Chuck Jones

Cosmos: You and me both. That "bucket of bolts" is the usual trademark sound of the failed intermediate shaft or other catastrophic failures. I hate to even read that description because your heart goes out to the person who's asking what that sound means.....it usually means $$$$$$ and heartache. Caesar....because it's not constant, it sounds more like the clutch....sorry to see this happen, but if it is the clutch, it's a whole lot better than the other scenarios.

White98: I'm headed for the Drug Store to buy denatured alcohol and some distilled water. I swear that I've tried just about every concoction and commercial product and still get hazy windows. I know about not trying to clean them when they're hot...but I have yet to find something that works. Hopefully your home remedy will work...so far, nothing else has. Chuck

Apparently there was some kind of broken link between the accelerator pedal and a connection. I hope the broken link wasn't from folks stomping on it during a "demo drive". I had never even considered that fact until I read it here....but you're right. When you do go and demo a car, the salesman is trying to sell you on the car's performance...so either he's pushing it hard, or he's telling you to push it harder. PaulSpeed is right though...you can take it back to the dealer and insist upon a printout of the onboard computer. I was amazed at the amount of detail and information that computer has....dates, times, how many RPM's, what check engine lights have come on and when....etc. I have an older 99 and Loren used his laptop computer program to check my DME, and even though the older cars don't record as much, he was able to tell me things I never knew.

You have a new car....I would expect the oil pressure to be high...normally, the pressure reads 5 when the car is cold and the oil viscosity is thicker. As the engine warms the oil, you'll usually see the gauge drop down to the area of the 4 when at cruising speed...and at idle when hot, it could go down to the 1.5 to 2 area. You don't use your oil pressure gauge to measure when you should shift....that's what your tachometer is for. If you over rev it, the rev limiter will kick in and shut down the gas so you don't have to worry about over reving your engine....unless you miss a shift.

I can only address the 99 996...but they should be the same. Take off the sidelight on the passenger's side...it will be the orange or the clear if you changed it out....get a flashlight and look into the hole behind the sidelight and see if you can spot a braided silver wire up in the area at the back of the headlight. There is an emergency release cable there in case your battery dies....You have to get a hooked piece of wire and try to fish that cable out the hole so you pull on it. It's connected to the trunk release. Good luck. My latch actually broke when I had all sorts of groceries in there and the cable release wouldn't work....took three days to finally take off the front bumper and get in. Needless to say the groceries were toasted.

My 99 996 is Iris Blue, and I am smitten with that color...and I found an Iris Blue 03 TT with the X50 package and 17K miles, but it's about $85K. I've been going back and forth about the costs involved....but I really think that if I've decided that if I go with a TT, it should have the X50 package on it and be done with it. New the X50 is about a $18K add on...but incorporated into a used car, it's a pretty good deal really.

Ron: glad you chased it down...but I had no idea that a little micro switch was going to run $63!! I went out to the recyclers, found a wrecked 99 with no front end damange, and bought the whole dogone latch assemply with the switch in it for $50. It's just a little more difficult to find the older latch assemblies for our 99's because they use the mechanical release with the cable rather than the e-latch release on all the newer cars. Tell me...after you installed the micro switch...did you fix the problem? It should have taken care of it...at least I hope it did after all your trouble. Chuck

I think Donovan explains it rather well....but the bottom line is that I don't believe that for the $800-1000 that you'll end up spending...that you'd get much more than "it feels so much better". With all the "stuff" I've done...I should have saved the money. Just buy an really nice muffler and it's going to sound so much faster...you'll love it. After spending an inordinate amount of money chasing mod horsepower in my 99 996, I've come to what I feel is the inescapable conclusion that the best mod I can buy is a 996 Twin Turbo with the X50 package in it.

I got the same advice from Loren when I replaced the coolant tank. I was sure that I had a major problem going...I'd go and look and see that it was down since I last put in distilled water. This went on for quite some time....is would drop down a bit, I'd put more distilled water in, then check it in a couple days and find it down. Loren said to keep adding and checking the coolant and oil periodically just to be safe. Finally it must have gotten to the point where it's levelled off. I initially was a bit concerned about an intermix issue, but all seems quiet on the Western Front. How come I never have to worry about this stuff with my Dodge diesel truck?

