Ronald Breeze

US and Rest Of World suspensions are different. ROW Sport lowers the car about an inch all around, includes stiffer springs (they have a different color code). The kit has new Bilsteins and sway bars with bushings (not sure if the sway bars are larger in diameter). You'll get great handling and less transference of road bumps into your seat and back. I got my entire kit through Sonnen for $960. It made a huge difference in the way my '99 handled.

ROW M030 Sport suspension. Best bang for the buck when it comes to suspension replacement/upgrade.

If your secondary air pump is not coming on at start up you can clear all the codes you want and replace and or clean up everything but it will not fix your problem and the codes will come back. Do yourself a favor and check to make certain that system is working. This is advice from someone who had those same codes and spent over $900 trying to fix the problem when all it was was a $0.25 hose that was disconnected in the secondary air system.

Does your secondary air compressor come on at start up? At the initial start up do you here a sound from the passenger side that sounds like a vacuum cleaner then goes off at about 30 seconds? Breaks in hoses, malfunctioning diaphragms, broken vacuum tanks in this system can all cause the codes you've published.

The schedule for my '99 Boxster Tip is 90K miles and I had it done at 86K. It made a noticeable difference in how the Tip shifts (much crisper) and downshifts. I watched the whole procedure and although I used to do most of my own mechanical work it is something I would never try. As has been mentioned you need the proper tools and computer to do it right because a new Tip is in the 8K range and you don't want to go there over a job that will cost you a couple of hundred dollars to have someone who knows what they are doing do it.

I bought my '99 almost four years ago with 74K miles and I'm still waking up every morning thinking about where I'm going to drive it. I knew nothing about Porsches and Boxsters when I bought it without a PPI. Once it hit 6K rpm, on the test drive, and I heard that flat six howl I've been smiling ever since.

I had 2001 S big reds installed all the way around on my '99 Boxster. What you have to do, or have done, is the rear wheel bearing carriers have to be replaced with the S wheel bearing carriers. You will also have to replace the emergency brake mechanism to the S. When you replace the wheel bearing carriers the ABS light will come on because your axle is smaller than the S axle and the sensor will not sense rotation accurately so you will have to make a bracket that allows the sensor to be further in the carrier or install S axles. It can get expensive but I looked around and found a wrecking yard that sold me all four calipers, drilled slotted rotors, new pads, the carriers, emergency brake and a bracket for the sensor and installed it all for $1500. I've had the brakes on for about two years and the difference has been incredible especially on the track. If you can do the work yourself you should be in that price range.

This is a real shot in the dark but I'm mentioning it because it happened to me. When I had my OEM brakes, on my '99 Boxster, upgraded to the Big Reds the rear axle knuckles had to be upgraded to 2001 S parts so the emergency brake mechanism worked and the calipers could be mounted. After the work was done the ABS light came on and after some head scratching the problem was the sensor that determines axle rotation was not reading properly. In my case it was because the sensor, in the new knuckles was calibrated to read the larger S axle and was too far away from the smaller axles of my non S. It was fixed by fabricating a new bracket for it so it sat further down in the knuckle. I only add this to give you a heads up that you may need to check the sensor to see if it is working properly. It is located on the passenger side axle.

I went with the ROWM030 suspension upgrade and it solved all my track issues on my '99. Best bang for the buck suspension upgrade out there.

mstimely if you're going to come on a forum and ask for help then please be respectful of all offers. Recommending you go to a qualified technician to diagnose a problem, you appear to be shooting in the dark at, is a bonafide recommendation and was meant as a courtesy to save you time, money and frustration. I'm neither spoiled nor rich but I do realize when it is time to let someone, who knows what they're doing, take over and don't let it get in the way of my enthusiasts ego. A lack of tools and a garage are also contributing factors. You in the end will do what you please but with your attitude you will run out of contributors one day.

Perhaps you should take the car to someone who knows what they are doing. It will save you money and frustration in the short and long run.

So, as a follow up I had the top mechanism looked at today and the passenger side "B" pillar was indeed broken and the other one was on its way so I'm having both replaced, with some missing grommets, for $280 at my local shop. Looking at what is involved, in the 101 Boxster Projects book, I think that is a reasonable cost for parts and labor. My initial cost for the top was $329 plus $400 to install. Given the top, from GAAH is $959 and everyone else wanted $800 to install I'm still well below what it could have cost. Hopefully I won't have to replace transmissions as that will be pricey. I do still need the cable to hook up the defroster but I'm having a hard time forking out the $159 GAAH wants for it.

Maurice I had to drive around in a pretty heavy rain most of the day yesterday and no leaks and no water in the carpet behind the seats. I had my Boxster in for new plugs yesterday and after talking to the shop owner I've decided to leave the top up for several weeks then take it in to them and let them check out the mechanics to see if any damage was done. Thanks again for all your help I understand the top mechanism much more than before.

