Long Islander

One of my horns stopped working. I don't know if it's the high one or the low one but I'll replace them both while I'm at it. I've learned that to replace the horns the bumper cover has to be removed and the horns are on the passenger side. I've seen a Youtube video that shows the horns being replaced on a 986 Boxster, but it seems to gloss over many of the details. Does anybody have detailed instructions on front bumper cover removal? How har a job is this and how long should it take? Thanks.

I hear a click when I press the sensor in from the back of the "ring" toward the front of the car, but it still wiggles a bit.  It's not solid.  Thanks for the tip.

I tried that but there's nothing to snap into.  When you push it in the ring, the sensor just fits in loosely.

On the 07-4PU part, the top of "C" curves downward, whereas on the 10-4PU part, the top of the C doesn't curve downward.  That's why 10-4PU won't stick to the original location (the top of the "C" will stick up.  On 2002 and later models, the Carrera emblem is stuck on lower, so the C doesn't stick up.

I don't have the noise you're talking about but I understand what you mean.  If you were to put some lubricant on the seat back lock (at the bottom of the seat back, which keeps the seat back from folding forward) that might put an end to it.

This brings back memories.  I did the stalk OBC hack back in 2002 and it came out great and works like a factory OBC.

My Autozone Duralast Platinum AGM H7 battery (now 4-1/2 years old) must be much stronger than your.  Last weekend, after not having driven the car for 3 weeks, the voltmeter still showed 12.7 volts.  I didn't event bother to plug in the battery maintainer.

On ‎4‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 10:21 AM, BufordTJustice said:

I can now go a full 7 days without the charger connected (and zero run time) and the car turns over just as if I had the charger plugged in.

 

I'm going to replace the interior lamps with LEDs, which is pretty simple, but the visor vanity mirrors each have two lights that I can't figure out how to replace.  Are these replaceable?  If so, I would appreciate getting instructions.  Thanks.

Problem solved!  I bought the Audi part (4A0-905-849B) to replace my original ignition switch (just the electrical part).  This is the correct part for my car because the original ignition switch was never replaced (I know that because I'm the original owner) and it fixed the problem.  While I wasn't having any electrical problems -- just a mechanical issue with getting the key in and out) the electrical switch was binding and making it difficult for the key to line up properly.  When I removed the old switch, it did not turn very smoothly, whereas the new one did.

This took me a few hours, but mainly because I couldn't get a flat head screwdriver into the spots I needed to release the electrical switch.  A word or wisdom -- you need a small flat head screwdriver that is less than 2.5 inches long.  Anything longer and the air duct prevents you from lining up the screw driver to turn the screw.  Once I got the short screw driver, it was very easy to remove the ignition switch and replace it.

There are also instructions for this on Pedro's Garage:

http://www.pedrosgarage.com/Site_3/Replace_Ignition_Switch.html

One more thing to note about the small screws is that they are exactly 180 degrees apart and face the same direction.  The bottom one you can see, but the top one is only visible if you have a mirror (which is useful to get your bearings).

Changing the ignition lock assembly seems to be at least a 4 hour job, and the part is around $250.  The dealer quoted me $1000 cost to do this, and it seems complicated enough that I don't want to  try doing it myself.  I spoke with an independent Porsche specialty shop and he said he's replaced dozens of ignition electrical switches (the $10-$30 part) and has never had to replace the ignition lock assembly afterward because this took care of the problem.  He thought my issue would be fixed with just the electrical switch. 

So, based on that, I ordered the Audi OEM version of the electrical switch (Porsche doesn't sell this anymore, but the Audi and Porsche parts are the same), and I'll replace it myself.  This is supposed to take less than an hour, so it's a low-risk gamble to save +/- $1000.

I'll keep you posted.

I was planning on buying the "ignition switch" appearing on the link below from Pelican parts:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/ksearch/pel_search_2014.cgi?SUPERCAT_FLAG=Y&make=POR&Context_make=&please_wait=N&LastVisited_input=&Previous_Section=&forumid=&threadid=&command=DWsearch&description=ignition+lock&I1.x=0&I1.y=0

Are you saying I need to buy the "steering lock assembly with ignition switch (without lock cylinder)" and then swap out my lock cylinder instead?

