Gator

Loren, I was fiddling around the switch today and found out it works... I have to angle the switch to a slight tilt position and then move it forward. It is a hit and miss as I have to fiddle around with it until it contacts. It seems the switch contact is bad. Is the switch servicable? Ron Porsche seems to only sell the whole switch assembly (almost $500 MSRP). So you might check salvage yards or electrical parts shops for matching parts. Ron, You might try to clean the contacts. You can do this by 1) removing the two screws at the bottom of the switch plate. 2) pushing the switch plate upwards while pulling the bottom out. this will free the switch assembly from the seat. 3) You can remove the front cover (and switch controls) of the switch assembly. It is held in place by a number of plastic snaps. This will provide you direct access to the mechanics of the three seat switches. Contact cleaner will probably do the trick. Glenn

I would absolutely get a second opinion before authorizing this work. I have a 2000 C2 w/ @ 97k miles on it. In Feb I replaced all of the coolant hoses on my car. I got an excellent look at the pipes you are referring to. My coolant pipes looked brand new. Unbelievably clean. I'm not sure what they are made of, but they look like they'll outlast me. I really think some additional investigation is required.

Back in the seventies I lived about three years just north of Detroit where we sprayed all kinds of rubberized paint under our cars in a frutile effort to stop rust. Since then I have dreamed of having cars that don't rust. This February, on my C2's 10th birthday which was also it's 100k milestone I decided to replace all fourteen or so coolant hoses. These hoses are all over the car! I also did some other maintenance such as install new tie rods, shocks, link rods, wheel bearings, flush the transmission, replace the differential seal, full brake job and brake fluid flush, full tune up, and replace a few leaking oil seals here and there. In short, I had the entire bottom of my car apart from front, through the middle, and to the back. In addition to the above, I examined and cleaned everything, taking off the spoilers (bumpers), underside plastic, wheel-well liners. I don't think I encountered ANY rust where I thought I might. None. I did encounter lots of dirt but that cleaned right off. I believe the only evidence of rust I found were on the muffler nuts and header bolts. And I think the (stock) headers have some surface rust on the connection plates, but only surface rust. Man, I was in heaven. (I was also enjoying my new car lift.) While northern VA is not Detroit (though this winter brought back less-than-fond memories) I assure you our roads are tough on cars but I couldn't be happier than how my baby is holding up without any (additional) rust protection. I guess what I am trying to say is that I don't think you need to coat your car with anything. btw, I have it on my to-do list to find hardened stainless steel nuts and bolts for the header and muffler.

While it has been a while since I've needed to pop out switches from the dash, for a while there, I was doing it all of the time and don't recall having an issue. For the batwing, I vaguely remember pulling the batwing out, turning it down so I could get to the back side and using a small screw driver to pop out the switch. From the rear of the batwing, I would place the blade between the edge of the switch and batwing and use the driver to wedge the switch out of the wing while applying pressure on the switch from the front with a finger. If memory serves, there are four protrusions on each switch that hold the switch in place. The protrusions (bumps) are roughly at 2, 4, 8 and 10 o'clock positions on the switch. You are using the screw driver to separate the switch protrusion from the wing just enough to help with the removal.

Steve, the Mk2 bumper has different cutout locations for the exhaust tips. Mk2 exhaust tips will fix that problem. The other primary change with the Mk2 rear bumper is the bumperettes. However, I believe the Euro spec cars didn't have the bumperettes, so if you are installing a Euro bumper, you shouldn't have an issue there. GA

As I mentioned before, it has been a few years but I remember using my old airbag with my "new" dash. I looked through the parts catalog and it looks like there is/was no change in the airbags, (just a new rev in 03 that superseeds the old bags). GA

The 996 OBD II manual states that, when faults have been erased, two "trips" are required to "initiate" the "readiness code". A trip is defined as a period of time, not miles, specifically 1150 seconds. I've inserted the two definitions for Readiness Code and Trip (note the clause regarding power disconnection): Readiness code The readiness code indicates that the required fault checks were performed by the OBD system. It is not important whether or not a fault was found. The readiness code is reset if the fault memory is erased or the power supply (terminal 30) is cut off when a code is stored. The readiness code is not reset when the battery is disconnected if no fault is stored. To initiate the readiness code, at least two trips have to be completed. Trip A trip is a driving cycle after a rest period that enabled the diagnostic system to monitor all components and systems at least once. In the event of a fault, it may not be possible to perform all diagnostic routines under certain circumstances. For this reason, a replacement trip is recognized after an operating period of 1150 seconds. In other words, a driving cycle is recognized as a trip after this time, even if not all diagnostic routines were performed.

