Hroussard

I have a '99 996 Carrera 6-speed with 71K miles on the clock and finally need to replace the clutch. Time to browse Renntech :-)

I see clutch kits ( EOM) for about 530 dollars discounted, Sachs kits for a little bit more and very little suggestions on perhaps " the ultimate" clutch. I have seen some articles around adding the RMS replacement to the job as well as adding the throw-out bearing replacement.

So, what is the latest, folks?? I do like the fact that the factory clutch lasted 70K mile, that is is easy to use (flexible and not too stiff/hard), Also, I have seen a few small drops of oil under the car which seems to diminish or completely stop when I drive the car a lot ( it's a daily driver) and from what I see, the latest RMS seal may do the trick - I am still confused about using the GT3 seal versus flipping the seal around etc. Love to get the latest on this one too. And finally, I want to know if I should change some other parts such as plugs for instance... I am in San Mateo, CA and if you have a good shop you can recommend, please let me know too.

Hmm,,, Not sure that this is all of it.

I would suggest that, when the Humidity is HIGH you will get steamed up windows easier compared with when there is a LOW humidity %. I have learned to drive with the A/C on at all times during the winter. It's not only the windows that might steam up... When you have a HIGH Humidity level in your car , there is a chance that your interior starts deteriorating or "smelling" when the water dries out naturally.... like a slow Hurricane Katrina situation :-)

Just a thought!

C2 1999 62K miles

I have a C 2 99 6 speed and I have had all the usual suspects of tires on the car . Then, I got Fusion ZRI mounted on the back ( 265 /35/ 18 ). I am now at 61K miles and the tires have at least 5 K miles more on it. Time to check to invoice for the tires which has the mounting mileage on it. It said 45,xxx Miles. Therefore the rear tires have been on my car for 16K miles and I bet I easily will get 20K miles out of them.

I could not believe it!!

For the record, my front tires are the standard Conti's (N1) 225/40/10 ZR and they are on my car since 32K miles ie close to 30K miles and there is also another 5K miles thread on them.

My driving is about 50 / 50 freeway versus city.

Free way speeds are generally around 80-82 miles / hr. I do a lot of braking on the engine and double clutch on the way down and refrain from skidding and agressively loading the tires.

So my next tire purchase will be Fusion tires.

One comment on the tires, they are quite slippery the first 500 miles and they look a bit narrow compared with other tires. They also have a nice beefy rubber bead on the outside which saves your rims from curb rash. VERY Low noise compared with ALL the other tires I have had on the car ( obviously not as quiet as a sedan / luxury car) and good in the wet and VERY GOOD in the dry. I am sure they will not be a race-ready like Pirelli's and some others but hey , it's my daily driver. B)

I bought a used 1999 996 C2 a few months back with 79K after 3 air cooled (one I rebuilt with low miles on the od.). Ran the car fax, talked to the dealer mechanics and service writer where it had been maintained and they said it was strong and had been maintained by the book. The owner, a woman doctor, had driven it regularly but lightly. After reading about the 996 engine failures and talking to the local shop foreman (he better know his stuff) in generalities about 996 reliability before he knew the specific car he told me the following. Low miles does not equate to good. These engines are designed to be driven not sit and wait for good weather. Boxer engines (the engine layout not the car) will dry out if they sit and then leak and have issues related to dry seals. If it's got between 60k and 80k for my year and there are no leaks or other obvious engine problems, you've got a good one.

Bottom line, drive it, enjoy it, eat less fat and carbs don't smoke and both you and the car should last a long time. But you never know, there's always the proverbial bus put there tomorrow!

G

Gary 996 is correct with regards to the boxer engine layout.... you must drive the beast regularly ( not necessary hard) in ordfer to keep ther engine and it's seals oiled and in good shape. The engine is similar to a 4 or 6 cylinder aircraft engine such as Continental and Lycoming. They will run 2000 hours to TBO ( overhaul) but ONLY if you run that regularly. If you have them as a garage or hangar queen , you are asking for trouble.

I have a 996 99 C2 with 61K miles on the clock, drive it every day ( almost) . I do have a small leak at the covers but who cares. Had a waterpump that went bad at 32K miles at 1500 dollars but so far so good.

I do not know more about it except the fac t that it now stays between the 8 and ther 0 on the gauge ... and that's where I like it to be.

I did hear however that some manufacturers's temp gauge is very little more than an idiot light and that the needle only moves when it is pretty well going into the red. I heard that manufacturers do not want their cars to be brought back to the dealership just because the needle is pointing "a bit" to the hot / overheating mark on the gauge. I can see their point :-)

well, the valve misfunction resulted in some coolant being pumped overboard... I also have to believe that it changes the pressure. Maybe that also contributes to the change of coolant temp. Sofar the temps are down to where they used to be before..

