Orient Express

I am looking to buy or trade for a right side one. PM or email me

That may not be corrosion, but rather burnt or cooked cosmoline. Notice the white stuff on the headers? That is burnt cosmoline as well. I had the same issue around the exhaust manifold when my car was new, but it cleaned up quite nice with some mineral spirits and steel wool.

I am looking for the P/N for the left side switch in matte (satin?) finish.

Thanks

I'm doing my spring cleaning on the Orient Express, and decided to take the rear bumper cover off and get it resprayed because of the rock chips on it.

I found this sticker on the car, and am trying to decode it.

I know that this sticker is applied right after the car gets its zinc primer and is pretty much its birth certificate. Some things are obvious, like my car was began on January 17th, 2002, and the paint is 8A3 (Orient Red), but what of the other info? None of the numbers correlate to the VIN or the engine number. The number 1624897 seems to be the body number? Ideas anyone?

OE, Have you considered Fabspeed? I am contemplating those for my 997, Just wondering if you know anything about them, or if you have heard them.

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I did consider Fabspeed, but have heard some folks that have had quality issues with those mufflers. They do sound good however. I would prefer the factory pieces, and don't mind the challenge of the wiring.

Gert:

Thanks so much for the P/N revision info. I wish the euro/dollar was not so skewed, because you are the best to do business with.

BTW, anybody heard of a deal lower than $1495 landed, for this kit?

What does the PSE kit 000 044 200 19 include?

I would assume mufflers, vacuum parts, wiring harness, relays, dash switch? Is there any other parts I need to order?

Orient Express, thanks for your kinf response. You know, I probably made a mistake; well I took off all the coating under the oil pan. Now considering your advice, I'm wondering where I could find a compatible protectant on the market...I'm sometimes so impatient... :D

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You will be fine, don't worry about it. If you live in europe, then take your car to Stuttgart to the Porsche dealer over by the factory, and for 60 euros they will spray on a fresh coating.

If you don't want to do that, just hit the underside of the car with a pressure washer every once and a while and that will wash off the grime and dirt accumulations.

Wow, Orient express your car looks also very impressive underneath!! I see you like things to be    very neat. That may be the resason why you and your car won many beauty contests. 

:thumbup:

Also, could you please tell me if it is really safe for the underneath of the car to get along without this extra coating please? I mean, don't you fear rust or aggression from salted air, water...when you drive your Carrera?

I live next to the sea shore so, I wonder if it would cause any particular harm. I would really like to get rid of this ugly coating underneath.

Thanks.

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If you live in an area where the roads are salted, or by the sea shore where salt fog and high humidity is a problem, then you may want to consider leaving it on. Areas that have heavy salt fog and high humidity are really tough on aluminum alloy materials like engine and transmissions.

I am lucky that even though I am 20 miles from the ocean, I do not have problems with corrosion.

Like this?

This is a protective coating put on the underside of the car by the factory. Doesn't hurt anything - you can take it all off (a lot of work) or leave it as is.

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Your underneath should look like this:

The cosomline will attract dirt, which will make your car heavier, and thus slower.

:eek:

Itrip works great!

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The FM modulators work pretty good if they have a good power supply from the car, and (and a big and) if you live in an area that does not have back to back FM stations. In places like NY, and LA, it is impossible to find a quiet frequency.

I found that the hardwired units that emulate the CD changer are the best both functionally and aurally.

I have an iPod hardwire connection in both my Audis and the 996, and they sound great!

Orient Express, i have a feb 2002 boxster s with PCM 1...(not sure it is made by becker).... can i do something with this set-up??

(not too keen on using a dummy casette thingy)

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In that case, you will need to purchase an iPod adapter that emulates the CD changer. These are available from Dension with their iceLink product.

http://icelink.densionusa.com/

If you have an 2002 or earlier boxster with the Becker Radio, there is a wiring harness that you can buy from Becker that allows you to directly input the ipod audio into the radio. If you have a later car with the digital radio, you are stuck with the FM modulator option.

If the adapter is too small, then wrap a little electrical tape around it to make the barrel bigger.

When I shut my ignition off, the headlights dim but remain on. As far as I can tell, the don't auto-shut off after that - I've waited a while, and they seem to remain on. I assume this is standard behavior.

What is the purpose of this feature?

I'd prefer to have them go off completely, or else have the dimmed lights 'time out'.

Am I just not waiting long enough?

Thanks.

- Pete

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If you want your lights to go off, you must turn them off with the switch (knob next to ignition). Your car does not have an idiot timer on it.

