FlashingBlade

Funny that this subject came up because my 2002 C2 is in the shop for an alignment. I was

showing a lot of inner edge tire wear on the right rear tire.

Recommending an alignment is a good money maker for a shop. I'd be especially

suspicous if they recommend one without examining the tires first and understanding

how you drive the car. In my case it was clear something was going on. However, if

you have even or normal wear for that type of car, just let it be.

60$ is a great deal, if they do a good job. Over here the going rate seems to

be closer to 150-180US$ at an independent shop (that I would trust) and 300US$ or

more at the dealer.

You are right that most alignments are straightforward and you can

get pretty close with just regular tools and measuring devices. The problem

with the shade tree alignment is that for certain settings the springs need

to be loaded up with the tires on a movable platform. From the

looks of it, P's seem to have more adjustments than most cars, hence the higher price.

Many cars, like VWs, have no adjustements for there rear and only toe & sometimes

camber for the fronts.

By the way, there are few alignment machines that have the necessary accuracy and repeatability

to do a correct alignment. One of the better ones is the Hunter 600 (?), the one

with the flashy things and camera. Surprisingly, the old fashioned method of using paint on

a wheel and a scribe and manual tools is still one of the best ways of aligning a car.

Make sure they use the same paint the factory uses. I suspect it's

Glazurit. Main issues is that different paint brands use different

pigments, and hence fade differently over time.

Car covers supposedly are one of the better deterrents in both break-ins

and preventing other acts of vandalism (and minor door dings).

The main reason is that they are pain to deal with (especially if

you lock it), slows down the theft, more obvious that someone is

messing with the car, and makes it harder to see what's in the car.

Of course you'll feel like an idiot covering your car in an underground

garage. I generally cover mine at work, or if I need to leave

it somewhere for any length of time.

I'd love to find one of those car covers that has a junker painted on it.

The old recommendation was to wait at least 90 days to have paint

cure and gas out. Driving in the rain helps the process, supposedly.

However, this was for the solvent based paints, and I don't know

whether P's now uses water based paints, clear coats, and what the

rules are for those. Best to ask the installer what they recommend.

I too have searched for and posted similar questions, and like you

have not found a difinitive answer. This is what I know so far:

Most of what you see posted is for the pre-2001 cars (where it's called Litronics),

not the newer ones (officially called Bi-Xenon). The Bi-Xenon lights

have a self levelling feature which requires a different harness and more

stuff added to the car. However some claim you don't need the additional

instrumentation to enable the self levelling feature. I did see

one retrofit posting (Boxter?) where the lack of self levelling caused the lamps to be levelled at

different settings but I don't know whether this a common problem.

Supposedly the guys at Pelican know what's needed, however they have

never responded to my PM, and I have not dug any further.

I have also considered a HID blub retrofit using the existing housing

(for my US 2002 C2). Such kits cost about 500$ but may not be street legal in the US.

There too I have not received any definitive answer. Some claim

the lamp is too long and disrupts the beam pattern, others claim

that it produces too much glare, but that info is largely based on the old

style headlamp housings (or non-P cars) and I have no data on the newer projector type

headlamp housing.

The stock, post 2001, halogen projector type headlamp

has a wider and more sharply cut off beam pattern, more like

the European style beam patterns (which looks like _._._/ when you

shine it on a wall), and therefore a HID retrofit may actually work just fine.

Some also claim HID bulbs get too hot while other claim it's actually cooler

than halogen lamps because it consumes 30W vs 55W for halogen. I know

of no long term report of a HID retrofit in a post 2001 996.

Comments on either a Bi-Xenon or a HID blub retrofit in post 2001 996s would

therefore be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Thanks for the help Loren. It's not that I'm not willing to follow your hints - I just tend to break the wonderful Porsche plastic. But I'll try. Had a look at Bernie's spoilerswitch DIY and it looks like I can pry it out with some kind of plastic spatula. Correct?

