jean

The shifter trim with the leather shift boot is press fit into the console. Insert a screwdriver or plastic spatula UNDER the trim ring and it will pop up.I suggest you fold a piece of paper around the tip of the screwdriver to protect the trim finish. Insert the screwdriver at one point and gently lift it just a little . Then move to the opposite side and again just lift a little. Repeat , and it will pop up . THEN pull the whole thing back to free it from the console .

Mine is very rarely on( 997 S ) I can remember only once where it came on a few minutes after I put it into the garage . Perhaps the thermostats which activate the fans have large operating ranges. Anyway , I think it's better if it comes on more often than not often enough . Maybe I need a different t-stat ?

/quote] To be more detailed. I do have a truck which i drive daily. the problem is that my office is 1 mile from my house so even if i drove my S to work it would not even get warmed up befor i get to work, then most of the day, on a typical day i tend to work at the office doing bids. i am in the construction business and i have managers that go out into the field. i do the bids and computer work, as a president/owner usually does. sometimes i do go into the field, but it is not practiacal or smart to drive a 100K car to a constuction site for obvious reasons. i also chose to not drive my car in the rain b/c i am particular about keeping it clean, but no i am not the type who keeps it in the garage just to look at. as a matter of fact i have not even washed the car in over a month. it just comes down to time and it seems that there is never any time to take the car out by myself or with the kids and it seems like a waste to let it sit, and i feel guilty for spending the money and not using it. if i did not need a truck bed some times, i could just get rid of it and drive the Cayenne and all would be good, but i have a mountain home and need to take stuff to the mountains. now that you have the entire personal history you may understand my pain. Thanks for sharing your life . And I do understand your pain . You bought a 100 k car that you now don't know what to do with ... You are thinking of buying a Cayenne , but you wont be able to use it because you have to haul "stuff" to your mountain home.... On another thread you stated that the dealer put a new transmission into your Porsche because the sport shifter was a little tight .... About the only thing believeable about you is that you drive a pick up truck. I may be an *** , but where does that leave you ?

i took my S in complaining of hard shifing into 2nd, i have the SS, and they replace the entire trany. seemed like over kill to me, but it does seem to work better now. but it is still a little knotchy at times, but they say that is b/c it is a SS? If it's still a little "knotchy" I would insist they keep changing the transmission until it's right. It should be smooth as butter, so don't take NO for an answer . Btw: What is the name and location of your dealer ? He sounds fantastic. I would love to use him from now on for all my warranty work (even if I don't get a free loaner ) I'll be happy to let him know that you recommended him .

Why not test drive a Ford pick up truck while you're at it and see how THAT compares to the 'eleven S ? It costs a lot less than the Cayenne and when you get sick about your decision at least you can tell yourself that it was cheap.

The 997's do not come with a spare of any kind, although it can be ordered as an option. The car is equipped with a tire sealant kit and a small compressor . Porsche claims it will temporarily seal a gash up to 3" long ,but I sure hope I never have to test it . Lol

Well, Porsche spent a lot of time , effort and money to make the car as light as possible. So they decided to omit the spare wheel and save about 80 lbs. up front . If not having a spare really " freaks you out " why don't you just get one installed ???

The Helmholtz resonator is a closed box with a butterfly valve in the opening . As the combustion air is drawn past the opening, it creates a resonance (similar to to the sound produced when you blow over a bottle neck ) At low speed ( rpm ) the valve is open and at higher rpm it closes off the resonator for a more agressive sound. It has absolutely nothing to do with engine performance . All it does ,as the name implies, is alter the sound emanating from the engine air intake , presumably to comply with the more strict European noise emission laws when cruising in residential areas ( similar to the reason for the valves in the PSE exhaust system) I closed mine (plug in the bypass hose ) and I really like the more " throaty "sound . (Almost like a mild performance muffler) It's a cheap mod and if you don't like it it's very easy to un-do .