I have a 2000 996 C2. I'm installing a new drivers side inner tie rod and decided to install a fresh bellows. My problem? I just can't get the larger end of the new bellows over the lip of the steering rack frame. The tip of the bellows is sufficiently wide enough and goes over the end of the rack about an 1/16th of an inch but I just can't get the full lip of the bellows up and onto the frame. It needs to go on about 1/2" or so. When I try to push it on further one side or another just flops back off. I've tried turning (rotating the bellows) as I try to push it on. I've also tried lubricating, warming, and stretching it by hand but to no avail. I even took the new inner tie rod back off to see if that'd give me better leverage (just to see if I could even get it on that way). I also have the rack turned so that the inner tie rod knuckle is right up against the frame so that I have better leverage. Side by side the new and old bellows are identical down to the TRW stamps with the exception that the lip of the bellows that goes over the frame narrows slightly in the middle of the section where the hose clamp would rest (if I could get it on the frame). The bellows is the correct part and OEM. It is in the low 60's here this week. My question: any tips for getting the new belows up over that lip? Should I just wait for a nice balmy 100 degree day and leave the bellows in the sun prior to trying to install it? I've gone ahead and put the rod assembly back together with the old bellows (no cracks) but want to do the other side and then come back and replace this bellows. Thus, I would like to figure this out. Thanks in advance, GA

The Footwell Lighting option is MXX2. The wiring schematic for this option is on the upper right corner of the Alarm page (usually page 8) for each model year. The key parts to the option are the a) two lights, the switch and c) two relays. The reason the switch connections don't make sense is because they are designed to toggle the relays and not toggle the lights directly. I installed this option in my car a few years back. However, I wired it up with just one relay. The relay is a bit spendy which is why I just used one. I believe I collapsed all of the relay connections into relay 2. Everything works fine. It powers up with everything else, lights up with the dash lights, signals that the lights are on (kind of redundant) and the timer works too (the lights shut off after some period of time). The lights themselves come in very handy from time to time. I have attached the MXX2 schematic for you. I've zero'd in on the MXX2 section so you can read it better. Thus, you can't see the following: The Bn/Ye wire from A5 on relay one and the Rd/Bk wire on relay 2 connect into the two groups of similarly colored wires under the dash. If memory serves, you'll find a place to tie into these down by the relay panel. I can dredge up the various part numbers if you'd like. GA MXX2.pdf

No image available Review Name: Atlas TD6MR Mid rise car lift Author Name: Gator Submitted: Yesterday, 09:40 AM Last Updated: Jan 31, 2010 - 09:40 AM Category: Accessories, Parts, Maintenance Items Lift is perfect for raising and working beneath 911 type cars. The lift provides excellent and complete access on a C2 to both engine/transmission in the rear and anything you might need to access in the front. Easy to operate and feels extremely safe. View Review

Daiji, If you can do some basic wiring, you can get your drivers seat controls working (getting the memory and reverse mirror function is, on the other hand, a major effort). As you are trying to sell your car, you might find the power seats more appealing to the buyer. The wiring work that I outline below is rather basic and completely reversable. If you look at the seat control unit under the drivers seat front (appx 8 x 3 x 1 inch black box) you will see a number of cable connector points. These are numbered 1 through 10. Some have plugs in them, some do not. Mostly all of the connections should be full on the left (connections 1 through 5) and empty on the right (6 through 10). Look for connection "6". It is smack in the middle. and should not have anything plugged into it. If you were to pull the unit out from the seat, you'd see a label above that: " Spannungs verzorgung". This is the key connection. Looking at the control unit with connection 1 to your right, connection "6" has 8 terminals laid out like this: - - _ - - _ - - The first two columns of six terminals are small,perhaps an eighth of an inch wide. The third column has two terminals which are larger and are what I'd refer to as normally sized spade terminals. These terminals are identified by Porsche as follows: D3 C3 B2 D2 C2 B1 D1 C1 To get your seat controls working: 1. Apply 12+ volt power to connections B2 and C1 2. Apply ground to connection B1 You can obtain 12+ power from the main seat connector. Just splice into the large red wire. In your car, ground wire is brown. You'll see all kinds of brown wire under the drivers seat that you can splice into. There is also a ground lug under the seat too. You can obtain the larger and smaller spade lug connectors and wire from radio shack. Let me know if you have any questions, enjoy. GA

