Jump to content

Welcome to RennTech.org Community, Guest

There are many great features available to you once you register at RennTech.org
You are free to view posts here, but you must log in to reply to existing posts, or to start your own new topic. Like most online communities, there are costs involved to maintain a site like this - so we encourage our members to donate. All donations go to the costs operating and maintaining this site. We prefer that guests take part in our community and we offer a lot in return to those willing to join our corner of the Porsche world. This site is 99 percent member supported (less than 1 percent comes from advertising) - so please consider an annual donation to keep this site running.

Here are some of the features available - once you register at RennTech.org

  • View Classified Ads
  • DIY Tutorials
  • Porsche TSB Listings (limited)
  • VIN Decoder
  • Special Offers
  • OBD II P-Codes
  • Paint Codes
  • Registry
  • Videos System
  • View Reviews
  • and get rid of this welcome message

It takes just a few minutes to register, and it's FREE

Contributing Members also get these additional benefits:
(you become a Contributing Member by donating money to the operation of this site)

  • No ads - advertisements are removed
  • Access the Contributors Only Forum
  • Contributing Members Only Downloads
  • Send attachments with PMs
  • All image/file storage limits are substantially increased for all Contributing Members
  • Option Codes Lookup
  • VIN Option Lookups (limited)

JeTexas

Contributing Members
  • Posts

    533
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

Everything posted by JeTexas

  1. If it were me, I'd replace those clamps with the screw type while doing the job. I find them more reliable and easier to work with.
  2. So that NAPA water pump I was so excited about is making grinding noises after only six months. Looks like I'm swapping it again this weekend. I'll try to make a video this time.
  3. This is a little late since you already opened it, but I had put together a DIY on taking it apart. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=21228
  4. If you're a stereo nut, just remember that in 2003 they went to the fiber optic system, so it's a huge pain to put other systems in.
  5. Robthenailer, with the top halfway open, reach in under the headliner and make sure that the bracket that snaps over the metal rib is in place. When it comes off, it pulls on the elastic straps and doesn't let them slide back into the correct position. Once the bracket and headliner are secured on the metal rib, you should be able to give the elastic band a couple tugs and have it relax back to the normal position when the top is closed. My top does the same thing to me every couple of months.
  6. I second the cracked cylinder head guess. Apparently Dharn55 found a place in New Mexico that can reweld and repair the cracked heads. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...harn55+cylinder
  7. I did the top on a non-Porsche a few years back. It took me two full days, and despite measuring, remeasuring, and taking the utmost care, when I finished I had weird corners in the front and wrinkles on the back quarters. Considering the price of a Porsche replacement top, I think it's worth the cost to have it installed professionally, so that it's properly stretched and fit. You don't want to spend the money to replace the old one just to be unhappy with the new one. What was the name of the shop you used in Houston? Mine's about due.
  8. I don't know how I feel about the flat blue. It's something different, and in the case of this car my number one thought is regarding the impressive 800 hp. However, I will say that I HATE black wheels. I've hated the trend from the very beginning, and I've only forgiven it on racecars as it's always been an utility issue with racers rather than a looks thing. I hate them on streetcars though. It just looks like you haven't cleaned the brake dust off your wheels in ten years. But ... it's all a matter of taste, and everyone's taste differs, so thankfully there's room for everyone. If the builder loves it, then more power to him. Nice job.
  9. I was getting the same with my 99 996. I found there is a nut on the bottom of the motor. It's a valve for something or other. It wasn't completely tightened and was leaking just a drop or two of oil that would blow back onto the mufflers when I was driving it hard giving me a burnt oil smell. Once I finally tightened it up and stopped the drip, the smell went away.
  10. For snapping the interior pieces out, the little trim pullers are always handy. Another thing that I end up using quite often is my big torque wrench - not necessarily because I'm needing to torque things to spec, but because the long handle gives great leverage - so you can break loose tough bolts with ease or use it as a lug wrench. A cheater bar that slides over your end wrenches or socket driver would be just as good.
  11. I'd start with a Metric Socket set, a set of metric end wrenches, a set of security torx bits, a set of allen wrenches, a couple screwdrivers, needlenose pliers, and a big pair of pliers like robogrips. Then once you really start working on the car you'll learn all about dremels, drills and tap & die sets. lol Oh, and don't forget to pick up a big *** hammer.
  12. My 996 has factory velcro circles on the seat-side corners. Go with velcro - it's factory acceptable.
  13. I don't see a reason why that would make any difference with the window operation, but computers are funny things. You never know. You really need to hook the car up to a PST-2 to see what the controller is saying about all the convertible top systems.
