mackguyver

Ahsai, thanks so much for your reply and I'll take a look at the blower fan motor and transistor later today. I might have to pick up a Durametric as well - it seems like something I should have now that my car is getting older.

I have searched and searched this forum and the Internet but can't seem to find anyone else with my issue. Last week, I got in the car and the A/C came on full blast, but no air came out of the vents. I turned it off and then back on a few minutes later and it worked. It kept working the next several days and then it did it again. Now it has died completely. When I turn the fan speed to max, a tiny bit of cool air comes out, but I can barely feel it. The 2 A/C & Heat fuses are fine and there are no codes in the CEL. I have the classic foam in the duct issue and worry that it's clogged the fan, but I can't hear the fan starting at all, but I do hear the A/C turn on and some other electronic/mechanical noises when I turn the fan on or off with the controls. Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong? As a Floridian with 90+ degree days, your help is much appreciated!

Moving to main forum

I'm having a very similar problem and couldn't get my top open until tonight. The driver side is clicking at the very start and the very end and the top won't go all the way down or all the way up. It's closed and latched, but the convertible top light is still on. I tried to work on it tonight but couldn't find the red(/white) cables to save my life. I will have to try again in the light... In the meantime, is it bad to drive around with the top closed and latched, but with the light still on?

Yes, I had to replace both plates - the left was available OEM (Bosch) and for about $70 and the right was Genuine Porsche $155 - though they were absolutely identical other than the orientation. The plates went in very easily and I got the headlights installed again. I had a very bad (first) experience with Auto Atlanta who everyday for two weeks told me that the second half of my order (the right mounting plate) had shipped despite being told that everything was in stock when I ordered. They gave me the runaround and charged me about $40 more in shipping than I was quoted. I would never use them again.

Ok, it looks like it will be easy to replace them - they just have three retaining bolts that came off easily, but I can't figure out how to release the wiring harness.

I was having trouble getting my headlights out to change the bulbs and realized the tool was stripped, so I used a socket. Both headlights were hard to get out, but both came out without crazy effort, but when they did, the broke the headlight mounting plates and the rod that holds the headlights in is not secured in the plastic anymore. I looked up the part numbers - 99663104100 & 99663104200 but I'm not sure how hard they are to replace. I tried the torq bolts on on one of the plates but couldn't get it free and I'm leary of breaking something else now. Any ideas on how to fix or how much my overpriced dealer will charge to fix?

Thanks so much for your post - I thought I might've stripped the headlight retention mechanism - I didn't realize how cheap the toolkit wrench was and how easily I stripped it. Considering the engineering marvel that is the superlightweight jack, I was surprised that the tools are so cheap. It's a 5mm socket for future reference if people find this post. The socket cured all and allowed me to pop the passenger headlight in just as easily as the driver side.

I prefer to drink it on the rocks or mixed with brake fluid for what I call a Chernobyl Sunrise. They say it's lethal, but it tastes good to me :cheers:

I don't know the answer, but I'd be really surprised if these need to be changed until much later like 90k miles or only if they're defective.

I edited my last post, but I guess it doesn't show up as a new one, so I'm writing thing to make sure people get to see my tips.

