berty987

The rear brake disc on a 986 is different to a 987 due to the different track of the rear axle. I think you will find the offset on the disc doesnt match the caliper position. The front discs are the same between both cars.

Bungee chords can be bought at most hardware shops. You probably need to buy shorter chords rather than longer and ideally get ones that have plastic rather than metal hooks. The chord itself passes under the trunk lid so it doesnt damage the rubber seal. The rubber mat is something i made up myself, there are a few products on the market such as leatherette padded sheet usually found in fabric / homeware shops for covering chairs or acting as a table cover. The other material I've seen is a rubberised mesh sold as non slip matting in most hardware and auto accessory shops. Yes you do need to be careful laying the wheel on the trunk lid to ensure you dont dent it, but its quicker and cleaner than trying to plug a hole which you may not even be able to see. I agree these instant fix plug kits seem effective , though I've no confidence that my repair would be as good as a tyre fitter. Not all punctures can be repaired.

That looks a tidy install , but a bit pricey. Rather than run the risk of losing a key fob , the other option is to simply fit a switch as myself and others have done. I made up a simple loom and plugged into the existing plugs so there was no cutting of wires.

I made up a kit to allow you to turn on and off the PSE at will and prevent the 20 -40 mph cut out. Personally I think its a more elegant solution to unplugging the unit and allows the control to be returned to normal come service or when you feel the 70 mph drone is becoming too much. The pug has a metal wire clip that needs to be squeezed to allow it to release from the grey solenoid.

Takes up very little space surprisingly. I can still carry a decent sized suitcase in the front compartment. This is how you need to carry the removed wheel in a boxster if you have a passenger. A rubber mat and bungee chords hold the wheel in place. You are limited to 40 mph with hte space saver anyway.

Possibly only applies to the european and UK specification headlight as there are LHD/ RHD bordering countries. I doubt the USA north america headlights which are a different spec have the same capability.

Would be cheaper and less hassle to buy a tire pressure gauge and a spare wheel from a 996 (17 inch space saver) from a car dismantlers. The tyre fits in the front luggage compartment of a 997 and is just shy of the same rolling radius of the original 997 wheel. I have this solution in my 987 boxster (same luggage compartment as the 997 2S) and still have space for luggage when on holiday.

I beleive TPMS can be retro fitted like most options. It will be very expensive though. Not only do you need the wheel sensors (which require the tyres to be removed to be fitted) , but you also need the 4 reciever units , plus wiring back to the control module and the control module itself to be installed. Then you will need a few hours with a PWIS unit at a local independant (porsche wont retro fit items for you ) to get the TPMS fuinction coded and enabled.

Assuming you have a standard spring set up and not the optional PASM , the anti roll bars , spring and damper rates are all different between the two models. The gearbox is also a different beast and I believe the final drive may also be a differnt ratio. There was a dealer tech guide outlining the differences posted on the documents section of the forum.

The shock absorbers will not be covered under a porsche warranty as they are classified as wear and tear items. My boxster 987 which has an identical front end to the 997 had similar issues with occasional wandering on cambers. It turned out the inner ball joint on the steering rack was worn giving about 2mm of free play on one side. With two people checking the car, one on the steering , the other underneath , its simple enough to check if the inner or outer joints are worn. The suspension arm bush is best replaced as a complete unit as rebushing is only for professionals and needs to be done with the same material as the other side or you do both sides at the same time. Rebushing is done with aftermarket bushes as Porsche don't sell the rubber inserts as spare parts. After any work on the suspension you really need to have the suspension re aligned and checked.

If your car is equipped with PASM dampers testing them is very difficult. With the ignition off , the damper reverts to sport setting and is at its most firm, therefore a bounce test is useless. The PASM dampers can fail internally with no outward signs of oil seepage. This is difficult to test unless the damper is put on a dynamic load test rig. One simple test for a damper is its temperature , if you drive the car on equal corners and load conditions for about an hour both dampers on each axle should be about the same temperature. If one feels excessively hot it suggests the one on the other side isn't doing its work so the hot damper is taking more load , so getting hotter. This simple check was proven out with my PASM dampers , the test rig results showed one was under performing significantly. In reality its usually best practice to replace as a pair.

