JFP in PA

Everything you have described is voltage related. A bad battery and/or alternator will cause the ABS and PSM MIL's to light up, the radio indicator is a low voltage LED which will work when the battery won't turn the car over, the alarm often goes off when the battery is first reconnected, etc. Get the voltage regulator or alternator tested and replaced, recharge the battery (if it has not been permanently damaged by all this) and have it load tested, and you should be back in business. Nothing unusual.

Thanks for that information Richard. After 1996, cars in North America had to become OBD II compliant, hence the switch to two O2 sensors per bank. We recently had a fully restored 1989 Cadillac in the shop that carried a pre OBD I diagnostic system (used a system called Assembly Line Data Link or ALDL) that had one large main cat and had only one O2 sensor ahead of the cat (which happened to be acting up) for a big 5L V8 engine; my how times have changed.

Actually, it went both ways. North American cars had a single O2 sensor mounted at the cat in 1995, 1996-1998 models have two, one before and behind the main cat on both banks. ROW cars continued to use a single sensor for a longer period, but I am not sure when they switched to two sensors on each bank.

What Loren is trying to tell you is that the PST code 23 is the same as P0159, and indicates the O2 sensor behind the cat on bank 4-6 is on its way out and needs to be replaced.

First, make sure the CAN bus is not "asleep"; Porsche Cayenne's use the CAN bus for diagnostics. The CAN bus will go into sleep mode after only a few minutes if the car's engine is not running. To prevent this, you can either start the car's engine (when it's safe to do so) or turn on the hazard lights (emergency flashers) just after turning on the car's ignition. For 2003 - 2004 models, press the brake pedal to wake up the CAN bus.

If he is using the Durametric, he should be able to generate O2 sensor curves like the ones I posted above to see how the cat is doing. Take just a few seconds to collect the data. It also look like your DME is trying to richen up the mixture, which is why I suggested looking at the fuel trims.

As most of these codes look like communications errors, I would focus on the P0470 CAN bus code.

At this juncture, I'm not convinced it is a bad cat. You need to get the car scanned with a Porsche specific system (Durametric, PST II, PIWIS) looking specifically at the pre and post cat sensors while the car is running. These systems can graphically display the sensor voltages in real time, which will indicate how well the cat is doing: Good cat: Bad cat: While hooked up, you should also have the car's fuel trims checked.

2.7L is the correct fill level, you should be fine.

In the order asked: Absolutely not. It is actually illegal in many places to vent any AC system, regardless of the gas type used (R12, R22, 134A, etc.). The residual gas needs to be captured and recycled by someone with the correct tooling. Never use hose clamps on any AC lines, they should use crimped on specific fittings, often with O-ring seals. If the hoses are bad, replace them. It is always a good idea to replace the system dryer when doing any service that requires opening the system up, and you will need to thoroughly evacuate the system to a high level of vacuum prior to recharging it. Again, often a process best left to a pro with the correct tooling.

Often, the tie rod end's treaded section is subject to corrosion build up from water and particularly road salt, which can make them a pain to get off. Try backing off the lock nut and giving the end a liberal dose of a good penetrating oil, then let them sit for a bit before trying to unscrew them. If that does not work, next step is to apply some heat to try to force the end to expand and break loose. When you do get them off, apply a liberal coating of anti seize compound to the threaded rod section before installing the new units, that will make the next time a breeze.

Unless there is an issue with the case bolts, I would strongly suggest leaving them alone. The flywheel bolts are single use, get new ones. Same for the pressure plate bolts. You will need the cam plugs, tensioner crush washers, and a new RMS seal as well. leaking or not. Throw out and pilot bearings are relatively cheap, but costly to go back a second time to repair. Get new ones. The later engines have a slightly different cam locking arrangement than the early cars; LN usually supplies everything you need, but you can always fab up extras if you are so inclined.

If you are just replacing the hydraulic tensioners, the tool(s) is not necssary; start by first running your cam deviation values with the Durametric system for refference, then just lock the engine at TDC, lock the cams, and you are set to swap out the tensioners. When done, recheck the cam deviation values to be sure nothing moved. If you are going deeper (e,g,: removing the chains, etc.) you need some addtional tooling to hold the cams in place while the cam covers are off. Once the parts swap out was done, you would then need the 9599 during the process of retiming the cams to properly tension the paddles and chains while setting the timing. You should also be aware that if you are just changing out the hydraulic chain tensioner units, you do not need to drop the engine. At the moment my cam deviation values are about 0.35 and -9.35. I would like to start by changing the chain rails (pads). If I can do this without dropping the engine, then I could easily check to see if this fixes the problem. I just figured that this would be a real birch to do with the engine still stuffed up in there. Shouldn't I necessarily replace the chains though? That -9.35 is troublesome. As your original post only mentioned the tensioners, I did not know how deep you were planning to go. You can do all four tensioners with the engine in the car, but if you intend to do the chain paddles it would be quicker with the engine out, and there is no way to do the chains without pulling the engine as you are now into splitting the cases. I was only thinking about the cam chains though. So I'd have to remove the cam cover but no further. Don't know whether this is more trouble to do it in the car or to drop the engine. Again, if it is doable in the car it simplifies some aspects of the job, but if it doesn't fix the problem then I'll have been working in cramped quarters for nothing. Dilemma! :eek: Old Porsche shop adage: "When in doubt, pull it out..........." Engines are always easier to work on when bolted to an engine stand, you can put them in any position that is convenient to what you are doing; can't say that when it is sitting in the car.

