mm nuts on each side of the axle. Now remove the phillips screws that fasten the wheel well liner under the front bumper and remove the wheel well liner (and set aside). 3. Locate the EVAP canister and remove the electrical connection at the top of the canister. Now remove the 10 mm nut that holds the canister in place. Remove gas the vapor lines - one at the top and one at the bottom (again by squeezing the connectors). Remove the EVAP canister by pulling gently back and forth until it releases from the rubber gromments 4. Look back up under the fender (now that the canister is out of the way) and locate the broken actuator. Now using the stubby Torx T-20 loose (but do not remove) the two T-20 screws. The actuator itself is a bit tough to get to and you will need a really short T-20 Torx head to loosen the two screws. I say loosen because that is all you need to do to remove the part - it sits in two "U" shaped slots. Remove the electrical connector (by squeezing the tab). Here is a pic of the new part - as you see the Torx screws are already in place so that is all you have to do to replace it. 5. Put the new part in place making sure you feed the emergency pull line through the fender to its location in the door jam. There is room to slide it through the side so you don't need to try and thread it through the hole. Fasten the two Torx screws and reconnect the electrical connector. Chuck's car had the guide rose guide piece missing (so he needed to order one) Here is a pic of his car (without guide rose) and my car (with guide rose). Ref. P/N 997.624.505.00 We also noticed that on his car the plastic catch for the lock was missing (so he needed to order that too). Here is a pic of his car (without cap) and my car (with cap). Ref. P/N 996.201.243.00 6. Reinstall the EVAP canister by pushing it into place on the rubber gromments. Then reattach the vapor lines (they should snap back into place) and the electrical connection. Finally put the 10 mm nut back in place and tighten down. 7. Reinstall the wheel well liner (reverse of removal). 8. Mount the tire, lower the car and re-torque the wheel bolts. Done.

Becker radio sticky knob fix. I actually performed this fix on my radio knobs about 3 months ago, but did not want to post anything until I know it is capable of surviving the 90+ heat wave we get here in DC. Well the fix helded up with not degradation in the appearance, texture, and feel so here is what I did. (sorry no pics of the painting) 1. Remove knobs from the radio by pulling the knobs straight out 2. If the knob have been textured from prior attempts to clean the gummy dissolved rubber off the knobs, gently rub/press/massage the knob to remove/smooth as much of the textured knob. Slight imperfections are ok. 3. Run to your local home center and purchase some 400 grit sand paper a can of Black Rust-oleum Rust Stop Gloss Protective Enamel spray paint. DO NOT GET THE SEMI GLOSS OR FLAT PAINT. The non-gloss paints made the knob gummier and did not dry after 3 days!!! 4. Place the knobs flat on the back side down in a shallow box about 12x12 and spray 10 light coat of paint over the whole knob. Allowing the knob to dry at least 2 hours between coats 5. After the 10th coat, let knob dry at least 24 hours 6. Gently sand the knob to smoothen out the slight imperfections 7. Place knob back in the box and apply another 10 coats of paint (20 coats total) 8. After the 20 coat, let the knob dry thoroughly. In 90 degree dry heat, it was completely dry in about 18 hours 9. Now with the 400 grit sand paper, GENTLY sand the knob so that the glossy finish is dull 10. Now here comes the fun, buff the knob on your tshirt to bring a little of the dull shine to life. 11. Reinstall knobs on the radio. 12. My knobs are near 100% match to the radio color and is no longer gummy or soft to the touch I have tried the plastic dip and spray methods and both left the knob with a cheap look and feel and the coating actually peeled off. This method when properly cured, produced a hard knob with out having to clean or remove the gummy stuff.

It seems that there are more and more cases of these faults appearing, and as some of our cars are reaching 10-12 years old, it is hardly surprising. I've compiled this information from past personal experience on both of my 996s, reading about others on here and other forums, referring to the workshop manual and wiring diagrams, and applying some logic. Hopefully you might find it useful, and save some grief when troubleshooting. DOOR MICROSWITCHES There are seven microswitches in each door which control the alarm system. Two are separate switches: a] One on the outside door handle. This switch is used to sense that the handle is lifted. b] One on the inside door handle, which has the same function. When the car is unlocked and either handle is lifted, this signals the alarm control module (ACM) to lower the appropriate window by 10mm, and turn on the interior lights. As soon as the door opens, another switch inside the door lock (explained later) tells the ACM that the door is open, which holds the window down until the door is closed, when the window is raised, and the dimming timer on the interior lights is started. Once the car is locked, the outside handle switches are ignored by the ACM. The remaining five switches are inside the door lock assembly: c] One switch senses if the door is open or closed. d] One senses that the key has been turned to the 'lock' position. e] Another senses that the key has been turned to the 'unlock' position. f] One senses that the door lock motor has reached the 'lock' position. g] Another senses that the door lock motor has reached the 'unlock' position. TYPICAL FAULTS All these microswitches can be problematic, and it is common for one or more to fail at some time. These are some of the common failures and symptoms: 1) The door window won't drop when lifting a handle. This is usually the handle microswitch which has failed. 2) The window drops, but goes back up when the door opens, or when the handle is released. This can be the handle microswitch, or more likely the 'door open/closed microswitch' ( c ) has stuck. Because the system thinks the door is still closed, it sends the window back up. 3) Door window won't go up the last 10mm. This is likely to be the 'door open/closed microswitch' ( c ) stuck in the opposite sense to (2). The system thinks the door is still open, so won't allow the window to go back up. Note that in this case the door will still lock, but you may get a single-beep from the alarm horn. 4) Door will not lock with key. The 'key lock' microswitch (d) is broken. This is very rare, as this microswitch is hardly ever used – most times the car is locked by remote. 5) Door will not unlock with key. The 'key lock' microswitch (e) is broken. This is also very rare, for the same reason. 6) Door locks, and then immediately unlocks, usually accompanied by a double-beep from the alarm horn. This is the 'door locked' microswitch (f). The locking motor physically operates the door lock, but the microswitch to sense this has failed/stuck. The ACM promptly unlocks the car. In this case, the only way to lock the door is to use the emergency locking procedure. Turn the key in the door to the lock position and back three times in quick succession. 7) The door unlocks, but there is a beep or double-beep from the alarm horn. This is the 'door unlocked' microswitch (g). Although the door is unlocked, the ACM has not recognised that. The alarm will not sound, as turning the key in the lock has deactivated it. FIXES The inside and outside handle microswitches are available separately, and are not too expensive. Although alternative equivalent switches may be available, the genuine Porsche switch comes with a connector and wiring, so it makes sense to use an original. Part Numbers: Inside handle microswitch: 996.613.123.00 (Same both sides) Outside handle microswitch: 996.613.125.00 (Left) / 996.613.126.00 (Right) The door lock microswitches are not available separately. You have to buy the complete door lock assembly, at a cost of around $120. It has been known for people to repair the offending switch though. This is a picture of a typical failure of a 'door open/close' microswitch (courtesy of another RennTech member): You can see that the plastic plunger has broken, jamming the switch lever inside. These switches are (apparently) made by Burgess, but as yet the source and part number are unknown. There are several other similar standard switches on the market for around $2, and people have stripped down the new switch and rebuilt the old one with the plunger from the new one. OTHER SWITCHES IN THE ALARM SYSTEM The other switches and contacts in the alarm system are to monitor the lid closures: Front lid microswitch Rear lid microswitch Oddment compartment microswitch Glove box microswitch Radio contact (to detect radio theft) An open compartment or switch failure will cause a single-beep of the alarm horn on locking. A system error will cause a double-beep. Other elements of the system include an interior monitoring sensor (in the overhead lighting), an alarm readiness light (on the dashboard in the centre) and a central locking button (on the dashboard). Options are a tilt sensor (next to the battery or under the left-hand seat) and an alarm siren (next to the battery).

While looking for a good garage door opening solution for my MY01 996 C4, I came across some posts referring to the Gentex auto-dimming mirror with Homelink. Some posts suggested that there was a VW/Audi adapter that would allow this universal fit mirror to be installed on a 996 windshield. Other posts suggested that it was easy to tap into the existing dome light and sunroof switch wiring. So I decided to give it a go. It was a relatively easy install, and one of my best mods yet. Step 1: I purchased the Gentex GENK40A Auto-Dimming Mirror with Homelink on Amazon (American Security Company) for $249. My kit came with a VW/Audi adapter and a free wire cover. Here is the mirror, the piece of the wiring harness that I used (it came with a full, route to fuse box wiring), and the wedge adapter. Here is a close-up of the adapter. Here is the wire cover. Step 2: Remove the old school mirror by rotating the base 90 degrees counter-clockwise. I put masking tape around the base and used channel locks and a firm grip to rotate the base 45 degrees. I continued rotating the base by hand another 45 degrees until it released. Be careful as you don’t want to break the windshield -- been there, done that on a wiper blade DIY, oops! Step 3: Slide the adapter onto the windshield button cam and secure with hex key set screw. Note that my adapter did not fit out of the box. I used a small file to remove material around the inside of the adaptor until it fit snugly around the button cam. Since the adapter is aluminum, this was easy work for a steel file. I also primed and painted my adapter matte black to make it more inconspicuous. Step 4: Plug the wiring harness into the rear of the mirror, and remove the large red harness at the other end. The color coding for the wires is as follows: (1) Red = switched power; (2) Yellow = un-switched power; (3) Black = ground; and (4) the two Green wires are not used for this mirror (they are used for other Gentex mirrors with temperature displays). Step 5: Mark the outer wire casing so that you can split it for purposes of routing the wires through the mirror base. Don’t forget to leave some slack for mirror adjustment. Step 6: Slide the mirror base over the adaptor. Tighten the mirror base set screw with a T20 Torx driver. Step 7: Now it’s time to remove the dome light / sunroof switch housing. First, remove the two black alien eyes with a plastic trim tool. Next, remove the two screws underneath the alien eyes. Then, carefully pull the end closest to the sunroof away from the headliner until the rear tabs release. To fully release the housing push it towards the windshield so the front tabs release from the mounting edge. You’ll understand when you are in there. Step 8: Identify the existing wires that you need to tap into. After testing with a test light, I used the following wires: (1) the Red/Green wire with black spots going to the sunroof switch for switched power; (2) the Red/Black wire going to the dome light circuit board for un-switched power; and the Brown wire going to the dome light circuit board for ground. Step 9: Install the wire cover by clipping it into the top of the mirror base, and route the wires from the mirror through the cover and into the dome light housing. Note the wire cover that came with my kit was way too long, so I cut it down to size. I also made a channel out of mine to cover the wire on the inside. The inside cover was cut a little shorter than the outside piece to make it easy to route the wires. The dome housing will fit over the wire cover, so thankfully there is no need to cut a whole in the housing. To make the install look cleaner from the outside, I intend to go back and use a thin strip of black film on the inside of the windshield to better hide the wire cover from the outside. You might want to try this now. Step 10: Now it’s time to make the connections. I used 22-18 gauge splice tap connectors. The connections are as follows: (1) Red to Red/Green with black spots; (2) Yellow to Red/Black; and (3) Black to Brown. I wrapped up the unused green wires with electric tape. Step 11: Reinstall the dome light / sunroof switch housing by: (1) pulling the front tabs onto the mounting edge; (2) snapping the rear tabs back into the headliner (you may need to move the wires around a bit to get a good fit); (3) replacing the screws under the alien eyes; and (4) replacing the alien eyes. Step 12: Test the install. The Homelink buttons should work when the ignition is off. Press each and you should see a red light come on. With the ignition off, the anti-dimming feature should be off. If you press the 1 button, nothing should happen. With the ignition on, you should see a green light indicating that the anti-dimming feature is on. You may need to press the 1 button the first time. It should go on and off with the ignition after that. You can verify that it is working by covering the sensor on the back of the mirror and shining a light on the sensor on the front of the mirror. I found that the mirror works really well in real life conditions. Step 13: Program the Homelink buttons with the included instructions. Step 14: Congratulations, you are done.

