roadsterdoc

I have a 2001 996TT with 29K miles. Last night in 50 degree weather during highway driving I noticed a huge smoke cloud being illuminated by the headlights behind me. Moments later the instrument cluster flashed a "low coolant level" mesage and the temp guage warning light began blinking. Fortunately the upcoming exit had a parking lot with a grocery store (bought 4 gallons of distilled water to get home). The car did not overheat...guage never made it to 12 o'clock. The engine bay was covered with coolant. With a flashlight in hand, I was able to find the culprit. The 2" rubber coolant hose just forward of the rear engine mount had a big gash in it. Part number 996.106.501.74 (I love that Porsche puts the parts numbers on everything!). It looks like replacement will be fairly straightforward (yeah, right...who am I kidding). The local Porsche dealer ordered the hose overnight and I plan to replace it Friday night. I'll post the progress. I am so glad this was not a catastrophic failure. :thumbup:

BTW, is it common to blow a coolant hose like this? Seems a little strange to me. If it had 100K miles I wouldn't be so surprised.

Also, should I use standard coolant (ethylene glycol) 50/50 or does Porsche recommend something else?

This was just posted today elsewhere. It does not break down X50 or S versions, but it should give you an idea:

Total # of 996 TT sold in U.S. by PCNA:

6,604 Coupes

2,556 cabs

2001 Coupe: 2418

2002 Coupe: 2318

2003 Coupe: 1384

2003 Cab: 482

2004 Coupe: 298

2004 Cab: 1490

2005 Coupe: 186

2005 Cab: 604

Total # of 996 GT2 sold in U.S. by PCNA:

317

2002: 198

2003: 90

2004: 24

2005: 5

Total # of 996 GT3 sold in U.S. by PCNA:

960

2004: 864

2005: 96

I'm having problems with the air injection system also. There is a rough schematic on the inside of the engine compartment lid.

Now I have a question I'm hoping someone can help with. I got an alarm code some weeks ago for the secondary air injection system. The garage checked out the air pump and determined it was bad. It was drawing way to much amperage and overheating. The alarm persisted. They cleaned out the inlet manifold spiders, the alarm still persists. What other things are the logical next steps here? Any advice is appreciated.

I had the same problem about a year ago. Replacing the DVs fixed the problem. Inspecting the original DVs revealed a small hole in the rubber diaphragm. This must have caused the leak in the secondary air injection system and triggered the CEL. FWIW, I went with Bailey DVs, as they are maintenance free.

I've had good luck with Mintex pads. Very little dusting (about the same as the stock rear pads) and they are fine for the street. They are not a track pad. Thay are also very reasonably priced. Some people have complained of squeal, but this is remedied by a few hard stops on a regular basis. I got mine from Mike at AWE.

Chris

Anyone have instructions on how to remove the rear spoiler?

Hello,

I am planning to replace a leaky rear spoiler ram. I understand the bleeding process for this takes some effort. Can someone post the tech instructions?

Thanks!

Chris

Late follow up on my original post:

One of the diverter valves was malfunctioning. I replaced both stock DVs with Bailey DVs and no more CELs. It is a simple fix and a common upgrade. I hope this helps someone else.

Hello, I am a newbie to this board. I am in the process of acquiring an '02 996TT. I am curious as to what the widest tires I could install without rubbing. Also, I am considering some 19 HRE 545R's.

I am considering changing the suspension as well.

Please advise on these ...

Thanks in advance.

Try driving for a while before you do anything! Also try searching. The 19s are ok for the street but most people feel that 18s offer better performance. You must be careful in upsizing tires. The fronts and rears need to be the same diameter or else the AWD system can be damaged in attempt to compensate for the difference. Suspension options include Porsche X73, Porsche ROW, Bilstein PSS9 and Ohlin.

Here's a late follow up post. I took the car to a seasoned Porsche mechanic and he said yes indeed, it is high off the floor but it is within normal limits. He estimates the wear at 60% and that I should leave it as-is. Honestly, I am looking forward to wearing it out and getting a replacement!

The abruptness is most likely caused by where the pedal is when the pressure plate kicks the actuator arm out all the way. In certain positions, this upward pressure on the pedal along with the pivot of the pedal boost spring will make smooth release of the pedal nearly impossible. Lowering the engagement point of the pedal will reduce the pull effect of the boost spring. Or you can eliminate it all together by removing the spring and drive the car without pedal assiatnce. Much smoother, Removing the spring is also the best way to feel the movement of the entire clutch system for diagnossis.

