KevinC

Once you operate the car without the seat belt receptacle plugged into the socket under the seat, you will need to have the airbag light reset. This can be done by a shop with the Porsche diagnostic tool or with the Durametric OBD tool which goes for about $250.

http://www.durametric.com

You can unmount them, but it looks like a PITA. I would buy a set of third party sliders for the race seat. Sparco sells an inexpensive set. You would need different B-K side-mounts to mount the seat to the Sparco sliders. The good news is that you will then be able to do a simple 4-bolt seat swap.

Shiny rotors are perfectly normal. To see if the brakes are binding, just jack up one wheel at a time and see how difficult it is to rotate the wheel. Slight rubbing is normal as there is no mechanism to pull the pads away from the rotor when the brake pedal is released.

I wouldn't worry about that at all. First of all, it's the radius of the tire that directly determines the height, not the diameter. So, you are really talking about 0.1", not 0.2". This is small compared to the tread depth and won't be noticeable.

If you are not using a different color fluid, it will be very hard to see when all the old fluid is out. The fluid in the calipers which has gotten very hot may be a darker color but, if you are doing a full flush, you want to exchange all the fluid.

I make it simple for myself. I know that a one liter can is more than enough to do a full flush of the fluid, so I just flush the fluid into a similarly sized clear bottle and remove about a quarter of a liter from each caliper. I take a bit more from the rear calipers which are flushed first and have longer lines leading to them. But, as I say, a liter is more than enough so you don't need to be very precise.

If I do not have access to the PST and therefore cannot flush the lines to the traction control system, should I bother flushing the brakes. I'm trying to understand the relative volume of and importance of these lines. If their 1% of the system volume I'm not too concerned and would go ahead and flush the system. If they're 25% I'd take it to the dealer or and indy to take care of things. I'm about to do a DE and want to make sure my system is up to par.

The factory service manual (for the 986) only seems to recommend using the PST2 when something major (like the master cylinder) has been replaced. Otherwise, they just describe a normal procedure using a pressure bleeder. I can't tell you how much volume you're missing, but I know I wouldn't worry about it. The fluid you really need to worry about is the stuff that's in the calipers which has been abused by heat.

Looks like the oil separator.

It also seems that it might already have been replaced. The Oil Separator in your picture is the newer version with the vertical diaphragm. I don't think these originally came on a '99. Below is Doug D's picture of his new (left) and old (right) oil separators.

You might look into using an early 996 3.4L engine instead. It might actually be easier since, like your engine, the early 3.4L engines did not have "eGas". All the 3.2L Boxster S engines do have eGas ("drive by wire" throttle). It's possible to downgrade the 3.2L to a non eGas throttle body, but that's yet another complication to the conversion. 3.4L conversions are more common, so you should be able to get some good guidance for that job.

The ECU will need to be re-programmed, but not replaced.

Unless you plan to track the car, there is no need to upgrade the brakes and suspension any time soon.

I thought the sleeves were cast in and couldnt slip. Does anyone know for sure?

You're right - there shouldn't be sleeves in these engines. HOWEVER, Porsche had big problems with manufacturing yields on the early M96 engine castings. For a period of time, they were actually repairing porous engine blocks by boring out the cylinders and inserting steel sleeves. But there was a flaw in the way these sleeves were secured in place, so many of then would "slip". This would be pretty much catastrophic, so if your engine continued to rotate (without making horrible noises) after it shut down, you probably have a different problem - possibly a porous block. If it can be verified that you have a "sleeved" engine, you should be in a good position to put pressure on PCNA to replace their bungled patch job. If you check the archives here, you should find photos from Jeff L. of a sleeved engine failure.

Also try putting some masking tape over the gap between the front trunk lid and the bumper cover. This is a common source of whistling sounds. If the tape eliminates the whistling, you can fix the problem either by adjusting the front of the lid to sit a little lower, or by installing a rubber "bulb seal" on the lip at the front of the lid.