Today I went and drove a really beautiful 02 996 TT with 10,000 miles...used mostly for councours....but driven sparingly. One owner, all records available...all options except X50 (which I wanted but ??). color was a very attractive light blue, so it wasnt' the more frequently seen colors of silver, red, or black. No CPO available....but no stories.....PO keeps an immaculate stable of cars. He wants $72K. What's the crowd who BTDT say?

I have the same problem....intermittently it works. Mine even periodically triggers the short "beep" that tells you something is not closed properly when you set the alarm. You may be able to unplug and replug the two wire connection that comes out the bottom of the latch on the drivers side and get it to work consistently....or else you may have to replace that micro-switch PTec talked about. The wiring actually accomplishes two things....one is to complete the circuit so the front trunk alarm sets....and the other wire is to activate the interior trunk light.

I'm seriously looking at a SC'd MY00 996 with only 17.5K on the car and 1800 miles on the SC, but would like to talk to some folks who are running the EVOM superchargers in a 996. If you could PM me so that I might be able to talk to you, I'd truly appreciate it. I need to make up my mind this week. Chuck

Dogone it....I went out and bought a replacment latch from a wrecked 996....AND THEN I saw this DIY....Well, if nothing else, I have an extra latch AND the non-e mechanical release cable.

I just got back from a 376 mile run through 2.5 hours of the God awful San Francisco stop/go traffic, then up into the Gold Country mountains for an overnight visit with friends, then a very spirited drive back thru the mountains home....and the entire trip recorded 20.5 miles per gallon....inclusive of all the stop and go and freeway to mountains trip. I was pretty dogone pleased with that sort of average considering the conditions under which I drove. I have a 99 996 and recently installed the RSS plenum. I'm not saying the plenum had anything to do with that...just info.

I had spent a number of hours installing the new RSS plenum, and had disconnected the battery to ensure I didn't inadvertantly arc something out. The install took me a while, but being a new DIY guy, it wasnt' that difficult. I had to go to my daughter's graduation in San Francisco the next day, so I was eager to try it out on the trip. I did a quick down the street run and the plenum seemed to work flawlessly. The next day everything went great until I got onto the freeway and settled down to cruising speed, then went to turn on the radio. What's this? It's asking me for a code. A code?? WHAT CODE??? Plus the dogone windows wouldn't go up/down using the one-touch control. Here I am just starting a three day 350 mile trip and I'm going to be doing it with no dogone music and windows that don't work right. I managed to pull off the side of the freeway and get a 911 call into Loren...and he took about 10 seconds to ponder the radio question then prompted me thru a series of naneuvers with the TP and other button functions....had me read him back the text outputs that were showing from the radio....and said..."wait a minute, let me look in my file here". He then said....."Try these four numbers and enter them into the radio codes". BAM....on came the radio and everything worked great. Then I whined and mewed about the windows...and he said..."OH, yeah, when you disconnected the battery, you have to retrain the windows...and here's how". Twenty seconds later, the windows were working. Now some of you may think....no big deal....but mind you, this is on the way to San Francisco, pulled over off the side of the freeway, doing an on-the-fly fix over a cellphone. I would have been miserable over a three day trip with no music to occupy the time stuck in stop/go traffic or thru the 350 mile drive. How much hassle do you think it would have involved to have to make an appointment with the Porsche dealership....40 miles from my house....take the car there, have them do the same thing...and possibly charge me for the service....then drive 40 miles back home after spending three days without my radio or CD? PLUS....do you have any idea of the sheer pleasure of a spirited drive back through the challenging mountain roads with the CD blaring Wagner? Bottom line guys....although this event wasn't necessarily rocket science for some of you....it's things like this that make this forum is worth while....and that's why I'm a paid contributor. Oh yeah....thanks Loren.

