rlim

I steer away from 3rd party rebuilds, been there and burned too many times. My feeling is these rebuild houses use cheap components such as regulators etc.. They don't last! ----------------------------------------- I figured if I'm to purchase from Autozone, they offer lifetime warranty on the alternator. I can alway return it for warranty replacement. At $225.49 and $90 core, its reasonably priced . Their alternator does not come with a pulley which I assume I can easily transfer from my alternator.

Well, it's that time to look into replacing the alternator which seems to have a mind of it's own. Works fine for a while hovering around 14 volts and then the next moment .. back down to below 12 volts with ABS lights on. When I accelerated , it pops back up at 14 volts. Question ... is there a difference for alternators betrween manual and automatic transmission? I'm looking at getting one from Autozone and they only have one model and they couldn't tell if they're compatible for both trannies. The only difference I see between the auto vs manual are the pulleys. Most of the sites selling alternators also offer a single model ... The one with the black pulley (right) is for the manual transmission vs the one with the exposed nut (left) which is for the tiptronic... which is similar to the one I have on my car. I pulled the pics off ebay..

Well, after swapping the battery with Interstate battery. The problem is back... ABS and Battery light is back on and the voltage hovers below 12 volts. When I drove around last night, the voltage shot up between just below 14 volts and the ABS and Battery light went away. I drove the car this morning and everything was fine until I parked the car for a couple of hours while doing a little shopping. When I returned and started the car again, to my dismay, the ABS and Battery light is back on and the voltage hovers around below 12 volts again. The battery was tested and confirmed in excellent condition. I am how pondering if the problem could be a problem with the alternator which I am speculating right now. I did a some research on the forum and there has been mentioned of regulator on the alternator that may fix the problem. I am unsure what the regulator does. Has anyone experience a similar problem with mine? I've read that the alternator is extremely expensive. Any way of checking the alternator without removing it? I would appreciate any and all advice and guidance. Thanks Ron

Darn, local Porsche dealership doesn't have the horn in stock and may take a few weeks to get it. Surprisingly, its reasonable ... $16.40. I went to a local VW dealership hoping to find a similar part. Spoke to the Parts manager, he tested the horn and it works fine. He stated the horn looks like one from an older VW. Unfortuantely he doesn't have one in stock and he couldn't reference the Pcar horn part #. I explained the humming noise to him, he consulted with his mechanic, and they stated that it could possibly be a wiring or short somewhere causing the hum as they felt there shouldn't be any current flowing to the horn when the alarm is not activated. Saw the url linking to another discussion on the binker and alarm. It seems that there is constant current flowing to the horn as tested by Toolpants. I guess for $16.40, I'm willing to take the chance and purchase a replacement and cross my finger that this will fix my battery drain problem.

I'm having a similar problem with contant battery draining after a week, even with the battery maintainer hooked up. It shows constant charging of the battery. I've decided to swap out the battery with my 3 series bimmer's Interstate battery ... surprising, they share the same battery type ... Interstate MTP-91 or group 48. I have the Exide on the Porsche. The Exide performed well on the bimmer .. great cranking, no draining, etc.. Installed the Interstate on the Porsche ...same problem ... battery draining .. even with maintainer hooked up.... doesn't even go into float mode. I listened to the alarm horn and could hear humming even without activating the alarm. I disconnected the horn and left the battery maintainer connected. I checked the charger the following day and it is in floating mode ... this is great advancement!! I will look into replacing the horn ... and I believe this is the fix to my problem. Thanks

I searched through the DIY section and missed the download section. Thanks Loren ... Truely appriciate the prompt response.

Hello, I'm in need of help. I've purchased an aftermarket radio (Alpine CDA-9887) and a Metra Wire Harness (70-1784) for VW/Audi which I read would be a direct plug-in to the Porsche radio harness. To my disappointment, it was incompatible. It seems that I will have to splice into the radio wire harness and I'm hoping someone can let me know the radio wire/pinout. I have 1999 C2 wth CR-210 radio. I've searched through the forum and was unsuccessful in finding the pinout. I've attached a couple of pictures of the radio harness and the Metra harness. Thanks in advance

Agree, I'll take the battery tomorrow to get it tested. I picked up a Duracell battery maintainer today from Target .. hoping that it will help extend the battery life in the future when my car sits idle in the garage for a lengthy period of time. The maintainer was very reasonable .. $19.99. Pending the battery test result, I am eyeing an Optima redtop 34/78 battery at Walmart which they're clearing out with $50 discount. In checking the forum, most folks that purchased Optima went with 34R. I will have to purchase longer battery cables for the 34/78 as the terminals are further away.