I just used my fingers, and started at the top of the horseshoe. It's not on that tight.

There are 2 tabs at the top and 1 (2?) tabs on each of the sides. So first pull the top

until it's loose (as in 1/4") then pull each of the sides. Gently!

I noticed that one of the red crests of one of my wheel caps is missing somehow.

The wheel cap crest looks like:

http://www.wheelenhancement.com/Images/60s...rstinlplas2.jpg

This is for a 2002 C2.

I was wondering whether anyone found a touch up paint that would match

that particular red? My rennlist search found: http://www.testors.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=72

but don't know which red is a close match.

What I tried so far:

o Imola red from a BMW. It's pretty close, but still a bit too bright.

http://www.cardata.com/spoilers/Car_Paint_...paint_codes.htm

o Dielectric insulation paint (the reddish-brown stuff you see on transformers, PCBs): Too orange.

Suggestions welcome.

Thanks

What's the normal going price for P coolant?

Thanks!

I was quoted somewhere between 40 and 50$ for a gallon locally, IIRC.

But it's also the place where Bill has his 959 serviced...

I have noticed that when I run my car especially hard that when I get out I smell a distinct oil burn smell. My car seems to have no leaks, maybe a seap from a gasket but no real spot on the floor leaking problem. Does anyone else have this same smell? Is it normal?

Do a search for ''burning oil smell'' you will see that Pat posted a similar question in Feb 05. Quite a few replies.

My car also smells after a drive. I have always assumed that it's small rubber particles

from the tires, or whatever the tires pick up from the road, thrown on to the hot mufflers

that's causing the smell. Most "regular" cars have their wheel wells shielded.

Question now is, do all 996s smell after a drive or only some?

I'm working on the same projects for my wife's Cayenne S and my dad's 2003... Call Eli at Pelican Parts. He says you just need 2 harnesses and the Litronics (ebay is a good place for that)...

JM

PM Sent to Eli. Thanks.

from my experience with HID retrofit kits, since the entire headlamp pops out with a porsche, I'm not sure where you would mount your ballast. people usually mounts the ballast somewhere inside the engine compartment near the headlamp and OEM hid units mount the ballast inside the headlamp.

Good point. Any comments from anyone who has done a HID retrofit kit?

Could the ballast be mounted on the exterior of the lamp housing like the OEM one?

Thanks.

Before you dismiss this post, I have searched this and other news groups for this topic and have not

found a definitive answer. Most of what I have found is relevant for pre 02 cars

that can be retrofited with the Litronics kit or pertains to retrofitting non projector type headlights.

I am looking to improve the lighting on my US 2002 996 C2:

1) What is involved with a stock bi-xenon retrofit?

What is the final word on the autoleveling and wiring?

2) Regarding the HID retrofit kits (e.g. http://www.xtralights.com/index.asp?PageAc...PROD&ProdID=14)

o What are the long term effects on the lens, mirror and headlamp housing?

Any personal experiences?

HIDs use 35 Watt bulbs, supposedly produce less heat but output more light in the visible range.

o What are the effects on the beam pattern?

The HID bulbs are longer and therefore may mess up the beam pattern.

What are your experienes?

Note:

The 02 has the projector type headlight units (see below) and the pattern has a sharp

horizontal cut off similar to our Xenon equiped 3 series BMW. The pattern is also much wider

compared to typical US style beam patterns. I believe this is the cause of apparent

lack of lighting, it's spread out more. When I first got the car I pulled over to

see whether the lights were actually working. High beams are fabulous though.

I already tried the Sylvania Silverstars and found the improvement underwhelming:

Can you tell the difference?

Thanks.

A couple notes on the PSE relay. The - 02 model has no provisions

for a manual switch over ride. For that you need the - 03 model.

What do you mean by that? 99-04 electronics are all the same. In the early 2002 factory installs of PSE the dash switch was not included, but it is an easy retrofit.

