Kim

9 hours ago, JFP in PA said:

 

Then consider getting some used cats from a bone yard.  We have several customers that purchased both cats used this way for less then one new one, and several years on are running just fine.

Of course, that is one of the longer term fixes I am looking at. Just haven't found any available so far. In 2017, used cats off of a 2000 or 2001 car will likely be high mileage. (that is the year model that had my particular part numbers installed) I have found a couple of dealers who will knock down the approx $2300 per new cat price to $1600 or so. Unfortunately, none of them is in the Atlanta area, so I could run up some significant shipping costs with the cats coming to me, then the cores going back the other way.

9 hours ago, DBJoe996 said:

Almost every auto parts store has an OBDII reader handy and will read your codes and reset the CEL for free.  What makes you think your cats are bad? What error codes are you getting?  Could it be a bad O2 sensor instead?  Suggestion - get the codes and post them up.  If the CEL is bothersome, a $50 OBDII reader from AutoZone will clear the codes and reset the CEL.  I have one and clear the codes for my SAI (secondary air injection) on occasion because I'm frankly too lazy to go in there and replace all that stuff.  I'll do it the next time I'm in for a starter replacement or AOS job, which hopefully will be a long time since I've already done that a few years back.

An indy shop, Gold Crest Motors in Kennesaw, GA has worked a  good deal on my car. I have never had reason to doubt their work or recommendations. They told me, "both cats have failed". I did not ask for the codes as proof. Less than 6 months ago, both O2 sensors on the left side had been replaced. By the way, my local Auto Zone will certainly read the codes for free ... but claim that it is against company policy to reset the CEL if they've done nothing but read the code..

12 hours ago, creekman said:

I have an OBD II reader from Auto Zone for $100 that will cancel a water temp gauge failure, but will not cancel/erace an airbag code.  My water temp gauge failure is due to the Porsche computer doesn't recognize my LS3 motor.

 

I also have the Durametric program which does it all.  More expensive and you need a PC laptop.  I bought an 11" Lenovo laptop for $119 from Best Buys that will run the Durametric program.  If you plan on keeping the Porsche as I assume you do, then I would consider purchasing the Durametric program.

 

The point is if you go with a cheapie OBD reader you need to be sure what it will and will not do...  Are there any considerations as to running the car without functioning CATS?

I've been told by multiple sources that there are no problems running without functioning cats ... other than the CEL coming on occasionally.

12 hours ago, JFP in PA said:

 

Almost any global OBD II scanner can do this, but the CEL will pretty quickly return as the problem is still there, and no sophisticated or even Porsche specific tool can turn it off permanently.  Kind of a futile move. 

Its a futile move that will save me a $4500 expenditure on a car that's only worth about twice that ... while I think about what I want to do in the long run.

It looks like I'm going to be operating my 2000 Cab with 2 failed cats for a while. The only real downside for me is that this will bring on repeating CELs that I will have to have my indy mechanic regularly clear for me. It occurs that it would save me considerable time / trouble to purchase a basic OBD reader that will allow me to check, then cancel CEL on my own. If anyone has recommendations for such a tool, I would appreciate any advice available.

At the 16 year mark, my leather is beginning to show its age, so I would like to use one of the dye products available to spruce them up. The problem is getting the correct color.

I have always thought of my 2000 Cab as having the lighter of the two gray options. From browsing on eBay, I became convinced that Graphite Grey was the darker of the two, as it certainly looked darker than my leather in eBay ads. Unfortunately, the good folks at SeatDocs.com did not have a formula for a lighter, unspecified grey. At LeatherMagic, they have a Space Grey ... but it appears very dark ... certainly darker than my color. Finally, the tag under my hood says "CE" where the interior color code is located. I believe (but cannot recall where) I read that leather code "C" denotes Graphite Grey. So ... I am thoroughly confused

Any help / enlightenment would be greatly appreciated.

Kim

Just to close out this thread, JFP in PA was right on the money. Engine quit again right after my most recent post, and ... as soon as it cooled down ... I started it and drove straight to a top notch local shop. As soon as they heard my tale of woe, one to the mechanics stated, "I bet its the crank position sensor" ... and it was. CPS had a heat sensitive short that  would go away as soon as the car cooled for a few hours.

I had the dreaded intermix due to a cracked head. Jake Raby did the repairs for me, and I've been very happy with the results.

One of my biggest impressions as I drove my new (to me) 2000 996 Cab home from the purchase was that it had little to none of the typical convertible's rattle and clunk. For a while, the clunk has been back, especially when driving 20 mph or less through my neighborhood. I did a search here and thought I had found the answer: replacing all 4 drop links ... certainly reasonable now that I have passed 160,000 miles.

