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demosan

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Posts posted by demosan

  1. My 1999 Carrera has developed a very strange electrical problem with the front near side lights. Side lights, dip beam and indicators all work OK, however the main beam does not (the bulb comes on but very dim). Also when on main beam the indicator does not work (the rear and side indicators do flash but very slowly) and the dip beam light seems to pulse. Take the main beam off and the indicator starts again! I can also get the same symptoms if I put the front fogs on. The fog light does not work and neither do the indicators. Switch the fogs off and the indicator starts working again! No such problems with the off side front lights.

    I have changed all the bulbs and checked the connectors so am at a loss to know what to do next. Any ideas?

    aw,

    Strange light problems like this can be caused by the light switch itself going bad. I would try moving the switch from on to off several times in sucession to see if the problem syptoms change. If so you need to replace the switch, which you can find a DYI instructions in this forum.

    Good Luck!! demosan

  2. I've searched but didn't find any real comments on using the Kumho SPT or Falken 452's. My new to me 02 C4S currently as the P-zero's which are down to the wear bars and they HOWL like crazy.

    I'm probably going to do 1-2 DE's in the car (have a dedicated track car) but mainly spirited street driving. I've had good results in the past with the SPT's on a 95 M3 but no experience with the FALKEN 452's. I realize that with either I'll give up some absolute dry handling versus a Michelin PS/Bridgestone 050.

    Would love to hear from anyone who has switched from the top-tier tire to one of these options.

    Thanks.

    smithk,

    I replaced my Pirelli Asymmetrico's ( which as you staed were VERY noisy) with the Kuhmo SPT on 02 C4S and O have been very happy with them for the price. Quiet so far ( only have a few K miles on them) and they have been great in the wet as well. I do not track the car, so no data there!!

    Demosan

  3. Spent a good amount of time today cleaning out my radiators. About 53k on the 996 and it has never been cleaned. I noticed the temp gauge has been steadily rising.

    dscf3521mediumtb5.jpg

    dscf3522mediumok9.jpg

    dscf3523mediumzo3.jpg

    :renntech:

    PS88,

    Nice job and your pics have convinced me its time to perform same clean-up operation. Amazing how much debri collects in those airflow ducts and radiators.

    OBTW, looks like you might have your front alignment checked as your left front tire appears to be wearing on inside tread ( camber set too high for track purposes??). ;)

    demosan

  4. I recently installed some Gemballa lowering springs on my 2000 Boxster S. I let the car settle out for a couple weeks and did some light driving. As expected the alignment was all screwed up. So I got it aligned last Friday. Here's the best they could do on camber, caster, and toe:

    Front

    Camber -1.0 left, -0.7 right

    Caster 7.7 left, 7.5 right

    Toe 1/32 left, 0 right

    Rear

    Camber -2.5 left, -2.4 right

    Toe 1/32 left, 1/32 right

    The car now tracks straight with the steering wheel straight (didn't before) and everything feels fine. I'm disappointed in the rear camber though. It still seems too negative to me and doesn't look good. I have very little experience with alignments though. Folks at the PCA tour this weekend said the same thing though - way too much negative rear camber. I think they put the priority on getting the rear toe good and then let the camber fall where it did.

    So what do you guys think? Is this a good final alignment setup or did they do a poor job? The work is guaranteed for 30 days...

    You are correct in that the rear negative camber is set too high. Spec for your car is -1.3 ( +/- .3). Looks like you are a full degree out of nominal settings each side.

    demosan

  5. Guys, did an FCC ID search in the web a it is a LoJack.

    Thanks for your suggestions.

    Now that you know your car has LoJack, I would suggest you register it with loJack and they will ensure it is operational and register it to your current address and give you the car with the instructions for utilizing it case of theft ( God forbid). There is a nominal fee for validation and the tech will perform the check and re-registration anywhere you choose and no annual charge for the service.The good news for me having just gone through the process with LoJack is I notified my insurance company and received a 15% discount. demosan. :D
  6. Hi there,

    I noticed a small drop coming out near the bottom bolt of the water pump pulley. Not a full leak...just a drop here and there. The coolant reservoir has not dropped at all. Does this mean that my pump is toast? or how much longer before it goes?

    Right now there is no other symptoms. No weird noises, nothing else.

    post-9241-1190050213_thumb.jpg

    1999 C2 - Cabrio - triptronic

    Thanks,

    Raul

    I Would take it to anywhere where they can pressure test the cooling system and see how significant the leak may be. You can then decide as to what next steps may be necessary. Most water pumps begin to leak ( weep a bit of coolent) at the water pump bearing/seal very slowly to give you a warning that it may be getting close to needing replacement.