I've been looking at a really nice MY00 EVOMS supercharged 996 that's immaculate....with only 16,000 miles on the car and 1500 miles on the supercharger. Oh My am I so tempted. The work was all done by EVOMS in AZ. The car is in another state where the supercharger presents no problem. The problem is....quite truthfully.....California. You can get thru the emissions part of the SMOG check relatively easy becasue these cars burn as clean as a whistle....but then comes the VISUAL INSPECTION. EVOMS hasn't gone thru the process to get the exemption required in order to pass the visual inspection (like the way MSD has for their CDI units)....so the car flunks the visual and you're up a creek. Now comes the "hypothetical" part. If....and I mean if....someone were to have a nicely put together supercharged 996....how well might you like the performance....and (hypothetical of course) how well does the 3.4L engine stand up to the added stress and strain produced by the supercharger? What sort of mileage might someone have on a SC'd car before and after the SC was installed?I've also been looking at a 996 tt, but the difference in pricing is substantial....so can you hypothetical folks comment on how you'd compare the performance of a SC'd 996 3.4L engine to a 996tt and whether the cost differential is worth the expenditures? Since the well known and documented issues of the 3.4L engine's propensity for RMS failure, intermediate shaft failure, and the intermix problems occur without any additional performance enhancements....what's the consensus about substantially boosting the performance of an engine that has had historical problems running stock at 300 HP.?? Any hypothetical responses would be appreciated.

Thee are paint jobs and there are paint jobs. If you have a really nice car and you want something that makes it look like a nice Porsche, then you're probably talking about between $4500-6000 for a really decent job.... You can get quotes a lot lower than that....but you'll get results that reflect the lower rates too.

Good God man....with those prices, sell your car and use the money towards a twin turbo.

You might try looking at the DIY that Loren did with a MY99 996. The carbon cannister was in the passenger's side wheel well next to the door frame. If that's where yours is located....Loren did a DIY with pictures that might help you. I just don't know if the cannisters are in the same place, but they might be kuz Porsche doesn't like to re-tool if they can help it. Good luck Chuck

I'm probably more paranoid about this potential issue than most folks...but there is a lot of information available through archive searches on the subject of "intermix" of the oil/coolant. There are some God awful horror stories out there of the damage done by this failure and the heartbreak it causes the unfortunate owners. Apparently, there is little if any warning that this is happening...so if you are just now seeing little drops of oil, you may be seeing the problem at the onset. You might try draining the oil....since oil floats on top of the water, if there is water in the oil, it should come out first...then you can jam the drain plug back in before you drain the whole thing. Were it me...I'd have that car in to a dealership or an indy in a flash. If it's just starting to occur, I'm not sure what can realistically be done, because the condition requires the replacement of the engine due to the conditions you cite in your post. There is a company in England that rebuilds these engines when this happens....if you PM Nathan, he can give you that info...but it means shipping th engine to England. You'd think that there would be a company here in the states that did what the English are doing. As I said at the onset of this response...I'm probably more paranoid about this potential problem than most folks....because of all the things that could possibly go wrong...this is the one that raises my anxiety level the most because the failure is so dogone catastrophic. With regard to trying to identify the engine blocks most susceptible to this condition....the only thing I've read is that cars with a pre-April 99 date of manufacture were the ones that seemed to encounter this problem more than others. Whether this is true or not I don't know. Since Porsche had a policy of simply replacing the engines, there were none torn down by local dealerships to look for a cause so I don't know if there is any authoritative information available that would help you track this down and isolate by VIN or lot numbers. Since the time that the warranties have elapsed, Porsche has been very closed mouth about this whole issue because of the potential of class action suits.....their reaction is denial that any problem exists and denial of any claims related to this "alleged problem". I sincerely hope that what you are seeing is an anomaly explained by something other than an intermix problem. Keep up posted....I for one am very interested in this issue. Best of luck to you.....Chuck