I've just reviewed the pages in the parts catalog associated with the dash & venting and it brought back the memories..... When I was first attempting the dash upgrade, I thought I'd assemble the parts list/numbers (just like you are), buy the parts (used but some new if necessary), and install. Unfortunately, the parts catalogs I have (I have both the PET and pdf versions) do not clearly specify the ducting and bracing part numbers between the older and newer cars. Plus the thought of buying any missing items from porsche at their premium got me thinking. I finally decided to just demand all of the ducting and bracing parts along with the entire dash from the seller (less the electronics). Neither of the two sellers I was negotiating with had any issue with this (who are they going to sell ducting and a brace to?) I got what I asked for and everything bolted right in. In the event you go the same route I did, I am attempting to list the parts by description that you should look for in the pile that you get from the seller: In addition to the dash with glove box you'll need: 1. center dash vent/radio console - the whole assembly in the newer car is different. With the early 996 this was pretty much one piece. With the later car it is a number of pieces. There is a sub-frame, the vents are separate and install like a cartridge, there is an outer trim cover and so on. Very different from the earlier car. Try to get the whole thing (less the electronics) 2. Ventilation ducting: the following are different - the center distribution piece and the left duct (that connects the center distro to the duct piece behind the passenger side vent). If memory serves, the rest of the duct pieces are the same. 3. Dash Brace. In the earlier car, this is one big piece of aluminum that goes from one side of the car to the other (behind the dash). In the later car, it is very similar except that they cut out the section where the glove box is. I believe all of the bolt holes/attachments are the same so you could probably cut out the section yourself where the glove box is if you can't get the two newer parts. Items you won't need: intrument cluster, buttons/switches - your existing ones will snap/install right in and you can't use the new cluster at all. One last thought about the part numbers, I remember looking over the part numbers of the parts I got from the seller and thinking "wow, where did these numbers come from?" - a number of them were not in the catalogue at all. Sorry I can't help with the part numbers but it just isn't that easy. Hope this helps. GA

Deckman, Yes. I did this in my 2000 a few years back. Very satisfying to have the glove box and the smaller drink holder. If my memory is correct you'll need different air ducting and bracing that provides space for the glove box and slightly different center vent assembly. To be on the safe side, I'd try to get all of the air ductwork from the donor car along with the bracing. With the right parts, every things bolts right in. Good luck. GA

TC, I did an interior swap in my 2000 C2 a few years back. It is very do-able. I even went so far as to install an 02 full leather interior. This provided me with the glove box which I really appreciate. It has been a while but here are some thoughts: 1. my original interior didn't have door speakers. Every leather interior I looked at had the door speakers. This wasn't an issue for me as I wanted to upgrade to the Bose system (that has them) but you should expect that any leather interior you look at will have the door speakers (in case your interior doesn't have them). 2. If you go with an 02 or later dash, you'll need the 02 (or later) dash bracing and vent ducting that provides space for the glove box. 3. I also found and installed full power/supple leather seats to flesh out the interior. I put a post out there a few years back with some detail on the seat upgrade. 4. The leather Porsche uses can get dinged up fairly easily. I really had to look around for an interior that was in great condition. - it is good that you will have a chance to see the interior you are considering prior to purchase. Hope this helps, good luck. GA

I studied the wiring diagrams last night and decided to try one more thing today. I plugged in a known good relay (horn) into the Ignition relay socket in the rear relay frame, and the car fired right up. (the horn and ignition relays are the same.) I then installed a relay from a spare harness I have here into the horn socket and I appear to be good to go. Crisis averted. Thanks all. GA

