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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.

EDIT: Additional info added at bottom of tutorial, refers to recently found info, clarifying how many different fluids are needed for the 970 generation of Panamera PDK (at end of tutorial). Attached is a DIY for changing fluid on Panamera PDK transmission. Got this from a fellow forum member who happened to do the change. This should help many interested in doing maintenance on Panamera without paying thousands for it. Speaking to shop/dealer, after 60k, filter/pan replacement not absolutely necessary (cost of the kit is about $350). So for 60k, drain and refill fluid is fine. At 120k, you would do same fluid change, but this time replace the pan/filter as well. Read the entire DIY before you start to get a good idea of requirements and estimate time involvement for you to complete. Do not forget to replace the drain plug with its built in seal. Last thing you need is have a $15 part cause small leaking, and then have to put car up, open up drain plug, lose a bunch of expensive oil, just to put new drain plug in. So dont cut on this one part. You can get the Pentosine FFL3 PDK fluid directly from Porsche, or from Pentosine resellers. Porsche will charge you triple the price for identical fluid. You choose. Everything you need is mentioned in the DIY. Since Durametric does not have capability to monitor PDK temperature yet, you can use an IR thermometer, when you heat up the PDK to 40 celsius, after you put in 6-8 quarts or so, and when doing final level check. Good luck. 970 generation Panamera PDK transmission info: ZF is manufacturer of PDK transmission for Porsche They make 2 PDK transmissions One for mid & rear engine applications (911, boxter, etc) Another one specifically made for the Panamera Panamera PDK servicing requires two (2) fluids only (as compared to 3 fluids in other PDK car models at Porsche FFL3 fluid - Gearbox & clutches - need about 9 quarts Shell TF0951 - Front final drive - need about 0.4 quarts Here is the info dug up from ZF on this topic: "In fact, two separate DCT ranges or 'platforms' have been developed by ZF, both fitted with wet clutches, for use in Porsche's various longitudinal applications. The first is for use in the mid- and rear-engine sports cars (the 911, the Cayman and the Boxster), while a completely different platform has been developed for use in the larger Panamera. For each platform, two different torque options are available, with the 500N.m versions using an 'ND2015' clutch pack, and the 780N.m versions using an 'ND2216' clutch pack, both supplied by ZF Sachs....... In terms of the oil circuit itself, two completely different approaches have been employed for the two platforms. Non Panamera models: The 7DT45 and 7DT70 have two oil circuits, and hence two different oils; the first is Pentosin FFL-3 for the clutch and hydraulics, and the second is ExxonMobil Mobilube PTX 75W-90 for the gear-set and bevel gear. The oil levels have been kept as low as possible, to reduce churning losses for those moving parts that are immersed in oil. Panamera: Conversely, the 7DT75 has a single oil circuit and a dry sump (to minimize churning losses), with an 'active lubrication system' to feed oil to each gear-set and clutch. This version uses only the Pentosin FFL-3 lubricant, which was developed exclusively for the ZF DCTs. One of the main reasons for using a single oil circuit is that clutch cooling is required at both ends of the transmission, for the main dual-clutch module and for the hang-on clutch used in the four-wheel-drive variant. This would have presented significant sealing complications had multiple circuits been chosen." Bottom line: What this means is that the Panamera PDK uses transmission design which uses one fluid compartment for the gearbox and the clutches, and another separate compartment for the final drive. Two fluids total.

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

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.

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 8) 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

After this I hope we will not see any more posts about 'I took the Panamera to the dealer to replace the cabin filter'. Makes my eyes water thinking how easy it is to do on your own. If you really have too much money, send me some (I can pm you my paypal id), and/or you can send some dough to contribute to this forum. Come on, if you can afford $250 for cabin air filter change, you can support us here. Just follow each pic from 1 to 10. All needed is your fingers, but in case you do not like using your fingers, get some soft plastic pry tool. Good luck.

