Chuck Jones

I also extend my thanks to Mary and Dave for their gracious offer to use their facility for our WOCD. I ordered all the "stuff" for a 30K service for my TT....but didn't feel that I needed to buy the $56 "pollen filter".....I figured that if I rolled down my windows, it would bypass the filter anyway. Oh...and Mary....if you want to take it out again but this time TROMP on it, you're welcomed to do so. I might also do the tranny service since I bought the Mobil Delvac 75-90 synthetic gear oil....but I will be bringing containers to take the changed out fluids away with me...BTW....I found a distributor in Ceres who sells the Delvac by the five gallon container that works out to be around $24 a gallon. I went out and found another distributor back east and got billed $42.50 per gallon!! Needless to say it pays to shop around a bit before you order Porsche "stuff". Any folks needing the Delvac 75-90...let me know. If there are enough who want to change out tranny fluids, I can buy the Delvac and bring it there. I also might have found a Mobil distributor who carries the Mobil 5W-50 that folks have been talking about but cant' find in the US. If anyone is interested in that particular viscosity, let me know and I'll pursue it further. Right now I'm just using the 0-40 in the TT, but when it really starts to get hot around here, a little heavier viscosity might reduce some of the oil loss that comes with drivng a TT. I usually burn about a quart every 1500 or so miles...which is about par for the TT. Hope to see a good turnout.....in addition to Loren's offer to read out your DME's on his computer and provide onsite expertise, there'll be some other folks there who will be versed in doing Porsche maintenance like brakes and other mechanical tasks that wont' take more than the 10 to 5 schedule for that day. OR....you might just look over someone's shoulder to see how they do their brakes???

OUCH!!! I literally paid twice the amount you did .....$26 a gallon? I despondent....depressed.....done in.....I could have bought four gallons for what I ended up paying.... Sacka-Hachi!! I'm going to go hide all the razor blades....

I just coincidentally ordered and received the Mobil75-90 Delvac synthetic gear oil from Lufteknic out of Richmond VA. I had to do a lot of looking to find someone who carried it. I had a discussion with Kevin at Imagine Auto and he was adamant about getting the Delvac and not just the AutoZone or Kragan's Mobil brands...so I ordered two gallons. They charged me $42.50 per gallon and $11.00 shipping. I bought more than I'll need so that I might be able to provide some to at least one other person....if you want to order their info is posted below. I'm going to change out the transmission fluid as well as the front differential on the TT. The company name and address is as follows: Lufteknic 1529 Brook Rd. Richmond, VA, 23220 Website: www.lufteknic.com

OK...I met with Dave and Mary the past weekend and we're all set to go. Loren will coordinate the final date and post to the forum...so you folks who want in on this WOCD, get your names, year/model of your car, and the job you want to do and we'll finalize a date. Dave said his garage can accomodate three cars on the concrete floor....one on the rack at a time, and a sweeping blacktop driveway that can easily handle 4 cars for things like brakes or jackstand projects. FYI....Loren helped me put in the 997 shifter instead of the B and M SSK, and I really like the shorter throw and smooth transition from gear to gear....just a thought for some of you. The 997 shifter was only $160 or so from Sunset Porsche....or you might want to wait and run thru the gears on my car and see how you like the feel. Loren will be there with his 996 that has the B and M SSK...so there is a point of comparison.

There are all sorts of previously written articles on the K and N and problems encountered with it throwing CEL's and blowing MAFs......do a search here and on RennList and you'll be reading for a week. Some folks hate them and have spent a lot of money buying new MAFs.....other folks swear by them.....I guess it's the luck of the draw. I have this theory.....leave it stock and you won't have these problems. You don't get much perfomrance enhancement out of a filter anyway. Most of it is hype.

Darin: I'll bet your neighbors love your "test runs".... :) I'm looking forward to getting an invited to the GRAND OPENING of the FisterD Porsche exhaust outlet..... Make sure you let me know. It's also great that you've installed a lift...that is almost a must for what you're doing especially if the guys want the install ASAP.... Good going my friend... I bought the Europipe system for the new TT, so I wont' be a potential customer....but the work you did on my older 996 was outstanding. Chuck

There have been lots of writeups on this very subject. Most of the guys just turn off the ignition, then turn it back on and see if hte ABS/PSM light clears. Most often, the warning comes on after a hard run, and the general belief is that it has someting to do with the turbulent airflow thru the MAF....but since it clears when you turn the ignition on/off/on again, it's not a big deal. If it continues to light up, or stays on, then it's time to take it to the dealership. I had this problem with mine for a couple months, then it finally came on steady and the dealership changd out the MAF....no further problems.

I never heard of folks running their tires in the 50's......mostly 44 rear and 36 front. Maybe the newer cars are running higher pressures.....but those pressures make for a bumpy ride.