Thanks Loren!

Is the temperature data coming from the ECU via the OBD-II connector? Any idea exactly where the car's intake air temperature sensor is?

Hi Loren,

I have a #5 panel which I need to install. Can you give me part numbers for the fasteners: #2, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14?

Thanks!

p.s. Do you happen to know if there is a version of PET which runs on "small" monitors. The program I have doesn't like my laptop's 1280x800 widescreen display.

My 00' C4 Cab came with the 18" wheels (8" and 10") and the stock tire sizes (225/40/18 and 265/35/18). I am upgrading to new 18" with 8.5" and 10" widths. I found that the new 997's have changes the tire size on 18" wheels to 235/40/18 and 265/40/18. What do you think abunt running theses on a 996?

I thought it might close some of the opening around the wheels and body without new springs/lowering. Does anybody see or know of a problem with this set up?

The problem is that your car was designed for equal size front and rear tires. The 997 was designed for the new sizes which are about 1" larger in diameter in the rear. The difference in tire diameters could cause problems for the 4WD system, ABS and PSM.

Hello,

The car is 1998 carrera 996.

The problem is that the car mixes oil with coolant.

At first i replaced the oil-cooler, that didn't solved the problem.

Now the engine is parted out from the car, the head sent for check and i just can't find out where it leaks from !

Please help,

Sahar.

Head gasket?

Head gasket is fine.

Anything else ?

It could be a porous engine block. This was a big problem with early M96 engines and seems to have struck my 2000 Boxster S engine. My engine was replaced under warranty after a cappuccino-like mixture overflowed from the cooling system. They also replaced the radiators, heater, heat exchanger and all the plumbing.

What is the tolerance level or minimum thickness on the front disc?

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Initially, Boxster front rotors are 24mm thick and 2mm of wear is allowed. The rear rotor starts at 20mm. Boxster S rotors are 4mm thicker front and rear. In all cases, 2mm of wear is allowed.

Your cheapest option will be to wait for a used S exhaust to come up on eBay, PPBB classifieds, etc. and install it yourself. It should only take a couple of hours. Used S exhausts should go very cheaply. Heck, I've got one sitting in my garage...

Front or rear? (or both?)

A picture would help too...

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Ok maybe this will help. Look at this post http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...=2532&hl=shocks

Picture number 2 has a wire in a gromet on the strut. Right below that is my clip

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That's the clip which helps route the brake wear sensor wire around the strut to the caliper. It secures the sensor wire to one of the hard brake lines. I have broken one of those clips and also had a hard time getting a replacement from the dealer's parts counter. I don't seem to have any significant problems without the clip.

After doing some research, I am convinced that there is much too much paranoia floating about regarding moisture contamination of brake fluid. Yes, it does absorb some water, and yes that does lower the boiling point. And yes, brake fluid should be changed every year or two to prevent corrosion (because the corrosion inhibitors in the fluid break down over time). [reference]

But consider this - say you used half a can of brake fluid and resealed it when the relative humidity was 100%. Assuming the fluid absorbs all the moisture in the air, what would the water content be? The math goes like this: At standard temperature and pressure (25 degrees C, 1 atm) a half a liter of air contains about .02 Moles of gas molecules. Under these conditions, air saturated with water contains about 3% water molecules. That gives us .006 Moles of water molecules. Given a molecular weight of 10 for H2O, that equates to .06 grams of water in the air in the can. This represents about 0.012% water (by volume) in the half liter of brake fluid.

This probably explains why the side of a can of Porsche brake fluid simply tells you to reseal it well, rather than telling you to dispose of it. See Toolpants' Porsche brake fluid pic

Oh, and by the way, the boiling point of water *changes* when it is in solution with other compounds. For example, the Ethylene Glycol in anti-freeze both lowers the freezing point and raises the boiling point of the coolant. [reference] The definition of the boiling point of a solution is the point at which gas bubbles begin to appear. Gas bubbles in "wet" brake fluid don't begin to form at 212 degrees F, they begin to form at the "wet boiling point".