Thanks again Maurice that is a wealth of information. Fortunately (or unfortunately) we have entered our rainy season here so the new top will stay up for a while and earn its keep doing what it was intended. It will also give it time to stretch and for me to absorb all the material on Mike's PDF files.

Thanks for the reply Maurice I should have put the year down it's a '99 Boxster. What would cause a plastic ball cup to break and if I replace both of them is there an upgraded version or am I looking at the possibility of them breaking again unless I make other changes to the mechanism? Would installing the new (B?) transmissions solve the issue or do I also need to upgrade the motor?

Thanks again.

I just had a new GAAH A5 top installed and went from the plastic to the glass window. I let the top sit closed for several days and when I did open it the minute I released the top from the locking mechanism it sprung back several inches which it never did with the OEM top. While lowering it I heard a loud pop from the passenger side but the top appeared to go down evenly and rest properly in place as did the clamshell. Later when I closed it there were several loud popping noises from both sides and the top stopped again about two inches from the lock. I was able to push and pull the top to a point where I could latch it but it is under some pressure in that position. The top looks perfect in the closed position with no wrinkles or creases. I haven't lowered it again and am wondering if anyone has any ideas about what might be popping and why the top won't close into the locking mechanism like before.

Near Auburn, CA. Santa Rosa is a nice place to visit, I wouldn't mind living there.

Are you an SVA member? I go to their AX's at Infineon every year.

Logray I see you're also from Nor Cal where about's? I'm in Rohnert Park soon to be in Santa Rosa.

From reading many many threads about this here and elsewhere, if the needle is pointing to the very right edge or left of the 0 in the numbers "180" on the gauge this is considered normal operating temps most 986 and 996 cars. Track drivers will usually get it much hotter, closer to the next line between the 180 and 220 or whatever it is. (remember those numbers are not at all accurate, go back a few posts above where I describe how even with the needle straight up, that is actually more like 200F coolant temp sensor). About the time the needle hits the right edge of the 0 in 180 it is starting to heat up, but it's still no where close to overheating. That's usually about the point where your high speed fans will kick on and either maintain that temp or cool it down some. ANd if not, youi're driving it really hard and it needs to be watched closely or there is some other problem with the car.

edit: sorry forgot to add some smileys to denote lightheartedness. :) :) :)

Ok then going by what you're saying my 986 typically runs a little on the warm side as the needle will fluctuate between the right edge of the zero and just shy of the next black hash mark which I interpret to mean 200 deg. on the gauge (which is inaccurate). On hot days, in traffic and driving hard in twisty backroads and on the track it gets up just to the left of the 200 deg. mark but has never gone over that. The change is the needle never used to go beyond the left side of the zero but from what I'm reading it is not a cause for alarm. I don't know if the original poster's car is running the same but hopefully this has helped him as well. Thanks for covering this again and thanks for the links. I'm going for a drive, it's a top down day here. :notworthy:

The original poster states he has observed a temp of 190 F degrees. The question is, where did he get that temp reading from? The dash? A/C hack? OBD2? External sensor? There's not any real way to tell from the dash gauge what 190F is unless he knows where his needle must point in order to reach this temp. Also what temp was that, coolant? oil?

190 F degrees coolant temp is just about perfect for most cars. Not even close to over heating.

The 986 and 996 like to run hotter than 190F, more like 200-212 F for coolant is considered normal. Oil can be anywhere from 0 to 20 degrees hotter than the coolant depending on how it's driven. So I'm not quite sure what the issue is here, since there doesn't seem to be a problem - what was described in the original post is perfectly normal and there isn't a problem to solve that I can tell.

Overheating on this car is going to be coolant temp over 245 F and oil over 265 F ish.

The best thing to do to get a feel of how hot your specific car is running is to plug in an OBD2 reader and observe what the actual oil and coolant temp is and compare that with the reading on your own dash gauge. Then you'll have an idea of what the coolant temp dash gauge is really telling you.

There are plenty of aftermarket solutions for reading and displaying data from the OBD2 port in a driver friendly format and in real time (not just sitting at idle), from things that mount to your dash, to software that connects to your iphone, even aftermarket stereos are starting to display this data.

Hope this helps!

This is the conclusion I came to a while ago that it is not a problem. The issue, if it is one, that I see is his car and mine (as well as other's I've read about) seem to suddenly change the "normal" operating coolant temp. In my case it happened after the installation of the LN ceramic IMS. After discussions with C. Navarro at LN I've concluded it is a coincidence, however, something made the gauge, however inaccurate it is, suddenly start registering 10 deg. hotter than before. So perhaps there is a coincidental failure of gauges, I don't know, and unless mine goes well over the 200 deg. mark I'll consider my car running normal as it seems to be.

Since my car's prior life was a lease car I doubt anyone "hacked" the AC reading in and I did not as I wouldn't know how. My understanding is that the information was a programmable feature that could be activated by the dealer. I'm surprised that Porsche would provide two readings that are so inaccurate and I'm disappointed that my fan speed reading is not accurate. I'm also sorry that these posts seem to annoy you logray but rather this topic has been covered before or not it appears to have relevance once again.

