JFP in PA

I know this is an incredibly lengthy thread, and perhaps I missed it somewhere on here ? But with all the different types, ways to mount it, and more, one very important question comes to mind. How many cranking amps do I need for my 2002 911/ 996 ? I have had nothing but low or dead battery issues for months now, and the battery ( dura last) checks out fine ? So I'm removing my alternator and having it bench tested. It puts out more voltage on a cold fresh start, than later on when the engine is warm, or started after a long run. My local alternator shop, says that the heat can do that to a dodgy/ questionable alternator ? Anyhow, what are the required cranking amps, for a 996, thanks Dave. And what do you think about that " heat " issue ?

Moe often than not, problems associated with heat are cable related rather than battery or alternator (in fact, the battery actually becomes more powerful with heat). Usually, loose cable ends, and/or high resistance in the cables from internal corrosion, cause poor cranking or low voltage when hot problems. 996's are infamous for this, and I believe there is a TSB about updated cables to address this specific issue. Not an expensive fix, but requires a bit of time due to how the cables are routed.

Heat can also impact the voltage regulator if it is already weak. Fortunately, the regulator is a $40-50 item (get it from VW or online rather than the dealer) and an easy swap with alternator already out. You could have your alternator shop test the entire system and replace what is required as well.

We prefer the highest CCA you can throw at the car, simply because it controls how the car will spin over, particularly in the cold. Our standard recommendation for CCA is the 800 amp Optima's.

Nope 7188 was not it. Another suggestion?

Try 7198 or 7288

Hello Loren!! Seems like you are the man for this!!

CDR-220

Type: 4462

Serial number: X5035924

2000 Porsche boxster

THANK YOU!!

Try 7188

Hi, another 2nd owner with no radio code. Becker with serial # W5005111. I dont have a manual, how do you enter the code #?

Thanks, Terry

Try 9627. You can find the "how to" either in your owner's manual or on Becker's website.

hi how do i get a code for a cdr 22

the serial number is x5009826

any help would be great as the no tunes is killing me

There is a specific forum for radio code requests, please use it................... http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic/14539-lost-radio-code-post-your-request-here/page-310?hl=radio#entry232891

I agree with you JFP on replacement of the part. The jacking point I was referring to is not on the oil pump housing but on the engine block itself. My indy mechanic told me Porsche makes a jack that fits the spot when lowering the engine out of the car or maybe it is used at the factory during assembly. It is still intact on bBunny's picture. It was that part breaking off and then wedging itself between my driveway apron and the pump housing that did the damage. I also agree jacking the car up on that oil pump housing would be crazy. Is this repair even possible without engine removal?

Actually, Porsche uses a bridge bar above the engine to slightly lift and support it until a cradle that bolts to the engine is attached from below to lower the engine out of the car;

Use of a jack is an aftermarket adaptation to circumvent spending the money for the specialized tools.

That said, I see no reason you cannot swap out the housing without pulling the engine, but you are going to have to remove some stuff and support the engine from above to get at it:

As mentioned above, this is also an excellent time to carefully check out the oil pump for signs of wear, replace it if necessary, add the chrome molly replacement pump drive from LN (the OEM drive is a known weak point and is an engine killer when it fails, so the $20 or so for the bullet proof replacement is cheap insurance). As the cooling system is open, this is also an excellent time for the LN 160F stat and a new water pump as you are already in there.

I know this thread is kind of old but my 03 996 scraped going out the driveway the other day. The damage is identical. In my case the spot people used for jacking the car on the engine case sheared off and (I think) wedged itself between the oil pump housing and the driveway. The housing is now dented and cracked and leaking coolant. I believe that the engine may have to come out for this fix and I am talking to my insurance as I believe this will be an expensive repair. bBunny did you ever get this fixed and is the JB weld holding? My mechanic mentioned Heli arching (I have no idea how to spell this) the housing. I think a replacement would be much better for such a labor intensive job. Any opinions? Anyone else ever have this happen?

First of all, anyone that uses a hollow alloy water jacket casting as a jacking or lifting point is clearly out of their mind, they crack very easily. Secondly, in order to get a good weld bead (Mig or Tig) on this alloy part, it needs to be immaculately clean and dry, which means taking it out of the car to be prepped. At that point, it would probably be cheaper as well as a better idea to just toss it an install a new housing.

Excellent, thank you!

Anytime...................

Thanks JFP. I hadn't noticed until yesterday, but the coolant in the car I believe is orangish in color. To my knowledge it was never changed (I have all of the receipts from the PO). Was the original stuff orange in 2006? If I'm going from the original to the new pink stuff, do I need to flush or can it be mixed (5% old and 95% new)?

Yes, it should be pink/orange in color; in about 2002-2003, Porsche reformulated their coolant and the color changed from green to the pink/orange version. Both types are fully compatible with each other and can be mixed without issue.

When you change the coolant on a 997, do you do a flush with water or some other solution before putting in the new coolant?

Only if there is a problem with the existing coolant (e.g.: wrong coolant added, coolant contaminated, very dirty, etc.), otherwise dump the system (you will only get around 90-95% of it out without taking most of the car apart, so don't be overly concerned about how much drains), then refill (highly recommend doing so under vacuum) with premixed Porsche coolant and distilled water (very important) at a 50/50 ratio. You will be good to go for a long time.

I never figure out how those aftermarket dongles work in practice since each interior light is 6 ~ 10W each. The frunk one will be ON for sure since the hood is up when replacing the battery. Now if any other interior lights are ON (e.g., if a door is open), those will easily "short out" the 9v battery?