Please refer to this thread on Rennlist : Then the details are: This applies to the Porsche M96 with Variocam. Later Variocam Plus is not quite the same. This is a WIP that I hope others will improve. The info is gleaned from dozens of posts which I have used to put the basics in one place. Now it is your turn to improve it, add photos , links and most important – corrections . Here is my related Thread: Check the engine diagram to get the correct terminology.Confusing a Variocam actuator with a Chain Tensioner is a common mistake. When in doubt use Porsche part numbers only. Diagnosis: Without Durametric or PIWIS you will not be diagnosing.You will be guessing. Beware of cheap Fleabay knock-off cables. They run very old ,often corrupted versions of the software. This causes misdiagnosis or failure to actuate components. They have no Tech Support.A very expensive mistake to make.Pelican sell the genuine Durametric cable. Make sure you don't have other faults caused by old O2 sensors ,old plugs, vacuum leaks. Check Coil ground for 1.2.3 on the 6mm stud near the AOS is good. Clear all codes. Durametric at idle produces no codes. Increase idle speed to 2000 rpm and the 1341 reappears. This is the target identified.But the big diagnostic problem that I never solved is how to distinguish between a failed solenoid and a failed actuator without taking the cam cover off and more. Using the Durametric cable, “ACTUAL ANGLE” for Bank 1 shows no advance - a flat line or lots of small oscillations but never reaches a # near 25 degrees. Bank 2 shows 25 degrees and deviation is rock steady and within limits(6 degrees). This is the general target confirmed. Without Durametric at this stage ,you were lost ! You clear the codes and at idle activate (with Durametric) the solenoid for Bank 2 .Hear the change in engine sound? Yes. Try same on Bank 1 – no change - double confirmation. Seems like the Variocam solenoid is not functioning or the actuator ,or both ? Or the wiring or the DME. Some expensive components here so let’s do some tests. Tests: You will need to make some test cables to use in each of the tests below.AS noted below you can hack some male & female Bosch EV1 connectors to fit.I made dedicated test cables for each test to avoid the risk of arcing between probes or alligator clips. The man problem is access. On a Boxster, Bank 1 is the worst. 1. Disconnect the plug for the variocam solenoid. Test the solenoid - you are looking for approx..13.5 ohms across the 2 contacts (not to chassis ground!). 2. At the mating part of the solenoid wiring connector use a MultiMeter on the 20V scale. Connect ONLY between the 2 contacts. Do NOT connect to chassis ground. You are looking for around 10.5 volts (assuming a fully charged battery) . Yes one of the contacts is battery voltage and the other is a switched (3v)ground via the DME – but that is needlessly complicated to get into at this stage.Just look for 10.5 volts. If you get no reading - is the engine up to full operating temperature? 3. With the engine warm & idling , connect the solenoid contacts via a 12v battery (from a cordless power tool?) The engine note should change because you are advancing the valve timing on only this Bank by 20 degrees. Remove the 12v battery connection. Engine reverts to normal idle. You can make the connector and leads from an EV1 connector if you cut back the shroud/casing.A word of caution about the polarity of the test connection directly to the solenoid. First -use a fuse in the test cable . Check Bentley for the wiring diagram and be very careful to follow the same polarity. In theory it should not matter but Porsche used polarized connectors ,so we should also? A related test without Durametric is to use the same 12v source to activate the solenoid with the engine OFF, in a very quiet workshop. If the solenoid is working you should hear a 'click' every time you press the MOM switch on the test harness.This is significant because you need to understand what makes the click sound . Is it the solenoid or is it the sound of the actuator moving the timing chain or both ? I ask this question because the solenoid on the suspect Bank passed the resistance tst with 13 ohms- identical to the perfect bank(2). But the external 12v source only producced a click on the perfect bank2). The same test on Bank 1 was silent. 4. Next connect an extender cable to the supply-side connector for the Variocam solenoid.This is the wiring loom that runs above Bank 1 and connects to the DME. The terminals are roughly EV1 size but the standard EV1 shroud is too large. I used the pins/connectors from an EV1 Bosch 1 287 013 003(female) and the corresponding male pins to make an extension. The male pins could be 'hacked' by removing one leg of a 'red' fork crimp connector. Run it to the driver’s seat area. Put a Noid bulb in it. Start the engine and run to 2000 rpm. Does the light illuminate? Instead of the noid light you could use a multimeter on the 20v DC scale - to see if it flashes 10+v? This might work ? Pelican Parts - European Automotive Parts and Accessories - Porsche • BMW • Mercedes • Volkswagen • Audi • Saab • Volvo • MINI Ahsai mentioned using a 12v 6w ‘peanut’ bulb instead.I used a Noid light because I had already made test harnesses thet acceted a Bosch Noid. By now you should know if the solenoid is defective or if there is a wiring /DME fault. One of the links below shows the culprit as a burnt transistor in the DME. But let’s say the wiring/DME test O.K. Note: I fabricated custom test leads for the MM to check supply voltage I also fabricated custom power jumper leads for the solenoid. These included a 10A fuse and an MOM switch. 5. There is one other very creative test kindly suggested by Jake Raby. Connect with a jumper between the 'good' bank and the suspect one.Be careful to follow the same polarity !! Consider using a fuse and MOM switch in the test cable you fabricate. Needless to say - check all your test cables for continuity before use and avoid crimp connectors - solder them ! It is a final, positive elimination of variables.This is a good test to indicate problems with the transistors in the DME(thank you Ahsai !). This would have been indicated in the prior test that measured for 10.5 volts at the Variocam connector from the DME. Note on the 5.2 DME - transistor and/or solenoid failures were more common for reasons unknown. There is so much work involved in getting to the defective unit that people often replace both the actuator and solenoid ,when only the solenoid was positively identified as defective. Conclusion: the solenoid &/or Variocam actuator are defective. Repairs This video on re-timing gives an idea of the access problems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE_X27JSTyE Now this gets expensive and time consuming. 2001 Porsche Boxster S Convertible - Camshafts & Timing Chains - Page 2 The solenoid needs to be replaced, or the actuator repaired or both. You need the special tool # 9624 /P253 to hold the cams in a safe position while you do this. Read the details elsewhere . Ignoring it may break a camshaft ! The link in French below(google translate) has the dimensions for the tool. I had already bought the complete Baum engine tool kit in a case. variocam - Tuto changement solénoid variocam On Bank 1 for the Boxster the access is so restricted some mechanics cut an access hole in the firewall of the trunk ! Certainly remove the wheel ,header, plates and anything that gets in the way ! Check elsewhere for the special sealant and gaskets required and the ‘while you are in there’ jobs like spark plug tubes/seals. Read Wayne's write up project again! This is the best write up/photo of timing the M96 by Insite, DIY: Setting Cam Timing on M96 Lock the engine with the 8mm bolt in the c/s pulley and lock the cam with the special tool 9624 or ‘French’ equivalent. Place all bolts carefully in a cardboard template (see French link again !) Some of the bolts are different lengths and if you muddle them you will be helicoiling! Remove cam cover. Note no gasket ! But a lot of sealant to remove with a PLASTIC scraper. Find the instructions on how to lay a bead no more than 2mm wide when replacing the cover. Use the correct sealant ! See Wayne’s article for more. Porsche Boxster Camshaft Upgrade / Chain Tensioner Replacement - 986 / 987 (1997-08) - Pelican Parts Technical Article 2001 Porsche Boxster S Convertible - Camshafts & Timing Chains - Page 4 Replacing the $200+ solenoid is now simple. Careful not to crimp the wires during reassembly. Now you can do a visual check of the actuator. Connect 12v to the solenoid contacts. Does the actuator jump about 1/8 “ ? Can you feel the click in the solenoid. So is the solenoid defective or the actuator? If you need to remove the actuator it gets more complicated. The actuator needs to be compressed a little to remove. In theory you can use 5mm x 0.8mm (verify !) threaded rod and deep nuts on the older Boxsters. The newer (post 2000?) changed to LEFT hand threads ! I found the necessary L.H. parts- Brass rod, L.H. die nut, L.H. nuts on EBay but waited for months for them to arrive from China ! In theory you can use high quality zip ties but access is so difficult that you may struggle to achieve enough compression of the actuator. Much easier with the engine on a stand ! On the bench you can repeat the test for the actuator and confirm with a new solenoid. If the actuator seems weak or can be easily compressed or is locked rock solid -it perhaps can be dismantled and cleaned- but I could find no info on this. If it has high miles it may be better to replace it ? If you are curious about repairing an actuator,no,it can't be done -see here: http://forums.quattroworld.com/a8/msgs/83599.phtml This is interesting because it hints at a diagnosis - an oscillating part that would produce an oscillating readout on the Durametric graph. It is a pity Audi actuators do not fit. They are $200 or less ! The part # for the complete assembly for Bank 1 is : 996-105-051-58 Bank 2 (4.5.6) is 996-105-053-58. Do not confuse - just 1 digit difference.Note - these numbers supersede prior lower numbers.Be careful to confirm if the actuator you buy does/does NOT include the solenoid. Some sloppy vendors list the part number for the combo actuator+solenoid but do NOT include a solenoid - if you study the very fine print in the parts diagram alongside their ad.Be sure you order correctly - these $1000+ parts are often not returnable ! Tests with the camshaft cover off Before you just replace parts here are a few tests to do. First watch a video to see what it should look like- start at 5minutes in this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml5wltlM-cw Check for slack chains. It may be that the chain tensioner(not the Variocam actuator) has failed. If the engine has just been rebuilt, perhaps the new chain tensioner was not installed correctly. Use the solenoid test lead to make the actuator 'jump'. The actuator should jump in the direction of the crankshaft when you hit the Mom button on the test lead.At rest it moves the opposite direction.See video cited above. Suppose the Solenoid Passed the 13 ohms test, failed the click test and the actuator fails the visual test with the MOM switch. Which part has failed - the Actuator ,the Solenoid or both? Suggesting that you substitute a known good solenoid is probably impractical. You may have to just use probability and buy a new one and try it. If the actuator still fails to jump, even with a new solenoid, you are going to have to remove the actuator and test it on the bench. In theory you can try to purge the oil out of it and look for debris or blockage. But realistically ,after all this work it is probably better to just buy a new one.BTW the pin on the Solenoid should jump about1/16".

