number9ine

I've done both the dealership test drive, and now the Porsche World Roadshow track drive. My impressions to contrast with yours:

• The car is definitely larger, although not overly so. Despite this, cabin space is still about par with the last model, you just get more dashboard and a bit of head and shoulder room.
  
• You make an allegory about weight, but the truth is that the car weighs less in similar spec to my 997.
  
• Hop in a time machine to 1963 to see P O R S C H E spelled out in big letters (gold colored, no less!) and you'll have a better understanding of why it's that way on the 991. Perhaps unnecessary, but nothing a bit of dental floss won't fix if you don't like it. I do. I could do without the full explanation of the model designation that goes below though.
  
• On the street, the 991 rides like a Lexus midsize sedan. The sound deading is up, the damping more refined, and no tire howl like the older models. It's so quiet that someone thought it fun to pipe in some PVC so you can hear the intake growl when you get on it. It's schtick, but it sells. The steering feel is accurate and without slop, but it doesn't transmit every expansion joint or pebble anymore. I personally miss that.
  
• Once you get on a track, the steering feels exactly as it should. The car is planted and neutral. There's little left of the rear bias, although tip-in is still sharp. Still eerily quiet, but with the windows down and the throttle flat on a track that won't be an issue.
  

In short, the car feels soft until you want it not to. As much as this contrasts with the traditional Porsche ethos, it's clear that only Porsche could make a car that commutes and carves like this one.

If you don't like the new 991, check out the 981. It feels and looks fantastic. It makes me miss my old Boxster, and it might be the replacement for my 997.

Mark

That worked perfectly. Thank you!

Lost a code for a CDR-220, serial 15010041. Please help!

Mice like to find their way into my cabin filter during the winter. It's happened twice now; 'twas a PITA getting the smell out the second time with the carcass, urine, and God knows what else the critter dragged into my cabin filter housing. Thankfully he used the filter itself as a bed and didn't get under it.

Try taking off the fascia immediately left of the battery cover. You'll see the filter housing just under the windshield. Might as well replace your cabin filter while you're in there... whatever you do, don't spend $90 down at the dealer. You can get a charcoal filter for $30 on Pelican or elsewhere.

I used a combo of Nature's Miracle, copious amounts of water, and a citrus cleaner from Stoner (but not on the paint). The smell of orange mouse ***** has finally dissapated after about five months. This winter, I'm going to stuff the whole area full of something to make it inhabitable... not sure what.

Good luck tracking the smell.

Mark

Does anybody know how adjust the maximum turning angle? I'm getting a little rub in the fenders when I'm at the lock. I was hoping to just adjust the lock to be a degree or two sooner to prevent the rub. I would assume the adjustment is on the rack itself but need some more specific advice.

Thanks.

Are you lowered? Wide wheels? Spacers? The common solution to rubbing with any of these mods is to roll your fender lip. I'm not aware of any adjustment that can be made to the steering rack or supporting parts that would alleviate the rubbing.

Mark

Additional info from service records:

at 38,434 miles and part of the certification process, dealer replaced RMS and IMS flange due to leaks. I think I should be okay?

Thanks,

The rear main seal (RMS) is probably what the carfax refers to as the "driveshaft seal." The intermediate shaft flange is the piece that holds your intermediate shaft; the IMS bearing underneath (as I imagine you have read) is prone to fail on earlier models, but I've read a reinforced bearing was introduced in the 2006 MY that should lessen the risk.

The newer Porsche CPO is roughly equivalent to the new car warranty in terms of coverage, which is nice. I know values have crept back up, but your dealer's pricing is probably the top end of the market. Prior to certification, it's likely that they took the car in for $10-12k less than their advertised price. I'd push harder on price, considering it's still a buyer's market and the C2S is the volume 911. There's plenty of nice examples out there.

Good luck!

Mark

+1 on the cosmoline. The rubber smells too from heat and squibbles on the exhaust, but that deep oily smell after a good drive seems to emanate from the cosmoline coating on the engine block. I'd venture to guess that's mostly what you smell. If the smell is acrid, perhaps you have an under-inflated tire that's rubbing sidewall on corners.

