1999Porsche911

Interesting.  :huh: 

I've just had an OPC service/inspection and the two things they commented on were "Oil leaking from the bellhousing" (another story...) and "your front discs are corroded and need replacing. We can do it all tomorrow if you keep the courtesy car for another day"

I called their bluff by asking them to put some new discs and pads in the boot (sorry, 'trunk') for me and I'll fit them myself. Needless to say, on collection they said they were just advising caution with the front rotors.

When I got back home, I gave the front and rear rotors a full inspection - the only things I could find wrong were the rotors had what I would describe as 'light scale' on the internal venting fins and the drilling holes were partially blocked with pad dust/material. The whole of the pad seemed in good contact on both sides of the disc with good clean swept areas. I'll roll belly side up if those rotors needed renewing with that amount of corrosion. Will post some pictures if the weather stays fine tomorrow.

Many dealers will assume that the average drivers knows nothing about the car and will use scare tactics to try to get them to buy services.  There is a special hell for them.  Always verify any claim by dealer.  There have been numerous RMS's replaced (4 that I have confirmed with just one dealer) that had no problem at all.  The oil was coming from the cam solenoid cover and not the RMS.  Customer charged for both repairs.  Please remember that car companies make more money on service than they do on selling cars.  This is just another example of why.

(I spent 10 minutes per disc poking the little holes with a screwdriver  :lol: - I've past caring what the neighbors think)

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I have taken a set of rear rotors from a boxster with this kind of rust - so much that parts of the rotor was crumbling.  It is a very common complaint in more humid climates and rotors here are not covered under warranty for any reason due to this.

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I would love to see that rotor. Metal does not rust through that fast, regardless of how humid it is or how wet it stays. I have used rotors for anchors at the lake for more than 20 years. In and out of the water and no serious rust issues. Either you had a bad rotor to begin with or had something other than water eating away at it. If you took a "crumbing rotor" to the dealer in the States, he would be forced to put new ones on or face an inquiry from the TSA. Pictures would be great.

I guess if you don't want to do it yourself, you are forced to pay the going rate. Parts (after mart) cost about $450 - 500 for back and the same for front. So, if you learned to do it yourself, you would save $500 for each end of the car. I never let Porsche touch my car, so I have no idea what they would charge.

$1000 ???? Are they putting new tires on it too for that price? I have never heard of a disc rusting through and I have pulled 40 year old cars out of the bone yard to rebuild. Did you see the hole yourself? Possible bad casting? The job of replacing teh pads and discs is quite simple and all 4 wheels can be done for about $1000.

Try disabling the ABS system and see if you still have the problem.

Sigh... I am with you on your rip-off statement.

I am not sure how they felt they could invent what they did and not get questioned.

When I stated lumpy I mean to say that it kind of hunts between 600-800 and the exhaust note is kind of blippy for a lack of better term to describe it.

Even if what they diagnosed is right, what's the chance of long term damage if I drive it off their lot?

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Reboot the computer and see if it improves the idle. Clean the MAF and run a bottle of injector cleaner in you tank. No problem driving as is. Without you hooking up a scanner and providing us with sensor readings, we are pretty much blind.

It is extremely unlikely that any of the problems mentioned above would effect your warrm idle. A bad variocam solenoid would give a error code anyway. If both variocams were inoperatable, you would know it due to the dramatic loss of power. Your idel is too low.

Possible things to look at and maybe just replace yourself would be the engine temperature sensor located on the back right bottom side of the engine. These are known to go bad and cause idle problems when warm. The idle control valve may be faulty. MAF might be dirty. Vacuum leak?

First thing I would do is hook up your scanner and take a look at the sensor reading after you go closed loop. When compared to expected readings, you can sometimes get a direction to look in. Also, reboot the computer by disconnecting the begative battery cable for a few minutes. Your idle will wander for a few driving cycles, but when the computer stabilizes, your idle problem may disappear too.

I would find a new dealer too. They obviously want to rip you off.

Get some painter's tape (will not harm paint) and tape the seams of the hood. Put baggies over the side mirror's. Tape on wipers, etc, until you find that the noise stops. Then start removing little by little until it appears again. You found it.

I think OxygenSensors.com has OEM sensors. They are about $100 each there.

