geoff

And the answer so far seems to be ... bad gas :o The check engine light appeared shortly after filling up (Chevron premium 91 octane with Techron, which I usually use). Mileage on that tank averaged about 24 MPG, mostly highway driving. I got to drive home very early this morning after a neighbor called to say there are more fires, so lots of highway driving. Once I filled up with the next tank of gas, my average mileage went back to around 28+ MPG on the highway, which is what I would have expected. No check engine light reappeared after I cleared the check engine light (around 400 miles ago). So I'll chalk it up to a bad tank of gas. But back to my earlier question - can anyone confirm the correct MAF part number is 996.606.125.01, please

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Here's an update so far: First, I went to Autozone this morning, gave the guy my credit card for a deposit and grabbed one of their OBD readers. I've only seen pictures of these before, so this was all new to me. Fortunately, even an automotive spaz like me can use this thing. Pull it out of the case, plug it in to the OBD2 port under the steering wheel, turn on the ignition but not the engine, and scroll through the options. Codes show up on the LCD display, along with options to clear codes, tell whether the check engine light (CEL) is on, and an option to run diagnostics before taking the car in to be smogged. After reading the code(s), I cleared the code. The only code showing was P1130. The OBD2 reader said it was a fuel and air metering problem. I unplugged the OBD2 reader, put it back into the case and walked back in to return it and get my security deposit back. On a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of mechaincal difficulty, it rates about a 0. Even my wife could do this with me giving her directions over the phone. There is absolutely no reason not to do this if you're getting a check engine light Back at my in-laws, I got online to renntech and looked up the P1130 code. It says "oxygen sensing adaption area 2 (cylinders 4-6), rich threshold". Then I searched for P1130 and got 3 pages of posts. The P1130 code usually shows up with P1128 (which did not show up), so possibilities according to Loren are: Here are potential causes of a P1130: – Incorrect signal from MAF sensor – Fuel pressure too high – Fuel injector leaking – EVAP canister purge valve open I rechecked the gas cap (it was tight), the oil filler cap (also tight), and dipstick (snug). In the past, the air/oil separator and oil filler tube were both replaced when the car was under warranty, along with doing the gas cap recall. As near as I can tell, the odds are the mass airflow sensor needs to be cleaned or replaced (either that or there's a vacuum leak somewhere); more likely than an oxygen sensor. From what I can tell, the correct replacement MAF part number is now 996.606.125.01 (Bosch part 0.280.218.055 or B3130-160651). Can anyone please confirm this is the right part number. Does my DME need to be reprogrammed by the dealer to use this part? Right now, the check engine light is still off after driving back to my in-laws from Autozone. I'll probably wait to see if it stays off (bad tank of gar), and then try cleaning the MAF. Does this sound like the right approach? What else should I try? Is there any other information I could have gotten from the Autozone OBD2 reader? Another question: what is the difference between the engine codes and fault texts on the ODB-II P-Code Menu? Here's another issue: when I went to Autozone this morning, the engine oil display before I startred the car showed about half-way down. The car doesn't use any oil, and showed full before driving up here the other day. Could this just be moisture in the oil burning off from driving 400 miles (no excessive speeding involved), related to the check engine light (possibly MAF?), or something else? Jeff - the Autozone guy wasn't sure if the Santana Row get together was happening this weekend. He did warn me that it's right by all the shopping malls and it's Thanksgiving weekend, so traffic might be painful! Are you still planning to go? I'm not sure if I'll be able to get over there before we head home

This may be the most basic question of all time. Yesterday I was driving from LA to San Jose and my check engine light came on for the first time (it's steady, not blinking, which I think is OK). Car [2001 986 5 speed, runs fine] has just over 50K miles and everything associated with the engine is completely stock. I wasn't even driving all that fast. All maintenance is current. I checked the gas cap (light came on after we stopped for gas) and it's tight. Now what do I do? Just go to Autozone or similar and have them read the code, then replace whatever is bad? I never paid much attention to discussions about OBD codes before because it never affected me. Anything likely besides an oxygen sensor or MAF? Anyone in the San Jose area with a Durametric setup want to read codes the day after Thanksgiving? This is the first car I've ever had where a check engine light comes on (other than several rental cars)

It looks like they will only work if you have existing color wheel crests from a 986 or 996 that have faded. The new style 987 / 997 color wheel crests are larger. Since the crests don't usually fall off, there's a chance these were pried off a vehicle and may have some damage. If you want the color wheel crests, you're probably much better off buying the wheel centers with the color crests, or painting your existing ones.

