wxseed

Great forum and a great DIY ..... I just completed changing the switch. I had the problem that the ignition key stuck in the switch and the parking lights wouldn't turn off. Wiggling the key around got it out of the switch but the lights stayed on.... I removed the side vent prior to going under the dash but I found that I didn't need to. I had no problem getting to both screws that hold the switch in place from under the dash. Took me about 45 minutes I think it would have been about 25 if I didn't take the side vent apart. It was fiddly to put back in. 2001 C4 130,000km

JFP thanks for the response,

I recently replaced my voltage regulator because the car wasn't charging, it's now working great. I'll share a couple of pointers I learned along the way. One of the most important items when removing the alternator is to drift the bushing, that the long bolt threads into, back as far as possible. Using penetrating oil and a hammer I could only get the bushing back about 1mm. The farther you can get the bushing back the more room you have to rotate and clear the alt bracket. It took me about 1.5 hours to get the alt out. I understand why the alt needs to be rotated clockwise as per the manual but I ended up getting it out by rotating counter clockwise. Along the way the oil filler tube broke off, it was really brittle and I managed to break this fitting with an errant blow by the hammer. http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic/34150-coolant-problem/ With the alternator out of the car I heated the alt housing around the bushing with a propane torch, gave the bushing a tap and it easliy moved back. After changing the regulator, re-installing the alt took me about 30 minutes. One pointer on changing the oil fill tube: I was able to do it with the alt out, I didn't need to remove the throttle body BUT it is very cramped, I used a 75mm wobble extension on the back bolt. Make sure you tighten the bolts up evenly or the tube won't fit flush with the crankcase, and have a magnet handy for when you drop the back bolt and can't see it to find it !! This is a good link on what voltage reg works, I used one for a 2001 VW. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-996-997-forum/408495-alternator-repair-regulator-replacement.html I'll post pics if someone tells me how .....

rcq412 - did you solve your problem,? if so, what was the fix zegypt - I'm having the same problem on my car after removing and reinstalling the headlight assembly. Can you give more detail on "it's the placement of the wire so that it loops to the outside of the car. If it loops inside, the auto leveling won't work. " I'm not sure what wire you do you mean the wiring harness ? My car is a Canadain car with factory day time running lights, not sure if that is important or not Thanks 2001 C4 Canadian car 117,000 km

Thanks guys I appreciate the info .... I think I'll tackle it next weekend.

I want to drop the crankcase oil pan on my car. Are there any issues or hints that I need to know. What is the best way to remove the old sealant, and are there after market sealants I can use in place of the Porsche sealant? thanks in advance .... 2001 C4 6 speed 116000km

you should try these guys. I haven't used them but prices look good and i've heard good things about them, they're in B.C. but ship to Ont. http://www.1010tires.com/

Maybe if they used this test procedure it would have identified the problem.

I don't think that is the cure for the white smoke, it appears the issue is that the oil doesn"t drain from the valve train back to the engine . Sounds like it pools in the cam cover , then overloads the AOS and gets sucked into the crankcase breather in the throttle body. I'm just going do what Loren suggested and lower the oil level. I'm sure that will cure it. I also think that part of the problem is that when oil changes are done the tech fills the engine by using the marks on the dipstick. If they added 8.3 litres like the manual states it wouldn't be an issue. When i do an oil change on my car the electronic gauge is a bar or 2 below full. When i went for tech inspection they filled topped up the oil level = overfill - white smoke ....

looks like this may be what is causing the smoke. "Has it helped with oil collecting in the cam cover and getting into the combustion chamber through the AOS system?" http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=21051

I have a oil vacuum pump that I use for oil changes on my boat, so I had planned on just siphoning out of the dip stick tube .... good to know that 8oz = about 1 bar .. thanks

Loren you are the Guru, so i am going follow your advice and lower the oil level. The interesting thing is that when I had the tech inspection done prior to the event. The dealer "topped up" the oil level, I questioned him on this but let it slide, I should have stuck to my intuition .... I read your advice on tire pressure and it was really good. First session went out with the rears at 40 cold came in at 47, it was like driving on ice after 3 laps. Second session lowered to 36, huge improvement, they came up to 40 .. note to: PF Cayenne IMHO = In my humble opinion

My car did the exactly the same thing between runs when I did a track day at Mosport a few weeks ago. I was thinking it might be the oil seperator bellow leaking but my engine is bone dry ... I also thought it might be from overfilling the engine oil and that caused it to pump oil into the throttle body during hard runs .. The car is back to normal now but I want to know what is going on before I do another track day .. 2001 C4 115k kilometers

maybe the tank is imperial gallons, they are 20% higher in volume than a US gallon. i.e an imperial quart is 40 ounces a US quart is 32 ounces .....

Don't even consider the C2 if you will be driving in lot's of snow. I have a C4 with Bizzaks and it is a lot of fun to drive in the snow, we got a lot of snow in Toronto this year and the only issue is when it gets deep and the front spoiler acts a a snow plow ...

I have one other question maybe someone could answer. If I hadn't erased the code from the car with the OBDII would the CEL have cleared itself after a number of trips? or is the only way to clear the CEL by using the OBD II? Thanks 2001 C4 114,000km Canadian car

Thanks for the quick reply Loren. much appreciated

I reset the CEL after cleaning the MAF to clear P1128 and P1130 with my OBD2 scanner. It worked and the CEL is now out. Now when I run the scanner I don't get any DTC's, but 4 of the I/M readiness monitors are flashing. Do I need to run the OBD 2 Drive cycle to reset them? If so, where can I get the drive cycle process. Thanks in advance.

I have the Innova 3100a it is an inexpensive scanner that lets you read the codes and decipher them. It comes with some useful software to download the codes to your PC and create a nice report. It also supports the CAN protocol. It is worth looking at .... make sure you get the 3100 "a" it has update software and more features than the older "c" model http://www.levineautoparts.com/eqobdiicodre.html

Here is an update on my CEL, I just read the codes. P1128 (primary code) and P1130 (pending). I will search those on this forum for more info, vacuum leak or MAF i am assuming ... but all comments are welcomed

Guys thanks for all the advice, i will get an OBD reader and check the codes, the car seems to be running perfectly, the idle hunts a little but only 50- 100 rpm it is very stable .. I have read the post on MAF and picked up the cleaner and tools required to clean it because that was my first thought. .... I'll also clean the throttle body at the same time. I agree, not sure if the car wash and CEL are related, it just seemed odd that it came on after the wash ....

There is a corrugated rubber piece which I assume is the snorkle, everything looks intact .. Looks like it compresses when I close the engine lid to seal it ... Do you think that a small amount of water entering the air intake (snorkle ) could casue the CEL to come on? Thanks

not really sure what you mean by de-snorkeld, can you explain in a bit more detail, I ran it through a touchless car wash to get all the winter grime off. Thanks

2001 C4 114,000 km Canadian car I just washed the car and the check engine light came on about 10 minutes later as I was driving home. I always wipe down under the engine lid and it surprises me how much water runs down on the air box when I lift the lid it after washing . is there any correlation b/w this and the light coming on? Thanks

wwest. just to confirm I agree with you and I'm not using the fogs as DRL, I'm using the white "parking" lights, the bulbs i bought from the UK give a crisp white light that compliment the HID's when they are on. It was my local Porsche dealer that said the HID bulbs have a limited life and shouldn't be the DLR. I would assume he just didn't know on a 2001 the HID are the DLR. Toolpants, thanks for the the advice, I checked and the license plate lights aren't working when the relay is removed. Any ideas on an easy fix for that? other than putting the realy back in? Cheers