If you don't have a large (19 mm I think) open end/box combo wrench then you might want to buy one of the special slotted sockets they sell too.

There are 4 O2 sensors. Two on each cat. One before the cat and one after.

Are they suggesting you replace all 4? That seems very odd since even with sensor aging it is usually only one or two that need replacing.

Here are some general precautions with O2 sensors:

Oxygen sensor can be damaged if handled improperly.

    * Do not remove the plastic cap on the thread until just prior to fitting the oxygen sensor. The thread grease must under no circumstances come into contact with the plug.

    * Protect sensors - before and after fitting - against mechanical shocks.

    * Sensors that were dropped on the floor must not be used owing to the risk of a broken ceramic insulator.

    * The cables must not be twisted or kinked when the sensors are screwed in. Avoid pulling on the cable and plug.

    * Cleanliness in the housing of the plug connections is of utmost importance for the function of the oxygen sensor. Particles of dirt can impair the function of the oxygen sensor. There fore, the plug must be protected against any and all types of soiling.

    * Sensors with soiled or damaged plug must no longer be used.

    * Protect the cables and plugs when transporting the exhaust system with the sensors already fitted.

    * High-pressure cleaning equipment must not be used in the area of the sensors and plug connections.

    * Contact and corrosion agents, e.g. Stabilant, must not be applied on the plug contacts of the oxygen sensors.

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Get a scanner...not a code reader. Extremely unlikely that both 02 sensors are bad. You are running rich. Clean the MAF.

http://www2.autopartsauthority.com/parts/a...or&category=All

There are many places on the net to get the Bosch sensors for around $100 each as Loren said. It will take you maybe 1 1/2 hours to replace all 4, but like Loren asks, why in the world are you replacing all 4?????? Hook up your scanner and take a look at each sensor. Do not have a good scanner??? Take $250 from the money you were going to give the dealer to do all this unnecessary work and buy one.

Well, if your oil gauge is reading accurately, you have a problems. However, I would first confirm that it is before looking at any other problems. Viabration could be many things including flywheel, shaft or broken motor mount. A bad oil pump would not cause vibration, but the result of a bad oil pump could cause internal damage that would.

First of all, shut the engine OFF. Could be low on oil, bad oil sending unit or connections, bad pump, faulty gauge, bad oil pickup, etc. I would first confirm you have the right level of oil. (I aso hope you have not been running 0w40 if you live in hotter climates). If oil level is correct and all systems are operating as designed, your pressure should be at 5 bar on cold startup and idle and slowly drop to no less than 1.5 bar on a hot engine. It should always be above 4 bar when engine is at or above 3000 rpm's, hot or cold.

Is you engine "ticking" while running? Have you changed the oil filter lately? The shaking of the car at higher rpm's may indicate internal damage to bearings, putting moving parts out of balance. Is the shaking while you are in gear and moving, idle, or both? I can't believe and internal bearing would go without some prior indication of a problems. How long have you drivien the car with this low oil pressure? Any oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil?

Alot of questions for alot of possible causes.

If it was me and I would put a mechanical oil pressure gauge inline on an oil line and read the real pressure to confirm whether it is a reporting problem or an actual pressure loss. If the inline gauge reads normal, replace sending unit. If the reading was low and the oil level was correct, I would swap out the filter for a new one and test again. I would then put in a heavier oil to see if pressure reading changes. A pressure change would indicate exessive wear in the pump or engine bearings or pickup tube. I would remove the oil pan and check for cracks in the pickup tube and exchanger. Many things you can check before going to the expense of tearing the engine apart.

Stupid question but what product do you mean when you say "ATF"?

PL

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Automatic transmission fluid.

Yes, it could.

Try to clean up the top of the engine by sucking ATF into the intake with the engine running. Remove a small vacuum line and insert it into a container of ATF. Let the engine idle while the fluid is sucked in. Turn off the engine after sucking in about 1/2 quart. (there is no danger if more or less fuid is used) Let the car sit for 30 minutes.

Wait until dark, and then take the car for a spin to blow out the ATF. The car will smoke like hell as the fluid is burned and will be less embarassing in the dark to drive down your street.

This procedure quite often will rejuivinate the valves and lifters.

