Kevfra

Now mine is on as well. Anybody have a copy of the TSB on this? Thanks

Well heck - what's going on? My car is running great - same power as ever, nice and smooth, idle is fine, running temperature same as ever... but two things have happened suddenly: It blows tons of white smoke every time I start. I know about a box engine occasionally starting with a puff when the rings line up, but this is now every time, even if it has only been off for several minutes. Once it clears things are fine, although it just now did it again when I came to a stop sign. Then it cleared again. This began a few days ago when another thing popped up - a sound. Coming from the engine compartment, it sounds like a slipping belt on a pulley. A fairly loud squeal. Doesn't change with speed, and stops when I stop and the engine drops to an idle. Doesn't begin right away when I take off, but after several seconds, and oh yeah - only once the engine is fully warmed up. Doesn't behave like a slipping belt (belt is only ten thousand miles old), but sounds like it. No OBD reports - I checked. What's up??? 2001 Boxter S with 65,000 miles.

Just did mine - fifteen minutes total. 2001S. Newer kit from Xenon Expert. It has smaller electronics and everything fit right inside the housing with no need to drill a hole or extend the wires outside the factory housing. Bulbs went into socket like they were made by Porsche. No tools other than to remove headlight housing. Everything works as normal and alignment appears correct althogh it is daytime and not easy to be certain. No dash light problems or anything, although only tested a couple of times. Good service from Xenon Expert. I could have used better installation paperwork from the manufacturer, but that isn't the distributor's fault. Just would have been nice to know they use blue for hot and black for ground - little things like that.

Don't forget the radio. There is a brown wire that clips onto the DIN cage. If you have changed your headend or been messing around in that area you may have pulled it loose.

Comments please - I have four O2 sensors, located just before and after the first set of cats. On most header systems these cats are eliminated, and on most headers there are four bungs to receive the O2 sensors. Sometimes - often I hear - you still throw a CEL because there simply isn't enough difference in readings and the computer has a hissy fit. But even if you don't throw a code here is my question: What is the computer doing to your mixture? Seems to me the system will be reading more hydrocarbons without the benefit of a cat, and seeing more hydrocarbons it is going to try to run the engine more lean - cut back on the amount of gas in the mix. That's not good. Comment on that thought please. Next, I have seen the mod using a spark plug fouling adaptor to remote the sensor away from the exhaust stream but still give it enough sniff to be happy. But again - the sample is going to be different than it would be with a cat in the loop, and the computer is going to make an adjustment, good or bad. I'm wondering if anybody has actually been able to get a read on what the computer is doing in the case of headers, and if it is a healthy response or potentially harmful response. For example there are some folks that have experienced premature cat failure on the second sets still remaining, and they attribute this to hot gas coming through the headers and burning out the cats. Seems to me a cat makes the gases even hotter than straight pipes - that's how it works - and the exhaust without primary cats should be cooler if anything. But what if the computer made an adjustment to lean the mixture - that would make the exhaust hotter and possibly cause the damage some have seen. Comments? Final thought. The second set of cats have a bung not being used. When installing headers why not use O2 sensors up front as normal, but extend the second set to the secondary cats, rather than to the second set of bungs on the headers? This gives you the closest to expected sampling that the computer would be looking for. Might have to extend the wires but that's not a big deal. Anybody tried this? These things keep me awake at night... :huh:

Just a quick note about a newcoming 'improvement' in our California smog checks. It is already the case that the dyno measures vehicle weight, because what was happening was cheaters would bring in their Ford truck for a test but put some little Toyota on the dyno so it would read well to the computer. So they required weight measure and only subsituting the same type vehicle could you cheat. Well...people still did. So now the new addition is that all smog shops will be equipped with real-time cameras that link to the computer and to The State. These cameras will record the entire transaction, check license plate, watch dyno etc., and be yet another step to stop cheaters. Naturally our smog test fees will again increase to cover this new cost.