The version of the relay (996 618 980 02) installed in my car did not have the circuitry for manual

override. I opened up the relay and sure enough, those pins are not connected. Compare

the picture below with the -03 version floating in this newsgroup somewhere. I had to buy

a new relay to make the switch work.

As some of you may recall, I last reported on my saga of installing a PSE override

switch for my factory installed PSE (2002 996 C2). I also added a switch to the

speed sensor wire as explained in another message.

Now I am wondering what is better for the flaps in the muffler.

Is it better for these things to be constantly opening and closing as your

speed varies (possibly causing more mechanical wear) or leaving the

flaps open, possibly causing soot and crud to build up on the flap?

As a side note, this little project of adding a muffler override switch

uncovered a host of other problems. The vacuum hose on one side had

melted and the flap in the other muffler was defective and ratteling around.

All the vacuum routings were incorrectly installed to boot. Porsche fixed

all of it under warrantee. I'll eventually get this car debugged.

Thanks.

I recently went through this whole process as well.

The most elegant though more complex solution is to add a

mini toggle switch for the speed sensor. This allows you to switch it

to the auto-cut off mode if you so desire.

I also found a very convenient location to add the mini-toggle switch:

right in an empty slot in the fuse panel. See picture below. I did have

to trim the toggle switch lever a bit for the fuse panel to fit.

I bought the mini (micro?) toggle switch at Radio Shack. Look for one with two contacts,

which makes it easier to fully recess in the empty fuse panel slot as the

slot is partiall covered at the end.

A couple notes on the PSE relay. The - 02 model has no provisions

for a manual switch over ride. For that you need the - 03 model.

By the way, solder everything, use heat shrink tubing and then friction tape

to be on the safe side. Be careful not to burn any holes...

The touch up paint that I got for my 2002 Guards red 996 was a horrible match (way too orrange).

Apparently, there are two or more flavors of Guards red, but the parts dept was only able

to find one:

Guards red, aka, "Indish rot", paint code 80k, part number 911 095 932 20 80 K

They claimed no spray paint was available. I prefer spray paint because the touch

up stuff gets goopy too quickly. I usually spray the paint in the cap and then use a fine

brush to touch up stone chips and small scratches.

However, I noticed that the Guards red of the 996 was strickingly similar

to the Flash red on my 1992 VW Corrado. So I tried some of the touch up paint

of the VW and it was about as close a match as you could wish for. The paint code

for Flash Red is LP3G and comes (came?) in both touch up flask (like nail polish)

and spray paint.

This may save you some money and get a better match to boot.

YMMV because paint shades vary by batches.

2002 C2 Coupe with PSE

Last week the RMS leaked and was replaced, supposedly with the latest generation seal.

I also complained about a rattle in the driver's side muffler and they decided to replace it.

They also hooked up the vacuum lines to the other muffler which had gotten detached somehow.

The car is now significantly quieter and the PSE override switch, which I put in a couple weeks ago,

now actually works. I must have driven with this vacuum leak for a while, and apparently a defective

muffler. The car sounded like a brassy hot rod with a rattle, now it sounds a lot more civilized.

The downside however seems to be that the low end also feels weaker. Before the car

would pull like a locomotive from 2k rpm, now power only really comes on above 3k rpm.

Mileage also seems to have gotten worse, though only by about 1 mpg (I used to get 19

now 18).

I checked to see whether any vacuum lines were detached, but everything seems fine.

How could these actions create such an effect? Does a wide open muffler provide that much

gain in low end? I can hardly immagine that the new RMS makes any difference.

It seems to defy logic, and any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Is there any danger in overfilling with oil?

This being a dry sump system, it would seem to be not

as critical as a wet sump system.

Can anybody tell me how to remove the spade lugs? I've opened the latches on the connectors and tried pulling and pushing them out to no avail. Any help is appreciated.

It's a pain, and I am sure there is a special VW tool to do it with. I use

a combination of tiny (jewelers?) screwdrivers and needle nose pliers to depress

the detents and then slide the spade connectors out.