I'll be meeting with the Bordens this weekend (8/11)....the good folks who have offered the use of their facilities for this WOCD get together. We'll discuss a date that's convenient for the Bordens, then Loren will post the date/time/directions, and contact numbers for the coordinators....and solicit the make/model of your particular car and proposed project so that we can be sure to have all the necessary tools there to accomodate special needs. Hope we can get a good number of folks together....should be a fun day. Cj

I just saw a set of wheel lock removers at Harbor Freight today....unfortunately, there'll probably be more crooks buying them than folks with a legit reason. You might also look in the bottom of the pouch that has the wheel nut socket on it....sometimes the lock is on the nut socket upside down in the tool bag and it looks like part of the socket. They also fit almost exactly in your center console ash tray.

From your list of mods, you've put a lot of money into a 3.4 litre engine that doesn't have much room for improvement in the first place. You'd be lucky if you picked up 30HP with all you've done to it. When you see the ads that say you get another 10 or 15 HP from a particular mod...that does NOT mean it's cumulative. The stock headers really aren't that bad...as a matter of fact, they're a knock off design from some of the NASCAR engines.....you won't pick up diddly squat from a set of headers. You've already done the suspension, plenum, and flywheel....the only thing that will really help you is a supercharger, which means you'll have to tear out some of the stuff you've already bought....and since I see you live in CA....you'll play hell getting it smogged....plus that's about a $10-12K add on. Reference the question on headers...you essentially get what you pay for....the cheap ones crack at the welds and in some cases actually DETRACT from horsepower. If you're stuck on buying headers, go see Alex at SharkWerks and get the STRAIGHT SCOOP. You're chasing the same mod dragon I did in my 99 C2....then I followed the advice I got from Alex at SharkWerks' and got a TT....that's where the mods actually do some good.

I was one of Darin's first customers, and I really liked the work he did....made the car sound fantastic at 1/3rd the price of a Prosche PSE exhuast system. Looking at his product line now, I can see he's made a lot of enhancements since we got together one weekend over a year ago and cranked out one of the first......they sound GREAT. His work is art, and I don't think you can find anything to beat his prices for the results you get. Sure, if you wnat to spend $5K on a Europipe or something similar...but for the price.....unbeatable. Chuck

I guess I was one of those "dumb**** customers" who answered the questionnaire sent out by CR....I volunteered to be one of the input folks who receive questionnaires about what washing machine and dryer I have, household appliances etc. WROSS is quite correct when makes his comments about representative samplings. A lot of their info comes from Joe Blow citizen who responds to a series of questions about what broke, how did it break, how old was it, how many times was it repaired, would I buy another one, as well as some demographic information about the person submitting the information. So.....as a "scientific" study, it would flunk miserably....but the more folks they get for input, the better the info might be provided the sampling wasn't skewed to a certain type of person, income bracket, educational background etc. When it comes to the cars, specifically the Porsches.....I wonder how many responses they got inorder to make the 96% confidence rating it received......I don't imagine that their sampling group contained too many Porshe folks.

I just ordered a couple gallons of the Mobil 75-90 gear lube that's recommended for the transmission as well as the differential in the front drive of the TT. I'm informed that it should be changed out at 30K...plus I ordered the entire "kit" of items from Sunset Porsche....those items required to be changed out at the 30K service schedule. Since one of my proposed projects involves changing out fluids, I would like to remind folks that any fluid changes requires the individual to bring appropriate containers to take the fluids away with them for appropriate disposal. I'll be doing a 30K service....or as much of it as can be accomplished in a day. Loren is working on coming up with a specific date for this event, so it would be helpful if others who have a particular project they'd like to work on.....post the MY of the car and the task you'd like to perform. This will help Loren set up a schedule. There will be a number of "experts" there to oversee the work and give a hand to those who haven't tackled a Porsche related job on their own.

short term memory loss

Hi there Robert: You did me a BIG FAVOR by introducing me to JIMMY. He's got my slant right now and he's pulled the engine and gone thru it, replacing everything that needs to be upgraded or changed out....powder coating the fan and shroud....new wiring, Tial 46mm; K27 turbo; SSI exhaust system, BlownSix intercooler, ignition wiring, clutch cables and union...etc etc. It should come back to me as something as pleasing to the eye as it is to drive. Jimmy has been a great guy with an extensive knowledge of the Porsche in general. I'll have to post some pictures when I get it back. I wont' have much to do to it on a WOCD, but I do have some work to do on the TT. I'll be in touch with Mark who bought my old 996, but I have to say that Mark doesn't seem to need much help...he's done a fantastic job of comletely restoring that burned out dash and has my old 99 running like a well oiled sewing machine. Put the word out and try to get some more folks interested in this project day so that we can all get together for some fun and knowledge sharing. Chuck

