Flakarter

Super Walmart! :thumbup: 0-40W in stock by the quart. $4.??per qt. Bought some the other day. Dean

Zaino. Best stuff I've ever used, and it garners accolades in a lot of different forums. Zaino Brothers Dean

Loren: Would you please give me the TSB number in paragraph 4 above regarding a dash rattle? Thanks Dean

Pat, it's funny that you bring this up. I can't say that my car smells like burning oil after a ride, but it does smell of something buring. I've often thought it was electrical or something, but who knows. A week ago my wife was driving my car (a very rare occasion if I can help it :D ), and she smelled something burning. She had the good sense to park it at home. Naturally, I was in a frazzle when I got home, but I could find nothing (visually burning). Most of the smell seemed to come from the left (driver) side. But that was a week ago, and no problem to date. I have always noticed a burning smell, and the smell after my wife complained was no different. I am beginning to attribute it to the engine being in the rear, the spoiler vents allowing quick vertical exit of the heat and other smells, being in close proximity to the rear of the car upon exit, and being in a closed garage. Perhaps with other cars, which have a grill in front, and no vertical means for gasses to quickly escape, we don't smell the gasses given off. Just my theory (perhaps to comfort myself!). Dean

Victory! Courtesy of Part No.: 1HO 953 227 made in Tunisia (of all places!). $20.75 + tax. Not bad for a Porsche! It was the blinker/emergency flasher relay (it has a big 191 stamped on the out side) under the dash. As Toolpants indicated, the relay panel under the dash was easy to access. Plug and play! Blinks like a mad man now! Thanks all!. :cheers: Most honorable mention (and thanks) to Toolpants. :clapping: Another demon excised! You guys/gals are the best! Dean

Don, I have always used Mobil-1, so when I went for my first oil change, and the dealer (in Florida) wanted to use Castrol, I told them I wanted to use my own oil. They said fine, and gave me a $60 credit. The oil (two 5qt jugs from walmart) cost me $40. Cake and eat it too! Since then, I've decided (and have) changed my own oil. Easier than any car I've ever owned. There is simply no reason to pay $200 to the dealer for an oil change. Just use a Porsche filter for waranty purposes (at least that is what I do). Dean

Thanks for the thoughts. The blinker bulbs all light up, but they don't blink much, if ever (it's intermittent). And the hazard lights work fine. All four lit and blinking. The first post was a picture of a panel with the blinker. Is it easy to access? Any other thoughts, beside the blinker itself? Thanks Dean

Hello all, my 99' C2 suddenly came down with a problem yesterday, a blinker that doesn't. At least not all of the time. Most times, when I flip the lever up or down past the indent, it will blink once, and then freeze with the light on at the second blink. Other times, it blinks a few times and then sticks. Always with the light on. Then again, other times it works perfectly fine. Another gremlin! Argh! As a kid, I recall a small cylinder under the dash which made the blinking noise, and regulated the blink. Does this car have a blinker under the dash which is easy to replace, like older cars, or ............... is there something fancier in this car. Obviously, this question does not rank up there in importance, like installing PSE or cupholders, but it can be rather embarassing (not to mention the safety hazard). Although, I am becoming quite proficient at manual blinking! :D I have mad blinking skills! Dean

I have a 99' C2 as well, and my check engine light came on (18k ironically). I don't believe anyone will be able to tell what the problem is without a code reader. I had the dealer read the codes (they said mass air flow sensor), and paid them to do so. But.............. I found out that Autozone (auto parts place here in Florida) has an OBDII reader, that hooks right up. When I went to replace the MAF sensor my self (two screws and one wire, easily accessible), I took the car to Autozone, and they came up with the same codes as the dealer. They also turned off the warning light. All for free! I then replaced the mass air flow sensor before restarting the car. Worked like a charm, and the light hasn't come back on in the last month or so. I'm sure the dealer's reader is much more informative, but in a pinch, the Autozone route seemed to work. If you do that, find a list of codes online for your car, before you go. Some codes appear to be standard to all OBDII cars, but others may be model specific. Maybe Loren or Toolpants has more info. Good luck. :D Dean

Can someone please share with me the torque spec for the front and rear wheels? I searched this forum to no avail, and I still have not been able to locate an ower's manual for my 99' C2. Thanks. :thumbup: I'm having trouble with a shimmy in the stering wheel in the 60-75 mph range. So the car is back at the tire dealer this morning for the 3rd attempt at balancing. He wants the wheel torque spec to make sure the wheels are put back on correctly. The car only has about 21k miles, so other than wheel balance, I'm not sure what else could be wrong. The tires are brand new Bridgestone S03s. Dean