The reason why I say VW is because the connector housing probably has a

VW-Audi number on it. The housing costs 5$. Regrettably, I have not found the correct

replacement spade connectors to plug into them (as in a part #). If you find out, let us know.

The only use a laser detector is, is to tell you that you just got a ticket.

You may want to be aware that there are also laser jammers for sale. Pricey, legal and effetive.

I would only agree with some of that statement. Laser detectors will most likely tell you to start slowing down so you can stop when the red light comes on. They are pricey, effective, but illegal. At least in California, all devices for jamming electronic speed enforcement devices are illegal.

I am having problems parsing that statement, and so I'd like to clarify what I meant and what I know.

Laser detectors are not illegal in (most?) of the US. Radar detectors are legal in most of the US

except a few locations (DC? Virginia?). Laser jammers, being IR light, are not regulated by the FCC and

therefore legal. Radar jammers are RF transmitters regulated by the FCC and therefore illegal.

FWIW: http://www.beartraps.com/Blinder/LaserJammerLeagal.htm

All forms of detection and ever worse, jamming, are illegal in all (?) of Canada and the Europe Union.

I think a show of hands might show a very effective radar detector. How many users have received a ticket while using a Valentine?

Regrettably, I have. Instant on. No cars ahead of me, so no signals to warn me. I was a sitting duck.

I did fight it and I did win on the grounds that the change in speed was obscured. I hate to admit

that it took me an enormous amount of time (including field research) to find just the right

angle (in all possible meanings of the word). Court was interesting. Amazing how poorly prepared

people were. I was the only one who had done discovery. Also amazing how the judge tried to

manipulate the crowd to change their plea, and left all those who wanted to get the ticket

thrown until the very end. Other then saving me a negligible amount

of money and lousy insurance rates for a couple of years, it did teach me a lot.

I do want to emphasize, that speed enforcement is highly dependent on where you live

and directly correlates with how effective a radar/laser detector will be.

I have probably been pulled over more frequently by an undercover cop car pacing me on

a freeway than by radar/laser in the Western states. East and midwest seem to relie more on

radar or laser.

Tricks to survive the tax collector (tickets) : On the freeways in California.....Always use the number 1 lane ( furthest to the left). The cop will rather take a car on the outside than have to cross 3 lanes, pick one out , move all the way back to the right lane etc . That is inefficient for tax collectors. SO.. always use Nr 1 lane if possible. I have an Escort and on the Californian roads , that will do nicely. Here in California cops can not use radar on the freeways. They must follow you and pull you over. So ALWAYS use the left lane as generally traffic cops stand hidden somewhere and dive onto the freeway. If you get caught by a cop car... that is your fault... you were driving too slow.

Cop cars sneak up on traffic at about 85 or so. Lesson : if you want to speed, always go faster than 85 miles per hour, cops will not sneak up on you that way.. and vary your speed somewhat 85 through 95 or so and if there is space on the number 2 lane...move between the number 1 and number 2 lanes so you will disappear from view if an "enemy " car came onto the freeway from somewhere and is behind you. When changing lanes you will also see the cars hidden in the other lanes.

And by-the-way.... is n't the speed limit per person in the car ... not per car :clapping:

Cheers

Hmmm, I am not sure I agree with some of the statements of my dear fellow lister, but if

that works for him/her, so much the better. It's a myth that the CHP is not allowed to use radar.

They are and they do.

The main problem is that funds need to be allocated by local communities to buy the equipment,

and they typically don't, and secondly that it's often not pratical to use a radar gun on a 6 lane

highway with all cars speeding well over 80. I have *never* seen radar enforcement on, for example,

the 405 in LA. However, on 395 towards Mammouth watch out!

However the lister brings up a good point. Each state has their own peculiar habits on speed enforcement

and it is good to be aware of them. If you were a cop, where would you go to catch speeders? At the top

of a hill or at the bottom? On a sunny day or rainy day? Near the holidays? There is a semi

militant organization called something like the National Motorists Association that has additional tips.