These rubber "accordians" can crack over time. Fortunately the rubber piece is only around $60, and can be replaced easily. You'll need to set aside about an hour and a half if you haven't done this before. Tools needed: Flat-bladed screwdriver 4mm allen wrench Ratchet with short extension and 10mm socket Parts needed: The bellows Two plastic expanding fasteners (might come with the bellows) First, deploy your spoiler manually, and shut off the ingnition. No need to disconnect the battery. You will see, along the rear edge, four caps, as seen below. These pry out easily with your fingers or with a flat bladed screwdriver. No paint to worry about, just try not to mar the plastic. With the caps off you can access the 4mm allen head bolts: I found these to be a bit tight due to exposure to the elements, but I was able to get them off with an allen key. A long allen socket would work better. Once the bolts are out, the top tray (painted part) of the spoiler can be slid toward the rear and off. Put it somewhere where it won't be scratched. Now you can see the fasteners holding the top of the bellows to the spoiler. There are two explanding plastic fasteners, one on each corner, and several sliding hooks. I destroyed my plastic fasteners since my new bellows came with new ones. Just nipped them off with wire cutters. With the two plastic fasteners off you can disengage the hooks and detach the top of the bellows by sliding it to the right, and down. The top edge of the bellows is actually sandwiched between a long metal strip and the spoiler. The metal strip has the hooks that go through pre-cut holes in the bellows. View from below: With top of bellows detached: With the top of the bellows detached, open the engine lid. You will see several circular clips holding the bottom of the bellows to the engine lid: There is one under the fan, so you will have to detach the fan. Just three 10mm bolts. Just let it hang by the cable, out of your way. Be careful not to scratch your paint while removing the clips. In my case, the clips themselves had scratched the paint a bit. Fortunately this is one of the body areas that receives only a "rough" paint job from the factory anyway. Save those clips. It is not necessary to replace them. With the clips removed, you can pull the bellows out. As with the top, there is another frame piece running the length of the bottom of the bellows. This sandwiches the bottom of the bellows to the engine lid. The bellows has pre-cut holes for the nubs on the metal strip: Lay your old bellows alongside you new one, so that you can see how the top and bottom frame strips fit. Reassembly: Transfer your frame pieces to your new bellows. Then attach bottom of bellows to engine lid with the circular clips. Push those numbs through and get those clips up as tight as possible. The idea is to clamp onto the lower bellows edge. Re-attach the fan. Close engine lid Make sure the top frame piece hooks are threaded through the top of the bellows, push up through the corresponding holes in the spoiler, and slide to the left to secure. Make sure all of the hooks are engaged and snug. Then insert and secure the two plastic expanding fasteners in the corners. This step will confirm that you have the bellows and the spoiler snug and aligned properly. Now grab your painted spoiler top, and look under it to make sure the locking tabs are lined up. Push down, and slide toward the front of the car to lock the tabs. The top and bottom of the spoiler should mate very well. If you feel gaps around any edges, check and adjust. Finally, secure the top of the spoiler with the four allen screws. Put the plastic caps on, and manually raise and lower the spoiler to make sure you haven't left any tools in there...

Thanks again to all of those contributors that helped me while I went through this upgrade. This topic appears to be a common one and one that doesn't appear to have a complete solution for contending with the MOST bus. Hopefully my DIY will help owners with the MOST bus successfully upgrade their factory stereo system as I have with mine. Also note that the wiring and process described should work with any system (Kenwood, Alpine, etc.), not just the AVIC D3 as the signal requirements and factory harness wiring is detailed here. Also note that this upgrade also covers the iPod interface, Sirius satellite radio and Bluetooth module install. Good luck! 03_04_Boxster_AVIC_D3_Radio_Upgrade.pdf

Symptom: CEL light comes on and when investigated, P0492 code (or similar) is detected. The following code description is observed in Durametric SW: Secondary Air Injection System Bank 2 - Value below lower limit value, test conditions are not-completed, fault is currently active and causing a DTC lightWhat is wrong:From my experience and from others' posts, this is usually caused by the failure of the secondary air pump that is located inside engine compartment (the two horn like structures on either side of the bay, near the firewall).The failure is apparently caused by the valve getting dirty and failing to open, which causes filter foam (you will see once you open this sucker out), to back up into the pump itself, causing fan blades to break off and plug up the hose even more.Once the fan blades are broken, the pump will need replacement.NOTE: If you choose to only replace the pump, please understand the cause of failure, since it may be likely you will have another failure. I did not think this would be the case until I removed the valve with hose and cleaned out a bunch of debris from there....so if you are servicing pump, you will do yourself a lot of good by cleaning the valve/hose at same time.Anyways, DIY is using pics, each successively numbered with instructions.Hope this helps someone make the repair.Plan on about 2-3 hours of work for this repair (1 pump), at nice leisurely pace. The other pump repair will be very similar, except pump part number will be different and location of mounts/screws will be on passenger side.Have fun. *** EDIT*** - I was gone for a while and all my pics had been removed from my tutorials. Regardless how it happened, here they are.

Removing and installing drive belt - Cayenne Turbo Removal 1. Remove the front engine compartment cover. 2. Pull the cover of the throttle body vertically upwards. 3. Pull off the electrical plugs on the throttle adjuster 1 and unclip the cable. Then pull off the plug on the boost pressure sensor 2. Twist the two fastening bolts 3 through approx. ca. 45° in an counter-clockwise direction and pull out the bolts. 4. Loosen the hose clamps to the left and right on the bellows and pull off the bellows. 5. Pull off the Y pipe from the throttle body and pull off the hose on the Y pipe. To do this, press the button and pull off the hose. 6. Unclip lines underneath the Y pipe and remove the middle section. 7.Undo intake manifold on the air cleaner cover. To do this, turn the two fastening bolts through 180° and pull the bolts out in an upward direction. Then pull out the intake manifolds. 8. Remove the air line on the right air cleaner cover. To do this, unclip the green cap. Insert a screwdriver into the notch of the cap and lever the cap off. 9. Push the snap ring into the flange 1 and then pull it off together with the flange 2. 10. Clip the green cap on again after disassembly. 11. The coolant bleeder hose on the coolant expansion tank should be unclipped from the air cleaner housing cover of the cylinder bank 1 − 4. 12. Remove the air cleaner covers. To do so, loosen each of the two fastening clips on the top side and remove the cover from the engine compartment in an upward direction.<br> 13. Loosen the two fastening screws of the pressure pipes on the lock support. Note: Depending on the routing, the electrical cable belonging to the fans may have to be disconnected on the left side and laid to one side in order to access the fastening screws of the Y pipe. 14. Disconnect the electrical plug of the electric fan. 15. To do so, loosen the hose clamp on the bottom of the left hot film mass air flow meter and remove the component from the engine compartment. 16. To do this, loosen the two hexagon socket head bolts (a/f 5) of the pressure pipes. 17. Remove the two pressure pipes from the vehicle. 18. Disconnect the positive crankcase ventilation line 1 and the control lead 2 of the bypass valves on the disconnection point under the left deflection roller. 19. Mark the direction of movement of the drive belt with chalk. 20. Relieve and remove drive belt. To do this, use an open−ended wrench (a/f 30) to turn the belt tensioner clockwise and remove the drive belt from the tensioning roller. Relieve the belt tensioner slowly. 21. Remove the drive belt from all pulleys. Installation Note: The following diagram illustrates the complete belt threading course. The pulleys are numbered according to the sequence of fitting. 1. Make the belt into a loop and place over the crankshaft belt pulley behind the dipstick. 2. Place the top part of the belt loop over the coolant pump pulley 1. 3. Place the lower part of the belt loop around the crankshaft belt pulley at the bottom 2. 4. Guide the belt section from the coolant pump around the deflector wheel 3 on cylinder bank 5 − 8. 5. Then guide the section of the belt around the air conditioning compressor belt pulley 4 at the bottom. 6. Then lay a loop around the power pump 5. 7. Lay the loose end of the drive belt from the coolant pump downwards and around the generator belt pulley 6 and deflector roller 7 of cylinder bank 1 − 4. 8. Gather the belt section between the deflector roller of cylinder bank 1 − 4 and the crankshaft belt pulley to form a loop and guide it upwards to the tensioning roller 8. Use a wrench (a/f 30) to turn the tensioning roller 8 clockwise at the hexagon clockwise and put on the drive belt. Slowly relieve the tensioning roller. Fitting the drive belt 9. Check that the drive belt is positioned correctly on the pulleys. 10. Join the positive crankcase ventilation line 1 and the control lead 2 of the bypass valves on the disconnection point under the left deflection roller. 11. Insert the pressure pipe parts of the Y pipe into the charge air cooler to the left and right and tighten the two fastening screws to 10 Nm (7.5 ftlb.). 12. Install the left hot film mass air flow meter. Position the lower hose clamp and tighten it. Then connect the electrical plug. 13. Press the control lead on the bottom of the tubular pieces into the two fastening clips. 14. Connect the cables for the electric fans and clip into the holders. 15. Tighten the holders of the tubular pieces on the lock support. 16. Install the air cleaner covers. To do this, close the two fastening clips on the top side. 17. The coolant bleeder hose and the coolant overflow hose must be clipped back onto the cylinder bank 1 − 4 on the air cleaner housing. 18. Push the air suspension line onto the right air cleaner cover. 19. Press in the intake manifold on the air cleaner in the air cleaner cover. Then insert the two fastening bolts and turn them through 180°. 20. Press the rubber T-piece into the plastic clip on the underside of the Y pipe. Then fit the hose at the bottom. 21. Attach the line to the underside of the Y pipe. 22. Slide the Y pipe onto the throttle body. Insert the two fastening bolts 3 and turn them clockwise through 45°. Fit the electrical plug for the boost pressure sensor 2 and the electrical plug for the throttle adjuster 3. 23. Slide the bellows onto the tubular pieces to the left and right and tighten the hose clamps. 24. Press the four rubber elements in the cover onto the four ball socket holders. The fastening elements must be felt to engage. 25. Install front engine compartment cover.

