JasonStern

Just over 19k so far. And despite the previous owner babysitting it, the low mileage hasn't caused every seal to rot, thus causing such massive oil leaks that deprive the intermediate shaft bearing of oil it wasn't expecting to see, leading to a race between IMSB deterioration and metal pieces breaking off of the cylinder walls to take out the motor... yet. B)

Besides the cost, the one advantage I like for the bluetooth Android/iOS OBD2 reader over a more expensive integrated OBD2 reader is that the software can be easily updated. In the early 2000s, I purchased an integrated OBD2 reader, and while it worked great on my model year 1996 car, it was effectively useless when it came to non-standard PIDs, which by 2004 modern cars tend to use excessively.

Actually, the LN engineering drain plug is made of a weaker material than the OEM drain plug, hence the torque specs being roughly half. If you forget this and torque the bolt according to the factory shop manual, the bottom part of the drain plug will snap off, and you will immediately be in a state of panic as you wonder how you can possibly get half of a drain plug out of an oil pan once it has been torqued beyond its limits. If you're lucky, and odds are you will be, you can still get the plug out by applying upward pressure on the hex socket. You'll then have to either track down the OEM drain plug or not drive your car until a replacement arrives. On the plus side, since keeping the OEM drain plug worked out, you can now justify hoarding all kinds of parts you will never use, like that gas cap that might be leaking, or maybe you just forgot to turn until it clicked one time...

I don't have wiring diagrams for the 996, so I can only be so helpful, but I imagine all you would need to do is follow one of the DIY footwell lighting instructions above, but then instead of adding a switch to the center console, run the lines to the connecting terminals of an automotive single pole, single throw normally open relay. Then, splice the wire coming off of the headlight switch that activates the headlights and attach those ends to the coil terminals.

Second hand warning - one of the team leads at my work purchased an Everlast (or whatever the Walmart store brand) battery. It failed within a few months, and he was able to get a replacement no problem. But then that one too also failed within the warranty period, and the store refused to issue him a replacement as they claim that they only offer one replacement per purchase. I have never personally been burned in that respect, but I have run the Walmart store brand batteries in my motorcycles before, and while I haven't had one die during the warranty period, their ability to hold a strong charge for an extended period of time versus the OEM batteries has me concerned about their long term longevity. More reason to ride my bikes more to keep them always near full charge, I guess.

Durametric is definitely worth it if you have the means and intend on either keeping the car for a while or buying another Porsche down the line. As far as budget options go, I have heard good things about the bluetooth OBD2 code readers if you have an Android or iOS device, although I have not personally used one on a 996.

black smoke typically indicates unburnt fuel. are your injectors leaking? is there fuel getting into the oil? the RMS shouldn't need to be replaced that frequently, but if it was improperly installed or if the shaft is eccentric, that could cause accelerated wear. edit: wow, JFP is ninja fast at replying. :)

your best bet would like be Boxster parts, although that would likely only get you to 16" wheels.

Yes, they should fit. However, the bottom half is angled, so the cupholders will not come out perpendicular. As a result, I don't think they would be very usable as it seems like any drink in an angled cupholder would either collide with the center console or spill.

Good news. When I went to go check for spark, check the fuel, etc. this afternoon, the car started. It idled rough, but it started. I drove it around a bit and filled the car with fresh gas from a different gas station, and it seems to be running fine now. As a result, I think there might be something to the bad/contaminated gas idea. It's either that or the Carrera being jealous that I drove the Boxster. ;) As a precaution, I will change the fuel filter. While the filter doesn't have that many miles on it, it is still fourteen years old. Thank you, everyone, for the help.

Thank you both for the ideas. I don't think it has anything to do with a neutral switch, as I believe the neutral switch on the transmission is only for tiptronic cars. Mine has a manual transmission, and the switch that detects whether or not the clutch is depressed appears to be working as the starter is engaging and the motor is turning over. I do believe the fuel system is working, as I can hear what I believe to be the fuel pump priming when I turn the ignition to the on position, and when the motor turns over, I can smell unburnt gasoline fumes in the exhaust. I will try to verify spark tomorrow, as the car inconveniently won't start outside in the cold instead of inside my garage... which is also cold. Thank you for explicitly saying this, as my girl was getting on my case about doing my own maintenance and minor modifications. (So you're saying it worked great, and then you installed some short shift kit you didn't need, and now it's broken?) <_<

