mobil1nsx

Had same thing happen to my C4S.....2 weeks on vacation, came back car sounded like didnt want to start....started drove couple miles and stopped for gas...car sounded like didnt want to start but did. Got the lights mentioned above plus Engine light(fixed) and Drive to dealer warning..... drove it home, charged battery for couple hours...tested voltage off @ 12.6 and running at 13.8.....I tyipcally leave all my cars on 2 am battery tenders since dont drive them but every few weeks due to travel. Hooked up DMetric, had abunch of misfire codes on various cylinders and cleared fault codes Optimas/Die Hards/Bosch, tried them all...seems with infrequent driving and on battery tenders my batteries just dont last...must cook a cell or something in them. I yanked out the old battery and put in a fresh new one. Drove car around all day, not codes or warning lights...no starting issues....so assume another battery bites the dust...or was about to. Lastly, in addition to the warning light similiarity posted above, I couldnt help notice the RMS/IMS notes.....yep same with me..... This 02 C4S probably holds the record for RMS replacements....always a quarter size spot no matter how many times under warranty (New Warranty & aftermarket warranty) they replace it.....only good thing is they did the clutch for me buying the parts at 40K ish miles....

MY central locking red light came on again. Didn't do it when I had it in at dealership in DFW despite fact I downloaded the alarm codes for them and left with service manager. It came back on again about 50 miles after leaving dealership on way to Houston. Probably a door micro switch or regulator. Since it's under warranty, I want to take to dealership for repair and would like to know if anyone can recommend one in the Houston area. I am down by Galveston so Momentum Porsche and Katy Porsche/Audi are closest with Woodlands/N Houston Porsche farthest. Anyone recommend one over the other? I'll gladly drive further if one is better. Mobil1nsx

Oh, I forgot to answer, I don't Track this car, C4S is too heavy for my taste for track car. I have a highly modified dedicated track only car for that fix, not Porsche related but it's a highly modified NSX down to ~ 2200lbs and ~ 520HP, all aluminum and CF. They all said :"You can't improve what the Honda F1 engineers designed for power and reliability". Recurring theme you hear with car clubs for Porsche/Ferrari/Lambo...what have you.... if you are determined and don't have to follow a corp. budget to get a product out the door at X dollar, it's amazing what you can do. This is the first Porsche I have had to approach dropping out of a warranty (factory or extended). Since my warranties have stated no suspension/exhaust/sc/turbo modifications without voiding warranty, I haven't done much but drive them and basic maintenance. I haven't done anything with P cars since the air cool days so the water cooled should be interesting. Great site by the way....

Thanks for good wishes! I don't have kids so I have always had a Plethora of exotic cars all with their own unique set of problems waiting to bite you 8-) It's all part of car ownership at this level, porsches are actually not as bad cost wise as other marques in the 75-200K price range. I don't expect the C4S not to leak since they put the same exact parts back in to stop it...come on!!!, they were just filling the extended warranty requirements and getting a little revenue in the dealership and I am aware of all of this.... When it bleeds its final precious porsche body fluids on my garage floor and dies, or I get a variety of other situations such as intermix with my Bose system 8-), that sounds like a good time to jerk the engine and rebuild a nice higher HP, NA engine or maybe another engine with low comp pistons and SC or turbo 8-) I need a ride in between the lighter 40TH Ann C2 and the Stock 03 Turbo....:rolleyes:

I must say, based on your story you are handling this situation far better than I would in the same circumstances.................... Kind of scary to me that you needed a third seal/IMS seal after only 5K mi'les from previous one?? Do you track your car at all?? When I read your story, as a mechanical engineer I wonder if there is a more significant "run-out" of your crankshaft that causes these seal failures?? I guess I am just lucky as my 02 C4S is still on the original RMS and IMS seals with 39K miles. Thanks for sharing your story and I hope this is the last "seal" incident you have ofr the life of your car. demosan