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

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.

Eureka! I suppose during the time you guys were typing, I was arriving at the same conclusion. I pulled the latch mechanism out and examined it up-close. The tension spring was out of a pocket on the latch and not providing any push when the latch was released. Hence, the hood could be pulled up out of 'battery' but would not pop up on its own. I disassembled the mechanism, lubed it, and re-inserted the spring into the latch. Put it back together and now all is well. Very simple to do. This is how I did it and you may find it useful. Do so at your own risk, yada yada yada. 1st, open the hood and peel back the carpet cover just inside of the latch. Next, using a flat-head screwdriver, remove the four plastic 'screws' holding the trim plate between the bumper and the hood flange. They merely turn 90 degrees (so that they are perpendicular to the car's direction of travel) and pop out. Then remove the trim piece and place to the side. Next, using a ten millimeter socket, remove the two bolts securing the latch to the car. They are located just inside the trunk under the carpet you just peeled back. Once they are removed, the latch is now only held in place by two metal cables and the alarm pin switch wires. Carefully unplug the alarm wires. Push in on a small 'latch' on the lower half of the plug and pull out the lower half. Then carefully rotate the upper half about 45 degrees (it should be fairly easy to move, don't force it) and the plug will pop out of the metal holder. Then use a small screwdriver to gently push a release clip on the plastic mounting point. This will allow the small plastic mount to separate from the wiring plug. Now you need to gently remove the cables from their sockets. Take the tension off of the upper cable and gently pull the cable up out of its socket. Then remove the lower cable in the same way. The only thing holding the latch in the car now is the alarm wiring harness. Push the rubber grommet through the body toward the bumper. You can then pull the wiring through and the entire latch will come out of the car. Be sure to set the stainless steel shroud to the side. It was not attached on my car but may be on yours. Now that you have the latch out of the car, you can see the large diameter steel spring that is wound around the large post to the passenger side of the latch. That is the culprit. The small plastic shroud over it pulled straight out and off of my latch. This is the microswitch that tells the alarm that the trunk is open or closed. Set it to the side. You should now see the latch mechanism and the hole that the spring needs to be in to function properly. I used two screwdrivers to push the other end of the spring (the end on the release / catch mechanism ) over the catch. This allowed me to push the end into the latch more easily. I then popped the spring back over the catch. Now there should be tension on both the latch and the catch. Lubricate with white lithium grease, or some other semi-solid lubricant and work the mechanism to ensure that it is functioning properly. Once you have confirmed proper function, reassemble in reverse order (i.e. put the alarm switch back on - it should snap right back in place ), pop the cable back on, thread the wiring through and secure the grommet in place, place the stainless shroud on, insert the bolts and loosely tighten things. Once the bolts are in, line up the hood and the latch mechanism and tighten down the latch. Replace the plastic bumper/body trim piece but don't insert the 'screws' until you've tested the hood a couple times. Once it is clear that the hood is functioning properly, secure the trim, replace the carpet and smile at a job well done, for free. If I can figure out how to transfer my pictures out of my camera phone I'll add some illustration to this. Hope this helps. I was frustrated as *)*^*( until y'all help me realize what the problem was. Pictures ...