Some of the DIY project would only require a set of jack stands, and the Borden's have a long round circular driveway, so some of the projects could be done on the driveway with jacks stands.....like new brake pads or rotors....things like that. I'll bring six jackstands and a hydraulic jack for those folks who want to do quickie projects that dont' require a lift. David (host garage) also has a lot of tools and specialty items....like a spring compressor etc. I'm glad to see that there is some interest in doing this....Loren is the coordinator....I'm just his gofer.... Hopefully this will gain some momentum. Like I said previously, even though you might not be ready for something like a brake job...you could show up and watch how it's done. Another potential project is the replacement of those dogone...badly designed coolant tanks. They're not so hard to replace after you've done one or two....if you're having coolant troubles, order a new one from Sunset and we'll help you install it. You should also order a new cap for the coolant tank....Loren has all the part numbers if you're interested in something like this. Those of you near or past the 30,000 service schedule might want to call Sunset and have them send you all the goodies necessary for the 30K service....like the cabin filter, oil filter, and other parts that Loren has posted in his DIY section regarding maintenance schedules and what's required. It's also a good time to listen to the different exhaust systems if you're thinking about going to some sort of aftermarket system....Loren has the Porsche PSE...I'm running the Europipe....and I know there are a number of other folks in the area who are running Billy Boats, Cargraphic, Fabspeed, and a few others. One of my project is going to be changing out the transmission oil as well as the oil in the front differential....Porsche seems to have a lot of faith in holding off on changing out fluids....like their stated schedule of oil changes at 15K miles!! I wont' go more than 7500-10,000 miles between changes. I also need an oil change....but we'll have to check with the Bordens about that...for fluid changes the policy is usually for you to bring containers and take the old oil with you....but maybe we can work something out like a 55 gallon drum or something like that.....It will be up to our host David. Keep those cards and letters coming......all the best to you all... Chuck

I think what they were trying to warn about is that regardless of the "polish", "paint enhancer", "cleaner compound", "fine grade of clay", or whatever else they choose to call it.....all of the products actually contain some degree of an abrasive....after all, that's how you polish a product....you bring out the shine by buffing the surface with a fine grade of some sort of abrasive which removes the oxidant and brings out the luster. I think the answer was already stated somewhere above.....don't overdo it....don't overuse the clay or swirl buster more than necessary....because eventually, you will cut thru the paint....even if it's in very minute amounts. Common sense and caution are the key elements here. Also, any corners, edges, convex or concave portions of the car are more prone to being polished more intensly than a flat surface...so ease up on your edges. Also, the use of the painter's tape is a must. It keeps your rubber and that fuzzy compound around the edge of your sunroof from becoming white and caked with the polish. Take some time and tape off your rubber and plastic that's in the way of your waxing and polishing.

We (fellow RennTech members) have been graciously invited to use the lift and garage facilities of the Bordens....a RennTech couple who live about 45 minutes up off of Highway 50 east of Sacramento. David and Mary have a formal detached garage with a lift for those projects that might require some work underneath. There are also floor jacks, jack stands etc for those project that don't need a lift. I have discussed this with Loren and he is in agreement that if we can get about a half dozen cars that would like to participate in some Do it Yourself projects, we would coordinate with the Bordens to arrange for a day when we can all meet and complete the various projects. In addition to the lift and garage facilities, David, Loren, and a few others with a lot of expertise in Porsches would be present to help the newcomers complete projects that they might otherwise feel a bit uneasy about doing by themselves. Loren can chime in and add to this invitation with the sorts of projects that would be appropriate for a WOCD project...but some that come to mind are....install short shift kits; brake job; take off the front bumper and learn to clean out your radiator and condensers; install new diverter valves (turbo cars); Loren can run his Porsche computer software and readout your DME for any faults or codes as well as some of the car's history.....as well as other projects. You may just want to show up to see how various projects are accomplished for future do-it-yourselfers.... We would encourage anyone who'd like to particpate in a WOCD to respond to this invitation along with the make/model of your car and what project you'd like to tackle. Depending upon the interest generated, Loren will come up with a specific date for the event. Hope to see a good number of you good people there. Chuck

I spent some time going back and forth about whether to install a B and M Short Shifter (SSK)or to follow the recommendations of some of the folks on the other forums, and decided to install the 997 shifter in my 02 996TT. Loren helped me install it, and I find that the throw is a good 30% shorter, plus the action is smoother and the gears engage more postiviely. I was having some issues with a perioidic missed downshift from 5 to 2nd on the old shifter. That's all cleared up by virtue of the positive action of the shift mechanism.....I also have the added benefit of the fact the 997 shifter only costs me $156 from Pelican, whereas the B and M runs $200.

Check with Sunset in Oregon....I think they're right around $8K. They're really great people to deal with...no nonsense and they get it done quickly. You'll have a core charge on that though that's refundable after they check out the core..

I wouldn't sweat it....most guys on the forums will tell you (including me) that we routinely add a quart of oil every 1500 to 1800 miles. Some of the cars are adding at 1000 miles. The TT's just eat a little oil....it's just the way they're designed.....they don't leak it onto the floor....they just eat it. I keep a notebook and record every time I add a quart....and the last add was after I had gone 1600 miles. If you drive it really hard, you'll be adding more than that....especially on a track weekend. Don't sweat it.

It's not easy to get to..you have to take off the shroud that covers the front latch...there are four IIRC....four little plastic slot screws that you only have to turn 90 degrees to take out...then the plastic shroud comes off and you can see down into the locking mechanism...there should be two wires coing off the bottom of the latch out to the side....they go to the micro switch. Those directions worked on my older 996...I assume they're the same for the newer cars.

The switch or your fusebox....most likely the switch.

Glad you got it working. That has to be a bad feeling not knowing where your oil level is....I still can't believe that Porsche has no backup means of checking oil levels.