I always see post about Extended Warranties and of course, RMS/IMS. This may help others...... My 04 C4S just had it's 3rd RMS/IMS reseal yesterday. First covered by Porsche during initial warranty and two times now with extended warranty. FYI, I bought the car from Porsche dealer as well as extended warranty when original ran out. I also made it a habit to have dealership change oil/filter regularly. I felt it might help if in the future should the car develop a 2nd RMS leak, under extended warranty, to have Porsche dealer deal with the Ext Warranty company. Original RMS at 26K miles and extended rms/ims warranty repairs at 41K miles and 46K miles about 2.5 years apart. They stuck a clutch in for me which I was glad to pay for with no labor at the 41K mile repair. Except for the clutch and a few bolts they didn't cover (which I asked to be replaced with new), warranties covered everything and no questions. Not only where there no questions, I got the feeling from dealership that they didn't want to hear my questions such as "Are the seals/housing that you put in for this RMS/IMS repair different from the last part numbers" in hope that maybe something different then last components installed might fix the leak. They simply referred me to the Dealership Bill which I cross referenced with the bill from 2 years earlier. With the exception of some simple price fluctuations for the part numbers, they appear to be the same from Jan 2008 and June 1st 2010. Here is what the Porsche dealer is replacing for RMS/IMS repair currently as of June 1st, 2010. 997-101-212-01 Shaft sealing RI 900-385-275-01 Hex head Screws 999-385-004-01 Torx Screws 900-123-106-30 Alum Seal Ring 900-123-147-30 Seal Ring 27X3 996-105-024-01 Shaft Housing Since they are the same parts as last repair which also leaked, I expect I will see some drops on the garage floor here in the near future. My car club buddies claim my Porsches are getting "LEAKING LESSONS" in the garage at night from my old Ferrari in next stall 8-) Based on repairs and cost of extended warranty, it worked out well for me in dollar savings to date especially with a window regulator replacement in between RMS's. I guess RMS is a touchy spot with porsche dealerships, they didn't laugh or smile when I asked if I could get a free bag of oil spill absorbent with each RMS repair kit.... At least mine are always small seeps.:renntech: And thanks for this great site, I would have just assumed they were supposed to leak had I not read up some often through the years.

I Have a 2002 C4S and last year (early 08) the Porsche dealer noticed oily engine during routine oil change and diagnosed RMS (44K miles). I keep a sterile garage and never even noticed a drop on the floor. Since it was still under after market dealer warranty, they replaced the seal for small decuctable and offered a new clutch kit R&R for parts cost only. One year and less then 2,000 miles later, I know have a pronounced 25cent drop of oil from RMS. It was nice getting a clucth for $800 but I traded it out for a more pronounced RMS leak. I will take it back in for oil change here shortly and see if they offer any warranty on thier work or seal...This is my 5th Porsche and 3rd Ferrari and they all seeped some fluids.

I always wondered if a 996TT engine can be installed in my 02 C4S 6 speed. Does anyone know if the C4S manual tranny is the same as the TT since both are AWD? I would think among others items to address would be side venting for coolers, etc. It seems an interesting option.

I have searched numerous forums for fitment of a 02 OEM Turbo Decklid/Spoiler install on a 02 C4S. Looks like several have done this on "CAB's" but nothing noted on the"Coupes". I noted the hydraulics on Turbo decklid require modification /relocation on C4S air intake. Anyone know if the OEM turbo decklids fit on the C4S COUPES? Thanks in advance for your assitance :D

Did you try pushing the volume button? that turns mute on and off. For your code try 0968 or 0966 Thanks Loren for the suggestion.....It was not the MUTE switch.... When I replaced the battery...I was hoping that if I R & R'd the Battery quickly enough with the help of another person (<30 sec), maybe there would be enough capacitive charge or luck to avoid the radio code issue.... I'm not sure what happened but looks like the radio "locked up" in "MUTE" mode.....Volume/Mute switch would not toggle between Mute and Volume states. At any rate, I re-disconnected the battery, waited 60 sec's and reconnected. The radio then asked for the codes, I entered and everything is back to normal..... Many thanks.... I suppose the radio locked up with my initial quick battery change. It would not go out of MUTE display initially no matter what I did. jon :D

Hey Loren, I searched thru other post but could not find a solution. Radio Code Issue after battery replacement: 2002 C4S Becker1 4362 #15004153 24/99 Problem is...radio only says "MUTE" and does not ask for a code...which I don't have anyway.. It allowed me to get SN's and radio type after holding TP but then returns to MUTE when radio is turned OFF and ON... Any suggestion? Thanks a million! jon