Orient Express

The air diverters have different part numbers for different years and models (C2 vs C4), and there are left and right sided ones.

That last picture posted by Orient....is that the radiator that's actually BEHIND the AC evaporator? That gunk is what was sandwiched BETWEEN the radiator and the AC evaporator? Or is that just what's on the front of the radiator? Yes, the majority of the gunk is between the evaporator and the radiator. There will be debris on the front of the evaporator too, but most of it is between the 2. I've been routinely cleaning off the radiator (or is it the evaporator) that you can see if you shine a flashlight into the front cirbers of the grill...and am using a vacuum with a long narrow fixture to clean it all out.....but are you saying that behind what I can see in there is potentially another accumulation of crud sandwiched in between the radiator and the evaporator? Yes, most of the stuff is between the 2 and the only way to clean it out is to peel the two parts apart and wash in there Then the only way to clean this would be taking off the front bumper and getting between the two? All this time I thought that keeping the area clean that you can see back in the corners was all there was to it. Yep!

1. yes the first picture is an "00" cap, and the bottom one is an "01" cap. 2. Yes as a matter of course you clean both sides of both radiators on both sides. The front radiator is the air conditioner condenser, and the back one is the engine coolant radiator. There are 2 sets of these, one on each side. Some cars have a 3rd radiator in the center of the front of the car as well. You must pull apart the 2 radiators to get the gunk that accumulates between them. There is not so much stuff that sticks to the back of the coolant radiator because it all gets blown out (sucked out by the fans too) through the air exhaust duct. This picture shows the air conditioner condenser and the coolant radiator pulled apart.

While replacing the expansion tank cap is important if you have the older "00" cap, the real culprit in a car running hot is the radiators being clogged with road debris. I recommend every 2-3 years that you take the front bumper cover off and clean off the radiators. You would be amazed at the stuff that gets lodged in there. Just reaching in and getting the debris out is not enough. The issue is that stuff gets clogged between the air conditioner condenser and the engine radiator. This reduces the airflow through both parts and makes the car run hotter. Here are some pictures from a recent radiator cleaning of my neighbors 99 996. One last thing, make sure that the expansion tank cap is fully closed. Here is a picture of one that is almost closed: and here is one that is fully closed: The issue is that the gasket inside the cap binds on the tank neck. Be sure to spray a little silicone lubricant or soapy water into the top of the cap so that it turns that last 5% of the way.

There are 3 places to check for voltage. Chances are the grounds are all good, since all 3 things are out. This narrows it down to 3 places. 1. Fuse row A position 5. 2. If the fuse is good, check to see that there is voltage coming from the bottom of the fuse holder. Chances are that is good because other things on that bus are still working. If that is good, next check to see if the circuit supply line is properly connected to the fuse block. To do that you have to look on the back of the fuse block. To do that, remove the carpet & plastic bezel that is held to the fuse block with 4 phillips screws. Next pop off the fuse block from its mounting bracket. It is held to a bracket on the wheel well by plastic clips on both sides. It just pops off when the clips are released. Make sure that the power line is still connected to the A5 fuse plug. If that is OK, and there is voltage at that line, next move on the Relay support bracket and the power distribution bridge plug for the individual lighting circuits. 3. The relay support bracket is behind and above the fuse block. It is held in by a nut on one side and a clip to a plastic mounting bracket on the other. This clip can be a pain in the lass to disconnect, and don't be mad if you break the plastic mounting bracket. Replacements are only a few bucks at your Porsche parts counter. (ask me how I know...) The bridge plugs are along the bottom and left side (looking at the front of the relay support). They are essentially junction terminals for a variety of things that are similar to each other. (like panel illumination, speed signals, etc.) The one you want to look at is Plug 27 position BS 10/1. Looking at the front of the relay support bracket, that is the 5th plug from the left on the bottom row. Each position has 4 bridge plugs and BS 10/1 is the bottom right one. This connects the power line from the fuse block A5 to the individual lines for the dash, interior, and license plate circuits. To verify the connections, you have to look at the back side of the relay support bracket. Make sure all of the cables are securely plugged in, especially the one that goes back to the fuse block. It sounds to me like the voltage supply line has come loose at either the fuse block or the relay support bracket. If this sounds like it is too much for you, then take it to your independent or dealer and let them trace it out.