Thanks guys. For the life of me, I could not get the new coolant tank back into my 99' C2 with that ski slope on the side. It took me about an hour to pull the old tank, including gathering all the tools, draining the fluid, etc. Then I sat there for an hour trying to get that *^@$%# new tank in. I just could not find a way, no matter which angle of attack, or which way I twisted it. The ski slope piece seemed to serve no purpose in my car. And every time I tried to put the tank in, the coolant sensor would snag at the bottom, and there was no more clearance up top. I was scared to death I was going to break the sensor off (and on a Sunday). I followed all of the R&R instructions, and moved or unhooked some other lines as well. I tied things back, and even enlisted the wife. No matter which angle I tried, I could not get it (coolant tank) in. Argh! So..........., I'm ashamed to say, I chopped that ski slope piece right off the side, and the tank slid right in. But I became overwelmed with fear that I'd done something stupid (again). Thanks for clearing it up for me. Now, I simply look at this as a weight reduction measure. Dean

Do any of you have any idea of the reason for the ski sloped part sticking out of the right side of the coolant tank in a 99' C2? :huh: It's on the right side of the tank in the pic posted by Loren above. For the life of me, I can't see why that piece is there, other than to cause it to be harder to install a new coolant tank. It almost looks as if it is there as some type of support for a pipe of some type. But there is nothing even near it when the tank is installed. I really can't think of why that part of the tank juts out like that. Thoughts? Dean

Thanks Loren! :notworthy: As usual.......... Dean

Hi, can someone tell me how hard it is to replace the coolant tank, on a 1-5 scale (5 being hardest), and about how long it will probably take for someone who is a plodder (slow and careful), rather than a quick wrench. Are any parts needed, other than the new coolant tank? I read where someone was told by the dealer that the motor had to be removed. But from looking at Ninerguru's site, that doesn't seem necessary. Lastly, does everyone buy their OEM parts from their local dealer, or is there a cheaper source for OEM parts. I checked out many online parts sites (which all appear to use World Pac as a source), and the tank is not available. The local dealer said $234.86 for the tank. Not that bad (unless you consider it is solid plastic). Thanks. :thumbup: Dean

Hello all, does anyone know the newest Coolant Tank Part # for 99' C2? I may need to replace that, and I heard there have been several iterations of this part. Thanks. ;) Dean

My dealer indicated that the coolant tank in my 99' C2 has a slight leak at the seam. I also have a couple of rattles in the car. Questions: 1) I have yet to see any evidence of a leak from the coolant tank. I check the coolant level and it doesn't seem to go down. Is there any way to pressure test that system for a leak? 2) Since I don't yet have an owner's manual, can someone please tell me if I should be checking the coolant level with the engine cold or warm? 3) Does anyone know any good private Porsche mechanic in Tampa? 4) There is a rattle toward the right top front of the dash that begins about 20-30 mph, and continues, and continues, and continues....... Any known issue or fix? 5) There is also a rattle under the middle of the dash, like something is loose. Any known issue or fix? 6) Lastly, thank goodness ;) , is there any easy fix for the wind noise from the area around the front edge of the driver's side door window (i.e., the A pillar)? Thanks much. Dean

How do you guys obtain acess to all of the Porsche bulletins? I tried to get the list of tires from the local dealer with no success. Dean

Thanks all. I probably knew the answer to my question deep down inside. It peeves me that the dealer told me the wrong weight oil to buy. :censored: In any event, I bought 0-40w Mobil 1 today and did the oil change myself. I can't believe I paid the dealer close to $200 for that quick a job. It's easier than any car I've ever owned. Realistically, I paid the dealer so I could obtain the stamp in the service book for resale purposes later. The only difficult part was getting the oil filter cover off. I had drained all of the oil before I set out to find a filter removal tool. The oil filter wrench I had was lame (and cheap to begin with). It didn't work. So I went to the dealer, but they didn't sell the metal cup type remover. "We don't sell tools". I went to Napa and bought 3 different sizes (I didn't know which fit). All were wrong and I couldn't get the filter loose. As is common, my sons were watching my struggles. Just when I gave up and said back to the store, my 12 year old son said "Dad, what about the Craftsman rubber strap wrench you got last Christmas". "No, son, that won't work, it just doesn't grip well enough". Well, I relented (partially to show him Dad knows what he is doing, and the wrench won't work). You guessed it, it turned, and off it came. My son was so proud of himself that he solved a problem which Dad couldn't. So two good things came out of this: (1) I'll never pay the dealer to change the oil again; and (2) through my hardheadedness (is that a word?) my son gained some mechanical confidence, and his creativity was rewarded. The prior is nice, but the later is priceless. :thumbup: Thanks again. Dean p.s., I believe I found the correct size oil filter cup type remover at Autozone, and for less money than Napa. Autozone is the same place I found tamper proof torx bits (again, less than Napa).