The small clear bulbs in the front light assembly are called "city lights" The light up just enough for people to see the car. Useful when parked on a dark street.

For further information and discussion on these lights, consult your owners manual.

Because these valve caps are so fragile, they are shipped on a set of valve stems. Just screw them on your existing valve stems, and wait for them to be stolen. (speaking from experience)

Here is a picture of an Rear Main Seal. You are looking at the front of the engine where it is bolted to the transmission. The RMS is the red circle around the crankshaft. The flywheel is bolted to the crankshaft and the pressure plate it bolted to the flywheel, with the clutch plate in-between the 2 parts. The other seal than can leak is below it and is called the intermediate shaft seal. It is behind the cover with the 3 bolts. If either of these leak oil will dribble down the front of the engine and out the drain notch between the transmission and the engine.

Here is a shot of the back side of the transmission bell housing, showing the transmission main shaft that goes into the clutch plate, and the throwout bearing. Notice the crumbs on the bottom of the bellhousing. This is salt corrosion from water that has gotten into the crevices around the outside of the transmission case. Also notice the oil on the bottom of the case from the leaking IMS/RMS. All of this cleans up very nicely when disassembled.

I've seen several posts indicating that their coolant tanks were leaking. Where do these leaks occur? At the hose connection, cap, or is it a cracked tank?

Here is what a 996 chassis looks like:

Wow, nearly $600!.    My car is Basalt Black.  I presume since your car is red you went with Speed Lingerie?  Is their quality fit and finish that much better?  I havent been told the price of the OEM from Porsche yet to be able to better evaluate.

Jon

How could it be a nose bra for the 987S wont be in for another 2 months.  Any one know where I could order it to get it sooner? :drive:

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Speed Lingerie has them in your body color available with 5 days lead time.

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Their fit and workmanship is the best. They have mirror mitts as well. Speed Lingerie is more expensive than the bra that Porsche sources here in the US, but it is well worth it. I have had my car up to almost as fast as it will go with the Bra on with no problems. No flapping, marring, etc.

How could it be a nose bra for the 987S wont be in for another 2 months.  Any one know where I could order it to get it sooner? :drive:

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Speed Lingerie has them in your body color available with 5 days lead time.

It only does it for the first start up of the day. I'm not sure if it because of the cold weather, but it is pretty loud. After the car is warm up, it no longer makes the noise. Anyone have any ideas what this might be? Thanks.

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Check your power steering fluid. A howling or screeching at startup with the ambient temp at 50F or below is a symptom of low PS fluid in the tank.

How do I wash the convertible top? Any special method aside from the car manual?  Which products would you guys recommend for cleaning the rear plastic window?

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I "wash" my top twice a year. Using the Porsche convertible top soap, and a bug scrubber sponge, rubbing lightly. After I have rinsed off the soapy water, I then use a wet dry vacuum to get off the excess water. Once a year I use the Porsche top water repellant spray. The green can Scotchguard will also work fine. Routine dusting is done with a lint roller.

There are several cleaner/polishes for clear vinyl windows, and most cleaner/waxs will work as well.

The best way to clean the inside of the rear window is to flip up the back part of the top.

To do that:

1. Open the top part way to expose the bottom of the back of the top

2. Next find the 2 wire rope assemblies on the left and right sides of the bottom back corner of the top.

3. Next pop off the ends of the wire ropes:

4. Lift up the top to get at the inside of the rear window.

My car is an 2002 with a glass rear window, but the plastic windows work the same.

For small touchups I use the Red Testors model paint, and have not had any problems at all.

What manual is available to outline the proper procedures for some of the "simpler" services, as in an oil/filter change? I have no intention of waiting for 20K for my 1st change nor do I want to pay (as rumor has it) $250+ for an oil/filter change. I found a good source for the Mobil 1 0W-40 SuperSyn and will use the OEM filter.

Thanks for any help for this Porsche newbie!

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Welcome to the board :welcome:

Here in the US the maintenance interval is 15,000 miles, and if you check out the DIY section of this board, everything you need to know how to do these maintenances is there. While the DIY info is targeted at the 996 owner, 997 service is identical. Servicing a 996 or 997 is easier than a Toyota.

I had one RMS seal at 7K miles, and an IMS (InterMediate Shaft) seal at 33K miles. The IMS seal is right below the RMS seal and will show up as an oil leak exactly like an RMS seal. Unfortunately my IMS repair was improperly completed, and the car had to go in 2K miles later for another IMS seal.

Many times when either the IMS or RMS is found to be leaking, both seals are replaced. BTW, this is a relatively easy repair, with most experienced technicians being able to complete the task in under 3 hours.