I have my garage door opener in the A pillar, and runs off of its battery. It has been in the a pillar for 4 years on the original battery and is still going strong. I would recommend you save yourself the effort and just install the transmitter in the car with a fresh battery and forget about it. here is the link to my DIY

Save your money and visit your local Pep Boys, Kragen, Auto Zone, Wallmart etc. and pick up a Flo Tool Super Graphite Number 7 oil filter wrench for $3.99. It is the right size and has the right number of flutes. It is made from the same stuff as the oil filter canister of a 996, 997, 986. 987, etc. I have one of these for each of my cars, and have been using them for years. They work great.

If the car is still in warranty, then Porsche will replace them. I had 3 calipers replaced because of clear coat delamination on my 996. You will probably need to be perseverant with your dealer to get done, but paint defects like that are covered in your warranty. The issue is that the paint is for corrosion control as well as aesthetics. The braking and thus safety capabilities of these calipers are compromised because of the increased risk of corrosion due to the failure of the paint. What did you say or cite for them to replace or repaint them? I want to go prepare, at this point I know nothing about claiming warranty issues with Porsche... They replaced the calipers. The work order description was: "Brake Concern Customer states paint delaminating from fright front brake caliper. Found caliper faulty Replaced brake caliper to correct -Warranty"

Good luck with a very difficult project. The reason I say that is because you are attempting to install an analog radio into a car that uses a MOST digital fiber-optic bus to connect to the radio, speakers, amplifier, etc. Starting in 2003 all Porsche radios were MOST and not compatible with earlier systems. That is why you can't find the speaker cables (there aren't any, its all digital to the amp), same with reverse and speedometer signals, digital on the bus. Short of completely replacing everything involved, you are going to have a tough time getting it to work. Good news is that since your radio is only for <02 cars, you should not have a problem selling it.

If the car is still in warranty, then Porsche will replace them. I had 3 calipers replaced because of clear coat delamination on my 996. You will probably need to be perseverant with your dealer to get done, but paint defects like that are covered in your warranty. The issue is that the paint is for corrosion control as well as aesthetics. The braking and thus safety capabilities of these calipers are compromised because of the increased risk of corrosion due to the failure of the paint.

Yes, only one fog lamp lens is operational in the US. For the reasons outlined above. And for your temperature fluctuations, when was the last time you reached in your radiator intakes and cleaned out all of the crap that is probably in there blocking radiators? Chances are your radiators are blocked with road debris. You can clean out some of the stuff by reaching in there and cleaning it out, but to do it correctly, one has to pull of the front bumper covers and peel apart the air-conditioner condenser from the radiator and clean out the fuzz and dirt that gets stuck in there. I have seen 15 degree variants in coolant temp because of blocked radiators.

If your caliper is in need of a total reapplication of clear coat, then it is best to remove it from the car, and sand down all of the places where it is peeling, in the crevices, etc., then give the whole thing a new coat of clear. This way you won't have to worry about masking marks. Pulling the caliper off is not hard at all, just make sure if you reuse the caliper mounting bolts that your apply some loctite to them, and tighten them to the proper torque of 63 ft/lbs.

I just fixed one of those spots yesterday. These usually happen because you got little too close with the pressure washer. I do the procedure below with the wheel off. To fix where the clear coat has come off: 1. Using your fingernail, first try to pop off any clear coat around the blemish that has not yes come off. 2. Using 1600 grit sandpaper, gently wet sand the edges of the blemish smooth. 2.a I polish the surface with a fine polish to further smooth the surface. 3. Clean the surface of the caliper that will be repainted throughly with 3M General Purpose adhesive remover. 4. Mask off the caliper so that only the area with the blemish and a portion around the blemish is exposed. 5. Reapply clear coating. I use Plasti-Kote No. 296 clear Wheel-Kote. 6. After the clear coat is dry, remove the masking, and using polish on an orbital polisher, smooth out the masking line. When you are done, you will not be able to tell there was ever a blemish. One caveat, be very careful when preparing the surface if the blemish is close to the "Porsche" lettering. You have to sand very carefully and slowly.

Laugh if you want, but I keep a bottle of Testors 1103 Red enamel in my touch-up kit got my calipers. It is a very good match, and the caliper never gets so hot that the paint is compromised. It is the perfect low-cost paint for touchup. FYI, the stock calipers are painted with water-based low VOC enamel and not powder coated.

