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mdgcentral99

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About mdgcentral99

  • Birthday 03/17/1961

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    mdgcentral

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Interests
    Photography, driving, commercial real estate

Profile Fields

  • From
    Austin
  • Porsche Club
    PCA (Porsche Club of America)
  • Present cars
    911 996 1999 C4
  • Future cars
    2002 911 C4
  • Former cars
    Toyota Supra 1987

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  1. Funny, that happened to me a few years ago. Ate oil for a month, then oozed a milky slime from the dipstick, then engine broke. The classic oil/water intermix. Had to replace engine. Hope your's isn't that, but it started with oil consumption. Check the oil color, hopefully, they can seal it before it becomes bad. New reman engine works great, no leaks. It's just the cost of ownership.
  2. Actually, I read that the compressor stays on unless ambient is below 35 degrees. It has to do with removing humidity from the air so the windows wouldn't fog up and the cabin doesn't become too sticky. It then adds heat to keep the temperature comfortable. But the compressor stays on. I'm pretty sure, but I'm no mechanic. Maybe earlier models are different, but mine is a 996.
  3. Sid: Assuming you already have the fault code that indicates it's the seat belts (or one of them), you can do the repair without the Durametric, although you will need it to reset the light and it's an excellent tool to have if you DIY. Once you decipher the language in the TSB, it's a very straightforward DIY. As long as you know how to solder, and can follow directions, it should take no more than about 3 hours to do both sides. The dealer can do it in less than 2 hours if they have done it before. Total parts cost is less than $150 IIRC. Regards, Maurice. Dang ... they just called back and mentioned that the computer flagged BOTH sides as faulty. Plus I'm moving over this weekend (i.e. no time) and have a prospective buyer for the car (going back to business school). Looks like I'm going to have to ask them to do it for $870 ... this sucks. Man, this airbag light came on at the worst possible time ... Loren, what is the TSB number? Maurice, do you know which place to buy the parts from? Trying to see if I can REALLY squeeze this in ... Yep, that's what I had to do. Only I did it at different times when the fault light went on. So almost $1000 later, both buckles, a new wiring "grounding" system all installed by dealer are in. On the other hand, it took the dealer two full days and many calls to the factory to get it done. It was a mess, they we'ren't up on it, and one of their mechanics had misdiagnosed the second fault as a radio installation grounding problem, so they owned it. If I had done it, it would have gone really bad, so at least they are on the hook for two years. Of course, the light went on two months later, they reset it, and it hasn't again. I figure it will as soon as the warranty is up. Good Luck:) Mark
  4. Yes, it is a pain in the butt. I have same make and model, except C4. Light has come on 5 times. One replaced buckle, second buckle, wiring kit, "grounding", and a free warranty "rewiring" by my dealer fixed it for about a year. He did that because I have spent almost $800 on this little "project". Popped up again last month, signalling one of the buckes is bad again. Don't know how that happened. Passenger seat not used that much. Expect it will happen again. Probably a month out of warranty. Obviously, a silly design, no fix, and a headache. Keep us updated. Mark
  5. My airbag light came on, they diagnosed a bad buckle as the first point of contact. The dealer replaced my driver's side seat belt buckle, the light went out. Of course it appeared a week later. They then installed the standard new grounding kit that apparently all the dealers know about if the first fix didn't fix. So after about $500 in new parts and labor, the $5 light is out and has stayed out. So, that's the options. Strange huh?
  6. Just to finish the story, the dealer installed a "grounding kit" instead of the second buckle. Apparently they have the kits lying around because this happens often. ;) Since then, about a month, no light, and my wallet is a couple of hundred dollars lighter. No warranty, but obviously should be one. Well, what can you do? At least there's no light. For now, BWAHHHHHAAAAA! Thanks for your thoughts.
  7. Good Grief. There has to be a better way. I just went to the dealer again, who said bring in the car for the second buckle, no mention of TSB or warranty. If we are faced with this daunting task, isn't that quite the engineering marvel by engineers? If we have to go through that procedure, who would even want the airbag system? Thanks for a depressing post.
  8. My airbag light turned on a month ago, I took it to the dealer. His software showed that the driver's side buckle was faulty. I paid them $275 to replace it, apparently they have to remove the seat and do some rewiring. The light went out. For two weeks. :clapping: The cursed light came back on this week. :cursing: I'm taking it in again. Problem is, the more I read about it, the more it looks like a systemic problem, and people have replaced both buckes, an airbag or two, rewired the module, and still it comes on. I'd hate to think there is a problem with this wiring system that hits cars as old as mine. Is there no answer from Porsche or one of the fine mechanics who know the trick to this annoying little problem in an otherwise finely tuned machine? Apparently, it is something that pops up more than it should. It never happens in my Toyota. '99 996 C4 coupe 94,000 mi.