Folks, I just got my car back from its annual service. 1999 Carrera 3.4 6 speed with 56K miles on the clock .One of the comments I made to the service folks what that car ran hotter in the last few weeks than it was the case previously. Sitting the traffic here in the Bay area would show a needle just on the right side of the 0 (of the 180 numbers) on the gauge. Fans worked fine, temperature would go back to normal at highway speed.

Turned out to be a clogged or gummed up valve which sits on top of the expansion bottle. It had to be replaced, about 40 bucks or so but car now has normal indications again. Just something to keep in mind to check if your temps read high.

FYI I drove about 8K miles in the last year, added 1/2 pint for oil in total. Oil still looked like honey . I am getting 20.5 miles per gallon ( over the last 6 k miles) in spirited driving part highway and part city. Still have 60% of brake pads left since new.

Oggie... you left you PSM on??? Why . The fun is in turning all that stuff off. The car will just ""fight" you and feel unnatural because you are exceeding the "safe driving limits" and that's what all these systems try to make you adhere to.

Just turn all the crap off and do some more crossing. You will not believe what a difference that makes and how suddenly all of the built-in driving caracteristics come back and help you. You will see how the tail hanging out for instance is easy to control , how you can move the weight from back to front and how LATE you can brake provided you are prepared to stump on the brake pedal. My instructor once told me that he did not believe that a 996 could stop that good ( I have just standard brakes, rotors, pads and 18 inch wheels) ohh. and a heavy foot!!

Enjoy!

Well I feel a bit better now, thanks all for your opinions.

It also happened to my 99. Frankly a water pump should not seize after 45k miles especially as this is such a critical part to preserve an engine. Because the engine will pump you water all over the exhaust you might have seen a whole lotta steam belching up. New waterpump ( with a new and different hose ( they changed the hose for some reason) and about 1500 bucks or so and I was on my way . Had the car towed to the Porche dealer of course. Now keep the towing company tel number handy as they are working with the local Prosche dealer ( uis that not sad!!).

Hey, I must say , I had 3 waterpumps going bad on my Mercedes in about 30K miles. Maybe it's all part of a ploy for recurrent revenue!!

HarryR

C2 99

You may also want to look at FUSION ZR1. I took the plunge late last year and I like them a lot. They also seem to have some thread that indicated a good all weather type performance and they showed that to be true over the last 6 months here in the Bay area.

They also have a very thick bead along the outside edge so you have less chance of getting curb rash.

I put on ( 18 inch) 265 but I would go up to 285 next time because the tire looks somewhat narrower than for instance the Conti's I took off. All in all, a happy camper for very little money compared with anything else out there. It took about 500 miles before they were run in ie lost their new-ness slippery feeling :-)

Note , my C2 it's a daily driver with 50K miles on the clock.

Folks. I you were driving a Yugo you would be screaming because the gear does not engage as one would expect. Welcome to the world of "make believe". You should be lining the sucker up in front of the Porsche dealership and get them to put it right AND you should report the crap to anybody that wants to know.

You are not doing anybody a favor by assuming that it's "because it is a Porsche" de gear stick does not "HAVE" to engage as well as any other car out there. At 100 GRAND it OUGHT to be PERFECT.

Seen the new Audi lately??? I bet that thing will shift as expected. Seen the new Maserati? You bet your bottom dollars it shifts as advertised and I am not even talking about the disaster RMS problems which - if you let Porsche convince you - is merely a feature that allows you to replace the engine - another wear-out item- earlier in the life cycle. Porsche seems to understand that there is a difference between revenue and profits.

I have a 996 and it is doing well but I do not think Porsche has their stuff together and will be able to sell me another one in a few years from now after all, the 997 ONLY has 350 some horses. It will be about 200 horses short of a real sport car in a few years from now.

Did I mention diesel sports cars??? It's next !!

Gruesse!

I bought FUZION ZRI tires and I have them now for about 2000 miles: they are QUIET, VERY good grip in the WET (see profile and you will see why), CHEAP compared with anything else. C heck them out on Tirerack.

I do not track the car so I could not tell you what it would look at the limits of the car , I kinda drive at MY limit instead :-)

Also, they have a VERY LARGE rubber lip on the size so they will protect your rims from curb rash.

I put on 265's in the back and they look more narrow that say the ContiSports I had before, I think they could easily go up to 275 or even 285 if looks matter. For action they have clearly enough rubber for the C2 Car

Check it out.