That made a difference, but did not eliminate the clunk altogether. I am looking for ideas as to where to look next.

13 hours ago, JFP in PA said:

 

I would remain circumspect about replacing the fuel pump; the crank position senor failure causes the fuel pump to shut off when nothing is wrong other than the CPS is bad.

Well, as I pointed out in my original post, the pump was already changed as a "best guess" item. Circumspection won't help much at this point. Having already spent that money, I prefer to assume that the original pump might not have lasted much longer ... after 16 years and 165,000 miles. Helps me sleep better at night

Yes. The car was checked for codes. They revealed upcoming issues such as, "your right cat converter will not pass its next emissions check" ... but nothing related to the stalling and subsequent restart after cooling. This shop happened to have a tech who was familiar with the crank position signal issue. I agree on the fuel pump R&R being an investment. I understand that a 996 with the mileage I have on mine is facing that before too long.

Just in case this may help someone else:

My car (2000, 996, cab with 165,000 miles) quit cold on 3 separate occasions recently. First on interstate at 60 mph; second in stop/go traffic; third while idling in a parking lot. On each occasion, attempts to re-start were useless. Starter turned, motor cranked over, but no firing.

After each wrecker ordeal, it always started just fine several hours later. I was clueless. I even had the (original)  fuel pump and associated relays replaced on spec. I had to find the cause as I had to be able to trust my car to get to work at all times of the day and night.

After third episode, I took it to a local shop (Gold Crest in Kennesaw, GA) They discovered the crank position sensor wire had a hidden break (inside the intact insulation) that would change position and lose continuity when sufficiently heated. Without the signal from this wire, the engine simply would not run. Later, after the car sat for a while, the wire would regain contact, and the engine would start as if nothing ever happened.

Hello,

 

I have a 1999 C2 Cab M6.  I replaced the top last year through a local installer.  Before the top was replaced, the closing mechanism worked perfectly.  After the new top was installed, the timing for closing the roof it is off.  Specifically, the metal header latch starts to try to engage (move up and click into he hole) about halfway through the routine ... well ahead of when the roof is close to the windshield header.  The top installer said it was due to a tight new roof and over time it would loosen up and work fine. That was nearly a year ago, and there has been no change.  The installer, by the way, takes no responsibility and advises me to see my local dealer to fix it.

 

I can close the top if I release the roof button on the console before the latch starts to engage, manually pull the top close to the front window and finally re-engage the button on the dash.  This is a hit and miss procedure, though, and often taking several attempts for the latch to properly seat and close.

 

Has anyone also had this problem (timing of latch)?  I understand it may be one of the micro switches that needs adjustment, but not sure where to begin to fix. 

 

Thanks for any advice!

I had a brand new top installed on a 2000 996. Worked perfectly from the first day. I believe the excuse about "tight top" is BS

All of this is explained in your Owners Manual (if you have one).

 

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Loren, I didn't see anything in that owners' manual pic that would explain the 2 red lights he asked about. They seem to be well to the outside of the idiot lights display.

Although you seem to already realize the importance of completely flushing the plastic bits out of your system,allow me to add even more emphasis.

Last summer I spent $12K+ on engine repairs, and the final analysis showed the culprit to be a truly tiny piece of plastic impeller that had apparently been in the system for months since the prior water pump failure / disintegration. The bit eventually lodged in a coolant journal on the cylinder head and resulted in a cracked head and oil/coolant intermix without ever registering a temp over the normal 180. The very first sign to me was a coolant warning light followed by a volcano of chocolate milk shake shooting out when I removed the coolant reservoir cap.

I will now change my water pumps proactively every 3 years ... as opposed to waiting for the next one to explode and trash my engine again.

I don't know if the model year 03 is included ... but cracked (along the bottom seam) coolant tanks was a common problem on t he early 996s. There were numerous DIY's posted covering the replacement of the tank. I did it ... and considered it an involved ... but not impossible DIY.

In the Cab, there are water collection trays (upper and lower) under the top mechanism on both sides of the car. You need to remove sidewalls (preceded by removing rear seats) to get a look at it all. Top tray dumps into lower tray (the hose can come loose there). Trash (leaves) in either can cause water to leak over low walls of trays. Then lower tray drains through a hose that goes to a one-way valve on the front side of the rear wheel well. This little flapper valve can become gummed up with road dirt, etc. Pull it out for cleaning, then replace carefully. It can tear. While its out, pour water into upper tray and watch its progress through the levels.