I respectfully disagree :notworthy: . The red Boxster S calipers are really 996 calipers (I have them on my 996) , and the 997 (not the 997S) brakes are a carryover from the 996, so I would think that they just might work. I would recommend test fitting one, and reporting back.

You don't have to lower the engine, just remove the secondary air pump, and loosen the fuel rail on that side. It is just a turn and wiggle job to get it out.

I would comment, that you have applied Rejex the proper way: Apply, let dry, wipe off excess, let cure overnight, go over car again to remove any residual rejex. I don't recommend leaving the material on overnight before removing. If the thick coat cures, it is very difficult to remove.

A common complaint with the 996 coolant tank is dried coolant residue found around the coolant cap. This indicates that at some period during the operation of the car, coolant is leaking out of the tank mouth. This condition is different from leaks under the tank. These types of leaks are indicative of the plastic tank cracking. The solution for this is to replace the tank. The seepage from the tank mouth can be caused by two things. 1. The Coolant tank cap being defective. 2. The Coolant tank cap being not fully screwed on and seated on the tank. Early 996 coolant tank caps have a design defect in them that will cause them to start 'weeping' coolant over time. These caps have a part number that ends in "00". If your car has one of these caps, it is best to replace it. Later caps with an 01 or higher part number suffix do not have this problem, but can be difficult to fully seat because of the improved seal. Later caps that exhibit 'weeping' may not actually be defective, they are only not fully screwed on and seated. The issue is that the cap gasket is slightly thicker, and will bind against the tank top and threads for the last 1/8th turn. Because the cap is hand tightened, it is easy to think that the cap is fully seated. In order to overcome this, clean off all of the dried coolant residue from the mouth of the tank, and the inside seal and threads of the cap. Then spray some silicone lubricant on the cap seal and threads prior to screwing on the cap. This will allow the cap to be fully hand-tightened. The cap has a cruciform pattern on it which makes it easy to verify if it is fully seated. Further, the when the cap is fully seated, it will make a "clicking" feel as it is fully seated. Here is an example of a coolant tank cap in which the owner reported that there was leakage. Notice the cap cruciform alignment (and that it is an 00 cap). Here is an example of a coolant cap that is fully seated and has no leaks. Notice the cap cruciform alignment. Before you replace your coolant cap or tank, make sure that your problem is just that the cap is not screwed on all the way!

Just stick the transmission in Neutral and put the shifter in the "neutral position" and hook it up! (but you knew that already right?) <_<

Is the spring set properly in the bottom rubber spring seat on the Dampener? Did you mixup the springs and put the old non-M030 spring back in on that side? Is the Dampener fully seated in the wheel yoke?

Go down to your local Pep boys, Kragen, Napa, or what ever is the local auto parts store and get yourself a FloTool #7 oil filter wrench. They are about $3 and fit the 996/997/986/987 oil filter canister just fine.

I noticed that the 03 986 maintenance list has a replace spark plug item for the 30K maintenance. On the 996 the spark plug replacement interval is 60K miles. I wonder why there is a difference like that given the similarities of the 2 engines. Anyone got any ideas why?

So for this question I consulted with Peter Smith who is a PCA technical consultant and the chief tech at Rector Porsche. The perfectly safe way to lift the engine is to position the jack on the case seam and lift. The further back toward the transmission you can place the jack saddle, the higher you will be able to lift the car. Of course, you just want to lift the car high enough to place the jack stands. The engine case is extremely strong, remember on race cars the suspension, transmission etc. is bolted to it.

On the package tray area behind the rear seats which is directly above the engine, there are two holes (one on each side) that are plugged with rubber grommets. They are toward the rear outboard part of the tray area,, and under the carpet and sound deadening material. On the Cabriolet, they are in the area where the top is stored when it is down. These can be used to pass wires from the interior to the engine compartment. Simply cut an "X" in the center of the grommet, pass the wire through and then dab it with some silicone caulk to weatherproof it.

Having had several new 996 engines, I can say that the most important aspect of breaking in a green engine, is to let it fully warm up before it is driven aggressively. Once it is fully warmed up, then it can be driven in the higher RPM ranges just fine, but let it warm up first!