You mentioned a broken spring on the front, when both springs were replaced on the front as a pair , was the geometry re set ? A twisted chassis is quite severe, but I know of a cayenne that had similar issues , apparently on the cayenne there are spacers on the struts to ensure all four wheels have the same loading. Sounds like you need to talk to a suspension specialist , I would suggest a call to center gravity who are porsche suspension specilaists , here in the Uk. Though they may not be able to do the work for you (you are overseas) Chris Franklin the proprietor may be able to give you some pointers of what else to check. If the chassis was bent I'd expect evidence of a repair and some unequal shut lines or panel gaps.

It may be cheaper to contact a company like FVD , Speedart or Techart for a performance header and ECU remap. Following this upgrade revised cams can be considerd from 9FF. Engine rebuilds are costly and parts expensive so if you can live with moderate gains from headers and ECU remaps you will get better value for money.

When I looked into this for my 987 Boxster , kits were available direct from Sachs at a fraction of Porsche prices. Sachs make the original porsche part so there is no issue buying one of their kits. If you look at the Sacks ZF web site , there may also be an uprated "performance" kit available , typically about 25 -50 % more than standard but overall not much more than the Porsche price for a standard item ! Flywheels are made by LuK, forget a performace solid flywheel if the car is being driven on the road, reports say the take up is hard and its very noisy. There is a test for flywheels on the TSB pages under the 996 section.

The 2005 MY cars had the single row bearing on the IMS , only the early M96 engines had the double row bearing (found on the 986/ 996). If you read the LN engineering website on their IMS replacement kit , it soon becomes clear that porsche have been redesigning both the IMS bearing and IMS seal at an alarming rate. IMS failures on later cars are not unknown , though looking at the post 2007 issue on the boxster (with hte introduction of the M97 engine used on the cayman ) there seem to be much fewer cases with the larger single row bearing fitted to cars of this age. Conversely the early 986 boxsters with the double row bearings seem to have fewer issues too. Bear in mind that the boxster and 911 share this componet on both engines. I've yet to see all the data but its interesting that the 3.8 l S model 911 uses a similar M97 designated engine to the Cayman and Boxster 3.4 which seem to exhibit fewer IMS bearing issues. The early boxster 987 and 3.6 L engines in the 911 (997) and previous generations of the 911 (986) all use the M96 variant engine. Is it possible that the M97 engine or later M96 units in the 911 after 2006 use the revised bearing and IMS support found in the M97 of the cayman which appear more reliable ? There is no definitive reason for IMS failure , some put it down to the lubrication in the bearing being washed out by the low vis oil , others suggest its due to sludge and acidity from short journies and extended oil intervals. There are suggestions of faulty assembly or manufacturing tolerances too. The shaft support is also prone to failure where the thread ends on the spigot , porsche introduced a larger spigot and revised bearing as of 2006 to address this. I dont think there is any reason to avoid buying a 997 in favour of a 996 due to concerns with IMS failure (to me the risk is the same) , but agree a later car (post 2006) is less likely to exhibit IMS issues , due to the revised larger spigot and bearing. Experience based on the cayman and boxster suggests this modification went some way to improving IMS bearing/ shaft failures but still didn't cure the seal issue. Whichever car is purchased (even a post 2006 model) I would advise a warranty is a sensible addition. Parts and labour are expensive on these cars and with the added complexity of newer cars there is more to go wrong. As an example rear suspension arms cost in the region of 600 Uk pounds to replace, radiators 300- 400 and other parts similar money. Its relatively easy to end up with a repair bill over 1000 pounds (1500 USD) even outside of main dealer prices and labour rates.