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.

Here is a documented guide to overhauling the Boxster's speaker systems for improved sound. I did this for under $600, and the difference is astonishing. Covers front,rear, and door speaker systems. Well illustrated, and contains a detailed section dealing with updating the door speakers from 5 1/4" to to 6 1/2" drivers while maintaining a completely stock appearence. Hope this helps many a Boxster owner. First986NJ UPDATE 4/23/08: Wow, 2600 downloads - cool! Hi Guys, a couple of updates: 1) The article referrs MB Quart drivers being used. While these are fine drivers and many people like them, I found them a bit too bright for my tastes. My car now has Polk Audio db series drivers throughout (db651's in the doors and db401's in the dash) and I am even happier with the sound. I also eventually replaced the (4) 3 1/2" drivers in the PNP rear shelf kit with Polk Audio db351's and they improved the sound back there noticably. Infinity Kappa's were considered, and I listened to them, but I found the Polks slightly tighter sounding and so I went that way. The two were VERY close in both price and quality. 2) Something new on the door speakers......... Kicker has recently come out with a 6.5" sub that is perfect for the Boxster doors! It is a 6.5" CompVT Shallow Series Subwoofer, Frequency response: 25-350 Hz ,Sensitivity: 85 dB ,Impedance 4 ohms ,Peak Power Handling 300 watts ,RMS Power Handling 150 watts. Top Mount Depth is 2-13/16" and Cutout Diameter 5-9/16". Available at Crutchfield and Woofersetc.com. I have not yet put a set in my doors, but fully intend to very soon. Andy Guide_to_Modifying_the_Boxster_Sound_System.pdf

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.

997 Turbo Bumper removal, Radiator cleaning, and Mesh Grill Install: Removed front bumper assembly, cleaned radiators, and fabricated and installed new aluminum mesh grills to block some of the trash. Took photos, and documented the process I used and created a simple do-it-yourself website. I am no expert, and I am sure there are many ways of doing this..So if it helps, Great! If you know a better way...go for it. TheRocksFront MeshGrillsDIY.pdf

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:

Parts required: ( I did this as inexpensive as possible) Steel tow bumper bought on ebay (200bucks) 955-618-040-10 Control Unit 955-612-506-00 Wiring Harness PNA-955-118-93 Trailer Hitch Connector (this is the 7 pin Pollak connector) PNA 955-127-08 7-4 way Adapter N-909-892-01 bumper bolts (8) Tools required: Allen key set 10mm wrench screw driver 1/4" ratchet torx driver set flashlight 21mm socket torque wrench Step 1: Remove spare tire floor by pulling hatch out towards the rear. There are no bolts that hold this in. Step 2: Use the torx bits to remove the chrome tie downs on the passenger side as well as the bolt closest to the hatch Step 3: After removing the side carpeted piece, there will be two additional screws underneath that hold the vertical carpeting piece in Step 4: Remove pillar cover on passenger side. Pull plastic cover labeled "airbag" off and remove screw underneath. Carelly work cover free at the top first. Step 5: Remove the exposed screw on the lower portion of the pillar Step 6: Disconnect trunk light Step 7: Remove the passenger side net anchor screws Step 8: Pull the passenger side section down. The clips are very tight, so be careful when prying the plastic. This is where the clip locations are. Step 9: Slowly pry passenger side pillar cover off, starting at the top. Once you reach the speaker, be sure to disconnect the wire as shown. Step 10: Remove screw that is now exposed on the rear pillar Step 11: Carefully pull the passenger side carpet panel out as shown. Step 12: Use the flashlight and look in between the carpet panel and the inner fender well. Pull out the pre-located harness plug, roughly half way in towards the front as shown. The plug is RED Step 13: Pull out and connect to the module. Plugs are specific so it will only fit into the center plug. Leave hanging for later use. Step 14: Remove both tail light allen bolts on the inside of the hatch area. They will be covered by two plastic plugs as seen below. Step 15: Carefully pry tail lights straight out towards the rear. There are 2 clips, one forward, and one rear on each lense. Disconnect harness and set aside. Step 16: Remove both torx screws on the bumper cover that were previously under the tail lights Step 17: In each fender well, remove the torx screws, starting in the rear, moving to the top of the fender. No need to remove all of them, you just need to access a hidden screw under the fender liner. Step 18: Remove hidden screw on both sides in the fender well. This is somewhat difficult to access, the torx bit will be FACING towards the rear of the car, close to the 10 o'clock position in the fender well. Step 19: Remove the lower allen bolts in the bumper cover Step 20: carefully wiggle the bumper cover free. The parking assist sensors will still be plugged in, so don't completely remove. Once far enough out, locate and disconnect plug on the DRIVER side Step 21: Remove foam and sensors as one, and save for reinstall. Loosen 8 bolts holding on aluminum bumper and completely remove bumper. Step 22: Install new STEEL bumper with hitch. Torque bolts to 140 lb/ft Step 23: Reinstall parking sensors and foam on top Step 24: Install plug cover into harness Step 25: Remove plastic cover on bumper support, and use screws to attach harness and plug assembly. Step 26: Route harness along the bottom of the bumper support towards passenger side. Remove rubber grommet and replace with grommet already attached to the wire harness. The wire ties should be positioned perfectly to install in holes in the bumper support. Step 27: Grab harness on the interior side, and route up and over the factory cd changer to the existing plug you found early on. Plug into module. Step 28: Using screws, install module on top of existing electronics in passenger side area. There will only be 2 plugs even though there are three sockets on the module Step 29: On the bumper cover, there are marking where to cut the relief for the receiver as shown below. I made the cut with a sharp razor blade Step 30: Reinstall all components and panels in reverse order (have fun with all of this!) Step 31: Locate the right fuse box on the side of the passenger side dashboard. Install a 15A fuse in slot 1, 3, and 5 plus replace slot 19 with a 30A. FINAL STEP: IF YOU ARE LUCKY, the module ordered is already programmed for the US. Unfortunately, it seems like the dealerships are stocking the UK version. You will need someone with a porsche scan tool to reset the module to the US version (UK is the fold out version). If you don't have any errors on your dashboard, then you have the right US version. If you get a tow warning, you will need the module reset. ENJOY!!

