percymon

First issue with my UK 2005 3.2S in 12+ years ownership, 45k miles on the odometer

CEL light on and codes P0431 stored with P0421 pending.  Had both these codes a few weeks back before clearing them and trying the best fuel quality plus Cataclean fuel treatment. 200 miles later the cel is back on with same codes.

MAF signals look fine, performance is fine but maybe the fuel economy is 5% down on normal.

Idles fine hot n cold and no obvious aural signs of exhaust leaks, albeit my stock exhaust has always sounded a little more fruity than the norm!

Local Porsche indie today confirmed the codes and tested the lambda sensors, one post cat converter sensor is a bit iffy but the other seems fine on short term analysis.

My first action I think is to change both post cat sensors, but I’m uncertain on part numbers, both Porsche and the equivalent Bosch items

I believe the original Porsche sensors were part 987 606 124 00,  but are maybe no longer available from Porsche??   Later cars used 987 606 123 02 I believe (also in the pre cat position) and I’m uncertain whether these are compatible ??

I’m trying to find the Bosch equivalents but online parts suppliers give conflicting data on which items fit my vehicle  - I think i am correct in saying

Bosch 0250 006 697  (possibly called LSF6697 in the USA)  is equivalent to 987 606 12400

and

Bosch 0258 006 810 (possibly called LSF6810 in the USA) is equivalent to 987 606 123 02

Can anyone verify the Porsche and Bosch parts numbers?

Possible not related but the fuel gas cap rubber seal is a little perished with some cracking, I’ve ordered a new cap, tether and rivet which will be fitted in a few days time. I'll check the oil filler cap just in case that's in a  similar state.

thanks in advance

Given the deficiencies and cost of the factory system they should give the map updates for free.-The market for TomTom maps is massive in comparison, but given the volume that Navteq market across the other car users the costs charged by Porsche are silly. Whilever people keep paying it, they'll keep charging it.

Interestingly, a lot of the European used car buyers guides are now saying don't bother with PCM (whereas a year ago they were firmly saying buy with PCM) - they have finally realised its not an economic sat nav system

Hi Al - its been a long time since i've been back reading posts on here - i'm so pleased you managed to get your kit to work in the end, even if it wasn't without some turmoil.

No issues with mine still, although i've only added less than 2k miles in the last 15 months :(

i use the ctek 3600 and leave it connected and the car locked with the alarm on - not had any issues with false alarms when the ctek switched from charging to maintaining modes.

To qualify for a Porsche warranty in the UK (assuming its expired) you must first have a full inspection by the Porsche delaer (approx £200), and then have any issues rectified before they will issue warranty cover (£895 per annum). You don;t have to get the dealer to do any repairs, but you may need proof of the parts used to be Porsche genuine ones, and then pay for a reinspection - if the dealer does the work they wont recharge for inspection.

Thats the worst case !

Provided the car has a full Porsche dealer service history then they should honour any RMS replacement free of charge - the attitude of the UK has changed somewhat, the internet traffic has finally worn them down a little :D

Given that the best ECU tuners are only claiming 300bhp for the 3.2S and 310bhp for the 3.4S i doubt very much you'll get anywhere near those quoted figures. If Revo,GIAC etc can't extract more than 15bhp extra on an S you ain't gonna get 50bhp from a 2.7

Still no discounts available in the UK, but i read an article in the UK Porsche magazine over the weekend saying Porsche USA sales are down 31% in Q1 so a deal is certainly there.

Did they finally sort the issue out for you?

i just raised the rear axle onto ramps when i did mine - took about 7.5 litres with the filter

Whilst i would still recommend you take the car to be checked you could try swapping one of the coil packs from another cylinder to see if the fault moves around, or get yourself a new coilpack from eurocarparts for around £40. If you go either of these routes then check the sprak plugs while you're at it.

A firend of mine had to be recovered in wet weather about 18 months ago - his C2 was 4 years old at the time, the OPC replaced all 6 coil packs under warranty, as most were cracked on inspection.

This site is great! :)

Thanks Loren and Percymon; I'm sure the information you have provided will be extremely helpful. Once I cleared the original faults (PO300-306) the ECL light went off but then returned (the idle remains rough); a subsequent diagnostic recorded missfires in cylinders 5 and 6? Fortunately so far there has been no flashing ECL.

I've always wanted a 911, but now I own one I'm starting to have regrets. The car has a beautiful appearance, is a pleasure to drive but I am starting to question the reliability of the early 996 models. My own personal experience coupled with some of the articles I have read raise serious concerns regarding the quality of the engine. Leaking engine seals and catastrophic cylinder head failures appear to be the order of the day. In my opinion it is unacceptable that owners who invest in a quality item and pay for expensive main dealer servicing should also have to purchase a warranty to insure against what appear to be design deficiencies.

What options do I have once the independent dealer warranty expires? Will Porsche cover a 1998 car with FPSH and low mileage, are there any quality independent warranties available in the UK?

All the best, Chris :renntech:

Chris - as Loren says its probably just a little bit of wear n tear, and nothing major - i'm guessing you don't have the warranty currently ?

Find yourself a decent independent Porsche place - if you let me know your whereabouts i'm sure i'll be able to direct you somewhere for diagnostic help/rectification at half the cost of a OPC.

