Chris_in_NH

WHAAAA? HOW THE...??? :notworthy: :thumbup: :clapping: any predictions for the MegaMillions lottery numbers? :lol:

i would imagine that any brand of hi-temp spray paint will work perfectly, especially if you're going to paint them black. just run over to the hardware store and see what they have. keep in mind, you'll also want to pick up a can of hi-heat clear coat (lacquer) if you want that shiny, rubbery look. you'll also want to pick up some brake cleaner from the auto parts store, some sandpaper to rough-up the caliper/remove dirt (maybe even a wire brush), and some caliper decals from eBay or elsewhere. i painted my calipers right on the car using my patented garbage bad method. when i started prepping the first caliper to paint, it took a while to mask-off with tape and newspaper, so for the other calipers - i got creative. i took a single garbage bag and split it on one long side and the bottom to make a big plastic sheet. by tucking the middle of a long side over the rotor but under the caliper and wrapping the plastic around the back of the caliper (taping where needed), i was able to mask the area very quickly and clean-up was a breeze. here's a pic: (i covered the rest of the car with an old blanket to protect from overspray.)

i am 99.9% sure that you can.

just thinking out loud here... are you sure it's the suspension? 57K sounds a little early to have problems. i had some squeaking coming from the front end of my car and found that the spare was just a little bit loose (but made a terrible noise). do you hear noise if you push down and release on the fender(s) over the wheel(s)? that's the extent of my suspension knowledge. :rolleyes:

the rattling noise is probably the cat heat shields. the bolts that hold them in place rust out. just replace the bolts and you should be fine. i'm not sure what is happening with your starting problems. it could be the ignition switch (which is a common problem) and a new one can be had for about $20USD.

this is what happened when i used a brush-on kit: and here are the results using Duplicolor (hi-heat) spray paint. any questions? ;)

have you tried disconnecting (but not removing) the MAF to see if the car runs better? also when playing around with the MAF it is necessary to disconnect the battery (just take neg cable off for a minute) so that the DME/ECU will adapt to the disconnected MAF or to a new MAF. the car will run fine without the MAF connected. in other words, if you're going to disconnect the MAF wiring harness, disconnect it, then take the neg cable off of the battery for a minute (make sure you have your radio code), then re-attach the neg battery cable and then start it up. same procedure for if you are changing the MAF to a new one. if you don't do this (i assume that) the DME 'remembers' the (bad) MAF settings and runs accordingly. this made all the difference for me when i had my MAF problem. even after i disconnected the MAF wiring harness, the car still ran terribly (same symptoms as yours). i got about 500 feet down the street and the CEL started flashing like crazy, so i pulled over. i walked home, read a post here about 'resetting the DME' via disconnecting the battery, walked back to my car, disconnected/reconnected the battery and the car ran perfectly. i was amazed! at the very least, it's a no-cost option that just may work. good luck!

i noticed that too. now i'm wondering if *i* have the correct size! ;) how large are your letters?

weird. i never knew that. were they reformulated specifically so that they would no longer match the wheels, or do you think it was a change in recipe for another reason? i thought Wurth's whole 'thing' was that they matched German silver wheels (BMW, Porsche, MB, etc.)? i will keep an eye out for these 'rogue' cans! ;)

hey, that looks pretty cool!! is shifting more difficult now as you need more leverage to shift? do you like it better? which Dremel attachment did you use (a cutting wheel, etc?) how many did you burn through before you were able to cut all the way through the shaft? ;) which knob is that? looks very cool! /chris

yup, i think spray-painting yields the best results for sure! i noticed that you had some silver ones in-the-works, so i'm sure i'll like those better. ;) as far as the decals, that's weird that your original calipers had the smaller lettering. you do see the size difference between yours and mine, right? as far as i know, the replacement decals that i ordered are the standard size, but i'm not 100% sure on that. i got mine from www.xenonmods.com. Rich over there can make them in any color you want. $10 for 6, IIRC. anyway, i think that these blue calipers are a little 'too' blue. i notice a subtle purple shade in the car's paint that i don't see in the calipers which i think draws more attention to the calipers (hey - could be good or bad!) i had considered doing mine in Ocean Blue, but eventually decided against it. what color silver are you using? (i used 'Aluminum' color from Duplicolor). is the plasticote 'hi-heat' paint or just regular? if it's not hi-heat, you might want to think about getting a can of Wurth Silber (Silver) Spray which is almost a perfect match for the silver Porsche wheels. i've considered doing this as well, but people tell me that it will eventually crack, but i am ever-skeptical. if it does crack, i could just paint them again with the hi-heat stuff, i guess. good luck with the silvers. i am very interested to see them! /chris

hi nik, just my $.02, but i'm not crazy about this look. as others have mentioned, the paint-job looks good, but the color might just be a little too much (for me, anyway). i think that silver with blue lettering would be a much better match. i just so happen to have that combo on my car! ;) btw, how did you do yours (brush-on kit, spray-paint, etc.)? it looks like your caliper decals may be a little smaller than the standard decals, as well.

excellent! :) you are correct, just disconnecting the MAF is sufficient. it doesn't need to be physically removed from the car (as that will leave a large gaping hole in the air intake that bypasses (and negates the effect of) the air filter, allowing dust/debris to be sucked into the engine.) best places to order a new MAF are Sunset Imports, Suncoast Porsche and AutohausAZ, IMHO. congrats!