This is most probably caused by your heat shields over the catalytic converters. They get rusty and the fixings cannot work properly. I was surprised how much the heat shields (£84 for two) and then the fixings cost (£30 for two sets) so I decided to try a DIY fix. So far this has worked perfectly! You may find that the heat shields look like this: You may have some good holes/fixings left but some rusted holes and no fixings. I used some aluminium sheet which I cut in a square then pushed into shape and then used "Fire putty" to hold in place and four "pop-rivets" so that is looks like this: Just two things to watch: "pop-rivet" with the head inside and the long part on the outside and also have the "pop-rivets" well spaced (so that they do not interfere with the brackets on the catalytic converters). Then drill a hole in the aluminium plate to match some new "U clips" which you fit on the existing brackets. Screw the covers back in place. This fixed the rattle at virtually no cost just a bit of time!

The following is a do it yourself procedure for replacing the thermostat on a 09 Cayenne S. The change out is straight forward and took me around 4-5 hours. One word of advice, the thermostat housing does not have to be removed to remove the thermostat. I thought it did and wasted a bunch of time removing other components to remove the housing before I realized it wasn’t necessary. The thermostat is removed easily after the water pump is removed. The parts were purchased from Sunset Porsche who were fantastic in getting the parts to me overnight. As always thanks to Loren for his advice. Tools Pliers to remove hose clips Torx sizes T-30, T-40 Strap wrench for holding pulley when removing screws E-10 Torx socket Large adjustable wrench for serpentine belt tensioner Normal other tools, pliers, screw drivers, ratchet, extensions etc. 5 Gal Bucket Parts List 948-106-125-01 (1) Thermostat 948-106-533-00 (1) Seal for Water Pump 948-106-707-00 (2) O rings for Intake Transfer Pipe (Note, the O rings are shaped different than the original O rings. Originals were square with grooves and these are true round O rings. Torque Setting Water Pump to casing 7.5 ft-lbs Water Pump Pulley 17 ft-lb Intake Manifold and Side Covers- Cross-tighten all manifold bolts to 7.5 ft-lb; then final torque to 12 ft-lb. I could not find the 09 torque spec but found the 07 specs which were reasonable. Procedure 1) I always disconnect the battery before doing any major work and recommend it. 2) Drain Coolant System A. Allow engine to cool B. Remove Coolant Reservoir Cap C. Remove the front two splash pans under the engine and radiator D. From underside of vehicle disconnect the hose (Figure 1) and drain cooling system into a container (clean 5 gal bucket works) 3) Remove plastic around engine compartment (2 screws and 9 plastic snap screws) (Figure 2) 4) Remove intake manifold and piping A. Remove decorative 4.8 V8 cover by lifting off B. Remove intake piping by removing hose clamps and removing pins (Figure 3). The pins rotate about a quarter turn and pull upward and out. Be gentle they break easily!!!! 5) Remove Intake Manifold Side Covers (similar for both sides) A. Removing two T-30 Torx screws (Figure 4) B. Remove vacuum hose connective both side covers (Figure 4) C. Remove vacuum hose on right side breather (Figure 4) D. Lift the Manifold Side Covers from the center of the engine up and outward and they will lift off. Right side has a vacuum hose attached under the cover which needs to be detached. 6) Remove Intake Manifold A) Remove (5) T-30- or T-40 (forgot size)Torx Screws on each side of intake manifold (Figure 5) B. Move the Intake Manifold forward and remove vacuum line and electrical connection on the back of the intake manifold. The vacuum line and electrical connection wire are very short. I disconnected the vacuum line Tee shown in Figure 6 to make it easier to disconnect and reconnect the vacuum line. 7) Remove the serpentine belt A. Relieve tension on the serpentine belt by rotating the tensioner (Figure 7) B. Remove the serpentine belt from the water pump 8) Remove Water Pump A. Remove 3 Torx Screw on water pump pulley (Figure 8) using a strap wrench to hold the pulley from turning. B. Remove (5) M6 X 25 Bolts on Water Pump using and E-10 Torx socket (Note Reinstallation tightening sequence is clockwise starting with the top middle bolt. C. If the pump is stuck gently tap it with a plastic hammer or a block of wood and it should come off. 9) Remove Thermostat A. Locate the spring on the Thermostat and tie a wire around the spring. (Figure 9 &10) B. Using a screw driver or pry bar inserted in the wire loop as shown in Figure 10 and pry out the Thermostat and the Transfer Pipe. Figure 11 shows the Transfer Pipe (3) and Thermostat (4). 10) Installation is in the reverse order of the above with the following advice/precautions. A. When reinstalling the Thermostat make sure the new thermostat is all the way into the housing before inserting the Transfer Pipe. The Transfer Pipe has two seals that should be changed when reinserting the Transfer Pipe. Use a water soluble lubricant when inserting the seals. I tried pushing in the transfer pipe in by hand but it kept popping back out because of the new O rings. I used a flat pry bar to gently press the Transfer Pipe back in (Figure 12). The Transfer Pipe should be flush with the housing and should not stick out. B. Check all vacuum hoses for cracks. They get brittle over time and crack. When finished, I got a 5504 Fault Code using Durametric Software. I contacted Durametric because I could not find any information on that code. It turns out that the software is transposing the code so it should have been a 0455 code which is a vacuum leak. I found a vacuum hose cracked from moving it around to get the Intake Manifold off. C. The vacuum and electrical connection wire are very short on the back of the Intake Manifold. I disconnected the vacuum line Tee shown in Figure 6 to make it easier to disconnect and reconnect the vacuum line. Make sure they are firmly plugged in before setting the Intake Manifold in final position. D. Make sure the Intake Manifold is seated properly and no wires are under the back corner of the manifold preventing it from seating properly. E. Porsche recommends a vacuum fill of the cooling system. Since I didn’t have the equipment, I filled the cooling system through the Coolant Reservoir. I used the fluid I removed from the system so I knew how much needed to be put back in the system. I ran the vehicle for a little while, let it cool, and then continued to top off the system over the next few days. F. If you disconnected the Battery you will get a PSM fault which will go away after driving for a little while. The system has to recalibrate itself after Battery Removal. I hope this helps the helps. I wrote it about a week after I did the repair so I hope I haven't forgot anything.

This is a DIY on care and treatment of the cabriolet top. Porsche recommends regular maintenance by simply hosing off the top with high pressure water spray and the use of soap sparingly. But once a year I find it necessary to treat the top with a more thorough cleaner and a water repellant treatment. And for that I use RaggTopp. RaggTopp can be found online and prices are tough to beat at Amazon. The cleaner will last several treatments and the protectant only one treatment. You can also buy a kit that comes with a soft brush for cleaning. Use short circular strokes to clean the cabriolet well. Then rinse it well. I let it dry thoroughly in the sun, then mask it off and use a whole can of the protectant. I let the protectant dry thoroughly, then wash the car to remove any overspray. During a recent rain (hard to believe I know , rain in Seattle!) The protectant worked great!

I decided to remove the rear seats out of my 2003 C4S and eventually build a shelf with doors, i.e. the RS kit (?) that was sold at one time. I would sure like to get my hands on the doors shown in this pix. Anyway, the purpose of this "mod" is to utilize the tear drop opening where the shoulder strap of the seat belt was anchored. My first thought was to just install a piece of painted sheet metal behind the opening, then I came up with the idea to make the opening an interior light. A friend of mine gave me a 12" square of 1/8" white plexi. It turns out that the backside of the opening isn't flat so I had to first cut out the shape on the band saw with about 3/8" over lap on the bottom of the opening and a fitted edge to the top of the opening. Then I heated the plastic so I could warp the plexi piece for fitment to the backside of the opening. Not slam dunk, it's trial and error to get the shape to lay down on the back side of the plastic piece. Naturally if you had a mirrored shaped block of wood you could just heat the plexi and drape it over your fixture. Also remember there's a left and right so it would take two fixtures. So I just heated and bent the plastic to make a pretty good fit. Note you have to be careful not to dent the plastic when it's hot with pliers or a Crescent wrench. I used a ViseGrip with wide jaws that are covered in leather. I think if you had 1/16" plexi it would work better than my 1/8", I might add that I used a red Magic Marker to fine tune the fit. It seems to me that the black Magic Marker really gets into the material and it's hard to remove even with lacquer thinner. Once I had the fit, I sanded the shiny plexi with 1200 wet or dry sand paper to remove the gloss. Then used black RTV silicone and glued the lens to the back of the Porsche upholstery. I bought a strip of white LED's that has a self adhesive back. I just stuck the strips directly to the car body. I haven't wired the lights up yet, however I did light them up, I'm very pleased with the look and the light. I'm thinking I might wire the LED's into theinterior door lights so I don't have to worry about a separate switch and leaving the lights on. If you wanted to get weird you can buy LED's that can change colors. Remotes are available to rotate the color of preference if that's your thing. FYI: You can get these LED strips on-line from superbrightled.com - P/N NFLS-NW30X3-WHT - Natural White. These LED's run on 12 volts so you don't need power pack, just 12 Volts to the strips. The strips come 19" long with 2 leads, I cut the strips down to 6 LED's per side,then soldered + and - leads to the other strip. The strips are polarity sensitive, but they're well marked.

