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DaveFL76
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Posts posted by DaveFL76
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Just wanted to bump this thread to the top.
I'm planning on getting under the car this weekend. Are there any checks I can do to see what sort of shape my inner tie rods are in? What should I be looking out for?
thanks!
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Hey folks,
Woke up this morning with a screw in my tire so I took it to my local tire shop to get it patched. I also bought the Lifetime Alignment package from them so I asked them to throw it on the alignment rack for me.
I got a call back from them saying that they'd rather not do the alignment b/c my inner tie rods are worn and loose. Not dangerously loose, they said, but loose enough to undo the alignment in short order and something I should get fixed.
Looks like PelicanParts sells inner tie rods for $52 each. Unfortunately my tire shop won't put on parts that I bring them, so they'd have to order them from the dealer (and we haven't priced them yet since it's Sunday).
Anyways, I enjoy turning wrenches as long as I'm confident that I'm not going to render the car undrivable.
Are inner tie rods something I can do in my driveway with standard tools? The car is a '99 996 cabrio with 70k miles.
thanks!
Dave
You should be aware that this is an extremely typical SCAM...
You may be replacing two perfectly good parts.
What tire shop..?
Oh, your lifetime alignment package probably doesn't apply since you will be "intentionally" mis-aligning the car.
It's Tire Kingdom, a pretty well-known place around here and they've seemed pretty trustworthy in my past experience, but ya never know...
What should I be looking for on my inner tie rods to see if they're in good shape or not?
thanks!
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Hey folks,
Woke up this morning with a screw in my tire so I took it to my local tire shop to get it patched. I also bought the Lifetime Alignment package from them so I asked them to throw it on the alignment rack for me.
I got a call back from them saying that they'd rather not do the alignment b/c my inner tie rods are worn and loose. Not dangerously loose, they said, but loose enough to undo the alignment in short order and something I should get fixed.
Looks like PelicanParts sells inner tie rods for $52 each. Unfortunately my tire shop won't put on parts that I bring them, so they'd have to order them from the dealer (and we haven't priced them yet since it's Sunday).
Anyways, I enjoy turning wrenches as long as I'm confident that I'm not going to render the car undrivable.
Are inner tie rods something I can do in my driveway with standard tools? The car is a '99 996 cabrio with 70k miles.
thanks!
Dave
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Here's a completely unscientific, statistically unsound indicator of how common (or uncommon) a 996 engine failure is:
I just read through all 155 posts. This thread has been viewed just shy of 69,000 times so far and 10 people have reported failures that resulted in a new engine. Granted, not all 69,000 views were different people but it should give us a gut feel for the rate of failure.
Can moderators get a good idea of the number of unique users have 996s or have viewed this thread? Might make it a little more statistically relevant.
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A.T. (AusTousch) means Factory Rebuild. The engine is already replaced.
Where is the motor number located on the 996?
thanks!
Nevermind... found it.
The info is on this thread in case anyone else is looking for the info:
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A.T. (AusTousch) means Factory Rebuild. The engine is already replaced.
Where is the motor number located on the 996?
thanks!
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There should be a note glued on the driver side B-pillar, 18 " front 2.5 Kg/cm² rear 3.0 Kg/cm² measured on cold tires (for example: in the morning, car not driven yet)
If you don't see the tire pressure chart around the driver's door, check under your frunk lid. That's where mine is on my '99.
I'm in Florida (it gets hot & muggy here, too!) and the factory PSI's seem to work fine for us.
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If he wants a European car how 'bout a few year old VW Passat or Audi A4?
There's no reason to put a 16 year old guy in anything terribly exciting or expensive.
A $25k budget for a first car? Wow.
I was thrilled with my $300 Datsun 210 when I was 16.
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Cool, thanks for the info. I did a little research on the ATE Super Blue and found that it's BANNED in Florida! The ATE Gold is legal; they just don't want blue brake fluid in the State. I'm glad to see my lawmakers are focusing on the really important stuff instead of violent crime or welfare fraud.
ATE is great but can be hard to find locally...
Castrol GT LMA is excellent and easy to find, we use it in all street cars that see duty like yours. I suggest 2 of the large bottles (maybe about 30 oz? I foget) for a complete flush
If you have a power bleeded I also have found it way easier not to add fluid to the bleeded (only air) and add the fluid only to the resevour as it becomes low (watch careful or you introduce air into the system and have to start over) but it makes it way easier to clean up - also remove as much fluid as you can from the resevour before adding new so yopu dont have as much "mixing" (I use little syringes from the pharmacy, they are free and disposible)
lastly any open unused fluif... recycle (discard) as it will absorb water on the shelf... the stuff is cheap so no need to take a chance later of adding bad fluid
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Thanks, yeah I found that DIY already. Awesome writeup; actually that's what gave me the confidence to want to do it myself.
I'm a bit hesitant to go to the dealer and get fluid that's probably 2x the price of something comparable that I can get online or at my local parts store. I was hoping folks could chime in with some fluid recommendations...
EDIT... just looked up ATE mentioned in the instructions... didn't realize it was a brand name. Now it all makes sense!