The springs sit in the PASM dampers with a specific location. The springs should be progressive and have the same compression when loaded. You could simply change the spring from one damper to the other or swap the complete strut from one side of the car to the other to prove this point. PASM dampers are not unknown to fail, they can fail internally without any outward signs. This was the case on my 2005 MY boxster , also fitted with PASM. The dampers were tested on a dynamic rig by Bilstein UK , this showed an irregular response in damping performance. I would advise replacing both dampers at the same time , especially on a car this age. The new damper is probably at least 4 revisions in part number from the original , suggesting a certain amount of upgrading by the supplier. I dont think its unreasonable to suggest that the broken spring would not only unduly load the damper on the front , but would also load to corresponding damper on the opposite rear side too. The PASM dampers have both sport and normal settings with adjustments in each mode. With the ignition "off " , the damper reverts to the sport mode in the stiffest setting , its therefore difficult to diagnose a faulty damper without a test rig when its disconnected from the car. A couple of other things to consider 1 The anti roll bar, is it possible this has been twisted or the supports are loose ? This could cause the uneven poise of the car . 2 Each PASM damper also has an additional support spring , this is a rubber bush that sits on top of the damper rod, are these in good condition ? Part number 997 333 105 01 A PASM damper costs about 300 Uk pounds EACH ! There are no alternatives unless you buy the PSS9 dampers for PASM cars (also made by bilstein) as a complete kit. The dampers cannot be purchased outside of the Porsche network as Bilstein have a supplier agreement (this is worldwide) with porsche. Springes will be cheaper to replace so check the problem is genuinely with the damper by swapping springs and location from one side to another.

Sounds like you have a PCM Version 1. If resetting the power hasnt cured the problem then its possible it breathed its last breath. Not sure on the particular model you have , there may be a fuse o the rear of the unit. May be worth taking it out from the dash to have a look before deciding its all over. There are often used units for sale on e bay, will be cheaper than trying to get it repaired if its not a simle fix .

Press 147 to do a soft reset of the PCM. If cycling the power isnt curing your problem you may need the PWIS unit to interrogate the device. Is the PCM original factory fit or an aftermarket install using a used or second hand part ? The PCM is the timing device and main hub for all the most ring devices. If the PCM has a fault internally then it can get out of synch with the MOST devices causing conflicts. Its also important that the MOST ring has no breaks or damage / dirt at the juctions , this can cause the PCM to see devices dropping out of the MOST ring. The PWIS unit allows the technician to declare the MOST devices in the PCM , the PCM then looks for these devices. If they cannot be found you get an exclamation mark next to the device on the PCM MOST menu (press main and trip together to access this). The devices can sometimes not be recognised if the MOST optics are damaged or the devices are out of order on the MOST ring ie not corrected in the correct sequence.

The simplest and most trouble free route is to buy the retro fit kit. It will include all the parts you need, brackets , screws , cables , and most importantly the software updates and map DVD. If you try to buy the parts cheaper ie second hand or e bay , you will be waiting a long time to get the corrrect match for your model of PCM. If you dont match the PCM with the navigation drive , there can be isues with the system recognising the new DVD drive and it working correctly. Its also possible your PCM unit will require a software update to work with the new DVD drive , so if you "go it alone" you will need to track down software too. If you are not technically minded , fitting this hardware and understanding the protocols of MOST ring devices can be quite daunting. There are some good write ups on retro fitting over on planetporsche.net under the electronics and DIY sections including pictures. The cayman 911 and boxster all use the same PCM and so the retro fitting procedure is basically the same.

I don't think this is actually the case Marc, the PSE can be specced without sport chrono , so its possible to drive without the sharper throttle response but with PSE active. Having the facility to engage PSE without sport mode is more beneficial if you find the jerky response unsiutable for town driving but still want the PSE sound. This is one of the benfits of fitting aseparate control switch for the PSE as i did.