Pelican has the following DIY instructions for this:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Porsche-996-997-Carrera/86-ELEC-Replacing_Your_Ignition_Switch_Steering_Lock/86-ELEC-Replacing_Your_Ignition_Switch_Steering_Lock.htm

http://www.renntech.org/forums/tutorials/article/24-996-ignition-switch-replace-just-the-switch-with-pictures/%5D996

2001, C2 coupe, tiptronic

Exact model and year of your car please

When I turned my ignition key today, I heard a loud snap sound.  Now I can insert the key with a little bit of wiggling and get the car started, and also turn it off and remove the key with a bit of wiggling of the key. When I remove the key, I no longer hear the usual "clunk" sound that means the steering wheel is locked. In fact, the steering wheel is not locked.

What part(s) do I need to replace?

Nice explanation, JFP. Thanks.

In preparation to do oil change on my 00 C2 using renntech DIY, started to order the SS plug from Sunset and they advised that Porsche doesn't recommend it because it's too strong for the oil pan metal and causes problems. The SS plug is an exhaust plug and only coincidentally is same size as oil pan plug. They would sell it to me but provided the above info and I didn't order it. FYI.

From personal experience, I have about 15k on a M96 powered Boxster and just under 5k on a M96 powered C2 running LN Engineering's magnetic drain plug without any apparent negative side effects. I'm not sure what problems the plug could cause, as the torque specs are reduced and a copper crush washer is still used. If any magnetic metal shavings were circulating around in my engine, I would prefer they stuck to the magnetic oil drain plug making their existence very easily noticeable at the next oil change rather than have them circulate throughout the motor.

I think the major concern with the stainless plug is the combination of its hardness and that it and the sump cover are dissimilar metals, which leads to other problems (both the OEM drain plug and LN's magnetic units are aluminum, like the sump cover).

I'm a bit confused. If the OEM and LN drain plugs are both aluminum, then why is the torque spec for OEM 37 and LN 19? Shouldn't they be the same?

One of the first things I did when bought my car was to remove the tether. I've been doing this on every car I've bought since 2000, which is the first car I had that came with a gas cap tether. Except for the Porsche, the tether just guarantees that if the gas cap is dropped, instead of falling to the ground, it's going to swing and hit the side of the car. Around where I live, we still have full service gas stations, so you're better off forcing the attendant to put the gas cap on top of the pump when he removes it.

I finally got it to snap back together. The circuit board was positioned correctly. The notches ensure that it is either in or not. Also, you can't put it in upside down.

So, how did I do it?

I think all the pieces just had to sit out in the open at room temperature and humidity for a couple of days after sitting in the safe for the last 12 years (that's when I bought the fireproof safe and where I keep my extra keys). It's a fireproof safe and I keep a lot of silica gel packets in there, so there is very little moisture. Perhaps that caused the plastic pieces to shrink a little. All's well now.

Another bit of trivia about the remote key. If you're not in range of the car, the red light won't blink. Go figure.

I had to replace the key fob battery on both my design key head and my original black spare key. The two clamshell key head pieces on the design key snapped back together just fine. But the original black key head won't snap together with the electronics inside. If I remove the electronics, the two halves snap together and stay shut -- with or without the rubber gasket. But when I put the electronic chip inside, I can't get the two halves to snap together -- even without the rubber gasket. The battery is in correctly, and the chip fits inside just fine.

I've spent over an hour on this, and I have two sets of black key heads, but I just can't get the key head shut.

Any ideas?

www.gahh.com sells leather interior kits. I haven't dealt with them but they've been around for quite a while. Are you going to do the work yourself?

Now why didn't I think of that? What is the approx. diameter of an M14 bolt?

I used a M14 tap to thread the last hole in the battery tray plus enlarging the hole in the battery hold down bracket

996-504-393-01-01C Left rear cover -- US MSRP $65.60

996-504-394-01-01C Right rear cover -- US MSRP $65.60

Thanks! Kind of pricey for a small piece of plastic, but that's Porsche for you.

Does anyone know what these things are called so I can order a replacement pair? Or better yet, do you have a part no for a 2001 996 coupe? I couldn't find it on the Porsche parts web site that I use.

Thanks.