Hello Everyone. Please find my first tutorial submission. Replacing the Valve Body (aka valve chest) in a 2003 Cayenne Turbo Symptoms: Very harsh shift from 1-2-3 when under load (like getting rear ended by a truck) Hesitant shifts and flaring when driving normally. "Clunky" shifts. Vehicle has travelled around 210,000km. Fluid has never been changed (dealer said is was not necessary-which is not true!) After doing lots of reading it seemed like the valve body (VB) was the likely culprit. You can either replace with a new VB or have your old one re-built. If you replace the VB with a new one, you also need a new transmission control unit, and the problems will most likely re-appear. I went the re-build route and chose RevMax converters based on other people's experience. Note that RexMax don't ship outside the USA, so as I live in Australia, I used my wife's USA2ME mailbox, and they sent it on to me. I also had to send my old core in as they didn't have one in stock, but I'm glad I did, as there are several versions of VB depending on the year of your car. They rebuilt it within 48 hours. As you will need to drain and re-fill the trans, I won't be covering that in too much detail as it is covered extensively elsewhere (see my reference links below). Parts list 1) Auto trans filter 955-307-403-01 2) Auto trans filter sealing O-ring 955-325-443-00 3) Filler Hole seal O-ring 955-321-379-00 4) Crush ring for transmission drain hole - sorry didn't have PN for this as I forgot to order it! I re-used my old one. 5) 3 x Long VB retaining bolts WHT 000 321 6) 11 x short VB retaining bolts WHT 000 324 7) Transmission pan gasket 955-397-016-00 8) Case (12 quarts) of Mobil ATF 3309 or Toyota type IV Transmission fluid (It is the same stuff do don't panic if you can't get Mobil or Porsche branded fluid) Tools List 1) 1 x micro torque wrench (range 2-20 ft-lbs) 2) 1 x normal torque wrench (for torquing the fill plug to 70 ft-lbs) 3) T40 Torx bit to remove drain plug 4) 17mm Hex bit for fill plug 5) 10mm socket (apart from the drain plugs everything is a 10mm socket) 6) general other sockets and screwdrivers. 7) Durametric software to read transmission temp and re-set adaptation (you can get buy with a temp probe on a multimeter, but it was much easier to use the software, and IMHO if you are attempting a job like this you really should get it. It'll pay for itself on this job alone). 8) A willing assistant to help with the re-fill procedure. Reference - read this stuff first and print out the relevant pages 1) Official method for removing the valve body http://www.inkilino.es/Porsche_Cayenne_02-06/AUTO%20TRANS%20GEARS%20CONTROL.pdf 2) A really nice tutorial on draining and re-filling the transmission in addition to the ones on Renntech by ECS tuning http://bd8ba3c866c8cbc330ab-7b26c6f3e01bf511d4da3315c66902d6.r6.cf1.rackcdn.com/CayenneTransmission.pdf 3) there's a brief write up at club touareg that I used as a starter http://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f73/transmission-valve-body-diy-on-2004-touareg-v8-09d-trans-64189.html Part 1 Removing the Pan and Valve Body 1) Remove the underbody protection panel. 2) There is a 2 peice bracket that holds the protection panel up, unbolt it in the centre and side and remove it. 3) My car had a strong bash plate over the rear of the transmission pan, it will need to be removed in order to access the rear pan bolts. 4) Drain the fluid from the pan (First make sure you can budge the large fill hole-It's really tight I had to use a big metal bar to crack it, once it's "cracked" you can then remove the T40 torx drain plug). Best to drain the fluid cold after it's been sitting overnight. You'll drain an easy 5-6 quarts here. 5) Remove the ATF Pan bolts (all 10mm) and save them - they can be reused. 6) Gently knock the pan to break the seal and remove it. 7) Remove the 3 10mm retaining bolts from the ATF filter and remove the filter. Make sure the seal ring comes out too. More fluid will come out. Discard filter and o-ring. You should not be able to see the valve body as below. Take a picture and make notes as to which wire goes where. It's actually not that complicated as the wires will only really go in one spot when you re-assemble. You also need to note how the selector shaft engages with the VB as below. Again this looks tricky, but it was dead easy to put back together. Here's a close up of the shift solenoid wiring harness showing the green connectors in the black housings. Here's a pic of the other side. You can see another solenoid, plus the two pressure switches (gold colour) and up the back the large white output shaft speed inductive pickup connecter. Note how the white connecter clips onto the bracket and also how the wiring is tucked under the bracket. 8) Now work your way slowly around the 5 solenoids on the shift selector side removing the green connectors. I used a small screwdriver to depress the little clip and lever them out. You should not need to use hardly any force on these. You don't want to damage them at all. 9) Remove the 2 black cable plugs at the rear of the VB and the single solenoid green connector at the front of the VB. 10) Next pull off the plug for the input shaft inductive pickup. This is located at the front of the trans, right up in the "guts" of it. It looks really tricky, but using a long screw driver it came right out. Putting it back in was also really easy, so work slowly and don't panic. 11) Next pull off the two cables from the gold pressure switches. They just pop right off. 12) Remove the bolt holding the ATF temp sensor (2 orange wires) and pull the sensor out. It's held in by an o-ring. Save the bolt and retaining bracket. Don't remove the sensor from the wiring harness, just let it dangle with the rest of the wiring harness. 13) Remove the large white connector at the rear of the VB (output shaft inductive pickup) from the bracket and unclip the white connector. 14) Remove the steel bracket and save it and it's bolts. 