The new gen 2 cars have a different wheel for Multi function controls compared to those without. On the earlier car (997 gen 1) the wheels were identical , save the switch plates which were blank on the standard car and had controls for the multi function option. The retro fit will require a new wheel with additional electronics to allow the multi function buttons to operate , and then require recoding by porsche using the workshop tool. Unfortunately you canot just buy the parts and convert your existing wheel. Expect about 2000 usd for the wheel conversion. The issue with the 997 gen 1 turbo was that the owner wanted to fit the MF controls , which were only made for triangular airbag wheels to a round sport wheel, and the switch plate profiles are different. I retro fitted the MF wheel to my gen 1 987 boxster which uses the same parts and controls as the gen 1 997. In the gen 1 997/ 987 the same electronics module is used for the MF wheel controls as the tiptronic controls , so if you have tiptronic all you need is the new switch plates and some coding to have the facility. On a gen 2 car it may be the same situation, ie if you have PDK you may already have the module to accept the MF control wiring. I suggest if you need to buy a new wheel for the controls it will come equipped with the necessary modules ready to be coded into your existing car. Best to check the parts catalogue first to see if the steering wheel switch plates can be ordered separately on the gen 2 or if a complete wheel is required. Use the option code notation next to the part to identify what other specific modules are required for this option. This is what I did when I investigated the option on my own car.

I have both PASM and the multi function wheen on my boxster. The MF wheel was a retro fit , so this can be added later if you change your mind. As to PASM , I'm not convinced its necessary and most drivers rarely use it on the road. The dampers are liable to failure and expensive to replace ( As I found out to my own cost) as they cannot be repaired. Porsche do not cover PASM dampers as part of any extended warranty so think about this before you spec them. I have driven cars with standard suspension with the same wheel size as my own car ( I have optional 19" wheels) and found the suspesnion to be better sprung than PASM in normal mode. I don't live in an area with exceptional roads and do most of my driving on the B roads in the countryside rather than motorways , I would suggest the suspesnion gets a good work out on every trip. In sport mode the car does feel more responsive to steering inputs but tends to be more nervous over bumps and the ride is far from comfortable. Its worth being aware that the anti roll bars are different sizes on standard versus PASM cars to compensate for the stiffer spring/ damper rates found on PASM. Therefore the anti roll bar is smaller I believe on the PASM car. Bilstein (who make the porsche damptronic PASM dampers) also offer aftermarket kits which are adjustable for ride height and can be controlled in damper setting by the driver similar to PASM. As to the multi function wheel its only really worth speccing if you use the navigation and USB for music. The thumbwheel control allows effortless zoom of the map when driving , something really helpful when in town. The Thumbwheel is also great for scrolling through long music lists found on USB / I pods. The MF wheel will also allow for a mute function on the music and to make and recieve call , though personally I find the OBC stalk works better for this , as finding last number called and favourite numbers is easier using the stalk / instrument display. If I bought a new car, I would think carefully about speccing PASM and PCM as I beleive there are better and cheaper alternatives to the Porsche systems. A sports exhaust PSE would probably be a must have , especially as the new Dfi engines appear to have lost more of the soulful sound of the flat six.

The only way to have this option retro fitted will be to have the rear DME recoded and configured for it. Certainly Porsche main dealers will not do this for you so you will either need an independant specialist with the PWIS tool or a software tuner to reflash your software. Either option will invalidate any warranty so if you are buying a new car this is something you may want to consider carefully. On the earlier cars 997 gen 1 the sharper throttle response and higher red line could be recoded by getting a softronic reflash. I am not aware if the reduction in PSM intervention was possible with the reflash. Personally I would spec this as an option rather than trying to get it added at a later date or talk to Sportec, Techart, Manthey, Ruf , FVD , about their options on ECU recoding before making a decision.

08.2009 . At last a map update ! Would be interesting to look at the files and see exactly when the database was written. The 2007 map was in fact written in 2006 !

From your post it sounds like you have an early PCM 2.1 , possibly pre 2006. The software level is level A at the moment so your PCM will be using a 2004 map DVD. You cannot use the 2005 or later Map until the PCM and navi drive has been updated. There are three CD's to do this task which cannot be bought sepatately from Porsche , they come as part of a "kit" supplied with a new Map DVD. The CD's you listed are for bose and telephone updates and will be of no use in your situation. I would advise against a self update unless you are fully familair with the update process , and certain of your current software level and hardware installed. If your car also has Bose there are some other pre requisites that need to be considered before updating , otherwise the Bose amplifier can become a brick and potentially the PCM too. Since you are UK based , I may be able to assist. Send me a personal message and we can discuss what is required for the update offline , as its somewhat complex and different for every car.