DIY Guide to Replacing the Accessories Belt in the 987 Questions/comments: PM or email me: lithium_1330@yahoo.com You can download the PDF here: https://www.box.com/s/32ftofdw935rrizmmfr4 This is a suggestive guide detailing steps one can take to replace the accessories drive belt in the engine bay of the 987 (Boxster/Cayman) cars. It is a relatively simple job that most of us can tackle. For this job, you do not need to put the Boxster top in service position, but opening it up ½ way will give you more standing room to work with. Like everything else you do on your car… you’re hereby fully responsible for everything. Per PCNA, the accessories belt should be replaced every 6yrs or 60k miles. Good news is if the accessories belt snaps, you engine will still run..., but it will also cause you a nice detour from whatever you were doing. So, it's wise to get the belt replaced at the recommended service interval. And because it's a relatively easy "job", this is very much a DIY with a couple hours of time. Here is the link to the PCNA service interval page: http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservices/porscheservice/maintenanceintervals/ Remove the firewall carpeting behind seats. • Move both seats up to the forward most position so you have room to work. • Un-latch and move the subwoofer back (no need to remove the unit) so you can access the fasteners on firewall carpeting. If you don’t know how to un-latch the subwoofer, you can find that information ½ page down in my other DIY article. • Once the sub is pushed back a few inches, you’ll be able to lift up on the top carpet. Underneath which you’ll find these plastic fasteners - lefty-losey. There should be 4 of them (IIRC). • After undoing the fasteners, you can lift the firewall carpet from top, up and out. The sides and bottom of the carpet is simply tucked in to the trims. • This will then expose the aluminum firewall, connect to the car by 9 bolts with 10mm head. 8 of them are circled in picture below, the 9th is right behind the arm-rest. You can’t miss it. The alum trim can be sharp, so wear gloves & also put a towel over the arm rest so nothing gets cut up. • After you removed the alum cover, you’ll have the engine & belt in front of you.   • Next step is to remove the belt. IMPORTANT: Before you proceed further, take note on how the belt runs around the different pulleys. You can draw a diagram, take pictures, capture in videos, or if your spouse is the type who never forgets a thing, have him or her memorize how the belt runs around the different accessory pulleys before proceeding ;) – note side that’s ribbed vs. not. You need this information so you can put the new belt back on the same way it came off. • The belt is tensioned on via a tensioner pulley. Take a crescent wrench to the hex (6-sided) nut of the tensioner and turn (I can’t remember which direction now - sorry). But, essentially the crescent wrench is used as leverage to move/rotate the entire tensioner pulley unit to take tension off the belt and allow the belt to come loose. Note the hex-nut itself should not rotate when you turn the wrench. Read: the wrench turns/moves the entire pulley. • Remove the old belt, replace with new one. There are different ways to run the belt to get the new belt back on. For me, it was easier to start around the water pump (bottom on passenger side), around the accessory pulleys on top, around the driver side then back to the tensioner pulley. • This project will try your patience. The new belt will be tighter fit than the one you removed…, so you may likely struggle a bit to the new belt back on. Take a break or two if you need. • Remember, you do need the crescent wrench again to rotate the tensioner pulley when you put the new belt back on. • Once you’re done… double check all belts are on correctly as before (fully seated correctly and looped around in the correct paths). • Before putting the alum cover and carpet back on, you can/should start the car up with cover off to check a 3rd time – make sure everything is working. • Reinstall the cover, carpet and that’s it for another 60k miles. For Reference, here are the different moving pieces: From driver side looking in: From passenger side looking in:

Tools needed: T20 Torx driver A few flat blades or knifes Soldering Iron Solder Solder wick or desolder tool Parts Needed: http://www.westfloridacomponents.com 1/4W 0.22 ohm Mini-Melf Resistor Beyschlag MMA0204-50AL0R22J - 6 IRFZ24NS FZ24NS HEXFET Power MOSFET International Rectifier - 2 Step 1: Remove Lower panel under drive side. One screw in the middle Step 2: Locate module closest to the center of the vehicle. Module will be installed SIDEWAYS next to the module that has 4 connector ports Step 3: Once module has been removed, use the screwdriver to loosen and eventually release the tabs along the side of the module. Easiest to start on one end. Step 4: Locate the two possible common failure points. MOSFETS will be located next to the blue capacitors in the corner. Resistors will be located on the BACKSIDE in the opposite corner. Step 5: Test the resistors. Use your multimeter and measure across the resistors. Unfortunately the top 3 and the bottom 3 are in parallel, so it is hard to tell when an individual has failed. Luckily they seem to fail all together, so if you see open circuit on your resistance measurement, just replace them all. Step 6: Carefully use your soldering iron to desolder the resistors. Clean the mades of any excess solder and resolder the new resistors. Step 8: Test the MOSFETs. Use your multimeter on DIODE mode (triangle with a flat line across the point). Red lead on SOURCE (right leg), black lead on GATE (left leg) = OPEN CIRCUIT Red lead on SOURCE (right leg), black lead on DRAIN (TOP or back pad) = .5V to .8V Again, desolder carefully and replace. The hardest part will be heating the DRAIN, or back of the MOSFET hot enough to desolder off the board. Don't worry about heat, MOSFETs are very robust compared to other parts. Step 9: Reinstall everything back into the car and DRIVE. Starting the car is critical, the KESSY module will not reset until you do so. Enjoy saving 1000 bucks!

I had heard this urban legend that you can repair door dings and dents by rubbing dry ice over the dent and then heating it with a hair dryer or heat gun. It seemed simple enough, so I decided to try it on the wife's urban assault vehicle which has its fair share of door dings. I went over to our neighborhood grocery store and got 2 pounds of dry ice for $3. Here is the what the test door looked like before the test. Essentially the process is to take some dry ice (while wearing gloves, as it is very, very cold), and simply run the dry ice back and forth over the dent until the metal has cooled to the temperature of dry ice. This shrinks the sheet metal, and pulls in the dent. Next blow hot air onto the dented area using a hair drier or a heat gun making sure that you don't heat the sheet metal to over 195 ~ 200 degrees as you can damage the paint by heating any more than that. This will expand the metal and further smooth the dent. After you have the sheet metal hot, then run the dry ice over the dent again until the metal is cooled to the temperature of the dry ice again. It takes about 3-6 times of this hot-cold-hot-cold routine to get complete results, but you will start to see the dent go away after the 1st cycle. Repeat this process until the dent is gone to your satisfaction. Your end result should look like this: This trick works even better with aluminum panels, does not scratch, discolor or harm the paint because the face of the dry ice on the sheet metal has a thin layer of Carbon Dioxide gas that is boiling off from the frozen dry ice. I next tried this technique on the 996 with a small ding on the left rear quarter panel, and it worked perfectly. So $3 worth of dry ice and about 30 minutes saved me several hundred dollars for a paintless dent repair guy to do essentially the same job.

This is a summary of the updates available for PCM2.1 systems fitted to MY2005 and MY2006 9x7 vehicles, which are required to run the latest maps (currently 08.2009 – MY2010). First, determine the current (Actual) software versions for the PCM and Amplifier. Press MAIN + TRIP together Scroll down to PCM and select Make a note of PCM Actual Version Go back & scroll down & select Amplifier Make a note of Amplifier Actual Version. If your car does not have an amplifier, the option will not be there. There are 4 levels of PCM software version: 04035xxx – Standard Production Status (Up to Week #42, 2004) 04202xxx – Model Level A (from Week #42, 2004 to Week #16, 2005) 05024xxx – Model Level B (from Week #16, 2005 to Week #22, 2006) 05395xxx – Model Level C (from Week #22, 2006 onwards) There are several early versions of the Bose amplifier, and it has been found (the hard way) that updating these using the Level A update CD can cause the amplifier to fail completely, and require replacement. If Amplifier Actual Version is less than 00017500 (ie 00016401) then do not attempt to update the system using an update CD. SOME of these early amplifiers can be updated using a PIWIS tester, but others require replacement. I would suggest contacting a Porsche Centre to determine this. If Amplifier Actual Version is 00017500/xxxx or greater then it is OK to update using the update CD. Required Updates: 1) If PCM is version 04035xxx then apply updates in this order: Level A, Level B, Phone, and Level C. 2) If PCM is version 04202xxx then apply updates in this order: Level B, Phone, and Level C. 3) If PCM is version 05024xxx then only apply Level C update. 4) If PCM is version 05395xxx then no updates are required, just insert the map disk. Update Disk Part Numbers (9x7): Level A - 000.043.205.46.004 (previously 000.043.205.46.001) – Updates Standard Production Status to Model Level A Level B - 000.043.205.46.002 - Updates Level A to Level B Phone - 000.043.205.46.003 - Updates Motorola phone module, if installed. Not required if phone module is not fitted. Level C - 000.044.901.40 - Updates Navigation Module, after Level B is installed, to Level C. Important: Levels A, B and Phone are done with a disk in the PCM CD drive. Level C is done with a CD in the Navigation drive. Note also that different update disks are required for Cayenne models. Edit 30th October 2012: Just to update this a little, I have just purchased the latest map DVD for Europe, which is 08.2012. Not cheap, at just over £300 +VAT. Part number 997.044.903.50. There are no further software updates, and it was plug & play in my sysetm. Still only partial postcode searches, and the map data files on the disk are 02.2012, so 3 and a bit years newer than the last one.

