JeTexas

It's really bad for your alternator.

Was this car already a 997 or had you facelifted a 996 to a 997 and then again to the second gen 997?

I believe the connection is in the drivers side hole on the back. I know I've broken mine, and now the wires are just hanging in there, but I haven't gotten around to investigating how to fix it yet.

Forget measurement. Just shine them on the garage door and adjust them how you like them. Usually you keep the drivers side pretty straight, so it doesn't shine into the eyes of oncoming traffic and the passenger side is ok to shine out to the right a bit.

I'm going to put a big disclaimer here that I've never even seen the CDR23 or the MOST system, so this is all theoretical, but I think you could use one of these analog stereo to digital converters to either connect your iPod as a CD changer or to run it straight into the amp, bypassing the head unit.

http://www.ambery.com/anautodiauad.html

Ironically, I have a set from my 996 I was going to take to Saturday's swap meet and ask $500 for. Sounds like I'd be pricing them too high. If anyone needs them, make me an offer.

I just visited the V_Led.com site and filled a cart with all the bulbs on your list. It was $371.39 before shipping.

Why are the V_Leds so much more expensive than the Superbrights? What difference am I going to see in the $7 pair of lights versus the $49 pair of lights?

I concur that it's the waterpump weeping. If it was just the hose leaking there wouldn't be coolant stains and corrosion above the gooseneck, but you can see white residue all the way up to to the pulley.

By the way, there's a guy on ebay who sells the pumps with metal impellers instead of plastic.

The top on my 1999 996 Cabriolet is getting a bit worn. Some of the lining is coming apart, and someone had previously done a very ugly job stitching in a new plastic window. I've also got a fray on top because the little flap that keeps it out of the deck lid latch was missing when I bought it.

I've got a line on a complete frame and top from a 2001 996 with a defroster in the glass window.

Before I pull the trigger I just wanted to verify that the 2001 frame and top will fit, fold and close properly on the 1999, and whether or not anyone knew how to wire the defroster.

Thanks for any help.

Sad to say it, but I think the G2's failure to adhere was due to overprepping. I think the dremel brush, which was meant to rough-up the surface for adhesion put too fine of a sanding on it. I've seen cars that were sanded with too fine a grit before being sprayed, and they have terrible adhesion. Then after a few years the paint will just start coming off in large flakes. A very light spray of a good base coat would have probably done the trick with the G2, but I'm glad you found a solution, and it looks like it does a better job anyway.

Those little plastic covers that go over the emergency release mechanics on the latch also tend to rattle. Cloth tape on the back quiets that down.

I'm a pro a taking things apart and going "well there's the problem." It's the putting everything back together that sometimes gets me when I work alone...

Don't worry, you'll find that most things really don't need all the pieces put back anyway. I have a tendency to leave out unimportant screws/bolts in trim and whatnot if they're in hard to reach places. Plus, it gives me spares for the ones that rolled down the driveway and got lost.

Good luck.

I usually have up to a day delay with emails, but they've always responded. If I need something fast, I call.

I have the same car - a silver 99 C2 Cab 6-speed. I'm at 119,000 miles with no major problems. I would have a pre-purchase inspection done. If that comes back clean, it's really anyone's guess as to whether or not the engine will run forever. Best advice is to change your oil often and keep an eye on the water pump.

The pumps work off the same fluid reservoir and circuit, so if one is weaker than the other, it's because it's leaking.

There is a calibration sequence that a dealer or anyone with a Durametric or PST-2 can run through, but it will do nothing to fix your problem.

Sounds to me like your frame is bent.

There's two real questions you've got to answer - can you afford the monthly insurance, and do you have a place to keep it parked if something goes catastrophically wrong until you finish grad school?

If the answers to those two questions are yes, then why wouldn't you?

If you're able to raise and lower the convertible top by hand, the hydraulics are most likely not pressurized. Think of it as trying to pump a hydraulic jack, but without the release screw tightened.

If you remove the panel behind the back seat, you'll see two hex bolts. There should be on in the center surrounded by a black plastic cone and one off to the passenger side.

The one to the passenger side is the pressure release for the hydraulics that move the top up and down. Make sure this one is tightened all the way. The top won't operate without it tight.

The one in the center is the potentiometer for the deck lid. The position of this bolt tells the computer what position the deck lid is in. If it is tightened all the way down, the deck lid won't move. Tighten it down and then unscrew it to the halfway point. That should give it plenty of slack to move.

Now, even if you get everything moving by replacing fuses and ajusting those bolts, you still need to hook it up to a Durametric or PST-2 to calibrate the top. The computer will run each component through it's range of motion and reset itself, so that everything works together correctly.

If you don't get any movement, you're going to have to hook it up to a PST-2 or Durametric anyway to read your codes to further track down the cause.

The parts for the cab top can be very expensive, but Oklahoma Foreign has most of them available salvage for about 1/4 of the price.

Yes, there are instructions for manually opening and closing the top in your user manual, but if you do so, you'll need to have it recalibrated with a Porsche PST-2 or Durametric tool before attempting to operate it again.

However, if it's currently closed, you can most likely get it into service position without any trouble. Once it unlatches and the deck lid has moved to the open position, you can reach in and unhook the tension cables, then fold the window section of the top forward to access the area behind the seat.

Click on the donate link - top left of the page under the Renntech logo.

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?autocom=donate

It might just be low/leaking hydraulic fluid.

There's a DIY.

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=6967

No, I'm trying to squeeze in a few ASA sailing certification classes down in Clear Lake before the weather gets too cold. Then it's back to all Porsche. Hopefully before the end of the year I'll get to bring both the 996 and the Shelby project out for an event.

Here's the video. Sorry for the shakiness and poor audio. I found my old 24-bit PCI soundcard isn't supported in Windows 7, and I've yet to invest in a new USB recording system.

I only make these when something on my car breaks, so if anyone else in the Houston area wants to collaborate, I'll be happy to assist and film your next project.

I flushed a few times and a couple of little bits came out but the big piece is still in there somewhere... :unsure:

Anyone know if the pumps can be traded in for refurbish (and who would do it)?

Napa carries remanufactured pumps for about $150, but mine only lasted six months (~ 7k miles) before the bearings were shot, and it was leaking again. Since it was under warranty I put another Napa one on this weekend, and I've got my fingers crossed that the bad one was just a fluke. However, I would advise spending the money for a new one from Porsche.

I feel your pain, but credit is due for trying and for learning. You're not alone, and God only knows how many thousands of dollars I spent and respent on my last project car because I either broke something while trying to fix another problem or I made the mistake of rebuilding things to stock only to replace it all again six months later (i.e. spending $1200 to rebuild the drum brakes only to discover how terrible drum brakes are and had to spend another $800 to convert to discs when that would have been a cheaper solution in the first place.)

Eventually we all learn to do plenty of research first, and the experience that teaches us the lesson is priceless - although yes, it still sucks paying for it.

They seem to lose their spring with age. When I replaced some coolant hoses on my 99 996, there were a couple of original ones I definitely didn't trust to be tight enough.