I'm deleting my original post - I took another stab at my 986 plug change in the light of day and wanted to post some tips to keep with the spirit of this topic: The KD Tools spark plug sockets (mentioned in a earlier post) worked perfectly for the 986 engine. I used the 11" socket for the 4 rear-most plugs and the 6" for the front 2 plugs. They are worth their weight in gold - no more trying to retrieve a lost socket deep in the engine. The only negative was that the hinged shaft on the 6" requires far more turns because the hinging reduces the effectiveness of each turn. Plan on removing the wheel well liner held in place by two 5mm plastic nuts - it'll give you much more access to the cramped space. You'll need to remove the 5mm bolt holding the spark plug connector wires in front of the 2 front-most plugs to get the wire & harness out of the way for full access to the boot and plug. You'll also need a Phillips head screwdriver to remove a screw holding a u-shaped drain/vent that blocks access to the 5mm hex bolt on the middle plug on the driver's side. If you remove one screw and loosen the other, you can swing it out of the way to get access. Just about the only tool that will reach the front-most (driver's side) 5mm hex bolt is a traditional 90 degree bent hex wrench, like the ones that come with furniture. Between the body & a very thick hose (or wire), you won't be able to use a hex socket, a foldout hex or any of the elaborate socket extenders and thumb wrenches I tried. You might get away with a low profile 1/4" mini socket or GearWrench type socket. This might not sound like a big deal, but owning multiple hex socket sets, and several folding hex sets, I never bothered to buy the 90 degree hex wrenches and had to run out to get a set to complete the 6th and final plug - very annoying! Also, and your experience may very, but I found the 5mm hex bolts needed a fair amount of force to "pop" them and then they were easy to turn. I had Beru plugs from the factory and found some of them to be very tough to get out. Two required maximum torque to get them loose and all were very tight and even "gritty" for the first 5 or 10 turns. I have changed plugs on at least 6 other cars (mostly European) and never had this much difficulty. I don't know if it's the whole "no anti-sieze" thing or what, but it wasn't very comforting and I was very worried about stripping the engine threads. With the 11" extended socket, I was able to use my torque wrench to snug the plugs to Bosch's 21 ft/lb recommendation for the 4 rear-most plugs. I wasn't able to get enough room to turn the torque wrench in the front of the engine, so I just tightened them by hand to what I felt to be the right torque. Allow plenty of time (at least an hour) to change the plugs because it's so damned cramped and even with a good worklight, you have to do a lot by feel. If you've only changed plugs in a front engine, you're in for a surprise. I used to think it was a pain to change the plugs near the firewall in my BMW because it was tight... I hope this hellps fellow 986'ers out there. It's a pain, it's dirty, it takes while, but it's not too hard and I'm sure you'll save a ton over what the dealer wants to charge.

Update I went to the dealer this morning for a "45k minor service" at 39k miles. It's been two years since I bought it and I've only put about 11k miles on it, so I thought it was a good idea to get it checked out. Well $196 later, I drove off with a new drain plug, no problems and a oil and filter change. I could swear I heard the mechanic telling the service advisor about the drain plug, but no one said anything to me about it. I even asked if they found anything at all and they said no. I don't know if they were embarrassed at the thought that another dealer had done this or what, but alas, all seems to be good. Hopefully I'll be able to do my own oil change next time. I don't think Mobil 1, paper filters, or metal washers / rings have a shelf life, so I should be all set in a year or two. Also, I still can't believe the amazing difference that my brake flush made - especially since I didn't see any air bubbles come out while doing it. My brakes are much firmer and have so much better "feel". If you've got the other DIY tools, I'd strongly recommend getting a bleeder. My next purchase will be need to new tires, and we all know how cheap those 18" low profile tires are, so I'm probably out of fun money for more DIY projects for the time being. Thanks to all of the helpful people who responded to my post!

I can't remember if Porsche valet keys do this, but beware of the newer valet keys. They are NOT spare keys. In addition to not opening the storage compartment / glove box and trunk(s), they don't have the code or full code in them and will not activate the fuel pump. The idea is to keep the valet from getting too far if they drive off in your car. I had a friend who misplaced his main key and after using his spare key he had the car die a block or two away. Not the way you want to learn about this...

Thanks for the tip and you must've felt very fortunate to have a spare drain plug nearby. Black gold is no joke and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the price per quart of the good stuff goes way up... As a follow up to my previous post - the BMW was MUCH easier - and I wish I'd done it first. Only one valve per caliper - properly torqued and I had an 11mm racheting socket wrench this time. It's always cool when I can buy one size for both cars. Anyways, I go to the dealer Friday morning - we'll see what they have to say...