Sorry, but your understanding is wrong. Dealers can not and do not program that in.

The only Porsche approved way to read the sensors is with a Porsche PST2 or Porsche PIWIS tester. Durametric has tapped into those same values with their software and cable.

Compared readings have proven that the "AC Hack" (as it is called) is grossly inaccurate. I have verified that myself as we have both a Porsche PST2 and Porsche PIWIS testers. The two Porsche testers agree but the AC Hack readings are many times are not even close.

So please -- lets get back to solving the original posters issue.

I think the original posters issue is also mine as his car is similar to mine and we are running the same temps so if we solve the issue he and I have both been helped (the point of these forums). I've discussed the temp issue on other forums and have come away without clear answers as to the cause. Unless I'm wrong it is not feasible or safe to drive around with an OBD2 hooked up and refer to it regarding the cars temp unless there is a way to mount it where it is visible? After using an OBD2 to get operating temp readings at idle how would you extrapolate those to temp when in traffic or on a track at a DE? And I guess the fundamental question is what is overheating range on his car that would cause damage?

Since my car's prior life was a lease car I doubt anyone "hacked" the AC reading in and I did not as I wouldn't know how. My understanding is that the information was a programmable feature that could be activated by the dealer. I'm surprised that Porsche would provide two readings that are so inaccurate and I'm disappointed that my fan speed reading is not accurate. I'm also sorry that these posts seem to annoy you logray but rather this topic has been covered before or not it appears to have relevance once again.

Ok, so I get the readouts on my climate control unit which are these:

To access diagnostics:

Hold down the Recirculating & Air up buttons for 5 seconds. The + - buttons go up and down through the list of "c" codes. The center vent button switches the left display between the "c" code and its actual value. Press the Auto button to exit.

0c - ERL

1c - Oil Temp?

2c - Inside temp. Sensor mounted in the aspirator assembly at the side of the dash.

3c - Outside temp. Sensor located inside the air inlet of the A/C unit.

4c - Outside temp. Sensor located in front grill of the radiator. The data is fed to the Climatronic from the instrument cluster. When not moving, the instrument cluster OBC temp display retains it's last setting until moving. This is to prevent heat emanating from the radiator affecting the temp. sensor. The A/C unit uses the lower of the two outside air temp values in determining fresh-air temp.

5c - Outside temp. (matches with OBC outside temp display)

6c - Coolant temp.

7c - Foot well discharge temp.

8c - Sun sensor (dash top)

9c - Sun sensor.

10c - Passenger compartment fan speed.

11c - Passenger compartment fan voltage.

12c - Temperature mix Flap command 1=COLD, 100=HOT

13c - Temperature mix Flap position

14c - Central Flap command

15c - Central Flap position

16c - Foot well/Defrost Flap command

17c - Foot well/Defrost Flap position

18c - Recirculation Valve command 1=OFF, 100=RECIRC

19c - Recirculation Valve position (feedback)

20c - Vehicle speed in kph, updating only once per second. (real speed, not speed+safety margin as in the speedometer)

21c - Engine RPM in hundreds. This too only updates once per second.

22c - ?

23c - ?

24c - Sun sensor, exterior lights switch & panel lights control (term. 58 & 58d voltage) - used for A/C panel display illumination.

25c - ?

26c - ?

27c - ?

28c - Fan speed?

29c - ?

30c - Engine run time in seconds (255 max.)(=0xff)

31c - Timing counter

32c - Displays test

33c - Software version? (Some say 3.4, what does your say?)

34c - ?

35c - Outside temp. from inlet sensor (filtered?)

36c - temp?

So if I look at 1c and 6c that will give me an accurate oil and coolant temp? What then is a "normal" operating temp for both? Or is there a normal?

Yeah but you can't go around with a Durametric hooked up to read your temp all the time can you?

The gauge accuracy has been covered many many times here before.

But I'll entertain with a perfect example.

Out today on some hard drives to get it hot and help break in my rebuilt engine while logging with Durametric.

With the dash gauge just a hair right of straight up. Coolant temp was about 92-95C (197F-203F), Oil Temp about 100-105C (212F-221F). The oil temp takes longer to respond in changes than the coolant temp, and you can sorta read the oil temp from the oil pressure gauge.

Gauge over the middle of the 0 in the 180, Coolant temp 100C (212F), oil temp 107-109C (224F-228F).

I didn't even bother with the AC hack since it is just an extraploation of the real OBDII data.

But yes, the dash temp gauge is a farse.

Wow! That's quite a difference. Where does the Durametric reading come from, is it the same sensor as the gauge? I know the gas gauge is really off but didn't realize the temp gauges where that bad. Makes me wonder how accurate the tach and mph gauges are.