1999 Porsche Carrera 2, 18.6k miles. Drained the old oil and replaced it with a new filter. Cut the old filter in half and ran a magnet through it to ensure no metal shavings. Replaced the oil with Motul 5W-40, filled to the top of the dipstick. Car started up just fine. I let it idle for 30 seconds to ensure no leaks, then drove it around the block - no weird sounds, no leaks. Parked the car in the driveway - slight incline if that matters. Installed the 997 shifter. Rolled the car down into the street a bit so that the car was level. Checked the oil. It was on the low end of the dipstick range, so I filled it close to the top. I verified the level was good with the electric oil level gauge. But then when I tried to start the car.. nothing. The motor turned freely, and at first it sounds like it wants to start, but then as you continue to crank, there is less audible sound like the motor is catching. The engine builds oil pressure as the starter turns the motor. I plugged my Durametric in - no error codes. I replaced the battery with a newer, known good one from my Boxster, waiting 15+ minutes. No help. I checked the engine related fuses - they're all solid. Anyone have any ideas on what could be wrong or how I should continue trying to diagnose the problem? I am running out of ideas as I cannot think of any problem caused by an oil change or the short shift kit installation. Thank you!

Paraphrasing, but: "water pump went out. car won't start. must have no compression due to overheating." I didn't notice any mixing when I checked the oil. I will call the shop to confirm before proceding, though. I'd be disappointed if the motor overheated as, again, I went at most two blocks in low 30s/high 20s with motor speeds below 3k, but then I'm not too familiar with the Boxster motors. Maybe if the water pump was going out, low coolant was flowing and it overheated the night before? Or maybe even a while back causing small leaks/overheats? But then, shouldn't the temperature gauge had indicated such? My apologies. I meant the front of the block on the passenger side - not the front of the car. Darn. So there likely is some catastrophic engine failure? Otherwise, the motor should be starting regardless of the bad water pump. You'd think that would trip at least one code or give a more visible/audible notice of impending failure. :( Presuming an overheat, how financially devastated am I? Is there a chance that resurfacing the heads and replacing the headgaskets can get the car running again? Or is an overheat on this motor likely to crack the heads, in which case can just the heads be replaced to get it running? Or am I really out the entire block? Thank you for the quick, thought out response.

I searched, but couldn't find anything regarding this. Recently, I started to drive my 99 Boxster to work. I got about a block outside of my house when the low coolant light started flashing. I immediately turned around and drove a block home. It was below freezing when this happened, so I feared a freeze plug popped as I had just purchased the car, and while I had checked the coolant reserves, I hadn't checked the mixture ratio. I get home and notice some coolant leaking from the front passenger side of the Boxster. Still convinced something froze but not having time to look at it until the weekend, I started the car up and drove it into the garage to prevent more potential freezing damage. This is where things got bad. My girl had a friend come over to look at it, and it wouldn't start. Last weekend, I attached a Durametric and had no codes. I checked the oil and there was no coolant mixed in. The coolant reservoir was filled, so I knew that the leak was definitely on the thermostat to block side. Jacking the car up and looking underneath, the coolant leak appeared to be coming from the water pump or thermostat. I had it towed to the shop, and they say the bearings in the water pump went out. They also say the motor is shot, but haven't done a compression test, which they want $300 to do. I really don't want to spend $300 on a compression test since I can pull the plugs, screw in a tester, and turn the motor over myself in about half an hour. But then I also don't want to pay for another tow fee to get it out of a potentially scamming shop. So... 1. (Fingers crossed) Is there a coolant pressure sensor somewhere that will cause the motor to not start if there is no pressure? I know cars have a safety mechanism like this for no oil, so I'm really hoping there is something like this for coolant and I just need to have the water pump replaced. 2. If there is a compression issue, how could it start, get in the garage, and then not start? Can the head really overheat in 15-30 seconds with oil but not coolant? 3. Continuing down this path, how could coolant not get into the oil? 4. Is there some hope it is just the head gasket? If not, is there some hope I can just have one or two of the heads reconditioned or replaced? Everything I read on here has been "engine problem = replace the whole engine", but I'm not in a position financially to blow $8-10k on a $9k car... :( Thank you!