Regarding radar detectors, I have both an old Escort and now my 3rd upgraded V1.

The V1 is very sensitive, but every one I have had so far have had glitches. The first one

just failed after a couple of month. The second one would go off whenever I hit a bump.

The current one is paranoid with some intermittent bogey behind me. However, when I

turn the unit around, it's still showing a bogey to the rear, even though it's pointing

forward. The problem comes and goes. The escort on the other hand, though currently

entirely outdated, has been rock steady and consistent. Not sure of their current product line

is as robust.

So, I figure I'd just throw that in as a counter experience for otherwise an excellent, though bulky unit.

The only use a laser detector is, is to tell you that you just got a ticket.

You may want to be aware that there are also laser jammers for sale. Pricey, legal and effetive.

The purpose of this posting is to both ask more questions and to archive some additional tricks for those of you who stumble upon it by a search.

Situation:

I am retrofitting a 2002 C2 with factory PSE with a PSE switch. All wiring up to the relay is in place.

Question:

How much attention should I pay to the color of wires because the wiring diagram for the PSE

does NOT agree with the wiring colors to my 996 618 980 02 PSE relay (note, the -03 is the current rev).

See enclosed picture:

1) Instead of 2 RD/BU wires I have 2 BK/BR wires that go to position 11 in the relay support.

This wire is hot whenever the engine is on. I think BU = BLue

2) Instead of a GY/RD wire going to the rear valve, mine is BR/White

The others are the same.

Should I hook the common of the PSE switch (A4) to

the same BK/BR wires the relay is hooked up to, or the RD/BL wire which goes to the common

of the PSM switch on the dash? That lead is always hot. Chances are that it does not matter.

Trick

The relay support holder was an absolute bear to remove. Some of you are luckier.

For some reason, two of the four "feet" that supports the door side of the holder

were jammed behind the bar for the clip and I could not get enough leverage to

slide the panel out. And, yes, I did remember the nut holding the other end.

The trick is to simply loosen the bolt that holds that bracket. It a couple of inches

above the "feet" and it slides right out. See enc pic. I had to bend the plastic bracket to get it

out.

Notes:

The correct PSE switch numbers are:

996 613 987 10 A05 Black mat switch (for left side of dash)

996 613 988 10 A05 Black mat switch (for right side of dash)

The Porsche publication "Exhaust system/Sport Exhaust 06/02 2601 Group 2" has it reversed.

Either that, or the supplier randomly applies the left & right on either switch.

If you want to be really anal, then you can get OEM tip switch socket make by VW/Audi.

The part # is 443 972 995 but it has been superseded with 8N0 971 636 (about

$5 at VW and 10$ at Audi. Go figure. Porsche could not look it up).

The pin out for the lighting for the tip switches are not all the same. Some use the common A4 and A3,

others use A3 & A5. So be aware when you hook things up from neighboring switches. You may

want to check it out with a Volt meter first. The trend seems to be that switches with an indicator

light use A4 and A3.

Here is how to decode the tip switch pin outs. I am sure it's listed somewhere but could not find it.

Look at http://www.gagme.com/greg/Boxster/hacks/garageswitch.html

(basically look at the rear of the switch with the horizontal male connector on top)

A = A3 (upper left)

B = A4 (common)

C = A4 (upper right)

D = A1 (lower center left)

E = A2 (lower center right)

And of course thanks to Loren and Orient Express for their patience with my questions.

Jan

I should have labelled the relay support holder bracket picture a bit better.

The bolt is in the upper right hand corner of the picture, and the bracket

slide out in the direction of the bolt. The slightly mangled black plastic edge is where the relay support slides in.

Sure enough, the relay is there already, except the part number

ends with 02 rather then 03.

Thanks for the great insight!

I think you are correct. If I am not mistaken the car was optioned

with PSE and it is indeed a 2002 model.