  14. I've never been inside a tiptronic, so I'm not completely sure of how they work, but in your generic automatic transmission there's bands. If a band breaks, you lose that gear. A quick, generic explanation from http://www.familycar.com/Transmission.htm#...on%20Components Bands - A band is a steel strap with friction material bonded to the inside surface. One end of the band is anchored against the transmission case while the other end is connected to a servo. At the appropriate time hydraulic oil is sent to the servo under pressure to tighten the band around the drum to stop the drum from turning. It could be that the friction material on that band is worn. It could be that the band just needs adjustment. It could be that it's on it's way out completely. That's just my guess though. Like I said, I've never seen inside a Tiptronic, and I haven't worked on an automatic transmission since the mid-90s.
  15. It could be the top controller unit as that does control all four windows during operation of the convertible top. However, since it's going down it seems to me it's more a sensor or microswitch that isn't reading that the window is in the down position and needs to close when the top goes up. I'm not sure if the windows have potentiometers like the rear deck and top do, but I'm guessing that if you hooked it up to a PST-2, it would say that your window is always in the up position. I'd have to check the manual to see where that sensor or potentiometer is located.
  16. He says in the first post that the mechanic read the CEL codes, but that they're now gone after his first repairs, and he now has now codes to guide him. At least that's how I interepreted it. I've had a pretty massive vacuum leak from a cracked oil filler tube that made the car run terrible, but I still never had a code. That's why I was guessing vacuum leak.
  17. Maybe a vacuum leak - possibly caused by the AOS.
  18. Take the plug with you to Porsche and talk to a tech, not the parts department. They have toolboxes full of connectors to use if they accidentally break one while fixing a car. You can release the leads by putting a tiny screwdriver in those slots if you need to make new leads for your old plug.
  19. I don't think so. If the potentiometer is working correctly and the motor is working correctly when the top is closed then those things would not work any differently with the top open. However, you could have a sensor somewhere saying the top isn't open, the latch isn't open, the flaps aren't up, etc. That would then stop the clamshell from closing all the way. If you hook it to a PST2 or a Durametric, it can talk to the convertible top control unit and tell you what each compoment is saying/doing. When you jiggled the clamshell, did it fall shut or did the motor close it the rest of the way? They can be pushed closed, but the lock won't actuate.
  20. Glad you got it sorted out. Hope it wasn't too expensive, but I know those torque converters aren't cheap.
  21. I believe in preventative maintenance to a point. I replaced belts and hoses, pads and rotors, flush the brakes, flush the fuel system, etc. However, I draw the line at replacing parts like the AOS, starter, alternator, etc. just because they're getting up there in age. Having installed alternators and power steering pumps (not on a Porsche, which seems to have hardier parts, but still) that are bad right off the shelf, I believe that with replacement parts it's just as much risk that the new part will go bad within the same time period that the old part would have lasted through. Except now, instead of just paying once or fixing something once, you're spending the time and money to fix it multiple times. I have 115k miles on my starter, AOS and all my fuel components. No problems yet. The only part that I'd make an exception on is the water pump. It went bad at 107k miles, so from now on I will change water pumps in all my cars every 100k to be on the safe side. I'm in no way saying you're bad to freshen things up. I just see it as an unecessary expense.
  22. The two side flaps should be completely closed (parallel to the ground) and look flush with the rear deck before the clamshell will finish closing. If they're open and pointing to the sky, they're not in the right position. I don't have photos here at work, but it shoud be explanatory when you look at it. You can manually spin the motor to move them in position with an allen wrench (it might be torx, but I think it was an allen wrench). The top of the screw drive with the allen head is accessed through the holes where the feet of the hardtop fit. There's instructions for this in the users manual.
  23. Are you sure the cloth from the top isn't lying over the latch when the top is down? There should be a springloaded piece of plastic that sticks up from the latch cover to stop the top from getting into the latch, but it often breaks off and disappears. That's the first thing I'd check. If there's nothing blocking it, and the top's not on the latch, the fact that the clamshell will close with the top up tells me that the clamshell mechanism is working correctly and can reach it's open and closed points. Therefore the fault must lie in either the convertible top or possibly the little wing flaps on the sides not reaching the points they're supposed to reach. All the position sensors are interdependent, so if one mechanism doesn't reach it's end point, it stops the other from working. Actually, I'd bet money that if you check again, you'll notice one of the little wings isn't in the closed position. You probably just need to remove the panel behind the back seat grease the screw drive that it moves on.
  24. smak, you're one step ahead of the game actually attending to and cleaning out those drains. If they get too clogged with muck, rain drains into your car and can get all the electronics under the seat wet. I've got a 99 996. 114k miles and still going strong - not that it hasn't had problems that come with any 10-year-old car, but nothing major.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.