Hello. I have done this today on my 996Turbo MY2002, but it will probably work for 996 Carreras and Targas. Switchable power supply is available if your car is equipped with auto-dimming mirror. Here are the steps to complete installation: 1. There are two dimmed plastic covers on the sides of the dome light. Remove them (they go off pretty easily, do not use a screwdriver as you may damage the plastic). My guess is these are transmitter/receiver for the IR motion sensor of the car's alarm system. 2. Locate two screws there and use a philips screwdriver to undo them. 3. Now the dome light is only held back by the clips. Pull it down gently and it will hang loose. 4. Now locate the mirror harness. Shouldn't be very hard to do since you can track the wires going to the mirror. Undo the black duct tape holding the harness together and let loose the wires. 5. Now, you need a brown wire (ground) and black/orange wire (switched +12v). The latter is quite easy to find since it's the only one of this color, whilst there are 3 brown wires in this harness. One is sort of light brown, the other two are darker. You will need one of the darker wires, but you'll have to use a multimeter to find the one you need. Measure impedance between wire in question and any ground part of the car (there are metal parts under the dome light that we have removed in step 3). Find a wire whose impedance to ground is less than 10 ohms. You don't really need to remove insulation before you have found the right wire, just pierce through insullation using the multimeter's probes. After you've found the wire, use duct tape to insulate the other one. 6. Now you have the two wires you need. Locate the ground and +12v wires of your radar detector power cable and connect them in parallel to the brown and black/orange wires you have found in the mirror harness. Use duct tape to insulate the wires, then bundle them together into a harness also using duct tape. You can route the radar-detector power cable around the dome light mounting and hide it underneath the pillar. 7. Now assemble everything in reverse order and you're done! Some photos are included below. Enjoy!

I did the oil change yesterday and it went perfectly. I thought I'd provide the information in this post that I consolidated from this and other forums for any others who are interested. Pics attached. Thanks to all those who provided this information. 1. I changed the oil with a warm engine so that the oil would drain more easily. 2. I didn't unscrew the cap on the filler neck until midway through the draining process so that the oil wouldn't come out too quickly. 3. Unscrew the drain plug using an 8mm hex bit and let drain into a collecting basin. Next time I'll also place a tarp on the floor to catch any splatter that comes from the collecting basin. 4. While the oil was still dribbling, I loosened the oil filter housing using the special tool Oil Filter Spanner 92040. 5. While waiting for the oil filter element to completely drain, I removed the old O-ring from the oil filter housing. I used a flat head screw driver to get under it and to pry it off. Ensure not to scratch/damage the oil filter housing. The O-ring comes off very easily. 6. I then cleaned the oil filter housing, and placed a new O-ring on the oil filter housing. In the latter regard, I dipped the O-ring in some of the oil that was still inside the housing, distributed it all over the O-ring, and then gently rolled the O-ring over the housing until it rolled into place. Rolling it on evenly ensures that it doesn't get twisted, which would hamper making a good seal. 7. I then removed the old oil filter and cut it open to inspect it for metal fragments. Apparently small pepper sized metal fragments are okay, but cracked pepper sized fragments are a sign of potential problems. Mine looked great, with only a few little metal fragments in the entire filter. 8. Then I replaced the drain plug. I changed from the original to a magnetic one from LN Engineering (via Pelican Parts). It uses a 10mm hex. When putting the new aluminum sealing ring on the drain plug, ensure the smooth side is toward the engine block and the sharp edged side is toward the plug. I turned it counter clockwise until if felt it seat, then turned it clockwise by hand to ensure no cross-threading. Then use a torque wrench to tighten to 37 ftlb torque. 9. Then I inserted a new filter element. Place a little pressure on it and it pops right in place. 10. I prefilled the oil filter housing to somewhere between 1/3 and just under 1/2 full. Then screw it on by hand and finish with a torque wrench tightening to 19 ftlb torque (my 1/4" torque wrench only goes to 200 inlb which is a bit less than 19 ftlb--228inlb, and my 1/2" starts at 20ftlb; so I put it on with the 1/4 at 200 inlb and then checked with the 1/4" at 20 ftlb and got the click right away, so it should be about right). 11. I then began filling oil, having placed some paper towel to catch some drips under the filler neck. I put in the rest of the container that I started for the oil filter housing, as well as 7 more litres (i.e., 8 litres). 12. Check oil level. It gave an overfull indication, which apparently is normal. I started the car and let it run for about 15 seconds (Despite having prefilled the oil filter housing, I did get a low pressure warning that lasted only a second). Then started the check oil procedure again. This time it takes about 30 minutes. It tested one segment short (sorry for the poor pic but you'll get the idea). One segment corresponds to 0.4 litres, so I put in 400ml more, checked again with ignition only, and the oil level was perfect. So, the total oil used was 8.4 litres. 13. Then start the motor again and let run for a few minutes. Check for leaks. 14. Take it for a spin, and check for leaks.

Note: Part numbers sometimes change without notice. Always double check with your supplier that you have the latest part numbers. Images are for LHD cars - RHD cars will be on the opposite side. Parts you will need: 1 ea 996 571 219 03 Pollen Filter (Charcoal activated filter) Tools you will need: T25 Torx drive Remove T25 Torx screw that holds the panel cover in place (passenger side front trunk). Remove the panel cover. Remove the particle filter upwards and out of the housing guide. Insert a new particle filter into the housing guide. Check that the filter is correctly fitted and in the correct installation position. Replace the panel cover. Tighten T25 Torx screw that holds the panel cover in place.

Note: Part numbers sometimes change without notice. Always double check with your supplier that you have the latest part numbers. A third (center) radiator is standard on the Porsche GT3, Boxster S and all Carrera's or Boxster's with Tiptronic transmission. As well, the third radiator is now standard on all X51 Carrera Power Kit (engine power upgrade). Although the Tiptronic radiators are plumbed differently it is obvious that Porsche did this to increase the cooling capacity of these cars. Having great concern for my engine, specifically it's cooling in the hot California weather and... knowing that what Porsche does for it's competition cars is usually a good (yet sometimes expensive) idea for our street (sometimes tracked) cars. I decided to add the GT3 radiator to my 1999 Carrera Coupe (w/factory aerokit). The goal being that extra amount of protection that the additional cooling capacity adds. Initial tests show that the highest temperatures (after hard driving) have gone down 10-20°F (7-12°C) after this installation. Here is my installation procedure: It took me 4-5 hours taking pictures and cleaning. I would expect this can be done in 3-4 hours (or less). Parts you will need GT3/996 Radiator Kit (available as a kit from Carnewal.com) consisting of: 1 ea 996 106 037 51 Radiator 1 ea 996 106 666 52 Radiator Hose (right side return line) 1 ea 996 106 665 55 Radiator Hose (left side intake line) 1 ea 996 575 141 02 Air Duct (center) (for MY02 and newer 996 575 141 04) 1 ea 996 504 485 02 Retaining Frame (bottom) 1 ea 996 504 487 02 Retaining Frame (top) 4 ea 930 113 430 00 Rubber Grommets (for retaining frame) 2 ea 999 507 550 02 Speed Nut M6 (for retaining frame) 2 ea 900 378 036 09 Bolts M6 (for retaining frame) 2 ea 999 512 552 00 Screw Type Hose Clamps (now included in kit) 4 ea 999 591 869 02 Speed Nut M8 (for mounting bracket on the car) 4 ea 900 378 074 09 Bolts w/washers M8 (final mounting bolts for the assembly) Other items you will need: 4 ea 999 512 551 00 Screw Type Hose Clamps (large, do not reuse the spring clamps) 2 liters 000 043 203 78 Porsche HMZ Coolant Tools you will need Jack Jack stands 19 mm socket for wheel bolts Key for security wheel bolt Metric sockets - 10 mm, 13 mm Regular screwdriver Phillips screwdriver Torx bit- T25 Torque wrench (97 ft-lb) to tighten wheel bolts Utility Knife Cooling line mounting paths (what it will look like). The parts kit from Carnewal.com. Two views (second one courtesy of Scott Mandell). Pre-assemble the Radiator. Using the numbers in the illustration you can pre-assemble some of the radiator parts using the rubber grommets (4) and the M6 Speed Nuts (6) and M6 Bolts (5). Note the radiator outlet positions and the retaining frame top and bottom (see parts list for p/n). The radiator hose connections face the car and are on the top. The top retaining bracket (2) has tabs with small hooks. The tab hooks point towards the car and the tabs themselves angle away from the car. The bottom bracket (3) has tabs that face the car. When mounted the radiator will NOT be vertical it will be at a slight angle up. Raise the car and remove the wheels. Start by jacking the car up and placing jack stands under the front wheel jack mounts. This really puts the car at a more comfortable height to work on. Next remove the front wheels. Remove the side markers. Move the wheel well liners back. Remove from the wheel well the 3 plastic rivets and the 10 mm nut. Pull the wheel well liner back as shown (I used twine). Remove the front bumper cover. There are two screws on each side at the side marker area. One is at the forward part where the side marker assembly attaches, the other is behind the side marker. Remove the screws and rivets under the nose (2 rivets and 7-9 screws). Remove the plastic cover over the front trunk latch. This is held in place by four plastic fasteners. You just rotate these 90 degrees to remove them. Carefully pull the cover off over the latch handle. Finally remove the 2 screws (now visible). Detach the air temperature sensor cable. Lift the bumper cover off and place on a padded surface to avoid scratches. Remove the air scoops. There are 5 torx screws on the scoops to remove them. On the right side you will need to feed the rubber grommet (for the temperature sensor) through the scoop to remove it. Clean the radiators. Detach the air conditioning condensers (2 torx screws) and use a soft brush and vacuum to clean the radiators and air conditioner condensers well. Loosen the radiator assembly on each side. Remove the two bolts (13 mm) under the support bracket. Then remove the (13 mm) nut that holds the bracket (inside the wheel well). This will now allow the whole assembly to move about 6 inches down and to the side allowing enough room to change the hoses. Replace the lower hose on right (passenger side) side. Using pliers slide the hose spring clamps back on the hose but don't remove the hose yet. Place a clean container (about 2 quarts should be enough) to catch the coolant when you carefully remove the hose at the radiator end first. Coolant. This about the quantity of coolant you should expect when you remove the lower hose. I would guess slightly more than one radiator capacity. Right side (passenger side) Hoses. Old hose on left new hose on right. Place the clamps on the hoses and re-attach. Before tightening down the hose clamps rotate the hose so that the small hose is correctly positioned at to the top center of the car (for the new radiator). Replace the upper hose on left (drivers side) side. Place the clamps on the hoses and re-attach. Before tightening down the hose clamps rotate the hose so that the small hose is correctly positioned at to the top center of the car (for the new radiator). This one is a little trickier but you should see the hose path as it sits up and under the fender. Left side (drivers side) Hoses. Old hose on left new hose on right. Attach the center radiator to the car. Using the M8 speed nuts place them on the brackets on the car and attach the radiator (assembly) loosely using just the top 2 bolts. Attach the small hose to the center radiator. To easily attach the left hose remove the bolt from the left side mounting (now only supported on the right) and attach the hose and tighten the clamp. Do the reverse on the other side (place bolt back in left side and remove right bolt). Finally tighten down all 4 M8 bolts to hold the radiator firmly in place. Re-attach the radiators. Carefully re-position the radiators and replace the 2 bolts and nut that holds the assembly in place. Take care to line it up as it was previously. Reattach air conditioner condensers and tighten the 2 torx screws that hold them in place. Test for leaks. Start the engine and run for at least 5 minutes while checking for leaks. If everything is tight and leak free proceed with the rest of the re-assembly. Attach center air duct. Carefully position the air duct such that the 6 protrusions snap into the places on the radiator frame. Reattach the side air scoops (5 each torx screws). Remove the center plug in the bumper cover. This may sound easier than it is. Seems Porsche uses a black silicone type sealant on this. I found the best way was to use (carefully) a utility knife to cut away as much of the sealant as possible and then carefully pull until I got a corner up and worked my way around the edges. Note: For standard (non-aerokit) front bumpers; cut the inside gasket along the line. Remove the center plug as shown in these images (courtesy of Scott Mandell) Or, you could replace the rubber bumper insert with: 996 505 553 05 01C Air Inlet for Tiptronic (or for MY02 and newer 996 505 561 02 01C). This replaces the original insert and installs across width of stock 996 bumper. Re-attach the bumper cover. Basically, the reverse of removal. Re-attach wheel well covers. Ditto, basically the reverse of removal. Re-attach the side marker lights, wheels, lower car. Again, the reverse of removal. Add coolant, check for leaks (again), and bleed system... Add a mixture of antifreeze and water using the HMZ coolant. Antifreeze in coolant: 50% gives protection down to -31°F (-35°C) 60% gives protection down to -58°F (-50°C). Be careful not to overfill (it will get pushed out on the floor). Lift the bleed valve. Start the engine and allow it to get to full operating temperature (I also ran the air conditioning to force circulation). The coolant warning light will likely start to flash. Shut the engine off and WAIT until the engine and coolant has cooled enough to remove the coolant tank cap. Then add coolant to the tank and repeat the process. You made need to do this 2-3 times. When the coolant level fails to fall then the system is bled and you can close the bleeder valve. Enjoy your "cool" car. Just to be safe it might make sense to check the coolant level a couple of times in the next one or two days. I found under heavy (track) driving in hot weather my coolant temps run 10 to 20°F (7 to 12°C) cooler now.