SOME of it?! how about ALL of it? or they can refund his money. i don't know if i'd even want the car anymore. if it is the cats, the warranty should take care of a lot of it. probably just parts and he would have to pay the labor, which the seller of the car should pay.

this sounds like it may be the start of your Air/Oil Separator going bad. the symptoms you listed can be consistent with a failing A/OS, and also with a failing MAF. if it is the A/OS the smoke will get much worse, smoking the entire time that it's running. since A/OS failure is a real possibility, you will want to check it or get it checked. you can check it by unbolting the throttle body from the intake plenum (only 4 bolts) and look for more than a misting of oil. serious engine damage can occur if the engine is fed too much oil by the A/OS, as the cylinders fill with oil and the pistons are not able to compress the oil, well... the technical term is KABLAMO! :lol: the leak from the passenger side of the engine sounds like your A/OS bellows tube has a hole (which is common) and is also allowing a vacuum leak. you can DIY but it's a real pain in the a$$. the parts (new A/OS, bellows tube and J-tube) are only about $120 (from Suncoast Porsche), but removing the A/OS is somewhat difficult. i did it with the help of a friend with a lift which made it much easier, as you need to get up in the passenger side wheel well to access the A/OS. i suppose you could do it on jackstands, but i wouldn't want to. for the dealer to do it, it's about $500 (parts & labor.) if your MAF is bad you can have all kinds of acceleration/throttle response/misfiring, etc issues. if you want to see if it's the MAF, take it out of the car, take the neg battery cable off the battery for a minute which will reset the DME/ECU (have radio code if you need it), then re-attach the neg battery cable and take it for a drive. the car will run fine without the MAF installed. see if you notice a difference with the MAF removed. if the car runs better (no more hesitation, etc.) then it's the MAF sending wacky signals to the engine controller. alternately, you could swap the MAF from someone else's car into your car to see if it runs better (make sure you disconnect the neg battery cable so the DME will adapt to the new MAF, and do it again after you replace your old MAF). a new MAF is around $270 and you could do it yourself in about 15 minutes. the MAF is held in by two screws. take out old MAF, put in new MAF, reset DME - DONE! (you will need a security Torx driver to do this, size T-20 IIRC.) but i would rule out A/OS failure ASAP.

i second the loctite recommendation. it is essential. you can buy it at AutoZone or another auto parts store.

do you feel the vibration through the steering wheel, from your seat, through the brake pedal? does it happen in all gears at 3200 RPM? are you stepping on the brakes when it happens, or does it happen if you just let the car decelerate on its own? is it a very fast vibration that changes with speed? does the vibration also make a noise or is it just vibration? if you had to guess, would you say the vibration is coming from the front or rear of the car? it could be a number of things. warped flywheel, exhaust mounts, motor mount, unbalanced wheel(s), etc. here's a pic of the exhaust system and part #6 is an additional support bracket that has lessened a similar decelerating 3K RPM vibration for some Boxster owners. it's ~$40 USD. and here's a really good thread on DIY motor mount replacement. http://www.ppbb.com/boards/ppbbphp/showfla...true#Post116527

you could offer to pay the PayPal fees (1 or 2%, i can't remember). maybe they don't want to lose any money on the deal to fees. just thinking out loud... would they take a credit card in person, but not by phone? All sorted Chris, found one hardly used with manual and code all for £60 BARGAIN Fingers crossed that it will sort out my battery discharge problem. Nik congrats!!!!!!! :clapping:

you could offer to pay the PayPal fees (1 or 2%, i can't remember). maybe they don't want to lose any money on the deal to fees. just thinking out loud... would they take a credit card in person, but not by phone?

Thanks Chris I did call them and they don't take Paypal and won't take a credit card over the telephone, I don't feel comfortable sending a money order or cheque as I have no protection thanks again Nik i guess they don't expect to sell it then. who is going to wire money or send a money order, etc.? that's ridiculous. PayPal and credit cards are the accepted forms of payment for eBay goods. idiots!

there will be so much smoke that you will know that something is seriously wrong. a little smoke at startup is normal for these engines, but it usually stops after a few seconds. when your AOS is bad, the smoke will be continuous while the engine is running and will engulf your neighborhood. (no kidding!) also, depending on how much oil your engine has eaten, you may also experience rough running/misfires. to diagnose a bad AOS, unbolt the throttle body from the intake manifold and look for lots of oil. if the throttle body is clean, the AOS is probably OK. if you've got tons of oil in there (like i did), it's time to replace the AOS before something bad happens.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-Bec...sspagenameZWDVW

no problem... whatever you do, don't forget to put the freezer bag around the new locking computer. use a rubber washer on the screw INSIDE the bag before you screw it back down. another one on the outside of the bag wouldn't hurt, either. ;)

yea but why would it "cycle on" everytime it decels? the unit only kicks off under hard driving (i believe over 4500RPM or such). maybe you just don't notice it when you are accelerating as there is enough power being generated that it doesn't cause a significant power draw when it cycles on? just thinking out loud... but this does happen to me, and only when i slow to a complete stop (or almost a complete stop.) the car never stalls, the RPMs just dip down for a second and then come back up. doesn't happen when the a/c is off.

my 97 does this as well. i'm not exactly sure why, but i always figured it was the a/c 'kicking in' (cycling on).