    Good luck!! demosan

  7. Hi Demosan,

    Thank you very much for your help. I know that 4s and turbo are wider, but not beetween lights. I had allready original 4s bumper fitted to narrowbody. As everyone says, that this is easy, I had few problems with it. But now it fits like original. I know this will be another challenge, but cold days are coming and I have time to think about this conversion. Now I have another request for you, if you be so kind: I need also the measure of height of reflective strip and the tickness, because I know the lights are different.

    Thanks again,

    Kras

    Kras,

    I have taken some measurements for you, however I would suggest you look at a C4S to get the complete picture of the reflective strip shape as it is not just a flat strip. When I looked at mine it is more comlex shape than I thought, i.e. there is "lip" on the lower surface that aligns with the lower surface edge of the engine hatch. On the upper surface it is curved and mounts on a recess that is on the engine hatch. that said, here are the dimensions you had requested: thickness reflective strip .25 inches. overall width approx. 3 15/16 inches ( this dimension is bit difficult to measure on the car as the upper edge of the reflective strip is curved and mounts on a recessed surface on the motor hatch.

    Hope this helps!!

    demosan

  8. Hi all,

    As this forum helped me many times, I have a little ask from 4s owners. I have idea to put the blend beetwen lights from 4s to my Carrera and here I need measures from this blend to measure if is possible to do it. Can anybody help me?

    Best regards,

    Kras

    Kras,

    I am not sure I understand your question completely, however the measurement I think you are asking for is the distance between the tail-lights on a C4S ( so you can compare it with your narrowbody spacing to see if placing the reflective strip on a C4S will fit on your car. My first reaction is "no" as the widebody is approximately 2+ inches wider than the narrowbody.

    However, here are the dimensions I took off my MY02 C4S coupe. Overall length of the reflective strip 33 3/8 inches on the lower portion of the reflective strip (closest to the plastic bumper). Overall width from lowest portion of the taillights 33 7/8 inches. There is a 1/4 space on each side of reflective strip from each tail-light to allow for clearance when the rear-hatch opens.

    Hope this helps. Demosan :cheers:

  9. I'm thinking about taking on this endeavor as m the local dealership was supposed to change it when they installed a replacement compressor, and they did not and now they tell me it'll cost $400 more to do it. Believe me I am looking for my copy of the work order but I cannot find it. Also can anyone tell me the time and cost of the dealer doing it. Thanks

    violaGT3,

    As RFM mentioned. the tough part of this being a DYI is the evacuation and recharging the system after the drier replacement. Drier costs around $45 and you will need two new O-rings as well. ( Pelican Parts).

    Good luck demosan

  10. I guess removing it wouldn't be too hard. I was just thinking narrowly that I didn't have a tester that I could use to apply a load. Will see what places are nearby that might test it.

    I may get an indication of major problems when I first crank it over. Also, I suppose, if there's a short, the battery charger may not go into "float" mode and just keep charging.

    RFSB,

    Yo ucan get the battery load tested wit hit in the car. At the same time they can check your alternator to ensure it is up to snuf as well. Sears is one source that I believe offers this as a freebie!! Good luck!!

    Demosan

  11. I'm having trouble having my seat memory work with my key. I have a 2004 C4S. According to the manual, if I put the key in the ingnition...turn the car on....and then set the seat, mirrors and the tilt down reverse opiton, it should recognize this when I open the door with the remote. It doesn't work. When I press the key button to open the door, the seat moves back to the max, then I have to press my memory button to get the position I want. What am I doing wrong?

    Peter,

    As i read your note, I sense you have tried the procedure with the engine running rather tha njust turning the ignition to on without starting engine. In addition, you need to shift the transmission into reverse ( for the passenger mirror tilt option to be activated). In addition, hold the lock key on the dash at the same time you press your seat memory button for a believe is 5 seconds. that is how I programmed my 02 C4S.

    Good luck!! demosan

  12. Your 02 car has a 60K plug replacement interval (the +4 electrode plugs last 60K +). If you really feel that 30K replacement buys something, then save some money and get the older 30K plugs that were used in the 99 though 01 cars.