I can only second everything you said. ROW M030 from Sunset, installed by Steve also. The suspension upgrade (it really is an upgrade over stock) changes the way the car handles for the better. The nose does scrape coming down my driveway, but I'll live with that compared to how much better it drives

I drive an '01 Boxster and my wife drives an '05 Carrera. When we take her car, I end up driving. They are very different cars. The Carrera is a much more luxurious GT car compared to the Boxster being more of a pure sports car. I much prefer driving the Boxster, even though it's not as luxurious or powerful - way more fun to drive. She prefers the Carrera because it's got more room inside (this coming from someone who isn't even 5'3") and the leather seats are nicer. The '99 996 was the first year the 996 came out, and the engine isn't much larger than your Boxster S. It's also a heavier car, so you probably won't feel tons more power. If you are trading the top-of-the-line Boxster for an older entry-level Carrera (it's not an S or an all wheel drive or a GT3 or a Turbo or a cabriolet), you should make sure you're not going to be less happy realizing you're at the bottom of the 996 food chain. The early 996s look just like a Boxster in the front, and some 911 guys look down on them because of that. A friend of mine had Ruf put a Carrera S engine with the powerkit in a brand new Boxster S before he took delivery. It was 80% of a Carrera GT at 20% of the cost, but it still looked like a Boxster (except for the Ruf hood emblem). He does not feel like his car is "inferior" to a 911. (He also likes it a lot better than the Ferrari he used to drive) Not intending to be flippant, but if you can afford it, keep the Boxster AND buy the 996 as well. I guarantee you will not worry about what people think when you drive the Boxster. Or keep the Boxster and buy an older, air cooled 911 and you can look down on all the water cooled 996s because they're not real (i.e., air cooled) Porsches. [You're the one who said you're rationale was shallow] None of this is intended to inflame or insult anyone. Any car you buy with a Porsche emblem on the hood is going to be great. But you should understand what you're trading out of and what you're trading in to. It's also possible to replace a scratched up rear plastic window If this is just a mid-life crisis thing, keep the Boxster - http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/news/36597.html

Some PCA regions are active and do a lot of social and car related activities, and others do hardly anything. When I joined I was in the LA region and did a few of their drives. Nice group of guys, but not very active and many seemed to drive their cars only on special occasions. I switched to the Santa Barbara region and done a number of activities, much more going on, a lot more members, and more participation. It opens up a lot of opportunities to do things you normally wouldn't think of or take the effort to plan or organize. Yesterday was a tour of the Nethercutt car museum in Sylmar, CA, followed by a drive on a great Porsche-friendly road I haven't driven before - I had a great time. I only show up for a few events each year and always enjoy the activities and feel welcome. I wish I had time to do more of their activities. I drive a Boxster, but the majority of the members have 911s of varying vintages. Interesting group of people. All the reasons already listed apply, as well as concourses, weekend activities, etc. with a group of people who have a common interest in Porsches. As great as renntech.org is, it's also nice to have personal contact with others who like Porschees.