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I figure it's time to flush the brake fluid in my '99 996, as I've had the car for a year and have no idea how long the fluid's been in there.
The Motive brake bleeder pump looks pretty nifty, so I'm going to invest in one of those. I guess my two questions are:
1) What's a good fluid for a daily (spirited) driver and occasional autocross car? (hope to take the car to a PCA track day or two this year, also)
2) How much fluid do I need for a total flush?
thanks!
Dave
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I have a 99 C4 Cab. Like many of you, I have had the insulation foam material blow out through the AC vents. I thought overtime this would stop, but the material continues to come out for 6 months now. The AC and heater seem to be at the correct temperature, however it seems the air is not blowing out as strong as it did in the past. I am thinking some of this material is stuck and reducing air flow. Any suggestions how to clean out/open up the air flow system?
Eric
I've got the same issue, but haven't tackled the problem yet. My understanding is that the insulation is a seal from a flap or door in the console that opens and closes to direct air around. I don't know anything more than that, but if the stuff acts like a seal and yours is missing, it stands to reason that you wouldn't have as much air flowing out of your vents as you once did.
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A general question for you guys....
Short of seeing the oil pouring from your mount, how does one know when he needs new engine mounts? What are the symptoms?
thanks!
Darn it! So it sounds like I might have caused this problem. Next time of jack up rear of car, what should I do. LIft from body supports?Delman
You did nothing wrong. These fluid filled motor mounts usually fail at 60 ~ 120K miles regardless of how you lifted your car. Good thing is that you were aware when it failed so you can replace them, rather than the mounts failing on the road and you not noticing until the NVH from the rear end starts getting annoying.
Make sure you replace both of them. It is a very easy job, 2 bolts and a nut on each side, just support the engine with your jack, remove the bottom bolts of the mount, then the two top bolts, remove the old mount from inside the engine compartment, then reverse the process and you are done. Total time 30 minutes ~ hour.
I have also seen a very dark purple coloured fluid leak from the mounts.Yes that is the color of the mount oil. They have failed, so time for a new pair.
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I can think of quite a few better ways to burn through tires.
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Car is pretty much put away for the winter. I start it every week but I'm not going to take anything apart. I'll wait till it's warm to i can tackle that and the spark plug tubes........
Fill it up again and run the top up and down a few times with the car stationary. You'll probably find a puddle of fluid on your driveway under one of your rear wheelwells and you'll know which cylinder to replace.
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It's getting pretty dusty and dingy under there.
I did a search but couldn't find anything regarding cleaning up the engine compartment.
Any tips? Thanks!
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Eric,
Read the DIY and do it your self -- not that difficult ----- If I can do it you can do it. Trust me for $ 100 I will do it --- Ha Ha . If you were closer I would help.
Chuck
If it ends up you need new cylindars, don't forget to check Ebay. Used ones in good working order can be had for $150-$200 a piece, and changed out in your driveway in a couple hours.
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Just installed my new MAF purchased on Ebay for $129.
So THAT's how a 996 is supposed to accelerate!
What I thought was a reasonably quick car just turned into a legitimately fast one!
So far no check engine lights at all.
Regarding the MAF Sensor, you can get an original equipment (Bosch) one from someone like Pelican parts at a fraction of the cost of the Bosch sensor in a Porsche box.
You read my mind. I was actually just looking at Pelican Parts. They're $215 there vs. $600+ for a 'Genuine Porsche' one. The more I research, the more I think my problems tie back to the MAF. Think I'm gonna go ahead and order one.
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Regarding the MAF Sensor, you can get an original equipment (Bosch) one from someone like Pelican parts at a fraction of the cost of the Bosch sensor in a Porsche box.
You read my mind. I was actually just looking at Pelican Parts. They're $215 there vs. $600+ for a 'Genuine Porsche' one. The more I research, the more I think my problems tie back to the MAF. Think I'm gonna go ahead and order one.
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I went in to the dealership to get a new gas cap (hoping that'll get rid of my P0446 error) and talked with the tech about my other error codes and performance issues.
He's skeptical that anything in the EVAP system is going to cause a loss of 50HP at high RPMs. He says even if the purge valve were stuck open, it's still only a 1/4'' tube and isn't going to make a difference to the huge amounts of air that the engine is gulping down at 5000 RPMs.
He noted that the P1123 and P1125 errors are low range errors, meaning that that data is only good at <800 RPMs and at idle. So they're telling me that I'm idling rich, basically.
Best guesses he had were (1) that the fuel pressure regulator may not be boosting fuel pressure at high RPMs, (2) that it's possible that there's bad coils and if a cylinder were missing spark at high RPMs, then it wouldn't burn the oxygen and that'll come across as running lean, or (3) the MAF is sending bad data. He couldn't think of why my problem would show up so dramatically on the dyno chart right at 5500 RPMs.
So I guess my question now is, is there a way for me to test my fuel pressure regulator at home?
And, if it comes to a MAF, he suggested to go OEM and not aftermarket, that the aftermarket MAFs can be just as bad as the one I'll be replacing. Any info about that?
many thanks!