Aha! Now we are getting somewhere: "...In certain positions, this upward pressure on the pedal along with the pivot of the pedal boost spring will make smooth release of the pedal nearly impossible..." I think this describes the crux of the problem which is my primary complaint.

Two questions:

How do I lower the engagement point of the pedal?

Where is the spring...is it on the slave cylinder?

Only 24,700 miles on the car and there is no slippage whatsoever.

I have not had time to bleed the system yet, or to add air. The thought of air in the lines disturbs me but I guess it's not a big deal as long as it is the clutch and not brake lines! I'm still not sure it will cure the abrupt transition problem...only move the transition to the middle of the stroke (which would be some improvement).

Thanks guys...keep the thought coming!

The Porsche parts guy said the CHF-202 replaces the CHF-11S, but you raise a good question. A google search came up with this about Pentosin:

Joel Reiser - PCA WebSite - 2/6/2006 wrote:

"...Another point worth mentioning is that there has been some confusion about Pentosin products. Some people say "Pentosin" as if that automatically means "hydraulic oil", and then they go and use Pentosin brake fluid where Pentosin's hydraulic oil CHF-11S and CHF-202 are specified for the power steering, or vice versa. This is really really bad, since the two systems are not compatible. Pentosin is a brand name of a company that makes fine products, but we can't be careless when we decide where to pour each into the car.

CHF-11S and CHF-202 are compatible, those are the older and newer versions of the hydraulic oil used for power steering. But neither of those two Pentosin products are compatible with Pentosin's (or anyone else's) brake fluid. "

Regarding '1999Porsche911s' suggestion to add air to the system, that may yield the results I want...but I'm reluctant to do so and would be surprised if this is the only solution (I've been wrong before!). I'll try to bleed it today and post the results.

Thank you 'boli 996' for posting. I followed the instructions the best I could but they are a little difficult for me to understand. What, for example, does "Installation position of the pedals in accordance with the series condition" mean?? It sounds like it was translated into 3 other languages before english! :P

I picked up a can of Pentosin CHF 202 from the dealership today (it says power steering oil). I will attempt to bleed the clutch system. I assume that the standard 2-person bleeding technique is appropriate (depress pedal, open valve, close valve, release pedal and repeat).

Thanks Loren. I checked the resevoir and it is full. Correct me if I am wrong, but if there were air in the line wouldn't it engage when the pedal is on the floor instead of at the top of the stroke?

The clutch actuation occurs in the 1st 10% of the pedal travel. In other words, when the pedal is almost all the way away from the floor. It is really annoying as it makes it difficult to drive smoothly. There must be a way to adjust it so that the actuation occurs closer to the middle of the pedal throw. I have searched found nothing.

Thanks for any help!

Chris

2001 996TT

Houston TX

You will need to find a dealer, independent shop, racer, or other private individual that has a PST2 or PIWIS Porsche tester. Where are you located?

(photo courtesy of ukchris)

I'm in the UK, it's a nonsense that the user cannot change this at will.

BMWs are the same. On my previous 2003 330i I couldn't set DRLs, door locks, passenger mirror tilt during reverse, etc without going to the dealer.

Just made a donation to the site. Thanks for such a great forum!

Checked the 40A fuse and it's intact. The hoses seem to be connected, but I do not think I could find them all. The electrical connectors are OK (BTW, I found the airpump on the right side of the engine compartment).

I can hear the airpump on cold startup, but it has a moaning/groaning sound. I guess that could be a bad pump, faulty valve or a leak. Looks like I'd better take it in to the dealer for a PST2 scan.

Thanks ar38070 and Loren for your help. I will let you know the results.

Oops, my typo. The codes were P1411 and P0410.

Does the airpump make a groaning sound? If so, it's working. I'll check the fuse. Where is the SAI pump (and it's connectors)?

Thanks!

CEL has lit up on three different occasions, all within a few minutes of starting the car. The first two times showed the above codes (scan courtesy of AutoZone). The last time the CEL went away on its own.

P0410 (typo edited) Secondary Air Injection System Malfunction

P1411 Secondary Air Injection System Incorrect Downstream Flow Detected/Manufacturer Auxillary Emission Control

So what is suspect here? Is it as simple as the diverter valves? Seconday air injection pump? Any help on what to do next is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris

2001 996TT