Izzy,

Did you pick up your parts yet? I have exact same car needs work on the same job ( tubes and o-rings). Can you tell me where I can buy these parts.

Thanks,

Tommy

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Get the parts from the dealer. Why do you need the tubes? I have never seen a bad tube, just the O rings. And not all the O rings necessarily are bad. Just spit on them before you put them it and they will be fine.

Mother, if you're looking to copy someone else's product and install, you should pay for the privilage. Since you did not buy the SC kit from EVOM, it would be unfair to them to help you try to copy their setup. Just call Todd at EVOM and buy his kit.

what's the correct spark plug electrode gap for a 3.4L 996  ???

cheers,

the prof

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.0275/inch

The 0w40 would seem to be too light a weight for the average summer temps here. Would 5w50 be a better choice. I don't have the car yet, but am curious as to what more experienced people would suggest. I have read on this forum that the light weight oil and high temps will contribute to RMS leaks.

Thanks

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0w40 is the wrong choice and 5w50 is better, but I would recommend 15W50 in your neck of the woods.

You didn't say where the needle went after the car was fully warmed up. A pegged needle is normal on a cold engine.

At ~8,000 miles the factory Conti's on my 2001 C4 were EXTREMELY noisy. I installed Bridgestone Potenza RE730's but now at ~14,000 miles it sounds as if my front wheel bearings are failing.

Searching on the internet I find that this is a common problem with the RE730's and Bridgestone has even made a running design change, "gen-II", to the RE730 to try and combat the noise problem.

Anyone with any experience on these and getting compensated by Bridgestone?

Any adverse comments on my next try, Michelin PS2's..??

And by the way, the noise is my only complaint about the RE730's. About to make the return trip home to Seattle and believe it or not I would like to hear my wife talking on the way back.

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What tire sizes are you running? You should be running the Potenza RE750. NO problems with them.

On a side note: Are you a newly wed? I am just wondering why you want to hear your wife talk.

That's a pretty expensive bone for the dealer. Do it yourself and you'll learn a little something more about your car.

Glad it worked out for you. And, yes, a dirty air filter can cause a rich condition that may set a P1125 code, as can a dirty MAF. Disconnecting the battery is a good idea at times and does not do any damage and will reset all learned parameters in the computer. I do this often after working on various sensors of the car. There have been times that even when a sensor is changed or modified, the computer will not adjust properly even after several days of driving. A quick battery disconnect does the trick immediately.

Also....the battery only has to be disconnected for less than 2 minutes to reset computer.

Carlos, yes the A/C problem has been fixed, it was a stuck expansion valve, they recharged the system and it's delivering absolute freezing cold air it this point. They also checked all the electric fans for correct function AND cleaned the leaves etc from the air intakes. I am watching the temps and if I feel that the system is over loaded ( running too hot ie needle over or to the right of the zero in 180 in the gauge) I will certainly think about it again. Interestingly, I have not yet seen the extraction fan in the engine cover lid come on. More to come I am sure.

Some interesting titbit I picked up somewhere else on the same subject....

It seems that certain car manufacturers have decided that the temp gauge is not much more than an idiot light ie , cold, warm and TOO hot ( light goes on) and that the temp needle basically moves from low to the middle and stays there unchanged until the engine overheats, in which case the needle with go to the red sector ( equals the idiot light setting). This seems to be in an attempt to pacify folks and reduce the amount of calls the dealers get with " my engione runs hot " concerns because "the needle moved" . Interesting..

HarryR

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The fan on the engine lid is not for air extraction, but is an intake fan. It draws cooler air into the engine throught the lid when the engine compartment gets above 180F. You would NOT want to draw air out through the id as this would increase the engine temperature.

There is no cause and effect between the 2. Also, I suspect that most of the MAF that have been replaced could have just been cleaned.

You can make the argument that the 0W gets flowing faster than, lets say, a 15W, but that would only be in very cool temperatures. Your oil is circulating almost instantly anyway. However, the benefit of the 15W versus the 0W is that more oil will "clink" to surfaced when the engine cools down. This in itself provides all the necessary protection you need until oil is pumping.

We can go around and around with this forever. Maybe the safest thing to do is to never turn the engine off.