Being that I just purchased my 99' C2 with 19k on the odometer, I wanted to have the oil changed ASAP. It had been changed by a local dealer at 11k miles. My local dealer wanted to use Castrol Syntec (5-40 perhaps), but I've always favored Mobil-1. They said I could bring my own oil (great!) and they'd give a discount (great!). However, since I don't have an owner's manual for the car (see my other post), I was not sure of the weight. So I called the service rep from the auto parts store, he puts me on hold, and checked with someone. He comes back on the line and says to buy 5-30W Mobil-1, which I did. They then did the change with that oil a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday, I notice an oil DIY by Loren (of course) which says 0-40w, 5-40w, or 5-50w. "The list is now very long (for worldwide coverage). Here is a short list of popular oils (US/Canada): Castrol Syntec 5W-50 5W-50 ncp G Castrol Syntec 5W-40 5W-40 ncp GL Mobil 1 0W-40 ncp GL Mobil 1 5W-40 ncp GL Mobil 1 5W-50 ncp GL Mobil 1 Tri-Synthetic Formula OW-40 ncp GL Texaco Havoline Synthetic 5W-40 ncp GL Note: ncp oils are synthetic (or "non-conventional processing") oils. GL oils have good light running properties because of their light low-temperature viscosity as well as a high level of temperature stability. G rated oils can be used as non-seasonal oil, but do not have the same light running properties as "GL" oils." Yikes! :o What have I done to my baby??? :help: Question is, do I need to pull out that oil, filter, etc. ASAP, or am I ok for a while? I live in Tampa, FL, with the weather in the high 80s at present and slowly getting colder (maybe 60s by the end of November - Brrrr!). Thoughts? Thanks Dean

Anyone know where I can obtain an owner's manual for a 99' C2 (part no.: WKD-996-121-99)? The dealer says they recently tried to obtain one from Porsche parts, but the order has languished on backorder, with no end in sight. And I tried myporschemanuals.com, but they show (for just about this manual only) that it is "NLA". I trust that means "no longer available". I've even scoured e-bay for the last several weeks to no avail. All I can find on e-bay is some type of manual on cd-rom. I'm not sure what that is, but whatever it is, it's not something I can carry in the car, where it will be when I need it. Thoughts? Anyone have an extra? Thanks. Dean

Loren, should the negative battery cable be removed before unplugging and replugging the MAF sensor? If so, will he need the radio code after the battery is reconnected? Dean

You can buy a small set of the tamper proof torx bits at Autozone or Napa for $15-20. AMHIK. Dean

Thanks Loren (as usual!). Anyone else have any experience with tire pressures in a warmer climate like Florida (as opposed to San Fran, where I froze my butt off under the golden gate in July of this year!). :o Dean

Hello all, I've had my 99' C2 for just over a week now. I replaced all 4 tires with Bridgestone Potenza S03s, and had the dealer align the car. But it seems unsettled in fast right corners (felt more stable with the old tires). It seems to want to pivot from outside front to inside rear in corners. Maybe this is just the way a 911 handles, and I'm simply use to front engine cars. I know the 911 is light in the front, and especially a C2, but this seems odd to me. I have no confidence in the car at speed. I noticed that the decal under the hood says (for 18" wheels, which mine are) 36 psi front, and 44 psi rear. Is that what most people run? 44 seems high to me, but what do I know....... I've just never seen such a broad difference in psi from front to rear on any other car. Thoughts? Thanks Dean

I guess I don't have much to lose by replacing the MAF myself. If I replace the part, and have the sensor reset, and it comes back on, then I'm no worse off (in fact better off - saved $200-300 from dealer's $500 estimate). then back to the dealer for the next diagnosis (which will then probably be something I can't replace this easy). Thanks for the reply Loren. :thumbup: Just amazingly helpful. Dean