I started this thread and have been remiss in reporting my final results and findings. After driving around with the original brake ducts on one side and the GT3 ducts on the other, and measuring brake temperatures on numerous occasions, I found that the stock ducts keep the brakes slightly cooler in slower driving, whereas at higher speeds and/or more braking, such as driving through the canyons, the GT3 ducts keep the brakes at least as cool or cooler, as measured with an infrared laser thermometer. I can't tell any improvement in braking, but if cooling were an issue, I could always rationalize these as less unsprung weight than swapping in Boxster S front brakes, and a lot less expensive :D As others have said, installation is pretty straightforward. I found the only easy way to install the brake ducts was to jack up the front of the car and remove the front wheel to get unimpeded access to the duct on the control arm. (It was also a good excuse to break down and finally buy a jack pad) Here are side by side pictures of the stock and GT3 ducts, with the stock at the bottom and the GT3 at the top Here are the before pictures showing the stock brake duct and here are the after pictures with the GT3 brake duct in place For reference, here's a view of just how far down the ducts go. I recently had the ROW M030 suspension installed, and the front of my car now scrapes the bottom of my driveway, but these don't seem to have any problems scraping And last, here's the jack pad I used, which I highly recommend for fit and function

I was recently asked about the vent tube and where I put it, so thought I'd post the pictures here in case anyone else needs them in the future. Here's how the vent tube looks after I coiled it up. It's to the far left of the battery area (i.e., passenger side when standing at front looking back toward the battery). You need a T-25 Torx driver to remove the screw holding the black plastic cover to gain access And for comparison, here's a picture showing how my Optima mounting base is held down using the stock hardware

Try https://techinfo2.porsche.com/PAGInfosystem...p;lk=ELSE#faq02 I found this from following an old link I had bookmarked

It looks like the part number in your picture is 997-424-010-00. I put the 997 short shifter, part number 997-424-983-00 in my 2001 Boxster and it fit just fine. Mine looks just like yours, except the plastic is blue instead of white, and mine came with the alignment tool for getting the shifter cables adjusted. The original shifter I pulled out had the part number of 996-424-010-03 and looks like your 997 picture, except Porsche seems to have added the metal plate on the left side. You should be able to pop up the leather covering the shifter housing and eyeball the two to see if they will fit or not. The B&M web site lists their short shifter as working in all models of Boxster and Carrera, so if the housing looks the same it should work in your GT2

Todd, Do you change engines so frequently because it's easier than changing the oil? :lol:

I tried to find a relay like this to replace the stock turn signal one and was told the triple blink feature (like on MBz and new Porsches) is a function of the computer and not a relay. Does the CX1 "B3 Komfortblinker Set" replace the turn signal relay or connect to the hazard flasher? My German isn't car-technical enough to understand their web site, but it doesn't look like the 986/996 is listed as working with the module. How does it install in a Porsche?

When my alternator died, my dealer suggested replacing the battery, so I put in an Optima 34R. At first, it seemed to not hold a charge well, so I asked the dealer service manager if the alternator was charging OK. She said a lot of new batteries don't hold a charge very well at first, but do fine after a week or two. So I stuck the car on a Porsche battery maintainer for a little while. The Optima holds a charge just fine. I never heard of new batteries having a problem holding a charge before, but it seemed to be the case Any Interstate distributor should be able to warranty your dead Optima

I forgot to mention, if you're in Stuttgart, definitely see the Porsche and Mercedes museums, and get your dealer to arrange a Porsche factory tour. Well worth the time

I was there in May. There are a few rental car companies right there that will rent you a BMW M-series for 4 hours to drive on the ring, as well as other cars. Many of the Porsche drivers I talked with are friendly, especially when you tell them what Porsche you have, and some might offer to take you for a lap. I suspect paying for some or all of the lap price would be good incentive. Besides the Ring taxi, there's a Viper ride-along - see http://zakspeed.com/the-motorsport-company/index.php?id=381 They're all pretty pricey. If you google "nurburgring nordschleife auto rental" you'll probably find the companies renting cars there pretty quickly. Every time I've been there I saw a few cars smashed up pretty bad just from a nice "Sunday drive" around the track. A few years ago we drove a Hertz-rental Mercedes E-class diesel wagon around the 'ring and it was a blast. The Ford minivan we had this year was too top heavy to safely drive and have fun From the track map I bought there, BMW ringtaxi website I land at is http://ring-taxi.bmw-motorsport.com/03-108...i/en/index.html for the English version