Hard part is disassembly. Easy part is seeing the likely problem once disassembly is done.

The quote of $17,000 takes my breath away. That's 50% more than repair (cracked head) and rebuild of my engine cost ... and the work included the latest RMS fix along with too many other improvements to mention here.

WOW.

BumperPlugs.com does great work - but with any painted service you need to care for it.

I agree that the work is great ... but I had a strange experience with the principal at bumperplugs. As is the norm, he sent me a painted console, and I removed mine to send to him as a core exchange. A few days later, I received a phone call from him, very excited, asking what in the world had happened to put my console in such bad shape. He even asked if there had been a fire in my car. He stated that it was unusable to him. I was completely bewildered. My car had been babied by me for years. No kids, no dogs, etc. As far as I could tell, the console I sent him was perfect except for the deteriorated surface coating. I told him all that, hoping that he had the wrong customer. No such luck. He stated he could not accept my console as an exchange, and would look around for another used one that he could buy on my behalf and send the bill to me. I wound up spending a good deal more than intended ... but I was in no position to argue since I already had his product installed in my car.

To this day I can't figure out what could have happened to my console core between my house and his office.

Sorry, I don't have any pictures of the painted console. You can see plenty at the bumper plugs.com web site.

My interior is graphite gray, also. After 10 years, there was little about the cheap console covering that could be referred to as "leather". It was worn though in places and sticky everywhere.

I opted to use my exterior color ... black metallic ... on the console, and I think the contrast added a lot to the car's appearance.

I think the issue that I have observed to most disappoint about the 2000 996's is the crummy finish on the center console. I had all the same problems you have and put up with them for years. Then, I ordered an exchange console from bumperplugs .com ... painted to match my metallic black exterior. The effect was amazing in my eyes, and significantly dressed up the overall look of my interior ... no longer making me feel it looked shabby.

I agree with Loren. Physically turning the key in the door lock cylinder is independent of battery condition ... the battery could be removed and not affect manual locking / unlocking.

If you search for "oil coolant intermix", you should find plenty of info. My 2000 Cab experienced this last summer, and I posted a good deal of information. In my case, the cause was a crack in the head that allowed oil and water journals to join as the crack spread ... resulting in the oil forcing its way into the coolant. In the reservoir, the mixture resembled a chocalate shake.

You can find a great discussion at http://www.flat6innovations.com/index.php/services/intermixed-oil-and-coolant-repairs.

At the time (summer 2014) there appeared to be no new factory engines at any cost. My choices were to pay $10 - 12K to have my engine (a known quantity)  repaired & significantly improved by Jake Raby and his team ... or wait some months and pay close to $20K for a rebuild of someone else's discarded engine.

I have been very happy with the result. I suggest you call Jake and speak with him directly.

 

I left a trickle charger on it for 2 days.   After the alarm runs for 2 cycles of 3 minutes the alarm stops.      It still doesn't have enough juice to let me open the hood. 

 

Can you get to the hood manual release without destroying anything?

 

Yes.  There should be a DIY on how to access it in the archives.  It is behind the front bumper cover  The cable is on the right hand (US driver's) side, the forward top portion. You have to pull hard on it to release the latch. The cable is exactly the one on the picture (arrow) but further aft because now the picture show the front bumper cover removed:

 

  

 

Did they move the emergency cable for the 2002 model year? My front cable was (as shown in owner's manual) forward of the passenger side door hinge area (in effect, under the right headlight unit), in the right fender. One of the first tips I took from RennTech was to relocate the loop end so that it could be retrieved from behind the tow hook hole bumper plug. That way, I could open my hood even with the rest of the car completely locked up ... and retrieve a key I kept in the trunk.

 

 

After 15 years and 150,000 miles, I switched on my 2000 C2 Cab yesterday and saw the clock was not visible. I can find no fuse that is dedicated to the clock ... only various "interment console" fuses that mention several items each. Everything else seems to be working normally.

 

Has anyone had experience with this issue?

The light bulb behind the clock is burned out, I replaced mine with a clear LED and resistor. or get a new bulb. The service manual shows how to remove it.

 

Thanks. I'll check it out when I get home from this trip. I'm surprised the clock is lit from behind by a single bulb, but will be really glad if this is the fix.

 

Problem solved. Just as you stated, the single bulb behind the clock segments was burned out. Replacement bulb for 2000 996 is 999-631-303-90-M97. $1.25 each from Pelican Parts. DIY has good info on removing the instrument cluster, which is surprisingly easy to do.