  9. Mine died at 85,000 mi. Bought it used, drove it for two months, oil in the coolant, froth in the coolant, oil disappearing from engine, no leaks, then boom! Paid for new engine from Porsche dealer, $15,000 plus.... 2 year warranty, new engine, new coolant system, new pumps and fluids. Its basically a new car. Apparently, that family of 996 and Boxters just had issues. You will find in your research that it "only happens to a few" and the manufacturer will have no response. If you like the car, put in an engine, get really upset, then have fun driving it for the next two years. its probably good for more, so have fun, its the best engineered car on the market! Best of luck.
  10. Bought 1999 C4 six months ago. 85,000 miles. Daily driver for some guy in California. 3 months and 500 miles later, bought new engine. It just blew up from excess oil in the coolant. Apparently that is a bad thing. At least it solved the mystery of where the quart of oil every 100 miles was going. So everything is new now and due for oil change and a little maintenance in 10,000 miles. Saving heaps of dough not having to add oil. Great car, completely worth it. Check out Lee Quave's posts. Very informative.
  11. To answer nylewis, I replaced the engine of my 1999 6-sp C4 996 this past March. The oil was leaking into the coolant and finally blew the cooling system in a very dramatic steaming mess with a yellowish milky mixture dripping from the radiator pipes and reservoir tank. Local Porsche dealer replaced the engine, all hoses, belts, water pump and all the other items attached to the engine from Porsche. All replaced components have a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty from the factory. Final bill $12,000+ replaced clutch and some other maintenance components. I basically have a new car. Obviously, the factory warranty had expired and since I am the third owner, I have no record of repairs or operation history. I've got nothing. :thumbup: The car had 85,000 miles at failure. I paid a low price for the car in October, so I'm looking at it as a new car at old car prices, I'm OK with it. :cursing: So I skip some house payments... Of course if somone can find out why engines fail and get Porsche to admit some issues in the 1999 996 and Boxter manufacturing process, great. I'm not expecting a big payoff, just an answer to the question, "Why did my baby die?" There was no autopsy done. Dead is dead. The dealer, who was very professional and efficient, said they replace engines a lot, some blown by customers, some because old, some unknown. but people just pay and drive away. Porsche owners are just like that. The car is worth it, we think. :clapping: For the record, I'm against lawyers, but some are good tools. If you search the classifeds under 1999 Porsche. you find that many have "new engine" installed recently. I don't think its so unknown as we think it is. Its just such a small section of the auto marketplace that nobody notices the poor little Porsche owners. Porsche certainly has never addressed the issue. One more note...I have a Toyota with 325,000 and all original parts and low oil consumption. For most Porsches, over 75,000 miles is "high mileage" Most people just don't drive them that much. I'm thinking that as the 996 enters maturity, we will hear more about engine replacements. But what do I care? I have a new one already... Good luck with that. :beer: But put me down in the "I'd be interested in more information camp."
  12. Yeah, I paid my mechanic about $600 to remove and test the oil/water heat exchanger. It was fine. No problem with the gaskets or RMS either. Funny, no obvious sign of water in oil, only oil in coolant. Losing oil quickly somewhere. They say a new motor is only choice. Gearing up for that fun thing. Just a matter of time, I guess. It wasn’t the Oil Separator that the Service Manager said was the likely problem but the oil/water heat exchanger. :oops: I have read that there have been numerous incidences of the diaphragm failing causing coolant to mix with the oil. Judging from how much coolant that I’ve added I figure that close to a gallon has been mixed with the oil. Has anyone had this happen to their car? I’m hoping this is the case instead of the head gasket because it’s my understanding that if it’s the head gasket that the engine will need to be totally rebuilt and that there are only a few individuals that has the expertise and because of this Porsche opts to replace the engine.
  13. Found oil in the coolant. Driving very slowly. Hope my extended warranty covers this... What are the chances of getting a list of everyone who had to replace the engine on these 1999-2000 996's? Should be a big club with annual meetings or something. Maybe we could invite the chief Porsche engineer to give a presenation on how this is not Porsche's problem. I'm guessing they won't want to, but if they don't, we might get enough club members together with some sympathetic dealers, mechanics, and owners who have enough clout to maybe get Porsche to at least admit there is a problem. Do you think they have a few hundred engines in this country they can ship out when the oil appears in the coolant? Anyhoo... I'll keep reading and see what happens when the engine blows. I really don't have a choice, do I?
  14. Seems to make sense. I'm facing the abyss. My 1999 996 911 is facing a new engine. It only has 85,000 miles on it. My Toyota 4-runner has 320,000. We just discovered oil in the coolant and multiple flushes don't help. I guess that explains the quart of oil I'm losing every 200 miles. Faced with what appears to be the inevitable, it seems that Porsches owes the people who believed in them. This is my first Porsche, I was hoping to get another one later. Maybe I should have read this forum before buying it. But it seems to me that if nobody knows about this problem without months of research, the company owes us something. What is the best way to organize a bunch of angry customers into a fighting force that demands justice? I'm guessing it involves a lawyer, a few hundred letters, a helpful dealers, a few good mechanics, some evidence, some videos on You Tube and all the forums. Its a big project, but Porsche might notice. Does anyone know anyone who has done this and can take the bull by the horns? I'm in.....
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