15) Remove the 2 gold pressure sensors (if you get the VB rebuilt you'll get new ones, but hang onto them just in case). Now all the wires should be free. Tie or secure them gently so they're out of the way. The VB is very heavy and will also dump a heap of fluid when you remove it, so you don't want to snag the wires at all. 16) Now remove the valve body by removing the 14 bolts around the outside. They are all 10mm. I removed all but 2, one at the front and one at the rear, then slowly loosened them allowing the VB to tilt forward. This allows some of the excess fluid to run out. There is still easily 2-3 quarts of fluid in there so it's messy. Again take care the VB is very heavy, expecially if you are working on your own. Here's the transmission with the valve body removed. Note the black wire in the centre of the transmission is the output shaft inductive pickup that is attached to the big white connector. Clean up the VB and send it off to be rebuilt. Part 2 Installing the VB 1) get all your parts together. Note the valve body retaining bolts CANNOT be re-used, so make sure you got new ones. 2) Gently place the VB in it's position. Make sure the selector shaft mates correctly with the VB. Mine almost just fell into place itself. Also make sure that none of the wires are snagged especially the output shaft wire (big white connector).If you've secured them out of the way this won't be a problem. I put in 2 bolts to start with to get the position right and take the weight. Only do them barely hand tight. This is really important as the torquing process will be ruined of you do them up too tight to start with. 3) Put in the rest of the bolts and tighten them up by hand so the VB is in place and mated correctly to the transmission. If you get the bolts in the right place, you'll be fine. Don't do them up too tight! 4) Now the bolts need to be torqued in 2 stages. Initially using your micro torque wrench to 6 ft-lbs (8 nm) and then finally through an angle of 90 degrees (quarter of a turn). I had an angle gauge, but I couldn't find a good spot to use it against the transmission body. So in the end I just torqued them by "eye". 90 degrees is easy to judge. So to re-cap. Torque all bolts initially to 6ft-lbs and then once you've torqued all 14 bolts, the go around and torque them AGAIN through 90 degrees. If you have one of those fancy digital torque wrenches, it may also do angular torque for you. Here's the new VB installed in the transmission. Note the wires are hanging neatly to the side. 5) Reinstall the two gold pressure switches (torque to 3.25 ft-lbs/4.5 nm) and also re-install the bracket you removed that holds the white output shaft inductive pickup wire connector. Make sure the wire is routed correctly under the bracket and attach the white connector to the bracket as below. 6) Connect the other white connector from the output shaft pickup 7) Replace the ATF temperature sensor using the bracket and the bolt. Note the wire points to the rear of the VB. Torque the bolt to 7.5 ft-lbs/10nm. 8) Plug in the 2 cables for the gold pressure switches. 9) Plug in the cable for the input shaft inductive pickup. This is the one that's right up at the front of the transmission. For me it went straight in no problems at all with a nice positive "click". It looks a bit daunting, but was surprisingly easy to re-connect. 10) Plug in the remaining green six green connectors, and the two black connectors at the back of the VB. Compare the wiring layout to the picture you took before you unpluged them all!. If you didn't take a picture, don't panic, the wires only really go one way, just make sure they're nice and neat. As a guide the orange temperature sensor wires go under the green/brown solenoid wire. 11) Next reinstall the ATF filter using the new O-ring. Torque the 3 bolts to 7.5 ft-lbs or 10 nm. It should all look like this... 12) Next put the new Pan gasket in place on the pan and using the old pan bolts install the pan and torque the bolts to 7.5 ft-lbs or 10nm. I put a little drop of Permatex blue threadlocker on them for good measure. Here's a picture of the nice clean pan and new gasket next to the old gasket. Make sure the pan and magnets are all clean. Just wipe it out. I didn't want to use degreaser in case it contaminated the trans fluid. My magnets weren't too dirty. I've seen pictures of this trans in an Audi and the magnets looked like little Chia pets!! Install the small drain plug and new crush ring (doh!) and torque to 21 ft-lbs/28nm. 13) Now cold fill the pan until fluid comes out the fill hole. It took about 4 quarts. I used a $8 garden sprayer, and put about 2 feet of clear hose on the end with a hose clamp. This allowed me to have the pump bottle at the ground, and put the plastic tube into the transmission so it hooked over the fill tube. It worked brilliantly! Here's a picture of the bottle I used. Here's the top of the setup. You can see the plastic tube going into the transmission. I also had my multimeter temp probe in there, but it turned out I didn't poke it in far enough so it couldn't pick up the temperature. I used the Durametric software instead. 14) Now for the "hot" fill procedue. Make sure your fill bottle is full. I ended up using a total of 10.5 quarts to refill the transmission (this is more than a normal fluid change as the VB has been removed), so I had to refill the fill bottle half way though the procedure. You have to move quickly as once the temperature starts to move on the transmission it only takes about 5 minutes to get to 40oC. I set my laptop up in easy reach (make sure it's fully charged or better still connected to AC) and also had all my bottles of ATF at my feet. 15) Have your assistant start the car and you start filling the transmission. I added another 4 quarts in a few minutes. Ask your assistant to move from P to R to D and back again with about a 3-4 second pause between each shift. Do this once. 16) Keep filling the transmission, and watching the temp on the software. Once the fill bottle was empty quickly re-fill it, re-pressurise and keep filling. Get your assistant to do the shift sequence again. I found that at about 32-35oC the trans was getting full. Fluid will start to leak back out the hole, so make sure you've got a drain pan under the hole! 17) Keep filling and execute another shift sequence. At about 38oC I got another shift sequence done, and then put a but more fluid it. 18) At 39oC fluid started coming out the hole a bit faster, and at 40oC I quickly pulled out the tube and put in the fill hole socket. Torque it to 70 ft-lbs. 19) Stop the car, using the durametric software execute the Reset Adaptation command for the transmission. After that go for a test drive! As the transmission control unit is in learn mode, you should try to do all sorts of driving styles. This has solved all the shifting problems I had, it really drives like a new car. Even my wife commented on how smooth it is now. Check for leaks and replace the underbody panels etc. Enjoy your new car!