    OE,

    I realize the interval in the maint. schedule references 60K, but also suggests replacement after max 4 years. I assume this is meant to account for simple corrosion of plugs over time regardless of milage. Being I'm in SoCal and a dry climate I may just leave originals in there for a while as they look "normal" and I haven't had any CEL or related issues with sensors etc. ( knock on wood). Fuel consumption is what it was whe nI bought the car and no oil consumtion at all that I can detect. Changing them may be a true "over-kill" in anal retentive behaviour ;)

    Thanks for the replies!!

    demosan

  13. I need some guidance from the guru's here as I am performing the 30K scheduled maint. on my 02 C4S. I have pulled the plugs to look at them and they don't look bad but after reading lots of posts about spark plug life on this forum I thought it would be time to replace as car is beyond 4 yr. recommendation, although milage is only 29K. The plugs in the car are Bosch platinum +4 plugs ( FGR 5KQED ) . I am not sure as to whether this was the OEM factory plug?? I bought the car at 23K miles a year ago and the owner had all records and he had not performed the 30K scheduled maint. so I am puzzled as to why they wouldn't be Beru's which I was lead to believe were the OEM plug??

    Any recommendations as to what I sould replace with?? I do not track the car, but drive it regularly predominantly at "speed" :D on freeways !!

    TIA demosan

  14. Can anyone tell me why the rotors on my 2002 996 C2 with 16k miles on it are cracking / checking? I have hairline cracks spreading out from the drilled holes in the rotors. An indy told me when the cracks "join up" or run out to the edge of the rotor, it's time to replace them. I've looked at a lot of friends' Porsches and no one else's is doing this, several with 2 to 3 times the mileage. Can anyone shed some light on why this would be happening with so few miles?

    Thanks much!

    HEAT IS YOUR BRAKES AND ROTORS ENEMY along with a heavy foot. :(

    I've only owned the car for 2,000 of its 16,000 miles and they just started to appear. I'm about as anal about my cars as you could be, so I know it's not a heavy foot or unusually high heat. I thought that's why they cross drilled them anyway - to help dissapate heat. So far in my ownership I've been more impressed with my BMWs I've owned in terms of braking power, feel, and durability. This is disappointing to say the least. It's a great car and I love to drive it, so I'll obviously replace them, but it's too bad they don't last longer.

    Thanks for the input.

    X-51,

    Sounds to me as if the previous owner may not have driven the car tha toften, but when it was driven it may have seen some track time. If you google search "cross-drilled brake rotors" you will see a lot of info regarding the pros and cons of crossed- drilled brake rotors. another "no-no" with crossed drilled rotors is NEVER wash the car when the rotors are hot but rather wash the car when they are stone cold. Enjoy the new P-car!! B) Demosan

  15. Hi all,

    At the suggestion of a few members here, I've focused my search for a 911 Cabrio to the 2002 model year. I've found one I like that's a Certified Pre-Owned car; unfortunately it's ~700 miles away so I'm trying to gather as much info as possible before making the decision to travel to see it in person. I'd appreciate any feedback anyone can offer.

    http://tinyurl.com/25pxzk

    2002 911 Cabrio 6-spd

    Speed Yellow / Black

    40K miles

    Bi-Xenon lights, Bose Audio

    Overall, a lightly optioned car, which I'm fine with. There's nothing missing that I can't live without, and my thinking is I'm better off with a cerified car and the associated Porsche warranty rather than taking a chance on buying a car privately or through a non-Porsche dealer. Honestly, reading all the "catostrophic engine failure" threads here has me a bit scared to not have a warranty.

    Asking price is $48K, which is at the top end of my budget. I haven't negotiated at all yet.

    It's a two owner car, originally bought in NY and now in SC, traded in on a 911 Turbo. Car seems to have been reguarly serviced through 15K miles; at this point I'm not aware of any service history past that. Dealer said they pulled a national warranty history and that history shows no warranty repairs.

    Claimed to be original paint, no accidents, no frame damage. I spent a number of years in the car business, so I'm pretty confident that once I see the car in person and up on a lift I'll know if it's been hit. I've got a bunch more pictures of the body other than what's in the listing; they look good. All the panel gaps look correct, no waves in the paint, etc. Front bumper is marked up from the plate bracket (picture attached), which is not a huge issue as long as it will be covered once the bracket is back on. I'm waiting on a shot of the option sticker and a few other pictures.

    So what am I missing and what else should I be asking?

    Many thanks,

    Endaar

    Endaar,

    Having looked at many 02 Pcars last year ( I was looking for a C4S coupe) , you should be paying no more that $45K for that car with 40k miles. Car looks good and as others have suggested do a PPI to isolate any obvious ( and not so obvious ) issues.