For "only " $ 225 you get a ~ 3"dia. rubber elbow and a plug to close off the Helmholtz resonator. If you believe replacing the factory air intake with a new ~ 6" long elbow will get you an increase of 12 hp and "significant" torque, go for it . What you WILL get is a louder sound by rendering the resonator inactive. ( And you can just plug the small bypass yourself if you want a louder engine )

Jean, I made my first attempt to install mine today, but got stuck on removing the leather boot. How did you manage to unclip it? Hi, I was out of town for a few weeks. Do you still need help with installing your shifter ? Hi, I was out of town for a few weeks. Do you still need instructions for removing the shifter ?? I can't wait to get it installed... Thanks, Leo.

You get a lot of satisfaction when you do something like that yourself( unless you happen to be a mechanic of course Lol ) There should not be ANY obstuctions if the cables are at the proper tension . As I said before, I can hardly tell a difference between the standard and the sport shifter , other than the faster , shorter throw unless it's very cold outside . Then the transmission gear lubrication is a little stiff until it warms up.

The tool is made from a ~ 2" x 2" x 3/8" thick piece of scrap aluminum. You notch a ~ 1/2 " wide opening in the middle , just wide enough to fit around the shifter . Then drill and tap for two 1/4" carriage bolts on either side . (Bolts should be about 1 1/2" long ) You adjust the bolt lengths so that the aluminum plate fits up snugly against the plastic collar below the shift knob. The bolt heads face down and rest on top of the shifter base (see picture ) MAKE SURE THE COLLAR IS TURNED 90 deg. CLOCKWISE BEFORE PROCEEDING . ( I could turn it by hand and did not need a wrench to turn it ) I put a dab of white-out on it to see it did not move while forcing the knob off . Also, I suggest you mark the shaft just below the collar, to give you a reference point later , to see how far down on the new shaft the knob has to go and finally , also mark the cables so you have a starting point when re-attaching them . Then all it takes is to give the bolts ( alternatingly ) a few clockwise turns with a wrench , basically backing them out of the aluminum plate. Since the bolt heads cannot go down , the plate has to go up " breaking " the knob loose. (It only has to go up about 1/4 " or so to loosen the knob ) Someone else may have a better idea , but this worked for me . Prior to removing the console , remember that there is a wiring harness attached to it . You will need to disconnect the cigarette lighter , the 12 volt outlet and the harness from it's fasteners before removal . Finally, there has been a lot of discussions regarding shifting . If the cables are adjusted properly , all gears should shift VERY SMOOTHLY . I found that there was very little difference between the sport and the standard shifter . I can down shift into first from around 20 mph or so . Make sure you play with the cable lenghts until all gears shift smoothly , before " closing " up the console . Good luck .

Hope the pictures attach.

Tool Pants: is this picture from a Boxter ? In my 997 S , I placed the screwdriver BELOW the chrome ring (between the chrome and the console )and popped the entire assembly including the attached leather shifter boot off together .

You can pry the shift boot off by inserting a screwdriver under the chrome ring and then gently prying it off. I suggest you fold a piece of paper or cloth over the screwdriver to prevent any scratches. Also, insert the screwdiver at four different opposed locations and just lift gently at each, rather than all at once . You can also try using a plastic spatula instead of the crewdriver . The biggest problem I encountered was getting the KNOB off . I actually had to make my own "tool" to pry the thing off.

I had the same concerns. That's why I give mine only a sponge bath occasionally . Lol

Try looking under the PSE installation headings on this site . There are step by step instructions with drawings . (I assume you are looking for info. on how to remove/ re-install the mufflers?) If you cannot find it , I am sure someone at the track will be happy to help you out . Once the mufflers are out, you can use the factory sleeves and hangers to connect the Fabspeed pipes to the cat. outlets . If you plan to do this on a regular basis , you may want to check with Fabspeed. They make st.stl. clamps which may make it a little faster to swap the components. Have fun at the track.

Try the FABSPEED website. they have cut away pictures for their own as well as the factory Porsche mufflers if my attachment does not work.