Mark

Your master cylinder is at the front, I'm not sure any part of the braking system would be causing that noise. I suppose it's possible since the brake booster could be causing something to "fart" on the motor from undue strain placed under braking. I would assume you'd feel something in the pedal, like increased effort or uneven braking.

If something is loud enough for you to hear in the cabin, I assume it'd be easy to localize outside the car. If the sound doesn't reproduce at idle, you could place it on jackstands and have a helper bring the car up to a very slow speed and brake. This assumes a flat surface, jackstands that can withstand the weight, proper jacking at the jack points under the rocker and liberal application of common sense. Do this at your own risk.

Mark

Recently, my 2000 996, 6spd, 73k miles, has developed an interesting sound. Upon brake pedal release, either hard or light, I get a quick farting sound from the rear. Only a quick 3 or 4 braps, you know, the baked beans and beer kind. Have not noticed any change in the brakes. One or two times, I believe it happened on a clutch pedal movement as well.

I assume that I have a vacuum hose leak someplace?

Probably unrelated, but just in case, I had the a/c compressor replaced late last summer and soon thereafter it apparently lost it's charge.

Any thoughts or if it is obvious to someone with more experience than I, can you point me in the direction of the offending culprit? I like getting greasy and can handle most jobs in the engine bay if I don't need a rack or engine removal.

Otherwise I'll have the shop track it down when the fix the a/c again!?

Thanks in advance

Does it sound like the motor is making the noise? Is it accompanied by a change of any kind in engine speed? I'd agree with your assessment of a vacuum leak. Is your MIL lamp (check engine light) on? Have you checked your brake fluid reservoir to make sure it's above the minimum line?

I'd get the car started in a driveway and have a helper pump the brake while you listen for the noise at the rear. Might help narrow it down.

Mark

Hi all,

Just a quick question, I am looking for a good polish that will give the car a decent shine and hide some of the surface scratches that appear from daily use.

I don't want to go crazy and hunt down the sacred sweat of a beetle only found in the amazon rainforests, I just want a standard polish that I can pick up locally and it will give me good results. Eg Turtlewax or something like that?

So, what's reasonably priced, reasonable available and perfect for a 997-1 MY06?

Thanks in advance!

Sam

Sam,

If you're looking to HIDE scratches then you should seek out a good wax. I use Zymol and have been perfectly happy with it, it's very easy to get that wet look after only a few coats and it fills in surface imperfections well. You can find it at most retailers within a few bucks of every other wax. Therock's suggestion of a quick detailer for wax maintenance is a good one, provided you apply on a clean surface. You should wax your car every six months or sooner for consistent protection.

I recommend you don't choose a polish wax. The same imperfections you're trying to hide can be magnified or added to by the polishing elements. Polish waxes are designed to do two separate things at once, and accomplish neither very well.

Spiderwebs, light scratches and holograms can be addressed with a paint correction, which requires non-wax polishing compounds and special applicator pads, plus a random orbital polisher if you want to get the job done in a reasonable amount of time.

Mark

hi everyone,

Recently bought a 2011 GT3RS with a nose lifter. At times, the nose lifter takes awhile to indicate "lift" on the dash board (although the car actually lifts itself). Sometimes, it doesn't light up at all even though the nose is lifted, as such the car can't be lowered. Was wondering if anyone has had the same problem and any solutions to this?

regards

Liam

I know nothing about the GT3 lifter, but what you describe sounds like a bad sensor, be it a microswitch or some other kind of device to detect the state of your lift. With a car this new, the dealer should diagnose and replace for free.

Mark

Getting ready to bleed the brakes!

Quick questions from a first timer:

(1) Can I just jack the car up one wheel at a time or do I need to put it on stands? My garage is tight and using 4 stands at the same time is a challenge...

(2) How do the bleeding valves open and how do I tighten them up with the 'bleeding tubes' connected to them? Do I need any tool?

(3) How much fluid should I pump out of the reservoir before I fill it up with new fluid? I am also thinking about using the pump from a liquid soap or something.

(4) What can go wrong and how do I know if the bleeding worked, before I put the car back on the road?

Thanks as usual,

Gustavo

:renntech:

1) you can do a wheel at a time, just be sure to re-pressurize the power bleeder at each wheel. I don't recommend putting the car on one jackstand for stability reasons, especially if you're skipping the bleeder and relying on a helper in the car.