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.

I like pictures when I read a DIY, so I made these up to demonstrate what you are in for when you want to change your plugs. Use these pictures in conjunction with the writeup by ebaker...

I got sick of not having cupholders in my Boxster. So I set out to find some. The options seemed to be OEM cupholders, either the clip on type, or the single DIN type. And we all know the problems with those - not secure enough fit, not accommodating large cups, etc. Also, the DIN type takes up an entire vertical DIN slot, making fitting double DIN GPS impossible. Other solutions seem to be to use a cutout for cups in the centre console box - which means the lid needs to stay open; and "ultimate cupholder" - which doesn't look OEM at all. So I was searching for generic cupholders on Ebay, and found this: http://cgi.ebay.com....=item439b780b6e And from a seller, the dimensions are: 7 7/16" long by 1" just the cover lid, assembly is 7" x 4 3/4" The width is as close to OEM fit for the Boxster as it gets, for a non-Porsche part! So I bought it. Realising that late model VWs like Passat and Jetta has the same console width as our Boxster, I then bought this: http://cgi.ebay.com....=item3ca672b7af It's entirely possible that other units like this http://cgi.ebay.com....=item3356ef534c would also fit. And before you start, get a rotary tool (like a Dremel). It's an absolute god send! Made things so easy. Here is the unit: Compared to another double DIN unit I originally planned for the mod: The difference is the newer one has a hi res screen. I actually rather liked the volume knob on the low res one. I put the cupholder and GPS unit together, with double sided tape, like this: You can also mount the cupholder on top, like this: I chose to go with the bottom fit, because I don't really like cups placed that high, and the bottom fit actually takes up a few mm less in height, which gives a better fit in the horseshoe frame. Speaking of frame, it's cut up, like this: There was a lip on the inner aspect of the lower border, this was cut to make room to increase the height. This, together with some slight sanding of the bottom of the cupholder was all that's required to make the height of the combo fit just right. Incredibly lucky! Note, you must get rid of the lower lip much as you can. Or the cupholder would be clamped too tight between the frame and the GPS, and it doesn't open when clamped tight. In the above picture, you can see I turned the OEM metal bracket around. This was necessary as the cupholder doesn't extend as deep as the OEM stereo, so the bracket support needs to come forward. You need to drill a hole in the original bracket to allow this. The reason will be very apparent when you actually do this. Here is a close up of the reversed bracket: The GPS antenna is simply placed near the alarm cover. Remove the alarm cover first, thread the GPS wire through, then just fish for it through the horseshoe frame. No need to remove anything else to place the GPS antenna. The thick wire attached to the GPS wire is the loom for my Head-Up-Display (another mod, for another day) :) The rest of the wiring here, with the unit ready to be pushed in: Here is the test fit: You can see that I will need a "n" shaped bezel to fill out the gap. This was obtained by modifying the Passat bezel that came with the GPS. The width is an exact fit, just like the cupholder (maybe 1mm longer, but I just left it). So I just sanded down the top border of the frame. And cut off the bottom border. I don't have a picture with the bottom border removed, only with the thinned top border: Press it in, it's a snug fit, not even sticky taped. And voooowwlaahhh!!!! OEM look!! From afar: With cupholder open: With a large "cup": In summary, get a genuine Jetta cupholder and an aftermarket Passat double DIN GPS! (not affliated with the seller/s, I promise) :)

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.