The coolant pipes on the 986 S cars are larger in diameter than the base cars, creating a problem getting a leak tight fit with the special hoses for the center radiator kits. While some have resorted to a concoction of soldered copper fittings to make this work, there is a more elegant and leak proof alternative available from a firm named Precision Chassis Works ( http://www.precisionchassisworks.com/boxster-cooling-line-modification.html ): They will sell you the special end fittings to weld into your pipes, will weld them into your pipes for you, or even sell you a set already done. Craftsmanship is very good, and they fit perfectly without raiding the plumbing section of your local home center, and everything else in the cooling system remains stock.

If you are just replacing the hydraulic tensioners, the tool(s) is not necssary; start by first running your cam deviation values with the Durametric system for refference, then just lock the engine at TDC, lock the cams, and you are set to swap out the tensioners. When done, recheck the cam deviation values to be sure nothing moved. If you are going deeper (e,g,: removing the chains, etc.) you need some addtional tooling to hold the cams in place while the cam covers are off. Once the parts swap out was done, you would then need the 9599 during the process of retiming the cams to properly tension the paddles and chains while setting the timing. You should also be aware that if you are just changing out the hydraulic chain tensioner units, you do not need to drop the engine. At the moment my cam deviation values are about 0.35 and -9.35. I would like to start by changing the chain rails (pads). If I can do this without dropping the engine, then I could easily check to see if this fixes the problem. I just figured that this would be a real birch to do with the engine still stuffed up in there. Shouldn't I necessarily replace the chains though? That -9.35 is troublesome. As your original post only mentioned the tensioners, I did not know how deep you were planning to go. You can do all four tensioners with the engine in the car, but if you intend to do the chain paddles it would be quicker with the engine out, and there is no way to do the chains without pulling the engine as you are now into splitting the cases.

If you are just replacing the hydraulic tensioners, the tool(s) is not necssary; start by first running your cam deviation values with the Durametric system for refference, then just lock the engine at TDC, lock the cams, and you are set to swap out the tensioners. When done, recheck the cam deviation values to be sure nothing moved. If you are going deeper (e,g,: removing the chains, etc.) you need some addtional tooling to hold the cams in place while the cam covers are off. Once the parts swap out was done, you would then need the 9599 during the process of retiming the cams to properly tension the paddles and chains while setting the timing. You should also be aware that if you are just changing out the hydraulic chain tensioner units, you do not need to drop the engine.

That was exactly what I was thinking..........

Thoroughly clean both surfaces, then Loctite 5900, used sparingly (very small bead):

6.3.2.5 is the most current version, but as all the newer versions embody all of the features of the earlier ones plus the latest bug fixes and new technical updates, I'm not sure what the benefit of going "retrograde" would be, other than for those that have the older cables which cannot communicate with the newer software (anything later than 5.1.3).

You could be having an intermittent TB servo fault which goes away, along with its code. I have full faith in the Durametric system software reading the correct codes, but it also cannot read what is not there when it is plugged in. That said, I would also ask the Porsche "master mechanic" what codes he saw with the PIWIS that led him to replace the throttle body.

Only if you want five reverse gears and one foward. Boxster and 996 engines are reversed, the Boxster is ahead of the gear box, the 996 is behind it, so they are rotating in oposite directions.

One comment: On any transmission or axle oil change, you should always remove the fill plug before the drain plug. That way, if you cannot get the fill plug out, you are not faced with an empty trans or drive unit and no way to re-fill them.

Before going any further, your original code (P0160) if for an electrical connection fault, not necessarily meaning the sensor itself was bad. Both the sensor and sensor heater wiring should be checked for the correct voltages (0.4-0.5V) and shorts (heater should read >20K Ohm). This could be a wiring issue as much as a sensor problem. P0154 is for a similar issue on the other sensor. Before swapping any more parts, I'd start looking at the wire harness and connectors, and test the sensor and heater circuits for correct readings. Getting the same "connection fault" codes on both sensors is probably not a coincidence.

Don't bet on it; repeated attempts at using the engine coding for IMS type identification have been proven wrong more often than not. This is one of the main reasons LN started charging people for returned bearing kits, too many "guessed" wrong.

You may have to wait until you pull the car apart on this one. 2000-2001 was a transitional period for Porsche, during which they used both components (dual and single row), and unfortunately the use of engine numbers has proven useless in determining which style bearing is in the engine, you simply have to look. From the LN website: "MY00-01 vehicles may need either a dual row or single row Retrofit™ kit, so you must inspect the flange and compare to the photos of the dual row and single row IMS shown above to determine which kit is needed." And for future reference, please do not double post, it is against forum rules.