The finish on the U-shaped silver trim that surrounds the shifter boot on the 996 (1994 C4 I my case) can start to bubble and lift, as you can see from the pictures. While I had read that it would require a full replacement the boot assembly (over $250) as the trim is an integral part of the boot assembly, I decided to try to remove and repair it. Trim removal from shift boot assembly It is possible to separate the trim from the assembly. Six plastic studs are molded into the back side of the trim to hold it in place in the boot assembly. Starting at the open end of the “U”, I pushed from the backside and lower part of the trim. It took some time to work them free and separate it. Go slowly, be firm, but gentle. Removal of old trim finish The trim is a piece of U-shaped plastic covered in a foil-like silver finish. It is this finish that was bubbling. Starting where it had bubbled up, I used a sharp knife to peel the old foil off. This can be time consuming because the foil adheres quite well where it is not bubbled. Using a sharp blade (razor or x-acto) flush against the surface allows you to peel back the foil enough to use your thumb and forefinger and pull it off in small to medium-sized strips. I also found that if you do this at the edges of the tri, you could get larger edge to peel off. You want to be careful not to gauge the surface as this will likely show through when you paint it. I removed 100% of the foil from the visible portion of the pieces, all of the edges, but could not get about 15% to 20% of the foil on the inner (concave) portion of the trim piece to come off and did not think it was necessary to spend any more time. Refinishing Preparation - Very lightly sand the outer surface of the piece with 220 grit (I did not have any 360 or 400) to rough up the surface and smooth any knife marks. Wipe it down with a damp rag to remove the sanding dust and then wipe with a rag dabbed in a small amount of acetone to clean the surface. Prime with Dupli-Color grey primer – 3 light coats. Finishing – Finish with 3 coats of Dupli-Color VW Diamond Silver (P/N 8802029) and 2 coats of clear coat. (I took the trim to the store and VW Silver was the closest match). Reinstallation The trim piece simply snaps back into place. Conclusion The silver is a pretty close match (the picture is not representative). The new finish lacks, perhaps, a bit of metallic lustre, but is much better than what was there. Total time was about 1.5 hours, but it took about 8 hours with paint drying time.

Note: Part numbers sometimes change without notice. Always double check with your supplier that you have the latest part numbers. Tools you will need: Crimping tool Soldering Iron Hot airgun (or hair dryer) Parts For MY99-MY01 use: 996.616.101.00 For MY02 and newer use: 996.616.141.00 Heat shrink tubing (fairly large) Electrical tape (optional) Note: The ballast resistor is available as a spare part and can be replaced by crimping it onto the old wires. 1. Disconnect the battery and cover the terminal or battery. 2. Unclip ballast resistor from the holder from below. 3. Cut off wires approx. 30 mm behind the old ballast resistor. 4. Slide heat-shrink tubing over the wires to the plug connections (2x) and to the fan motor (1x). 5. Shorten wires of the new ballast resistor to approx. 30 mm and strip approx. 5 mm of insulation off all wire ends. 6. Using a commercially available crimping tool, join the wires with crimp connectors. 7. After crimping, solder the crimp connectors. Slide heat-shrink tubing over the crimp connectors and then shrink the tubing with a hot airgun. 8. Carefully route the wires and, if necessary, fix in place with plastic tape.

Now let me say that this job was quite straightfoward, BUT I would suggest that you have a bit of experience in bearing fittting as well as presswork or you may really mess things up in a big way. You also need a ball joint service puller set, and yes you need ALL the tools in the kit. I got mine from OTC/ msc industrial supply cat #78453842. You will also need a way to make some mandrels for pressing the bearings in and out. And a way to heat the carrier to around 150 degrees. Now for the fun 1) jack up car and place on jackstands, remove front wheels 2) remove front plastic underpanel 3) have someone hold the brakes (hard) and remove the front large (1.25") axel nut, this is TIGHT 340 ft.lbs. so get ready for a fight. 4) with a brass or aluminium mandrel and a hammer tap, (ok smack), the drive shaft to dislodge it from the splines of the hub (don't mess up the threads!!!) 5)Remove the brake pads and the brake caliper (hex drive) tie it up in the wheel well out of the way 6)Remove the psm sensor, move it to the side (2 10mm nuts) 7)unbolt lower sway bar link 8)unbolt headlight sensor link 9)Remove the brake rotor 10) Remove tin brake shield (10mm bolts) 11) remove 18mm nut and press apart tie rod link with the tool 12) remove the 18mm nut and carefully use the tool to press apart the lower ball joint 13) Unbolt the clamp on the strut, then while pressing down on the lower arm slide the carrier off the strut and the front axel (gt2 remove axel-bearing retainer) and take to the bench 14) Now from the rear side carefully press the center hub out of the bearing, It will come apart with 1/2 the bearing attached to the center hub, it is TIGHT and will take a bit of force to remove it. Be careful NOT to hurt the carrier as it is $$$ if you break it 15) With a puller remove the center race(the part that was left on the shaft) from the hub, set aside 16) take off the 4- 13mm bolts and remove the bearing retainer plate from the carrier 17) HEAT (and DO NOT skip this step) the carrier to 100 deg,F and with a mandrel press/drive out the bearing from the carrier, again BE CAREFUL when suporting the carrier!!!! 18) Clean all parts. 19) Now the bearing is about a .0035 PRESS fit in the carrier, you CANNOT just press it in cold, you MUST heat the carrier to get it in, there are 2 methods to do this a) heat carrier to 100 deg F and using a mandrell that touches only the outer part of the bearing press in the new bearing B) set a inside micrometer to .004 over the bearing size, then heat the carrier to around 150 deg F, at this point check size with the mike to make SURE the carrier is over the size of the bearing and drop the bearing into the carrier, it will slip right in with no force at all, HOWEVER if you goof up and it sticks 1/2 way you are screwed. 20) Replace the bearing retainer plate with the 4 bolts, if yours has it the small notch goes to the bottom, its a water drain, torque the bolts, 27 ft lbs 21) Very carefully suporting the inner bearing race only,press in the wheel hub to the stop, be careful not to hurt your new bearing. WATCH what you press on!!!!! 22) assemble in reverse order, center 1.25 nut torques to 340 ft,lbs. 23) make sure to torque all bolts/nut to the correct values and double check all bolts.nuts before driving As you can see this bearing was SHOT, 26,000 miles and sounded like road noise, it did not respond to any tests like a bad bearing at all, so check your bearings!!! Thanks to Jeremy at Imagine Auto for the quick service and the tips, you guys are great !! Good luck !! Do this repair at your own risk, this diy is just provided as a general guide.