2) As the DIY states, use a 9mm/11mm wrench to open the valves. I place the box end of the wrench onto the bleeder screw, then place the plastic tubing on.

3)I used a plastic sprayer pump from one of those empty spray bottles you can buy at HD or Lowe's. Works a treat. You'll want to evacuate as much fluid as you can. the more new fluid you can place in the reservoir, the less you'll need to top up as you bleed.

4)If you're using clear plastic tubing at the bleed screw, it's apparent when the clean fluid comes through. Make sure you re-tighten all the screws appropriately, and start at the furthest wheel from the brake reservoir (passenger rear), working your way closer. After closing the system and taking a test drive, if your brake pedal doesn't come to full pressure after a pump or two then there's a problem.

Mark

I agree with mckinlay.

I can overpower the grip of the tire to the road almost any time with the stock 1997 brakes. I just can't do it 10 times a lap! I thought about upgrading to S brakes but it was going to be expensive. I haven't tracked the car yet, maybe someday. I did get new Zimmerman cad plated (to prevent rusty hubs) drilled rotors and Mintex pads. I am very happy with the performance. (S brakes are a bit heavier if you worry about that) If I came across a good set for a reasonable price I might upgrade them next time I needed new wheels/tires.

1997 2.5L

My brakes are infact ok but my scarp yard offered me to change them with mine for €300,- with mine as trade-in, they are from a totalled S version, still thinking about it do...what more did you change on your car?

I'd advise against it. The S rotors are more expensive and wear both pad and rotor faster due to the cross-drilling. You'll also be interrupting the front-rear brake bias. Porsche designs their braking systems to exceed the car's capabilities, meaning that if you're experiencing fade, you either need to perform maintenance (flush the brake fluid, replace pads/rotors) or perhaps upgrade to a pad with more bite than stock, such as Pagid Yellow. You may want to re-evaluate your braking strategy if you're boiling the fluid in this car on a regular basis.

The stock Boxster's brakes are perfect in my mind. You can perform a full service (pads, rotors, fluid flush) DIY for about $450 USD, which is the same money it costs to do the job in my old Passat Wagon with floating calipers. Without a major power upgrade there's no need for more than the stock brakes have to offer.

Mark

Just picked up my car after having new Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires installed. It's an 06 Carrera S cab with the factory sport design wheels. I went with 305's on the rear since the back tires always looked too narrow for the rims. I had also previously installed 5 mm spacers and it still looked to narrow. The new rears look awesome, pretty much flush with the outside of the fender. Heading to Road America next week for a DE event, worried about cutting the tires. Does anyone understand the geometry of the arc when the suspension compresses? Will they tuck in? Should I remove the spacers?

If you're at stock ride height, you should be fine. The suspension travel should limit the tire from rubbing at the lip. The spacers may affect the handling, but the tire width is the same as I have on my C2S in the rear and I don't notice a significant difference. You may have uneven tire wear issues with the spacers unless you've had an alignment with them on.

Mark

I'm troubleshooting a microswitch issue over here (also replacing a broken window regulator while I'm at it).

When I open the doors (both passenger and driver) from the inside, the window moves down and stays down while the door is open. However, when I open the door from the outside handle, the window goes back up when the handle is released (the interior lights also don't stay on).

Using the Durametric software, I can see the circuit closing when I lift the handle which leads me to believe the handle microswitch is okay (leaving one of the lock microswitches as the culprit). However, wouldn't a faulting lock microswitch exhibit the same behaviour regardless of which handle is used to open the door?

Thanks!

Derek

The symptoms definitely point to the "open/close" latch microswitch on both doors, odd that they would fail at the same time though. The switch can only be ordered as part of a new latch assembly unless you try to repair it as shown in the DIY. The R&R is fairly simple if you already have the door open to do the regulator. I believe the part number is 8N1-837-015-C-M100 for the driver door, not sure about the passenger.

My wife's Boxster is having the same problem intermittently, and when it happens a movement of the latch away from the cabin with my finger can make the switch trigger. You might try the same to verify. The interior lights stay off when it happens because the car is led to belive the doors are closed. Good luck!