As to Porsche warranty - to qualify the car must be under 10 years old and under 100k miles - you'll need to have a 111 point inspection carried out by the OPC and any issues found recified. These don'ty have to be rectified by the dealer, but they might charge you for another inspection once the work is done if they don't do the remedial work. I think the inspection is about £150 nowadays. The warranty is £895 and includes breakdown and recovery within most of europe. Similar breakdown cover from AA or RAC would cost you around £180. The warranty doesn't cover everything, but will cover you for engine failures which is about the most costly occurence and the one you want the warranty for in the first place. Be carefuk to check though that it doesn't expire wih the cars tenth birthday. They may also be fussy about issuing the warranty if its not got a full service history !.

There are no ther independent warranties that offer anythign like the cover - most policies exclude Porsches due to the high repair costs !

The only other option worth looking at is via Hartech, a well respected independent in the North West - www.hartech.org . they offer a lifeplan service which equates to a monthly payment which covers servicing, parts and any other parts required (including wear n tear items) - it doesn't include labour charges for non service items, but their rate is half the OPCs. Maybe worth a read on their website.

There is a set of silver ones on German ebay at present for 20 euros ($30) buy it now. if you fancy havign a go with the spray can yourself these might be worth a look.

www.ebay.de search for L?sgitter

The car is of an age where the coils packs will be crakced and failing - you normally notice this more often than not in wet weather. It'd be unusual for all six to fail at once though, so it might be something else like a MAF sensor. I'm not sure whether this would bring up any other codes (i would guess it would). Get it back to the dealer and have them sort it .

400 miles - jeez thats brave ;)

I had mine replaced in Jun 06 with the then revised part. It started to chirp/rattle again recently - i took mine for service last week, and they replaced the piston again. The service advisor suggested there was a revised piston released 6 months ago, but i couldn't get any more details. I've barely driven the car since, but the nosie has gone again, although i think there are similar chirping noised under acceleration when cold now (needs a few more starts etc to confirm this tho.)

Whopping dollars - you are having a laugh !

UK minor service £356 ($712)

UK brake fluid change £117 ($234)

UK alignment £180 ($360)

Optional yearly air con clean £50 ($100)

Air con leak check and regas £280 ($560)

Mines in for service at present - apparently there is a modified modified piston out, has been for about 6 months according to my service guy. No details as yet , probably the usual lies and bull from the UK dealers,, but i'll ask when i collect the car.

You might want to check with them these two further warranty items: -

W610 - Cd's jamming and stopping PCM operation

1726 - Screeching Noise From The Engine During Warm-up (Campaign item)

The last item will not be carried out unless the customer requests it. Its is a known fault with the oil piston relief valve that vibrates in its chamber at approx 2,200 rpm on the warm up cycle. You'll need to hold the revs at this point specifically to cath it out.

Regards

Popolou

1726 doesn't appear to be a true fix - mine was replaced about 10 motnhs ago, started to resonate again in the last couple of months. I know of another (this time a 2.7) thats on its third piston and its still resonating. Begin to wonder whetehr it s pump design issue rather than a piston problem.

Considering Porsche's supposed reputation for engineering, its very disappointing to find so many issues reported with engines

Well how's that for service - since my last post i've driven 10 miles and back to my trusted tyre depot, and they've checked and adjusted the alignment, and allowed me a good look under the car at the RMS area / inner faces of rear discs etc etc

Turns out the half toe on my front right was excessive at +2.6mm (sorry they prefer to work in mm rather than degrees, but system has both settings), against +0.3mm for the front left (nearside). Tolerances are +/-0.3mm per side, total toe +/-0.6mm. Adjusted them to +0.3mm both sides, so nice even set-up :D

Car feels more responsive to steering input driving home (maybe just psychological ??) and when on full lock at parking speeds the knocking / skidding sound from the front nearside wheel seems to have disappeared ????

30 minutes from start to finish, £23.90 ($47) - good job :D :D

The service intervals are 20k miles or 2 YEARS - i suspect you are coming up to the latter, although the date in the ecu might be its build date and not its date of delivery. Contact your dealership and get a service booked, if the oils been in 2 years it needs changing

I nearly bought a PCCB equipped 987S until i saw the outer edges of the tyres were scrubbed - at this point i thought it had been used by the delaer for driving/track days.

I opted for their other demo, wih 19s and PASM - my nearside front is badly worn on the outer shoulder (RHD car - so front left) - i'm having the alignment checked today, but i suspect its me having too much fun on roundabouts :D . If you measure the tread depth on anew tyre in this precise area you'll find there is only about 3.5mm deep grooves, so you might expect the area to be looking a little overworn in comparison to other areas of the tyre which have 6-9mm tread depth.

Link to diagnostic tests..

http://www.cb-racing.com/boxster_AC.html

The unit comes out as a whole - its held in by four cross head screws from recollection which are hidden behind the outer trim ring on the front - you may need to remove the 'horeshoe' trim piece first, which can be prised off with a blunt knife starting at the bottom corners.

There is a website which details how to diagnose issues with this particular unit - unfrtunately i've lost the link from my favourites files :(

My view is the same as one already posted earlier - the shape and configuration of the darker sections is a metallurgical function of the way the block was originally cast, either to dissipate heat from the molten metal pouring process or as a function of strength during molten metal cooling ( and possibly in use in the car).

I assume you have to leave the ignition in position 1 to prevent the secondary siren on the alarm sounding when you disconnect the battery, as you did on the 986/996 models.