I feel more comfortable having a fire extinguisher next to me, and I am surprised that it's not required in the US, unlike in some Europe nations. This DIY contains 3 different methods of attaching a fire extinguisher to the passenger seat of a non-motorized regular 996/Boxster seat. Other seats (e.g., motorized, GT3, sports, whatever) may be different. These seats come equiped with two tabs with holes to which you can attach a bracket that can hold an extinguisher. See the first picture. Ignore the drill chuck for now. The purpose of having an extinguishersin your car is to extingish *small* fires before they get worse. Do NOT expect to extinguish an engulfing fire with these 1 - 2 lbs units. Just stand back and look real sorry. There are different kinds of extinguishers. The most popular ones that are small enough to fit in your car are either powder extinguishers, Halon, or Halotron. Powder extinguishers are inexpensive (e.g., 10$ for a Kidde unit at most hardware stores), effective but they leave a terrible mess. The dammage caused by the corrosive powder may be worse than the fire they extinguish, especially in the passenger compartment. The Kidde units typically don't come with metal brackets which is a must for cars and also required by most clubs. Club rules may also require a minimum size (e.g., > 2 lbs). A better choice are the Halon and Halotron units. Unfortunately, production of Halon has been banned because they dammage the Ozone layer, though you can probably still find a few units (at a very high cost). The current replacements are the Halotron units, however, be aware that the Amerex 2.5 lbs Halotron bottles are a tad longer than their Halon counter parts (15 1/2" vs 14 3/8"). Amerex seems to be the preferred choice for car extinguishers. They also come with metal brackets. http://www.amerex-fire.com/products.html Amerex sells both red as chrome plated extinguishers. Shop around for best prices and be aware of hefty shipping costs! In the US, probably your best bet is to get the Brey Krause R-2020 bracket http://www.bkauto.com/porsche/r2020.php and attach your extinguisher to that. List price is around 110US$. See a typically installation in the next two pictures: Note however that he extinguisher sticks out a bit, and also note the clearance of the Halon bottle to the right. A Halotron bottle is almost 1"larger which means it will be a pretty tight fit. Seat movement seems to be unimpaired, and neither is seating. I was also warned to raise the seat to it highest position when installing the BK unit to releave tension in the spring. It's very hard to compress the seat-raise spring. I also had a look at how they installed an extinguisher in Europe (see next two pics). This particular example was held in place by a plastic strap. It's not the cleanest install, but it was the least obtrusive and visible. The final option that I am aware of is to buy the Porsche bracket (996 521 674 00, about 15US$, you need to go to the stz2 section in PET to find it). See next picture. I decided to go this route, and get the smallest Amerex Halotron fire extinguisher (again, be aware of the club rules). I had to make an adaptor plate from a piece of metal (I used a piece of 0.03" thick aircraft aluminum) to mate the Amerex bracket with the Porsche bracket: see next picture with all the pieces ligned up and assembled before I painted the plate black. The Porsche bracket had a tab sticking out that I flattened. The bad part of all this is attaching the P bracket to the seat and then the rest of the parts without removing the seat. The Porsche specs call for 5mm diameter bolts. However, the holes in the seat are smaller and either require you to drill out the holes or tap them (good luck trying to get a drill in there). The simplest route is to use 4 mm bolts and locking nuts (with a few washers) which you can purchase at most hardware stores. Nevertheless, accessing these bolts and nuts for the P bracket, and then attaching the plate and extinguisher bracket requires some acrobatics and creative use of swivel tools and other tools to put this together. I did tap (5mm .8 pict, see first picture) the center hole under the seat, but it really serves no purpose because the P bracket actually slide above the hole and so a bolt does no good. This is why the Brey Krause methods is significantly easier to install. Nevertheless, I am happy with the results. The unit is tucked away like in a European install.

Start by removing the air filter/metering unit. Two clips hold the Air Fuel Meter cable in place. Disconnect AFM connector and set aside.Remove single bolt holding AF assembly (13mm) and tilt unit back to remove. Set aside. Remove 2 bolts and 1 nut (10mm) holding air pump. One nut holds the Coolant Reservoir. Set aside. I used some string to pull it away from CR. Drain antifreeze by means of drain plug at the bottom of engine. Drain just enough to empty CR, then a little more. I used an aluminum turkey tray to hold antifreeze and reuse. Loosen 3 spring clamps holding hoses to CR. There are two fuel lines that will prevent you from removing the tank from the engine compartment. Loosen (17 & 19mm) them and tuck away (see picture). Disconnect tank sensor. In my car, it seems like it was leaking... (see picture) Slide tank towards engine and maneuver tank out. Be careful with other hoses and electrical connectors. Reverse the procedure to install. Add antifreeze, purge and check for leaks.

Note: Part numbers sometimes change without notice. Always double check with your supplier that you have the latest part numbers. The switch is part number 996.613.155.00 A02 for a switch installed on the left side of the dash and 996.613.156.10.A05 for a switch installed on the right side of the dash. Like other dash switches it has a raised portion on one side. When you order the switch, ensure you specify which side you want the raised portion according to which side of the dash you are installing it into. These install procedures assume you will be placing the switch in the unused dash socket below the PSM switch on a RHD car. For LHD cars, the PSM switch is on the left side of the dash and the raised portion of the tail switch should also be on the left (as shown in the picture). For RHD cars, the PSM switch is on the right of the dash and the raised portion of the tail switch should also be on the right. Take care that you order the correct tail switch for your car. Parts you will need: 1 ea 996.613.155.00 A02 (or 996.613.156.10.A05) Spoiler Switch 5 ea Female connectors 5 feet (1 length) Connector cable 2 (3 inch length each) 14 gauge wire few Cable ties Tools you will need: Phillips head screw driver Blunt flat blade to prise the switch tab (I used a butter knife) Wire cutters Crimping tool Soldering ironRemove the cover from the fuse box. Then carefully remove the four screws pointed out in the picture. Ensure the screws do not fall into the fuses else you may start a fire! (The fusebox is located in the drivers side footwell.) Once the screws are removed, pull away the carpet trim around the fuse box. You will be cutting into the wiring loom connected to the existing spoiler (tail) switch. The switch is the black square item located in the bottom left corner of the fuse box. Note: The installation of the new in-dash tail switch does not effect operation of the existing spoiler (tail) switch. It is simply wired in parallel to it. I have used a mirror here to show you the back of the fuse box. Pull the connector from the switch. It has no clips but it may be quite hard to pull off. Be careful not to pull the wires out of the connector. DO NOT use a metal implement to pry it off. If you rock it from side to side while pulling, it will eventually come off the switch. Here you can see the connector pulled away from the switch. The connector has three wires: Green/black, Brown/Green and Brown. Carefully cut the 3 wires going to the connector. Ensure you do not short the wires as you cut them. Leave a long tail on the wires at the connector as you will need to splice them back later Use a blunt blade to carefully pry out the switch tab holding the PSM switch in the dash. I used alarm wire in a single cable. You need 3 cores in the cable and it needs to be about 5 feet long. Feed it through the opening for the PSM switch tab. You can see in the picture where you can feed it through the back. Push the wire through so that you can grab it from underneath the dash and feed it along within the dash to bring it out behind the fuse box. Carefully cut the 3 wires going to the connector. Ensure you do not short the wires as you cut them. Leave a long tail on the wires at the connector as you will need to splice them back later Fit the new tail switch into an unused slot. Usually the one below the PSM. Place the connectors as shown on the switch. Make a note of the colour coding you use and which switch terminals you put them on. I used red, brown and black wires in this configuration. Next you will wire up the tail switch light. Use two 14 gauge wires cut to about 3 inches. I used blue and brown wires. Strip both ends of the two wires. Crimp a female tag onto one end of each wire. Connect the tags on these wires to the two outer (remaining) tail switch tags. Pull off the connector from the back of the PSM switch. Insert the blue wire onto the left most PSM switch tag (blue/pink/brown connection wire). Insert the brown wire onto the top PSM switch tag (red/blue connection wire). Ensure the inserted wires are not shorting any other tags. Push the PSM connector back into place with the inserted wires. One way to do this is to cut the bare ended wires short and feed them through the tag holes before pushing the connector back on to the PSM switch. At the switch box end, feed a 1 inch piece of heat shrink sleeve onto each of the 3 exposed loom wires. Push the sleeves along to expose the bare wires. Pre-solder each end on all exposed 9 wire ends. Then solder the loom wires back together while at the same time splicing the new wires into the loom. The 9 wires comprise 3 from the original Spoiler (tail) switch connector, 3 in the loom that you cut from the tail connector and 3 that you have just wired in from your new tail switch. The wires are soldered as follows: red -> red/green black -> green/black brown -> brown Check the solder joints. Push the sleeving over the joints and use the soldering iron to heat the sleeving so that it shrinks around the solder joints. Ensure no strands of wires or solder is protruding from the sleeving. Refit the connector back to the original fuse box spoiler (tail) switch. It is important to tidy up your cabling. I used cable ties to ensure the cables don't rub on anything sharp. Before refitting the switch tab, test that your newly installed in-dash tail switch works. Also test that the switch light works when you turn your side lamps on (with ignition on of course). Finally, replace the switch tab in the dash, push the fuse box surround carpet back into place and replace the 4 screws. Job done.