I wanted to replace my dash speakers, but keep my old ones intact in case I ever wanted to revert to stock. I found out Porsche sells dash speaker blanks without any speaker holes cut out that aren't too expensive. (Replacement grills with the speakers glued in are well over $100 each!) Part number 996-645-049-02-01C, about $28 each from Sunset. After I got the speaker grill, I found out there is a left and right side. If you're going to install a tweeter, it makes a difference (the tweeter area is angled differently for the two sides). If you're just going to install a 4" coaxial speaker, it won't matter. I pulled the old speakers out and found the speaker wiring connector in the car had VW part number 191906231A. With this information, my local VW dealer parts guy found the matching connector and wires. The VW part number for the connector is 1HO-906-712 (retails for $4.35) and the corresponding wire is 000-979-129 (retails for $6.63). Like the speaker grill, you'll need two of each. If your VW parts dept can't get the speaker connectors, places like Crutchfield sell some that look like they'll work also. Harbor Freight has a really inexpensive right angle bit ratchet that works great for removing and installing the torx screws holding the speaker grills on the dash. Right angle 8 piece screwdriver set, item number 92630, about $2 when on sale After reading various posts, talking to car stereo stores and listening to some speakers, I picked the CDT CL-4EX 4" coax speakers, bught from Phantom Electronics in Thousand Oaks. (I don't see the speakers listed on their web site any more) I dropped off the grills at Phantom Electronics and had them mount the speakers when they came in (it took a while due to production backlog). They ground off the flat plate with a dremel, then screwed the speaker into the grill. The speakers are much more substantial than the stock ones. Cost for the speakers and installation into the grill was a little under $200. It took me about 5 minutes per side to remove the old speaker and install the new one. Here's the new vs old. VFXBOX's speaker mounting bracket would probably have worked just fine with these speakers, but I'm not sure if he has a new supplier. In hindsight, I would try his bracket first, before paying someone else to mount the speakers. However, now I can just replace the speakers in the grill by unscrewing the current ones and screwing in some new ones whenever I end up replacing the speakers in the future. Without changing the head unit and amp, the speakers sound quite a bit better than the stock ones, but not so great that I would say the car has a fantastic audio system. Replacing the door subwoofers would have probably improved the sound more, but it would have added another $600 to the bill, which I didn't want to spend. Frequency response and sound quality from these speakers are much better than what I started with, and the more I listen to them, the more I can tell how much better they are. From talking to a friend who is a hard core audiophile, he said that paper speakers (which came stock in the car) can produce excellent sound. Howard at Phantom Electronics said the stock Porsche speakers are way better than what comes stock in a typical Honda or Toyota. So a lot of complaints about the stock Boxster sound system seem to be a bit overly critical.

I got back from my last few business trips and did change one side to the GT3 duct. As others have said, the process is to jack up one side, remove the front wheel, and access the brake duct that way. First time I ever jacked up the Boxster, and the jack pad adapter I bought works very nice I only changed out one side (passenger side) and had time for a few short trips to the grocery store. I used a laser infrared thermometer (buy at Harbor Freight for around $35) to check out the difference in rotor temperature between the two sides. (I didn't get any baseline readings BEFORE changing the ducts, so results may be suspect). The temperature readings I got on the original brake duct side were actually cooler than the temperature readings I got with the GT3 ducts - consistently with 3 test runs. The rotors on the side with the GT3 ducts read about 8-10 degrees hotter at the top of the rotor than the bottom. I'm not sure if something isn't aligned properly, since there is a little fore and aft play of the duct on the arm, so I'll play around with it a little more before deciding whether to go back to stock or swap out the other side. These were only short (5 mile) drives along PCH (50+/- MPH) and streets to my house with stop signs. Rotor temperature (90-100) was around 15 degrees (F) higher than the outside temperature (75ish). This is initial results from neither high speed driving/braking, nor a longer distance. At this point, for all I know, the radiator heat could be the biggest variant. No business trips for the next two weeks, so I can drive and get more data points. Somewhat disappointing results, but not 100% unexpected. I read somewhere that the GT3 Cup ducts on a Boxster put all the air in the wrong place (below the calipers and rotors), and are actually less effective than the stock ducts. This could be the same :o