Also note that water absorbed by DOT4 brake fluid is in solution, and will not "migrate to the low spot in the system" as it would in DOT5 silicone brake fluid which is not water soluble.

At $10-$15 per can for a good brake fluid, it makes sense to use a new can whenever flushing the system and to flush frequently if the car sees the track. I just wanted to point out some of the misconceptions which seem to be pretty common.

 

HI, 

 

      I have actual knowledge of open brake fluid containers becoming moisture laden after only a few weeks. Of course, ambient humidity has a lot to do with it. In AZ I wouldn't be so concerned. 

 

      I have no disagreement with Porsche's Service Interval of 2 years (for regular Street Use), but this system has a vent and the moisture can come and go from the system.  No system can be sealed, so there will be some contamination. My concern is not giving the process a helping hand by starting with bad fluid.  But, the Interval is inadequate if you are tracking the car at all.  I flush and Bleed the brakes on my Formula Vee before every race/track session (reverse power bleeding). 

 

      While the fluid you mention has a high WET boiling point, there's still a couple issues if the moisture content exceeds 4%. 

 

      First, even though the fluid won't boil, the moisture in it will. This moisture effectively turns to steam, a gas. And we all know that a gas is much more compressible than a fluid. So, best case, less of the force you impart to the pedal actually acts on the caliper, while much of it is used to compress the Steam Bubble in the system.  Also, don't forget, water is heavier than glycol based fluids.  It will migrate to the low spot in the system which is usually right at the caliper itself. This has two problems, first it is very close to the hottest part of the system - the caliper (which can reach temps of 1,000°+) and so will boil very quickly and second, the corrosion in the steel pistons and bores is much faster than the corrosion to the nickel/zinc coated lines. 

 

      Finally, at 4%+ moisture content, you are accelerating the corrosion to the caliper bore and pistons considerably.  Hope this helps. 

 

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99 

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It's a very low risk repair. The outer seals are not hydraulic seals. They are just dust seals to protect the pistons and inner hydraulic seals. Replace them if there is any question of them drying out and cracking soon.

kc

Hi,

      If they are not leaking, leave them alone. You raise the potential of having a problem if you change the seal. You may make a mistake, or the new seal may have a defect. It's only worth taking this risk if they're leaking and you have to do it.

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99

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It probably depends on how hard you use your brakes. With the way I use mine, I need to service the dust seals every couple of years. The heat from the track frys them and they become brittle and crack. However, on a car which doesn't see the track, they probably last almost indefinitely.

They are pretty easy to replace, but they aren't all that cheap. (Sorry - I forgot the price.) FYI - I was able to replace mine without removing the calipers. However, it would be quite easy when the calipers are off.

Jim, Are you simply concerned that a sealed metal container *might* allow some moisture contamination, or do you have actual knowledge that this is the case?

Note that Porsche thinks the brake fluid must only be changed every two years, even though the brake fluid reservoir is not very well sealed to the outside atmosphere. Given that, I am very comfortable using brake fluid from a re-sealed container after a few months, and storing unopened brake fluid almost indefinitely.

Also note that Ate Super Blue Blue has a wet boiling point of 420 degrees F which is probably adequate for a street driven car.

Is it the same as the 987 airbox?

I noticed that my gas pedal was getting "wobbly". It looks like the hinge on the bottom is just a flexible piece of plastic which has cracked. Does anyone have any tips for a DIY replacement?

You just need to enable the "AUX input mode" on the CDR 220. To do this, press the TP button for about 10 seconds. This will take you to the "BECKER 1" menu. Turn the tuning dial until you see the "AUX OFF"selection. Then press one of the soft buttons with an arrow above it to toggle the AUX mode to ON.