HarryR

Rather than spending 2K on an installed NAV, what about spending less than half on a Garmin or Neverlost system that you can move from car to car and that is just better and easier to use. it also is closer to your view when looking out of the windscreen rather than peeking down to find the display. And lastly , when you sell you Porsche ( to upgrade to a GT3 of course) you just unplug it and take it with you to your next car.

Cheers

HarryR

I am one of the aggressive ( compared with passive or defensive or is it defenseless ??)drivers from the European continent but I lived in the UK for 10+ years so I am very familiar with the driving skills and requirements there. Yes , I live in Foster City.

HarryR

In combined city / highway driving , I get 20.3 to 20.4 miles per gallon. It depends on how heavy your right foot is and how keep the revs down to reasonable numbers in town. For instance: drive with the revs between 2,200 and 3,000 and use the appropriate gear to stay within that range. Brake on the engine as much as you can so you only use the brakes in the last few feet / yards before you come to a stop ( that will extend your pad / rotor life dramatically .. another way to save money while driving a Porsche). Of course all of this if you have a 6-speed.

Food for thought ! I like a clutch in a car. It makes you work and lets you enjoy the results of a nice up or down shift. Something like having this " down to an art form ". As such I always double clutch on the way down with the customary rev blip between the two actions, depress the clutch pedal totaly before engaging , never riding the clutch. Ohh and BTW how many of you hold the car with the hand brake while say waiting for a red light to turn green then releasing the handbrake while releasing the clutch, preventing the car from rolling (backward or forward) WITH THE HANDBRAKE and smoothly accelerating... Sounds all llike SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) but many people just don't do that. Note ... this is part of the driving curriculum in the UK I believe so for the folks over there it should be deja vu.

As a result of that I seem not to wear out my clutch. Using the handbrake properly in conjunction with the brake and clutch will reduce the wear and tear on your clutch immensely and increase your driving pleasure and improve your driving skills in the process..

Cheers

Emty, I assume that when this gizmo disconnects the battery for you it will also disconnect the radio and you will need to reset the radio every time. SOmething to be aware off.

HarryR

Folks, I have the B@M short shifter now for 6 months and 5,000 miles and I am VERY happy with it. It is "notchy" and it somewhat reminds me of my Detomaso Pantera with the metal gates that you have the move the shifter through. I must say I always liked the solid precise notchy feeling of that shifter... you either got it right or you did not.... it kept you honest very much like a good double clutching technique with the glorious rev blip in the middle. With this shifter you are getting that exact feel. It becomes more of a racing car that a sport car. Loren installed it for me. Great job Loren.. thanks again!!

What about using racing fuel say 110 Octane. ??

No hights , no lows it must be BOSE!! But.. I must say that the Bose system in my Nissan 300 ZX TT is VERY good and so is the Bose ( upgraded) in my Maxima.... In the Porsche ... that's another story ( although I have the special option one).... but hey ... the engine sounds much better. I always leave the sun roof open,tipped up at the back, so I can hear the little engine scream... Brings a smile to my face.. cruizin on Skyline for instance

Happy and Prosperous 2006 to all the gang!

I have mine written on the option sticker under the front hood lid... no problems...

HarryR

Any advertising is GOOD advertising.. I remember ... when I was 18, I bought a Morris Cooper S from a bunch of racers, no heating, plastic side windows, Speedwell exhaust down the middle. I plastered big round white racing numbers on the doors and ...off I went. I had fun, could not care about any body else .. pulled the chicks for sure... advertising is GOOD.

Ohh yes... blew the engine twice and the gear box 3 times... I still have a smile on my face....luckily I am only 5 ft 8 ... otherwise would have missed lots of fun in the back seat too....

Merry Christmas and a Happy to all the Porsche maniacs out there !!

Folks, I thought this would be a good forum to spread the message. My friend is a cash buyer for a late 1997 or 1998 aircooled 993 - C4S only. Low mileage etc etc . preferable a black interior . Exterior color black preferred or maybe yellow or white... other colos are OK but that is his preference.

Let me know if you know of a private person who is selling one , or frankly for the right car , even one currently beteen owners ( dealer).

Let me know

HarryR

Be careful with "poking" a metal object in the cigarette lighter. If you make contact with both positive and negative you may and WILL burn your fuse at least. Don't ask how I know... luckily it was not the Porsche

Cheers

1999Porsche911, I buy your argument. It does amaze me though that the local Porsche dealerships here in California religiously want to fill / refil with 0W-40.

Based on your input it seems that one would want to change oil at least twice a year , ie winter versus summer. From your experience what would a oil drain / refill schedule look like?. I live in Northern California where it never freezes but where, in the Summer, temps will go up to 100 degrees.

Appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience.

HarryR1999C2