Mark

i got the adapters and everything is working and sounds amazing. i messed up and switched a wire so my radio doesn't have any memory when i turn it off, its annoying having to set my stations. im going to be doing that tomorrow when im back from school. I have an amp, what do i do when i want to install a new one is there an adapter for that or will i have to run separate speaker wires.

The folks at Crutchfield will tell you if there's an adaptor for your existing amp, but I'd imagine you'd have to splice into the harness that goes to the amp. That's right in the front trunk where most people mount an aftermarket amp, so it can be done without too much effort.

You may get more bang for your buck with installation of rear channel speakers behind the seats; there's a factory hifi kit that places two small tweeters at either side of the stowage compartment under the roll bar. My wife's Boxster has one and it makes a big difference. Hunt the classifieds or call a dismantler, there may already be a prewired harness at the passenger side that one of these units (or a Bose sub) would plug directly into.

Mark

Hi I am new to the club, and here are some W211 E55 buddies around me, they were surprised with the 996TT spec, yes on the paper it is better than E55, but what I have now is a tip, and they are starting to modify theirs after I have my first Porsche, what do you guys think about theirs compares to ours 996TT? :thankyou:

I'll start with the obvious: One is a passenger sedan, the other is a purpose-built sports car. Apples and oranges, really. I assume you're asking us to provide counterpoints for the next bench race. I'll say this: 'Tis not the tools you bring, it's how you use them.

Both are fantastic machines. The Merc is not designed for track duty, it's a high-speed high-torque Q-ship designed to embarass most sports cars in a straight line. The Turbo is the ultimate GT 911, and is at home on open road and racetrack. One holds more passengers, has a softer ride, and a trunk for stowing lots of goods; the other handles better, stops faster and is relatively small and light. If your buddies are savvy, they may own the Variant with its fantastic cargo space and rearward-facing seat.

I humbly suggest that you invite your friends to join you at a high-performance driving school (HPDE) weekend that's open to all makes. You'll all be grinning so hard ear-to-ear that you'll forget all about the nuances of which car is faster in a straight line, or which responds more kindly to throwing absurd amounts of money at torque and horsepower improvements at the expense of balance and reliability.

All the best!

Mark

I'd very strongly suggest never to use anti-seize on any fitting where the manufacturer doesn't specify it's use. On spark plugs it's a bad idea because it can change the effective force when torquing the plug in place, allowing for much higher force on the plug threads for a given turning force. This leads to stripped heads. It also works as an insulator - undesirable when it's in the heat-path used to cool the plug (ie - threads on the plug to threads on the head.) Insulating the heat path will lead to overheating and possibly melting down the spark plug. A bad thing.

I've used it on spark plugs in aluminum heads for years with no problem at all.....on both racing and street engines. Just sayin'.......

And I haven't for years. No problem at all. Just sayin'.. and that's anecdotal - which is always open to questioning..

Can you show us any documentation where Porsche recommends it's use?

I can't seem to find the link now, but Porsche apparently have a TSB stating that anti-seize paste can insulate the spark plug, preventing a proper ground connection and therefore causing potential misfire issues. I'll post if I can find.

Mark

well i originality bought it from best buy. will the kit give me the opportunity to expand to an after market Amp and Sub later on?

Depending on the options your Boxster has, you may already have an amp. Look for a black box just aft of your spare tire in the front trunk. If it's there, then all you'll need to do is splice the stock harness at the amp to pull power and speaker leads into place. Any sub install you consider will be difficult because there's little room in the passenger space, expect to do a bit of wiring to make that happen.

The harness adapters from Crutchfield typically mate an OEM female plug to the factory speaker and power plugs in your dash, then give you leads you can splice to the new stereo's harness. It's a great way to make a clean, reversible install if you sell the car down the road and the new owner wants to go with the OEM setup. If your car didn't come stock with an amp, you'll need to do a fair bit of splicing to create a new harness for the amp. In the meantime, the Crutchfield solution is cheap and effective.

Mark

Welcome Peter, and nice find! Speed yellow seems a love-it-or-hate-it color, I happen to love it. It sounds like you have a clear picture of what you want your car to be, and it'll be great to see the finished result. We have a tiptronic P-car in the family (my wife's Boxster) and although I'm a manual trans snob, her car gives me grins and sees track duty.