From what I understand, the low voltage of the 9V will barely illuminate the lights. The trick here is to not take all day changing the battery, which should allow the 9V to hold the settings without crapping out in the process. I know the maintainer keep them illuminated, but it has a lot more voltage available.

Now that is a great idea to hook up a 2nd 12V battery (if you have one, of course) to the engine-located jump start points to preserve proper 12V voltage and residual current to the car while the frunk battery is replaced, being mindful of the LIVE property of the frunk disconnected leads, if they ever touch each other. Why didn't I think of that.

I would not be hooking a high amperage battery to do this, beside being dangerous, it is totally unnecessary. There are cheap aftermarket "dongles" that plug into the lighter socket and will maintain the settings using a common 9V household battery (low amperage) that sell for less than $10. Some of the better battery maintainers, notably Ctek, have a setting to do the same thing using the maintainer.

Thank you for the reply. That's what I was thinking but last thing I want is Coolant all over the trunk. 98 Boxster - is the year.

Drain or not to Drain that is the question?

If all you are going to do is change the level sensor, no, you do not need to drain it..............

Anyone know if you have to drain the coolant and remove the coolant reservoir to be able to replace the coolant level sensor?

Step by step on replacing this sensor would be more helpful

Depending upon your year and model, you may not have to drain anything to change the level sensor (it is on the outside of the tank, yellow arrow):

I always advise torquing the spark plugs to spec.

+1 Always good advice..............

This is what I found for part numbers:

BOSCH Part # 7413 OE/Specialty

DENSO Part # 5304 {#IK20} Iridium Power

Hopefully one of the experts can confirm these part numbers.

The Denso IK20 is correct, as is the Bosch part number.

#2 - no plastic spark plug tubes on a MY2002 car. They are re-designed and made of metal so you can take this off your list.

Good catch, I was thinking of the Boxster engine which changed later........................... :eek:

I checked the oil cap after a 1/2 hour drive this morning. It came off quite easily (as normal) but I felt a "very slight" suction, and I noticed a slight increase in engine idle RPM, but still very smooth idle. Does that tell me anything about the AOS?

Sounds like you are fine. A normal AOS gives you a vacuum level of about 5 inches of water, basically the slight suction you felt. When they fail, the vacuum level jumps to several times that level, making the cap nearly impossible to get off.

I'm going to change the spark plugs on my 2002 996 / 911 C2 . The car only has 24,900 miles on it,(originals still in there) but I want to change them anyhow, as they have been in there over 10 years. I sure hope they come out ok after all those years ???

Questions follow below:

#1. Which is the best brand (manufacturer) and the spark plug part number for my 996 / 911 ?

#2. Should I replace the spark plug tubes, and if so where do I buy them ?

#3. Should I replace the coil packs ? Keep in mind I only have 24,900 miles on this car, one guy I know says yes, 3 others say no ?

#4. Should I use anti seize grease in the installation of the new plugs ? (This has always been a controversial subject, some say never ! While some guys say, to use a little ?

Thanks for any advice on this subject :thankyou:

#1. Beru and Bosch are pretty much the default OEM style plugs. That said, we have used (with great success) NGK and Denso Iridiums.

#2 Only replace the tubes is they are cracked and/or leaking.

#3 Inpsect the coils for signs of cracking or other issues, but do not replace them unless they need to be changed out.

#4 Always a "hot button" item; yes, use anti seize, but do so sparingly. We use anti seize on any dissimilar metal threaded fasteners that do not require thread locking compounds in these cars. Porsche used to recomend against anti seized because the types used in Europe caused increased electrical resistance, the the metalic paste types used here are conductive.

Anytime; glad you got back to it.

The Durametric is not going to provide definitive data indicating that the AOS is on the way out; you best bet is to try and remove the oil filler cap while idling. If the cap comes off with little effort, the AOS is fine; but if it takes a lot of force to remove it due to high case vacuum, the AOS is toast.

thom, Thanks for the clarification. Sounds like the tester will let me know if the problem is with the sensors or somewhere "inside" the body. Then the codes will give me a little better guidance. Thanks for the help guys, Durametric is on the way, I've downloaded the operation manual so I can gain a little understanding before it gets here. If I need help once I start the troubleshooting I'll ask here. I just HATE not being able to drive my car at night! I can drive it but I don't consider it a safe thing to do..........

You will be pleased with the Durametric system; but as a word of caution, it is incredibly complex and the ops manual is very basic, so you will need to spend some time playing with it to really appreciate everything it is capable of. There are also a lot of users here and on other forums that may be able to help you if you encounter any problems or questions.

Yes, the Durametric can put the lights through their movement paces, but it can also read the DME stored codes resulting from problems on factory installed Lits.

The Durametric system is an excellent Porsche specific diagnostics tool. You can ususally find a used one with one or more VIN's still left open at reasonable prices. One thing to be aware of, there are some notable differences between the "Pro" and "Enthusiast" versions of the software (you can find more info on the differences on their website) other than the fact that the Pro system can be used on as many cars as you want.

We like to buff the surfaces of both mating areas with a Scotch Brite pad to make sure they are both clean and without any burrs. You may want to also check each mating surface with a good straight edge while they are apart. To date, with proper cleaning, buffing and a new metal gasket, and properly torqued, we have not had to use any sealant on these surfaces, which is as it should be