That is depressing. I doubt it is the harness. Everything really looks fine. Unless anyone has any other suggestions, I will be taking it to the shop tomorrow. Thx, GA

Greetings: went to start the car and while it turns over with vigor, it will not start. It doesn't even "try" to fire, leading me to believe either fuel or ignition. Getting error codes P1237 through 1241 which say: "Fuel injector, cylinder 1-6. Interuption" No other error codes found. All fuses good and other system operations seem fine. I did the fuel pump test per the shop manual and it pumps fine. Any suggestions? Thx, GA

Seeking feedback on the floor mats with Leather Border that Porsche offers. These mats are option code IXX1 and cost about triple ($450) the cost of the standard mats. My question and issue centers on the poor quality (my opinion) of the standard mats in the 996. Does anyone out there have the IXX1 mats that have the leather trim? I am trying to find out if they hold up any better than the standard mats. For example, I'm about to purchase my third set of mats for my 2000 996 (the problem is really just with the driver's mat) while the mats in my 2001 S500 Merc are still original and look great. Any comments on quality of the Leather Trimmed Mats will be greatly appreciated. Thx, GA

Peter, Your new seat is (probably) fine. The juice you need to power your new driver's seat is going to one of the two connectors that you refer to (that used to plug into your old seats). If you look at your two unusable connectors (that come from the car and used to plug into your old seat), one is a 26 pin connector. This is for your memory buttons and mirrors. Set it to the side (it won't help you). The other connector is a 2pin+3pin+3pin connector. If you look at the section with just the 2 connectors (these are the largest connectors), you will see one red and one brown connection. The red is hot 30 amp and the brown is ground. (Let's call this connector "1"). If you now look at the connector on the bottom of the seat (that comes from the seat), you will see that the connector has a heavy red wire and a heavy brown wire in the big pins 1 and 4. The red needs power and the brown needs ground (from the car). Let's call this connector 2. Now, if you look at the connector (connector 3) from the car that plugs into the seat connector (connector 2), you will see that there are no pins that match to the red and brown wires in connector 2. This is your problem. You can fix this by bridging the red and brown wires between connection 1 and 3. This can be accomplished either by splicing the wires or using briding wire with the proper connectors. The later option will maintain the ability to re-install original style seats in the car. You can get the connectors for the connector 2 side of you jumper from porsche and the connectors for the connector 1 side from any electrical shop. GA

I used a heat gun on both stickers and was very happy with the results. I started on one end heating the sticker with the gun and, using an exacto knife, slowly picked (scraped) up one end. Then was able to slowly peel back the sticker. I found it easiest to just slowly roll back the sticker turning the knife and rolling up the sticker around the knife. Took about 10-15 minutes each for the larger stickers. Less for the smaller sticker. The larger stickers (mirror side) cleaned up flawlessly. The smaller stickers left a slight sheen on the visor. However, the visors were about 3 years old when I did this. They were/are vinyl.

I need the part number for the 26 pin connector that plugs into position 7 on the top of the seat memory unit. The seat memory unit is located under the front of the drivers seat of those cars with the seat memory option (537). Extensive searches in the parts catalog and discussions with my local dealer have been to no avail. The part number is usually printed on the connector. Perhaps someone with the memory unit in their car can take a look. My car is a 2000 as are the seats. It is my understanding that any 911 or Boxster from at least 1999 through 2004 should use the same unit. Thx in advance. Glenn p.s. there is usually a part number for the connector itself and a part number for the cap.

Folks, there is a listing as follows on ebay: "Porsche 996 Factory Workshop Manuals on CD. Porsche part number 483 721. Perfect to use as the archive or backup for those who have the Factory Workshop Manuals. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I also have available the Porsche Parts Catalogue PET 6.03 from 1950 thru 2003 available The successful buyer may add the PET 6.03 ( electronic parts catalogue)by taking the insurance and noting on his payment that they want the parts catalogue also." I am most interested in the first item, 483-721, is this the full manual or some abbreviated companion to the manual? If this is the full manual just on disc, I'd love to have it. I just don't want to end up with something that doesn't have the detail I need. I'd appreciate any comments or explanations on what this guy is selling. Thanks, GA

Sorry, but it is a four spoke unit. GA

Yes it is. Thanks. GA