    Good luck!! :cheers: demosan

  16. Found the issue - there was corrosion on the plug that connects to the engine compartment fan. Cleaned it off and it works fine, but...

    It does not solve my problem. The coolant continues to skyrockets up to 101-105*C when I am in traffic (30 mph or slower) or standing still (normally runs around 95*C when moving on the highway). I have verified that both the low and high speed radiator fans do work, so I am thinking that I need to remove the front bumber and check that the radiators are not blocked with crude. Any other suggestions?

    As a previous Boston resident and familiar with the salt on the winter roads, when you remove your front bumper to clean the radiators and AC condenser your should check the fan contacts as you did in the engine compartment. If those were corroded, then likely the others may be as well. Not sure you use your PC as a daily driver, but if you drive in the winter there in Boston on that SE expressway I'm sure your car gets a concentrated salt bath in the winter.

    Good luck!! :cheers: demosan

  17. I can never seem to get a straight answer from the dealer's service tech; unless a warning light flashes, I'm not confident in their diagnosis.

    So I have two questions:

    The first is the oil pressure. The manual mentions that 'typical pressure' is about 3.5 'milibars.' But my car runs much higher, around 4 to 4.5; in second gear, approaching 5k RPM, the pressure guage nearly touches the '5'. At running temp (the temp needle typicaly rest on the '0' of the '180') the needle will rest on .75 bars to 2 bars during idle. The needles will sometimes 'bounce' with the RPMs constant; the 'bounces' aren't big or frequent. The dealer service rep assured me that all is okay, each car has it's own 'personality' and that if something is wrong, the car 'will tell me.' I live in Las Vegas and use the recommended 0 W 40 Mobil 1; the car is a daily driver logging just under 50 miles each workday. I'm thinking that the recent high summer temps may be causing higher than typical at temp running pressures. Does that sound right to anyone? I also check the oil level at each filling; really, I'm a bit more paranioid than that and check it about 15 minutes after I've returned home. I keep the level right in between the two 'dots' sometimes just under the upper dot.

    The other question is about the clutch cable. Even with the top up and in noisy city traffic, I can hear that thing creaking and groaning each time I engage/disengage the clutch. I've recently had the clutch replaced and I'm worried that maybe the mechanic didn't get the cable correctly reinstalled.

    I'd also like to add my thanks for the individuals who have posted so much information; especially the DIY maintenance articles. I very much enjoy performing the maintenance on the car and the illustrated post are very easy to follow.

    SOunds normal to me as my oil pressure indicator and coolent temp gauges operate the same as you describe. Was a distraction at first when I purcahsed my 02 C4S a year ago, but having talked to enough folks to reassure me it is normal it is apparently one of Porsche's genetic idiocyncracies. I too use the Mobil 1 0-40 oil all year in SoCal, so have significantly higher temps in the summer ( although not as hot as you in vegas). Car seems not to use any oil at all and I too am paranoid about checking oil regularly inspite of the oil level display. In the case of the cluth noise, if the you had your recent clutch replacement at the dealer and you didn't have the "noise" originally then let him diagnose ( hopefully gratis ;-) )

    Enjoy the car !! :cheers: demosan

  18. Just a quick follow-up to this post. I struggled through my stubbornness and took the car to a local service station (I’m 45 minutes from a P dealer).

    The AC values are in the front trunk. They can be found under the right (passenger side) plastic cover near the cabin filter. The shop had a fairly large machine with 2 lines. The mechanic explained the system ‘should’ be vacuumed before adding coolant – any coolant still in the system is reclaimed. Once this system was clean, 1.95ozs of coolant was added. The whole took about 30 minutes and my air was REALLY cold immediately following.

    The damage was $80.

    Glad to hear the "quick fix" service at the local service station seemed to resolve your lack of cold A/C. You mention in your note the system took 1.95 oz. of refridgerant. Didn't it really take 1.95 lbs?? I am about to recharge my system in MY 2002 and will use the pressure valve to determine appropriate additional R134-A t add to fully charge and the 1.95oz number implies one can ( or less) will fill system??.

    Demosan

  19. :unsure: I did feel a little bit of a sway the previous time I drove the car but, it felt as if the problem escalated quickly. I'm guessing the camber ecentric bolt worked it's way from hand tight to loose within a few road bumps.

    Glad to hear the problem was diagnosed and fixed with the re-alignment. Kind of scary as to how that Camber eccentric worked loose so quickly. If you have had the car aligned recently ( before the latest fix) I would have a conversation with the shop that did the work and obviously didn't tighten the bolts to spec.

    happy Motoring!! Demosan :cheers:

  20. just got back from the dealer and they confirmed that I have a porous crank case and the only solution is to replace the entire engine :o .