I've been talking to some of the guys in the 928/951 meetups and they expressed an interest in organizing some Work On Your Car Days (WOYCD) in the Rosevile, Rocklin, Sacramento, El Dorado Hills, Elk Grove areas. I've also talked to a couple of the 996 guys and they'd be interested too. I had lunch with Loren today and we talked about what it might take to put something like this together. Loren has done this sort of thing before, so he'd be the one to talk about what would be required...but some of my thoughts are this: It would require a "volunteer garage" as a central point for folks to assemble at. There would have to be the appropriate tools on hand. All projects would have to employ the best safety procedures...jack stands, hydraulic jacks, etc.The WOYCD projects would have to be those that could be done within a reasonable amount of time and could include such tasks as: Install a Short Shift Kit Clean out the front radiators by removing the front bumper R and R a coolant tank Clean up the MAF and sensors or throttle body Loren can run his laptop software against the DME to see what codes have been thrown/reset codes etc. Brake job Install a new set of mufflers Install other mods... Tasks such as oil changes or radiator flushes would have to have appropriate containers brought by the individual for the person to take the oil or coolant away from the location and dispose of himself. Participants would have to help clean up after the session. Some folks may just want to show up to shoot the breeze...or watch and see how various tasks are done. I know that one of my main problems is a lack of confidence in my ability to do what amounts to some relatively simple jobs. I also watched Loren take out my wheel well lining when we replaced the fuel door actuator (Loren will be putting out a DIY on this with picrtures)....and to me it was like watching a brain surgeon operate with a sledge hammer. It's painful to watch....but most of the guys who might want to work on their cars are WAY TOO FASTIDIOUS about tearing into them. I have a tendency to ***** foot around a project that needs a strong hand and a fast approach. Some of this is not for the faint of heart :) At any rate....let's throw this subject out there and see who responds and what sort of interst there is. So that we can get a better idea of interest levels....be sure to include what sort of car you've got, what city you live in, and what sort of task you'd like to take on. Due to time constraints, the WOYCD's are usually held on a weekend. I hope this starts helps to start us on some fun days where we can meet fellow P-car owners who have a passion for these cars and like to work on them, or just get together to talk about mods. It will also help to form an ad-hoc group of guys who can call each other when looking for local help on a project or special tool they might need. Regards, Chuck

Were I you, I'd save my money. I've invested almost $4K into headers, mufflers, GIAC flash, PSS9's, EVO CAI....and I'm lucky if I've picked up 20 HP. Most of what you read on these forums about big HP increases are folks who haven't dyno'd the cars but "feel the increase in power". Yeah....I went thru that too...and I "felt" the increase in power just like the guys who went before me. Is it worth the $4K I've spent? I should have saved the money towards a twin turbo and spent more money on a nice car wax or detailing job. In all honesty, your best bet is a good set of performance suspension mods like the PSS9's or something similar, and some nice sounding mufflers to make it sound faster, meaner, badder or whatever. Everyone goes thru the mod stage....as I did. A lot of the folks will tell you it did something...but there's no scientific data to back it up. Regardless of what I or anyone else says, you'll probably go ahead and buy some mod that claims it's going to put 30 horses to your rear wheels...and hopefully you'll be happy with it. The best you can do is take good care of the car, keep it looking great, and revel in the compliments you get. Good luck....and I mean that sincerely. Chuck

I took a mirror and looked back in there on both sides, then took a vacuum with a very long narrow nozzle and sucked out a lot of debris....including two DEAD BIRDS. I didn't take the front bumper off, but with the mirror I could see that it was cleaned out very well. I don't know about what might be behind the radiators, but the front's were certainly nice and clean.

Victor: I'm sure that if you were to go into the service manager or one of the executive levels of the dealerships front office and tell them about your concerns with the service guys treating your car like they were vying for the pole position at Indy, you'd find that at the next staff meeting, the issue would be discussed. What I've found is that often, we don't give the folks in charge an opportunity to address the problem. We go ballistic right from the start, and what the hell....even a service manager or company exec doesn't like to be verbally attacked right from the get-go. I've always operated on the principle of looking at the objective. In a situation where you feel you've been wronged....your objective is to get the wrong corrected. To start off with a angry tirade usually doesn't accomplish the objective....it serves to polarize the parties and make the problem that much more difficult to resolve. Give them a chance first....then if they don't respond, or kiss off the problem...go for the throat. I've been pleasantly surprised a number of times when the problem was resolved to my satisfaction without having to go to the mat. Victor...those guys want your business, and if you tell them you're going to have to go elsewhere if the service guys don't quit treating your car like something in a demolition derby....I'd be willing to bet that your car gets treated differently.

Victor: Were it my car, I'd have it back to them and make them do it right so that you don't find screws lying about. There's no reason why a defect caused by the dealership shouldn't be made right...even if it takes several returns. Now, this presupposes that you aren't 50 miles or more from the dealership....distance makes a difference....especially at over $3 a gallon!! Not to mention the inconvenience of return trips.