For those of you not living in California allow me to explain something about our smog test. The test equipment is connected via modem to a State of California computer such that all readings during a test are sent to this computer. This was an evolution in the smog test saga, and was designed to avoid fraud. In the past it would be common to slip a guy twenty bucks and he would make sure you pass the test, or he would enter your VIN info and then tailpipe a known clean car, rather than your nasty beast. Now the emission stats are in the CA computer and it is pretty savvy as to what kind of readings to expect from what type of car. So if you are running a big V8 ford and the computer sees readings appropriate for a Pinto – flares are going to go off. And more important – you don’t get do-overs. The State knows you just failed, and now you have to fix your car before you can test again. Yes – it’s all spelled $$$ more than spelled clean air. Ask me about the custom engine I’m getting approved right now, regardless of emissions… However there is something called a ‘dry board’. This is where they tailpipe you but not connected to Big Brother. It’s a chance to see your readings before a true test. Generally we don’t do this because it runs about fifty bucks, and so we just go with the test and mostly pass. But if you’ve been fussing with your car in some fashion…a dry board is a good thing to do. I have the four cat exhaust on my 3.2 and want to install the bypass pipes to replace the second set of cats. No headers, and leaving the first cats intact. No O2 sensors on the rear cats, so this is simply going to have an effect on the emissions…but what effect? My engine is clean and just passed its regular smog test nicely, so now is a good time to do a mod and go for the dry board to see if this is going to hang me up next time I do the real thing. So I’m going to install the bypass pipes (test pipes) and then run a dry smog check to look at my readings. I will know if the elimination of the second cats increased my emissions, and by how much, and if over the limits. If under the limits I might be able to keep the pipes on the car, as they never seem to do a visual check. If over the limits…well then I know for sure I have to make things right before I exhale in Arnold’s face two years from now. I’ll post my results for your reference. Meanwhile I need some pipes! What do you folks recommend as a good set, reasonably priced, for an ’01 S ?

Do you have a step-by-step for installing the fourth stalk without removing the steering wheel?

My rule is - when the top needs to be closed it's time for me to drive my other car. So for that reason I haven't taken any great pains with the BlueTooth feature. However it will be required in California come this July so I did install it. I used a DMM to find a circuit that goes hot with key on, and the one I selected is normally used for the heated seat option. Mounted the mic along the left side of steering colume where it is closest to me and can't readily be seen - the thing is kind of ugly. Not that I'm too pleased with the looks of the GPS antenna which I placed right next to the alarm LEDs. By the way on my Sebring convertible I placed the mic above the windshield just next to the visor, figuring that'd pick up my voice best. Wrong. It picks up wind howl enough to drown out anything I say. I had to move it to the instrument cluster where it works fine...if the top is closed.

Here is what I did when installing the AVIC D3 plus rear speakers: There are three sets of RCA style connectors coming from the AVIC, and these are Front, Rear, Bass. Use the Front and Rear set connecting to your stock factory plugs that were attached to your Becker, assumming you have the 4x40 amp. This will drive the dash speakers and door speakers. The AVIC itself puts out the same amount of power as the Porsche amp so use the AVIC speaker wires for your rear speakers without an amp. With this configuration I had to set the AVIC fader controls to plus 4 on the front and zero on the rear because there is plenty of power. The balance and tone are fabulous although a big part of this is because I upgraded my speakers, and the rear speakers I installed are 10x4.5 so that's a lot of speaker cone. You really want to be good about matching your speakers to the power - I see a lot of people buying 150watt speakers because it seems impressive, but with you only have 25 watts to drive them there won't be sound worth listening to. Hope that helps, ask away if you have questions!

Installed a AVIC D3, operated it fine before mounting after I'd done all the wiring, and had to leave town for a few days so I left it sitting still hooked up but not installed. Came home - doen't play and car won't start. Panel lights up but no crank at all. Battery is fine. ACC fuse blown. Replaced but still no crank, and no power to acc socket either. Using a DMM I find no 12VDC at the acc socket with the fuse removed. Like something big popped and even though it blew the fuse it took out something else? Would this stop the car from cranking? Seems more like some immobilizer feature, like maybe my key programming got erased or something. Even changed the ignition switch but no change in problem. Help?