Many thanks to all that have guided me on my quest to understand and then accomplish tasks that before this forum and it's members I would not have even contemplated. And it's FUN plus my wife likes it because I'm saving some money doing routine service myself. That being said I am now going to try my first DIY Post on a little fun project I did in approx 2 hours and boy did it turn out well. I got the idea when I was admiring a fellow co-workers Carrera with the shiny enameled center wheel covers. Upon doing some research I discovered they are expensive and often times stolen. We have a family owned 1998 986 that is STOCK BASIC and it needed a bit of color as it's the classic Arctic Silver Met with a black top and interior. The only other color on the car is the hood crest. So being an avid modeler in my youth and also today went into my hobby man cave and discovered that I had on hand all the necessary items needed to spruce up my basic black and silver wheel centers. Here are the steps and the items you'll need to complete this easy fixer upper. 1. Find a local hobby store or online and buy the following: Tamiya Acrylic paint in the following colors, Semi Gloss Black, Red, Gold and you'll also need some thinner I just use the Tamiya thinner. YOU MUST USE ACRYLIC as it holds it's color and after being shot with 3 coats of clear will last a long time! 1 Can of Dupli-Color High Performance Wheel CLEAR Pep-Boys 1 Set of hobby brushes small tipped (tight spaces on the wheel centers) 2. Approx. 2 hours of your time and bit of a steady hand but dont worry with a paper towel, thinner and a toothpick you can correct your errors if you cant stay inside the lines. :) Cost under $25.00 3. CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN the wheel centers a good dish soap or degreaser is best DRY COMPLETELY. 4. Start with the hard color 1st GOLD dont be put off it takes 2 coats and gold hobby paint is the worst color to apply just be patient after 1 coat dries apply the second and you'll see what I mean. Next do the RED. Then finally the BLACK. Set aside to dry for about 1/2 hour (have a Stella) then get out your clear coat and LIGHTLY apply 1 then 2 then 3 coats make sure you allow about 20 min for the clear to dry between coats. The wheel centers have recessed portions for each color so it's easy to paint dip the color into the spot where it belongs. TAA DAA your done and here are the results along with the products I used. Guess what my fellow co-worker thinks they look great! Take all look at the pics and you'll see the products and the results. Have fun!

My 98 Boxster's front trunk compartment light has never worked so I decided to investigate. I first swapped the light assembly itself with the exact same light fixture in the rear trunk and found both lights worked. I deduced that it must be the front microswitch and ordered a new one from Sunset Porsche in Oregon. The cost was: $43.13 plus $8.00 shipping to Washington State. The Part number is: 996-613-206-00 I removed the carpet trunk liner. The front trunk liner is made up of 2 sections and I only had to remove the front section. There was one thumbscrew clip on the passenger side and one thumbscrew clip opposite on the driver's side. Also on the driver's side there was one snapin clip and 2 additional snapin clips located in the front of the trunk. All five clips are very easy to find and remove. I then removed the plastic trim directly on top of the latch and microswitch. There are 4 screw plugs and you simply turn the plastic plugs 1/4 to 1/2 of a turn: Take a 10mm wrentch and loosen but don't remove the two bolts inside the trunk that hold the latch: Then remove the metal backing plate: Remove the 10 mm bolts the rest of the way. Disconnect the harness by pinching the clips and pulling: Next you need to remove the harness from the metal attachment clip by sliding the clip and releasing it. This one is hard to reach and see and a flashlight might be necessary. The photo below shows the release clip after it has been removed: The assembly can now be removed. To separate the microswitch, examine your new switch and you will notice 2 clips. The photo below shows one of the clips. To disengage this clip you need to take a thin blade screw diver push in as noted by the arrow on the photo and you pull up as you press the clip in: If the first clip is placed at 1:00 o'clock the second clip will be at 7:00 o'clock and it simply hooks over the assembly. When installing the new switch, place the 7:00 o'clock hook on first and then snap the 1:00 clip into place. You may have to work the swich down into place just slightly before hooking and snapping. Assembly is the reverse of the removal and Bob's your Uncle and the front trunk light works!

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.

This is a continuation from the front wheel bearing change. That was good practice for the rear of your car. Although i thought the rear was more difficult than the front but after i was done and found a couple of tricks that i will share, it might actually be easier. Having the right tools always make things go smoother. The B90-P2 tool i bought at http://www.samstagsales.com/Porsche.htm#axle Took only 3 days to get it. I was away at work for 4 days so the timing was perfect. Great service. Earlier this year people were wondering where to get the tools to take apart the electrical connectors. Well sams tag sales has all the Porsche tools needed. With the SIR TOOLS kit they sent me the catalog with all the speciality stuff. If you don't have an arsenal of basic tools i would recommend going to Sears. The prices are higher than a China Freight but Sears does treat their people well and nothing like supporting the american people right? Attached is a photo of a great tool set that has almost all that you need. It even comes with the 32mm large socket for the hub bolt. Aside from those tools you will need some larger wrenches. 21mm for the track arm. (Actually you don't have to take this apart...more later) But you do need some larger wrenches for the Sir Tools Kit. 1 and 1/16. Some allen key sockets. Best to get a set of 7 in metric. Sears also sells the Torx socket set too. You will need at least 2 torque wrenches. My trick for the 360 foot pound setting is later. Some plyers, punch, screwdriver set. Phillops, flat etc... Discount auto parts sells a paint can full of GunK degreaser. And has a tin to put the small bolts in. Great stuff. Don't drink it. If i forgot some i will post it further down. So lets get going... Have the car parked so you have lots of space to work around it. Back the car into the garage far enough so you have room to close the garage door if you need to make a run to the tool store. Don't ask me why i mention this! Set the parking brake, and remove the center cap. I pushed in an allen key and used a vice grip to pull it out. Pull hard. Get your long 4 foot bar, 32mm socket and loosen the axel bolt. You can even take it off all the way, it doesn't reall matter. Loosen the 5 lug bolts, 4 19mm and the third i hope you have the locking one. Jack the car up and put it up on stands. You will need to use the jack later and it just isn't safe to have your head under a car with just a hydraulic jack. Remove the wheel bolts and then the wheel, don't forget to use the factory supplied tool to help with the removal and installation of the wheel.

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

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.