Ahh.. and the CEL was burned out. I got that fixed, at least!
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Great info, thanks.
I'm going to start with the easy stuff -- checking to make sure the purge line isn't blocked. (the car sat idle for a while (years?) when it was young. Maybe something crawled up there!)
I read some related topics and it sounds like a bad fuel cap can cause problems, too. The o-ring on mine is fairly cracked. I'll replace it, clear the purge line, and see if that gets me anywhere. Then move onto the next step.
It sure seems too simplistic that a bad gas cap or a blocked hose in the evap system could be robbing me of 50 horsepower, though! I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Well, a 5-minute stop at Autozone gave me this info off their scanner:
P1691
P1125
P1123
P0446
P1121
Looks like at least 3 of those errors are O2 sensor errors.
Shouldn't I have a CEL? I wonder if the previous owner disabled it for the sucker that bought it from him? (me)
I'm gonna go look and listen for intake leaks as a start.
Judging from the internet searches I've done so far, the MAF is looking to be the culprit.
P1123 Oxygen Sensing Adaptation Area 1 (Cylinders 1 - 3) - Lean Threshold
P1125 Oxygen Sensing Adaptation Area 1 (Cylinders 4 - 6) - Lean Threshold
The DME thinks your mixture is too rich (and can not make it lean enough).
Possible causes:
- Fuel pressure too high.
- Fuel injector leaking.
- EVAP canister purge valve open
P0446 EVAP Canister Shutoff Valve (Function) - Below Lower Limit
Possible causes:
- Purge air line blocked.
- Flow resistance of EVAP canister too high.
These point to a charcoal canister purge valve/line problem. I would fix these first (along with the CEL bulb) and then clear the codes and see what comes back.
P1121 Oxygen sensor heating 2 behind catalytic converter – below lower threshold
Possible causes:
–Contact resistance
– Heating current too high
– Interruption in heating circuits
– Interruption in sensor signal wiring
– Short to B+ (End-stage switched off)
P1691 Check Engine Malfunction Indication light (MIL) - Open Circuit
Possible causes:
- bulb burnt out
- break in wiring
- or... someone removed it
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Well, a 5-minute stop at Autozone gave me this info off their scanner:
P1691
P1125
P1123
P0446
P1121
Looks like at least 3 of those errors are O2 sensor errors.
Shouldn't I have a CEL? I wonder if the previous owner disabled it for the sucker that bought it from him? (me)
I'm gonna go look and listen for intake leaks as a start.
Judging from the internet searches I've done so far, the MAF is looking to be the culprit.
I've always thought my new-to-me '99 996 had some weirdness going on around 5500 RPMs while at full throttle. It sputtered a bit when I tried to open it up in the 5k area, and then felt better again at 6k or so. I'd heard of the 'flat spot' in these engine's power curves, so I thought it was just the nature of the beast.
The local Porsche club had a dyno day this morning and I got to see what's going on. Everyone confirms it's not normal. She's running lean once the revs pass 5500 (check out the lambda curve). Most peoples' guesses today were that it's the Oxygen Sensor.
So far I have not run a scan on it. It feels completely normal driving around town, and seems to pull through first and second gear smoothly. Starting in 3rd gear when there's a lot of load, you can really notice the sputtering.
Anyways, I'm going to try to attach the scan of the dyno chart.
This is a bone stock (as far as I know) 1999 996 C2 Cabrio.
Any ideas what's going on here?
Thanks!
Dave
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I've always thought my new-to-me '99 996 had some weirdness going on around 5500 RPMs while at full throttle. It sputtered a bit when I tried to open it up in the 5k area, and then felt better again at 6k or so. I'd heard of the 'flat spot' in these engine's power curves, so I thought it was just the nature of the beast.
The local Porsche club had a dyno day this morning and I got to see what's going on. Everyone confirms it's not normal. She's running lean once the revs pass 5500 (check out the lambda curve). Most peoples' guesses today were that it's the Oxygen Sensor.
So far I have not run a scan on it. It feels completely normal driving around town, and seems to pull through first and second gear smoothly. Starting in 3rd gear when there's a lot of load, you can really notice the sputtering.
Anyways, I'm going to try to attach the scan of the dyno chart.
This is a bone stock (as far as I know) 1999 996 C2 Cabrio.
Any ideas what's going on here?
Thanks!
Dave
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I guess in lieu of a confirm, I'll just verify that the head unit that's in there is sending out speaker-level outputs and then just splice in the appropriate wires from the new stereo. I suppose worst case, I'll just blow up the old Haes amp and it'll give me reason to put a better aftermarket one in there!
Air intake Vertex - Schnell
in 996 Series (Carrera, Carrera 4, Carrera 4S, Targa)
Posted
I just got the Schnell CAI kit + BMC air filter for my '99 996.
When i installed the kit I noted that muffler box inside the airbox and it stands to reason that it gives air coming through the far side of the filter a significant obstacle to run around, and it seems like it'd be a freer path for incoming air if it wasn't there. Has there been any more thought on pros and cons of getting rid of the resonator/muffler box and capping the hole since this thread was last active? I can't seem to find any recent info.
Thanks!