Note: Part numbers sometimes change without notice. Always double check with your supplier that you have the latest part numbers. Parts you will need: 1.5 liters Shell Transaxle (75W-90) or Mobil Mobilube PTX (75W-90) Approved Front Axle Oils 000 043 204 20 Mobil (Mobilube PTX) - 20 liter container 000 043 204 19 Shell (Transaxle) - 20 liter container 999 917 546 00 Shell (Transaxle) - 1 liter container Tools you will need: Tire ramps or jack Wrench for the fill plug Wrench for the drain plug 2 quart oil catch pan Torque wrench (optional) Draining Front Wheel Drive Oil Front Wheel Drive oil should be changed when the engine/transmission has reached normal operating temperature. CAUTION - oil will be hot, take adequate precautions to avoid being burned. Use ramps or jack up the vehicle at the points provided. Remove underside panels to access the front wheel drive. Place oil collection pan under the front wheel drive (at least 4 quarts). Always dispose of the waste oil in accordance with local legal requirements. Unscrew oil filler screw (A). Unscrew oil drain screw (B) and drain the front wheel drive oil. Wait about 20 minutes for all the old oil to drain. Fill Front Wheel Drive Oil Clean oil drain and oil filler screw. Screw in oil drain screw. Tightening torque: 21 ft-lb. (28 Nm) Fill with gear oil up to the bottom edge of the oil filler opening. Screw in oil filler screw. Tightening torque: 21 ft-lb.(28 Nm) Install underside panels. Front Wheel Drive Model/Capacity (approx.) 911 Carrera 4 - 1.5 liters Turbo - 1.2 liters

The Tiptronic transmission has a special tool for fluid. First you have to purchase the tool (expensive) or make one (inexpensive). The tool is the V.A.G.1924, runs about $300. You need the following tools and parts to start: 1. ATF fill tool 2. 7 (US) Quarts of Pennzoil Multi-Vehicle ATF 3. Torque wrench for 60 ft lbs 4. Torque wrench for 7.5 ft lbs (90 in lbs) 5. 17 mm allen bit 6. 8 mm allen bit 7. Torx 27 bit 8. Temperature meter with probe. I used an Oregon Scientific with a probe that has a 10 ft cord. 9. Porsche part 986 397 016 00 Paper gasket (Call Sunset Porsche, great guys) 10. Porsche part 986 307 403 00 ATF filter 11. Porsche part 986 397 016 00 rubber ring for fill plug 12. Kitty liter, you will spill 13. Socket set 14. Plenty of rags 15. Oil catch pan 16. Safety goggles First we assemble the filling tool out of parts you can find in Lowes or Home Depot type of homestores: 1. Hudson 1 gallon tank ($9.95) 2. Barbed fittings and 8 ft of tygon 3/8 clear hose. 3. 1/4 inch shut off valve - brass 4. 12 inch of flexible copper tube, 1/4" 5. Assemble as shown below and bend the tube per the picture. The steps are easy to follow: 1. Lift car off the ground and on jack stands. I need 16 inches on the stands to be comfortable. 2. Slide oil catch pan under fluid pan and remove drain plug with 8 mm allen bit 3. Remove the cross arm that traverses the fluid pan. Loosen only one bolt, remove the other. It will be easier for the next step and you can prop the arm to help catch the pan when the bolts are removed. 4. When the fluid has drained, secure drain plug back in and torque to 30 ft lbs. 5. Using the Torx 27 bit, remove all the screws crosswise. Move the cross arm out of the way as needed, but put back in a place where the pan will not fall. THE PAN STILL HAS FLUID in it, be careful 6. Remove pan carefully. The green gasket should still be attached to it. 7. Remove the two screws that hold the filter in place. Make sure the oil catch pan is underneath, the filter will have fluid as well. Remove filter. 8. Thinly coat some petroleum jelly on the suction collar of the ATF filter and install filter 9. Install new filter and screw the two screws to a torque of 4.5 ft lbs. 10. Empty the filter pan into the oil catch pan with all the waste oil. Place the filter pan on a flat surface and remove the gasket. 11. Set the plastic guard cap so the two windows are facing sideways. The holes will be used later for the fill tube and for the temperature probe. Notice how large they are. 12. Use the rags to clean the pan and the magnets in the pan. Set the magnets back to their original location. Here is a nice clean pan and magnets. 13. Place the new gasket on the pan. I used petroleum jelly thin coat on a few places to hold it in place. 14. Fit ATF pan back into transmission, tighten the screws crosswise to 7.5 ft lbs. It may be convenient to use the cross arm as a resting place while you re-attach the pan. 15. Remove the fill plug with the 17 mm allen key. Replace the ring gasket with the new one. 16. Fill the pressure tank with ATF fluid, make sure the valve is closed. Pump the tank to provide the pressure to move the fluid. The clear hose will show the red fluid filling it, and also you will see it running later. 17. Insert the "hook" end of the copper tube into the fill hole, and hook it into one of the holes mentioned before. Insert the temperature probe into the other hole, make sure it is secured. 18. Open the valve and let the ATF fluid begin to flow. You will have to add more fluid to the tank and keep it pumped. When the fluid begins to escape through the hole. It will drip, so close the valve. 19. Start the car. Open the valve to let more fluid into the ATF pan. Keep it pumped. Look at the temperature display on your probe. The temperature should not exceed 45 C. It begins at room temperature, so you got a few minutes. 20. Move the selector to position "P" and let idle for a a few seconds. When the fluid begins to emerge again from the filler tube, close the filling valve. 21. The engine should still be idling, keep an eye on the temp probe. With the brake pedal on, change the transmission through each position, holding the position for 10 seconds. 22. Open fill valve again until ATF fluid escapes from the hole. Make sure the temperature is higher than 30 C, and should be around 40C by now. Remove temperature probe and filler tube. 23. Replace the filler plug and torque to 59 ft lbs. 24. Turn engine off, and take car out for a test. :drive: 25. You are done, check for leaks, clean the spills (cat litter), and enjoy some smooth shifting.

Integrated Garage Door Opener DIY I got tired of forgetting to remove the garage door opener at Concours and getting points taken off, so I decided to integrate it into the center console. I got my inspiration from Kirby's Garage Door Opener DIY and added a few twists. I took the existing garage door opener from Genie and opened it up to use just the circuit board. This particular circuit board had lots of extra unused traces and holes that went back to were the switch was (probably for different enclosures), so I just picked 2 and ran about 5 feet of wire from each one. Then I put a little cap over the switch to prevent it from being pushed and wrapped the whole board in electrical tape. I wanted to put the circuit board transmitter as high in the car as possible to get the maximum sending range. I settled on putting the transmitter at the top of the drivers side A pillar, secured with some velcro. There is plenty of space under interior A pillar cover which goes over the transmitter with no problems. The 2 wires are run down the A pillar in the wire conduit that is there, and along the bottom of the drivers side of the dash to the center console. This arrangement gives me a 1.5 block range on the transmitter, which is further than I can see the house. The only downside to this arrangement is that you have to take off the A pillar cover to change the remote control battery. But this only need to be done every other year or more, so I don't think it is an issue. The parts that I used for the switch and its placement are from a 996 Targa. The batwing is called a Sole Switch Trim, P/N 996-552-335-01-01C and lists for $12.69. The Switch is called a Tip Switch, P/N 996-613-119-10-A05 and lists for 23.56. This switch is used to control the sunshade on the Targa. The plug blank is one I had laying around is probably under $5.00. Wiring the actual switch is pretty straight forward. There are 5 spades on the switch, 3 are used for the Garage Door Opener, and 2 are for the switch icon lighting. The 2 outboard vertical spades are for the lighting of the switch icon. Looking at the switch from the front, the spade on the left is the + lead, and the right spade is the - lead. I took lighting power from the seat heater switch lights. On those switches connector the brown wire is -, and the blue/red wire is +. The blue red wire is pigtailed between the 2 connectors, so that is the giveaway on it. I used inline cable splicers to connect the new leads. Back to the garage door switch, the center 3 spades are what are used for the wiring back to the remote control circuit board. The bottom horizontal spade is for one wire connection, and the 2 vertical spades above it are ganged together for the other wire connection. This way you can push the switch in either direction and the garage door remote will activate. So there you have it, another nice way to integrate your garage door opener into your 996. :) ONE LAST THING: Be sure to put in a fresh battery before you button up you work. A fresh battery can last 3-5 years under normal use! Otherwise, you may be opening up things much earlier to replace the battery.

My shift knob was looking pretty rough. The brushed steel was scratched and looked well worn. I originally assumed the brushed steel portion of the knob was just painted plastic to match the rest of the 996 interior and I was planning on sanding it down and repainting myself. I had even gone as far as looking for a replacement mostly because I enjoy the look and feel of a good shift knob. I tried scratching off a little paint and realized the finish was actually brushed steel and not plastic :-) Since I had already decided to refinish the knob I started the steps to refinish. I used tools that I already had available which included: electrical tape to protect the leather while polishing dremel with a flexible shaft 100 grit circular paper sanding disks (approximately 2cm diameter). (3 or 4) 400 grit circular paper sanding disks. (3 or 4) circular cloth polishing attachments for the dremel (5 or 6) course "steel cleaning" polishing compound final finish polishing compound liquid polishing paste (probably not necessary) black shoe polish to clean up the leather The first step was to protect the leather using electrical tape. It was pretty easy to position the tape very close to the steel by stretching the tape. I originally taped over the Porsche crest, but later found out that it was easy enough to avoid touching it using the circular sanding disks. I then used a small paper sanding disk with a dremel to sand off the brushed finish and remove the scratches. The first step was with 100 grit sanding disks. Using a circular paper disk make it easy to get very close to the edge of the steel and also follow the contours of the knob. This took about 15 minutes. After the first stage the knob looked like this (still with the electrical tape attached) The next step was to sand away the scratches from the 100 grit sandpaper. For this I used 400 grit paper sanding disks with the dremel. It took approximately as long as the first step (15 minutes). With a little practice I was able to get very close to the edge of the steel. At this point there were still a few scratches that were too deep to easily get with the 400 git paper so I had to repeat the process using the 100 grit disks. The next stage was using a course polishing compound with a small round polishing wheel for the dremel. The polish melts when it comes in contact with the spinning wheel. The polishing compound removed the irregular reflections from the steel and made a noticeable difference from the previous sanding. I then did the same with a polishing compound made for the final polish. This step didn't make much of a difference but the knob was now looking pretty shiny. For a final polish I used a liquid metal polish (Mothers) that I had previously been using on my rims. After this the knob looked almost perfect. I removed the electrical tape and use shoe polish on the leather to clean it up a little. The result was better than I had expected. Not quite "brand new" but very close. And since it is pretty easy to polish I may end up doing this every year or two. The final pictures are below. It looks much better 'live' than in the pictures.