While washing our 2005 997 over the weekend, I noticed the windshiel seal seems to be separating from the glass near the driver's side windshield wiper arm. Here's a picture (you can see the separation between the wiper arm and its reflection in the window). It was taken looking down the windshield from the driver's side. Before I contact the dealer to have it taken care of under warranty, I was wondering if anyone else has had something like this happen, and if so, any idea why it happened.

Steve, When I was looking at my old ones on Sunday trying to figure out how to get them off, I noticed the semi-circular cut out (which you can see in the picture on top). Do the GT3 ducts need to have any cut out to to clear the arm? Also, on the right side of the GT3 duct in your picture, there are two holes. Are these for a cable tie as an extra to keep the ducts on?

Spent a little time this weekend playing with the new ducts and trying to get the old ones off. It looks so simple, but I must be in weekend non-thinking mode and couldn't get the old ducts off. I'll have to do some research on how they attach and try again next weekend when I'm back in town. The 997 GT3 brake ducts look like they're about 40% larger area, but more curves to funnel the airflow. The stock 986 has a semi-circular cutout for part of the front suspension, while the GT3 version doesn't. Not sure if I'll have to cut part of a hole for clearance or not. The new ones don't look like they'll stick down much farther, so probably less likelihood of breaking off on speed bumps. I'm waiting to get the old ones off so I can post side-by-side pictures. If anyone has any tips on getting the brake ducts off, technique, tools or whatever helps, I would certainly appreciate it. I've read it takes just a few minutes, but I stopped before I got too frustrated and broke something.

I put an Optima 34R in my 2001 Boxster when I needed a new battery and it works great. When it's time to replace the battery on our 997, after it's out of warranty, I'll probably go for an Optima as well. Why would you want to replace a battery on a car still under warranty? If you have a "bad experience" with your Porsche battery when it's still under warranty, like it dies, why wouldn't you let the dealer pay for a new one?

I ordered my ROW M030 kit from Sunset in late December and it showed up in late June. It sounded like a combination of Porsche dropping the ball on the order (several times), specific parts missing in Germany, Sunset not bugging Porsche, and me not being demanding. Depending on your year and model (base or 'S'), there are different versions of the M030 kit. Althought some guys said they ordered the same kit as mine and it arrived quickly, so there might also be some issues internal to Sunset. I was originally quoted a delivery time from Germany of 6 weeks, plus shipping from Sunset in Oregon to me. Sunset had the best price, and I've always had good luck with them in the past. I've experienced a few many, many month delays in parts from Porsche when my car was under warranty, so I wasn't overly surprised at the delay

My '01 Boxster has the same thing. It's the orientation light (actually an LED) to help you in the dark. There should also be little yellow/orange lights on each door by the door pull. Trivia: you can adjust the brightness of the orientation light by pressing a small, pointy object in the little switch by the rear view mirror. See your owners manual for details

As an example, I ordered my ROW M030 suspension kit late last December and it finally showed up at the end of June! That had to be a mistake by Sunset. I ordered my RoW 030 kit for my 5spd at the end of April and had it installed by mid-May. So hopefully they will be there when you get back. Sunset said Porsche messed up my M030 order. In all fairness to them, I wasn't pressuring them to get it here any faster, although I did call to check every few weeks. In the process, I found out there are various ROW M030 flavors, depending on year and whether it's a base or 'S' model. Some flavors were available, and mine (for a 2001 base Boxster) seemed to be hard to come by. Now that it's been installed for two weeks and I've driven it a few times, I wish I got it sooner When I got home tonight from Colorado, there was a box from Sunset at my house, with brake ducts. It's too late to do anything with them, and I'm too tired now. But I'll try to post more info before I leave town next Monday