So far so good ... battery held its charge so far. I went to Costo this afternoon and was unable to find batteries for Porsche. I'll check the other Costcos'. I'll have a chat with my mechanic tomorrow as my Beemer was towed to his garage this evening. My beemer overheated as the outlet on the radiator where the hose connects to broke. I was surprise to see that it was made of plastic... must have been due to age as the car is almost 10 yrs old. Hopefully he may know something about what Loren suggested ... investigating the ignition or head light switch.

I assume the battery is about 2 years old as the label on the battery shows Oct 05, which I assume it was replaced back in Oct 2005. I charged the battery this morning and this time around, when I started the car, the volatge shows slightly under 14 volts. The battery and ABS light is NOT illuminated on the cluster this time. I'm going to risk it and drive to my office which is about 1/2 hr away. I'll bring a jumper cable and jumper power pack with me just in case ... I'll do a search and check the headlight and ignition switch. Thanks

:( I drove out of the garage last night and the the entire dash light started dimming. The lights for my Tiptronic started flashing between the Manual and Automatic constantly. The gauges pretty much shutted down. I immediately stopped the car and backed up right back into my garage. I turn off the car and attempted to restart it and it wouldn't.... lost the clock setting when I attempted it. I figured I'll recharge the battery which should fix the problem. I recharged it last night and everything looked fine this morning. When I turn on the ignition, the voltmeter display 12 volts. When I started the car, the voltage dropped slightly. The ABS and Battery light illuminated on the cluster. I figured if I drove the car, the alternator will charge up the battery. Well, it did not ... as I drove for a couple of minutes, the voltage dropped further and eventually when it dropped to 10 volts, I turned around and went straight home. All this battery problem started about a week ago where I left the car in the garage for a week and the battery died on me when I tried starting it. I jumped start the vehicle and drove and everything seems fine. I later left the car idle for 3 days, which was until last night when I attempted to drive the car and faced with this problem. Can someone advise if the problem I'm having is the battery or alternator? There is a date of Oct 05 label on the battery which I assume the battery was replaced then. I bought the car back in June 07. Any suggestion on diagnosing the problem. Thanks

I thought it was an electrical fault when I added a bulb on the right rear fog socket and it didn't light up. Good thing I seached through the forum and found out it was built that way. I was about to troubleshoot the problem and as with any electrical problem, it can be a real pain to troubleshoot.

BT986, they are indeed very attractive wheels. CAn you please let me know which model of BSA rims they are as well as how much they cost? I'm shopping for a set for my 99 C2 and will be using mainly as a daily driver, no racing, etc. Also, what offsets do you have on those wheels? Thanks Ron

PTEC, Chuck Thanks for your prompt response. I did a search and found a microswitch at Pelican Parts (Part #99661320600) for $62.83. Here is the link to the schemetic. The item is listed under #9 http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/PartsL...amp;Line_Item=8 Ron

My 99 C2 has an intermittent problem with the front hood light which seems to have a mind of its own ... it will work for a day and then decide not to light up after that. I've replaced both the bulb and the housing and is still experiencing the same problem. I'm thinking that the switch may be a problem ... possibly corrosion. Can someone please let me know where I can find the switch that controls the hood light? I've looked around the hood and latch and could not find the switch. Thanks in advance.

I am in agreement with you that the mechanic has a few misses. The dealer has so far been looking after the repairs as he has agreed to give me a 30 days warranty on the car. I just got off the phone with him and he stated that he will get the mechanic to wash the engine thoroughly to investigate for other leaks other than the coolant. Hopefully this will be my final trip.

Hi, I'm new to the forum ... Hello everyone!! Picked up my 99 C2 about 3 weeks ago and it spent more time back at the dealer where I purchased the car from. The PPI detected leaking spark plug tubes which were repaired. As I was driving the car home, the temperature gauge’s light started blinking ... apparently the car was overheating. Also, an oil leak was discovered in my garage which the dealer looked after. Back to the dealer it went ... apparently, the coolant was low 2 liters. He told me that one of the tube/hose situated at the firewall was the culprit.... an $18 part plus over $200 labour. Today, I discover another leak ... coolant! I left the dealer another message and will have to schedule another trip there. Good thing I put a white cardboard under the engine to monitor leaks. I'll admit that the dealer has been wonderful in responding to the problems. However, in the 3 weeks that I have since taken possession of the car, we have driven the car ... at most 3 days. Only wish I could enjoy it more especially when the warm weather is here.