I'm very interested to know more about the clearcoat for the headlamps. Is your body shop doing this? I'd be afraid the clearcoat would yellow over time with the heat coming from your halogens. There's also the potential issue of diminished light output. If it were me I'd probably start with the polish, and see how long the improvement lasts. There are films out there that protect the lamps and are removable when they go bad; my wife's car has a set and they've been on for years now.

While I'm bandying about my opinions unsolicited, I'd stick with the 996 Turbo bumper, the 997 style looks a bit out of place on a prev-gen car. Have you looked at the MK1 aerokit bumper? I think the prettiest 996s are MK1 with factory aerokit. For a nice example, see Loren's ride in the Registry.

Mark

<cracks knuckles>

Thanks Mark, we appreciate your personal views on this topic.

Is this the Royal "we?" :)

Your reply appears well thought out, although your phrase regarding the alternate running-in philosophy, as being based upon "I know a guy who says" is not consistent with the theme we started. There it is countered by the words "Porsche engineers in the US and Canada".

My father has long instructed me to "believe none of what I hear, and only half of what I see." You have it on the authority of a service advisor at your local dealership, not from an engineer at Porsche. The colloquial form "I know a guy" certainly applies, although it was not intended as a remark to belittle the veracity of your service manager's engineer associates' claim, nor to strip your question of its relevance.

This advice, provided to my service manager [they know each other], was 'unofficial' and no names were provided, but appear authentic.

The Cayman S, PDK, had only 1600 km on the odometer...~1000km. The instructor and leader of the event, a well known Canadian/International racing driver, gave no limit on the revs to be used, and the Cayman was frequently in the 5000rpm range. With free use of the PDK, 'red-line' was freqently used; and the programmed full throttle standing start, was demonstrated with the Cayman S and all the other cars.

PCNA frequently provides fleet demonstrators for press use and "ride-and-drive" events. It is guaranteed that these cars are, ahem, driven like one stole them. Your instructor and event leader was likely paid to demonstrate the full capabilities of these wonderful vehicles, recommended break-in be damned.

So much for 'breaking in' the DFI engines... The Cayman S continues as a demonstrator for potential customers, who may use it fully, without the annoyance of 'by the manual driving'. It is running beautifully...

The break-in recommendation in the manual was written by a copy editor and approved by an attorney based on an assertion made by a committee of technical experts. I therefore predict the result has a gaping margin of error built in. There is no caveat in the manual that says "engine damage WILL occur and this vehicle will be inoperable should you exceed the recommended break-in." Certainly then, a binary answer of "it breaks" or "it doesn't" to the question of "what happens when the break-in recommendation isn't observed" is a logical fallacy. The phrase "your mileage may vary" comes to mind.

The matter of 'running -in' a Carrera/Cayman/Boxter DFI engine, remains open to interpretation.

Agreed; this should be expanded to cover "every engine in existence." I covered that in my first post, see "common internet wisdom." We're making more of it with every keystroke!

Other insights and experiences are most welcome on this topic. I have used the alternate gradual increase of revs and throttle for all my cars over the last 20 years or so. My NSX's engine was inspected internally [at 50K miles/80K km], in search of a misfire, which turned out to be a faulty injector on one cylinder [which really should/could have been checked eralier in the search]. The engine was in perfect condition, with no signs of abnormality to pistons or cylinders...it was pronounced 'as new'. One reason for the deeper inspection was that a pending trade to a 2005 Carrera 2 was in process. The NSX, with the [inappropriately dreaded] auto-stik, but headers and sports exhaust, was almost as quick [delta 0.5/1.0 sec to 60/100 mph] and fast as the Carrera [which also was with headers and sports exhaust], once the latter was run-in. Our 997.1 was very fast and quick, compared with other local 911s.

Great job on maintaining your cars! Now, what does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Correlation does not equal causation. Absent a public showing and analysis of the data that are prompting Porsche to suggest a 4200-rpm break-in, we really have no definitive answer to this question at all. Other insights and experiences that lack that data will be ill-served to settle this question for you/y'all.

I rest my/our case.