    The car is out of warranty now but they are going to contact Porsche in Germany to see if they would offer some "goodwill" on a replacement because of the low mileage and otherwise excellent condition of the car. If not, engine replacement is estimated at $15k.

    supposed to hear somthing back in 24-48 hours.

    anxiously waiting...

    Lenny

    Lenny,

    Sorry to hear of your engine diagnosis being the infamous porous engine casting problem. Hopefully your dealer will leverage your extremely low milage engine into a warranty replacement at P expense. I also have an 02 C4S I was anxious to hear exactly where your "leak" occurred. Good luck with the P folks and if their proposalisn't to your satisfaction this is one I would elevate to PCNA and beyond if necessary as I think you have an excellent case for a warranty replacement. keep us posted as to your progress!!

    demosan

  21. great find! i've bought the other aluminum type gauge rings for my last 3 996's and each time shook my head in disbelief of the $140 price tag. i don't think even makes aluminum gauge rings?? right? but these companies are trying to fit in with porsche and charge outlandish prices just because it's a Porsche.

    out of curiousity, how are these in comparison to the $140 variant? do these fit well and don't have any straggling pieces of plastic where the cut was not good? and go on with epoxy resin?

    i need to buy some rings for my dad's new ride - fathers day gift that he has deserved for the last 30+ yrs :D

    They fit perfect.

    I did it in 5 minutes with doble tape

    This does seem like a great deal and per your experience the quality seems more than adequate. Whe nI try and open the link on ebay for the item, it states the seller has discontinued the item?? Did you purchase thru ebay or direct from auto innovations??

    TIA Demosan

    Not through ebay.

    Just send an email to auto_innovation@yahoo.com

    The price is 46,99 $ + shipping

    They told that Paypal is only accepted in US and I had to do a Money order from Spain thru Western Union

    Juan, Thanks for the reply and I will contact them directly. demosan

  22. great find! i've bought the other aluminum type gauge rings for my last 3 996's and each time shook my head in disbelief of the $140 price tag. i don't think even makes aluminum gauge rings?? right? but these companies are trying to fit in with porsche and charge outlandish prices just because it's a Porsche.

    out of curiousity, how are these in comparison to the $140 variant? do these fit well and don't have any straggling pieces of plastic where the cut was not good? and go on with epoxy resin?

    i need to buy some rings for my dad's new ride - fathers day gift that he has deserved for the last 30+ yrs :D

    They fit perfect.

    I did it in 5 minutes with doble tape

    This does seem like a great deal and per your experience the quality seems more than adequate. Whe nI try and open the link on ebay for the item, it states the seller has discontinued the item?? Did you purchase thru ebay or direct from auto innovations??

    TIA Demosan

  23. Ok, I unplugged the battery and removed the Z2, I was trying to figure out what was the problem for about 20 min. and then when I plugged back the battery, the car started. and the Z2 worked too, I guess some kind of hard reset.

    thanks anyways guys.

    Sounds like the first attempt of battery disconnect and reset was not long enough. I seem to recall the time to complete a reset of alll the CPU's in the car is 10 minutes ( or so)!!

    Great ot hear you are "good to go" without a dealer trip!! :cheers:

    Demosan

  24. Hi everyone, I was triying to install a backup camera on my AVIC Z2 today, and while I was splice'n the power wires it touched toghether, and the Z2 just turned off as if it blew up a fuse. I tried resetting it but no luck. Now on my car everything works but the engine wont start. lights works everything works, just wont start. I know I should have uplugged the battery, but kinda slipped my mind.

    Please share your thought on what might have happend, any help is greatly appreciated.

    thanks

    Sounds to me like the problem is part of the immibilizer/alarm system. Have you tried disconnecting the battery to try and reset the system if all the fuses are OK. Good luck with the diagnose and I'm sure there are more suggestions coming from the "experts" !! demosan
  25. Hi Guys:

    Take alook at this:

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ELM-327-USB...56419QQtcZphoto

    What do you think?

    +1 wross, I have just purchased the Durametric package and it is "customized" for Porsche and has significant capabilites ( as mentined and evaluated by loren in previous posts) and significant capability to both read and clear many porsche error codes, i.e. worked great for me in diagnosing the infamous airbag fault code and was able to clear as well.

    In reading the write up on this software, it does not list Porsche compatible, although does mention it will work on "some VW's...".??

    my 2 cts Dmosan

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