This morning my oil level gauge indicated one bar low in my 997 S. Still half asleep , I poured in a quart of 0-40. Then I realized, I should have only added 1/4 of a quart . The manual specifically warns against overfilling. My question is , am I OK , or do I have to crawl under the car and drain out the excess ?

AFAIK, the size measurement refers to the diameter of the rim, so 18" rims have an 18" diameter while 19" rims have a 19" diameter. The dimensions of the tire will also affect the ultimate wheel size. My question is whether the 997 electronics will self-adjust to different wheel/rim/tire diameters or whether you must use OEM specifications to ensure the correct functioning of the speedometer/odometer and all the electronic systems that look at wheel speed (ABS, traction control, and stability protection). Hopefull some renntecher knows the answer to this basic question! The overall diameter ( rim + tire ) affect the speedometer reading. Your electronics will not self adjust. If you put 18" rims on the 997S, you will need to put on larger profile tires of the correct size. I understand that snow tires are routinely put on 18" rims.

Sorry to hear about your problem . I have about 5000 miles on my 997 S and have had NO problems . I also do not recall anyone else on several discussion forums with similar problems as you describe. I therefore conclude it is not an inherent problem with cruise control etc. but rather that you have an isolated case here . Could be as simple as a defective transistor somewhere or a loose connection etc. I had a 993 S about seven years ago which was fine until I had the dealer install a radar detection system . The car's electronics were totally screwed up after that . They even had a Porsche factory guy who happened to be available look at it and he was at a loss as well . Finally they removed the detection system and the car was fine after that . My point is , electronics can be very frustrating at times but I'm sure they will find a solution , even if they have to replace the entire sytem. After all , we are not talking about a Chevy here . Lol

I don't think so... Both of my screens have been out for four years now. No MAF problems, no CELs, no performance issues. Thank you for the info. I stated what I was told by Fabspeed when I purchased their cold air kit. Which brings me to the next question . Since it obviously restricts the air flow, why was it installed in the first place ? In my 997 S , it actually looks more like an egg crate than a screen per se. Could it's purpose be to straighten the air flow or reduce air turbulence since it is located just upstream of the air flow measuring device ?

Whatever you do , DO NOT REMOVE the screen in the air box outlet . It measures air flow and basically tells the computer how much gas to inject for the correct air/fuel mixture . Btw : I am selling a fabspeed "cold air kit" for $ 175 (save $50 ) I used it for only a few days, so it's as new. If interested ,send me an e-mail stumberger_r@msn

Has anyone installed OEM spacers on their 996 or 997 ? There are 5mm spacers for all 4 wheels and 17 mm spacers for just the rear wheels . Which are recommended ? Possibly a combination of 5 mm in front and 17 mm in rear ? Thanks for any advice .

The spring has nothing to do with the actual shifting . There are two cables shown in your bottom picture. The left one is with the factory fitting and the right one with the aftermarket shift link (blue ) (btw: The left cable is for reverse and the right one for all forward gears ) The cables have plastic connectors at the end, which mate with a slot in the link . To remove or re-install the cable, you slide a sleeve up the link ( towards the shifter ) This exposes a slot into which the cable end is inserted . Both pieces have vertical teeth in them , which keep the cable from slipping. The cable length is adjusted depending how far up in the link it is inserted . After the cable is mated to the link, the spring then pushes the sleeve back over the union , to prevent the cable from slipping out. By contrast ,in the aftermarket link , the cable appears to be just inserted into the link and then secured with an Allen head set screw. I'm not so sure that will keep the cable from eventally slipping under tension . In any event the spring has nothing to do with the "sloppy" feeling which may develop. As far as I can see , there are only two places where wear can occur . One is in the bushings which permit fore-aft and side to side shifter movement where the shifter is attached to the housing, and the other is where the shifter is inserted into the link . The first has obviously nothing to do with the aftermarket link . And since the link connection is plastic on both the factory as well as the aftermarket unit , I don't see any difference . Unless of course the aftermarket unit uses better plastic ? As far as the link material is concerned, the only stress on it is the cable tension (and I cannot imagine the factory link being stretched to the breaking point ) Hope this helps you .