Same here, I/we am/are tired! It's been fun. :)

Mark

:drive: Hi, I have a query and who else to ask but you guys. I have the 2002 911 996 3.6L convertible and I am wondering if I can install a power chip to increase performance and would it make that much of a dirrerence. and will this affect or damage the engine, etc. I found this mob but dont know if they are anuy good. Thanks

This topic has been covered many times, the short answer is no. Whatever the difference, the hundreds you'll spend on the upgrade may net you a small "butt dyno" payoff, and maybe not even that.

You're better off spending your money on a driver education program. PCA has one of the best out there, look up your local region and sign up.

Mark

The 911 Handbook is unchanging in its 4200rpm max, at light throttle,for 3000km/2000mi. But engines change, as do 'running in' processes. I do not like the idea of suddenly at 2001 mi beginning heavy throttle and high revs. So what IS the run-in distance? Sounds like it needs double [4000mi] that to allow/get linerly to 7400rpm and full throttle?

There are other ideas, sounding much more reasonable, that are unofficial, but involve Porsche engineers in the US and Canada, and that promote rev increases of ~500rpm every 500 km/mi, which brings the engine to 6500rpm by ~1500mi and close to full revs and throttle by 2000mi/ All the other things such as always with a hot engine, not sustained higher revs but variable gears and revs, acceleration and deceleration...taken as read.

Comments please...want to do this right...and forget the warrenty concerns at this engineering stage...please! We have seen nothing on this topic for a long time!

THanks KiwiCanuck

I've never seen a study of what happens when break-in procedure isn't followed, but gradual increase in the use of the powerband every 500 miles sounds like the common "internet wisdom" on the subject. I believe that an easy break-in is meant to help gently seat all the wear surfaces in the engine. After 2K miles, this should be neatly done even when following the 4200 RPM limit in your manual. After that, the heat produced from sudden hard driving will have less of an adverse effect on the engine internals because they'll all be at a broken-in tolerance, and are otherwise designed to handle the load.

I think that you can choose the Porsche method or the "I know a guy who says" method without any significant adverse effect. Just drive smooth and easy for that first 2K, and cool the car down appropriately before parking it. After 2K, hard driving is fine so long as it's still smooth.

Frankly, any revs above 4200 in second gear on are probably extralegal, so this discussion may be moot. ;)

Mark

My 2005 997 Carrera S has had slight clutch chatter since I bought with ~9K miles. Sometimes is better and I drive gently never a hard start. Seems too chatter worse in reverse. Someone mentioned issues with 2005's? Also, stupid question, what is meant by IMS? Is chatter a concern or typical of this year? Thanks.

Chatter could be the result of a prematurely worn release bearing, or the remainders of glazing on the clutch itself.

IMS is shorthand for the intermediate shaft, which has a bearing at the rear of the engine (where it meets the transmission) that can fail prematurely. There's been some talk about an IMS failure detection system coming from Flat 6 Innovations (who also provide a retrofit), hopefully we'll hear soon. A very small but vocal number of people with M96/M97 engines from the Boxster and 911 have seen this bearing fail with catastrophic result, usually destroying the engine. The bearing starts its life as a sealed bearing, but oil eventually evacuates the bearing grease, and destroys the bearings and races. The speculation on prevention runs from replacement to frequent oil changes to driving like you stole it; all topics are covered ad nauseam on every P-car board if you do a search.

Let us know what it turns out to be with your clutch! Mine's got a little chatter in reverse but nothing that I worry about.

Mark

Anybody have any idea how a non-mechanic can figure out which mechanic I should trust? One says there is excess play in the axle shaft/Cv joint; the other says I need new transmission mounts to solve a deep clunking from the rear, noticeable only at low speeds.

Are there any tests/ observations anybody would recommend to be sure?

The axle shafts were already out and remanufactured about two weeks ago; the clunking started not long after that, but also after a track day and an autocross day. The mechanic who did the axle shafts is now saying it's the mounts, but another mechanic says the axle shafts are still the problem.

Any suggestions or ideas most appreciated. I'm new at this; just bought the 89 944 (Turbo upgrade).

Are the statements above a result of direct ovservation by the mechanic?

I would suggest you could reproduce any clunking at the axle shafts by jacking the car and moving them by hand. Have you gone under the car and had a look at the transaxle mounts? I know precious little about the 944s but I would say it should help to get an up-close look. I'd check the shafts to make sure that they were mounted properly by the mechanic.