JFP in PA

Strange electrical issues (things not working when they should, or working when they shouldn't) are often related to a failing ignition switch. The switch is a cheap and easily replaced item.

Not overly complicated; remove the plastic underbody shields, support the transmission and remove the trans mount support bolts. Remove the trans support metal brace. At this point you should be able to see the driveshaft flex disc, remove the bolts in the disc and pull the driveshaft out while putting something under the front diff to catch any oil that may drip. This procedure, by-the-by, is fully covered in the Bentley 996 service manual with photos and complete diagrams of the components.

Glad to be of help...................

Get rid of the gear oil and refill with the OEM product; it is a unique full synthetic gear lube produced for only for Porsche. We get cars in regularly with gearbox noise issues that are traced back to using the wrong lube.

Today's tool-tip: Spend about $9 and get yourself a hose removal tool (this one is by OTC and sold by Amazon): Slide it into the hose end, and a quick slide around the fitting circumference, the hose is loose and undamaged. Works on any rubber hose held on by a clamp.

We use the Durametric system every day in the shop, and find it works very well on a broad cross section of Porsche models and years. A lot of other shops also use it. I have also found that the folks at Durametric are both quick and helpful in sorting out any problems with the install of the system or any bugs or quirks that pop up from time to time, most of which are fairly simple to resolve. No, it will not do everything that a PIWIS does (yet), but is by far the best alternative I have seen to date to a nearly $20K annual lease for the OEM system.

Ummmm............you are aware that a P0420 code is indicative of a problem with the three way catalytic converter, and not the pre-cat on the OEM header?

That is going to significantly impact the car's braking at a minimum and could casue other problems (ABS, PSM, line pressure, pressure balance, etc.); why do you want to do this?

Kind of the wrong end of the motor for that, plus on some 996 models changing the water pump requires getting some things out of the way that could be problematic with no trans holding the other end up. I'd leave the pump for another time.

The AOS is much easier with the car apart, only takes a couple min. to do.

Only one problem with that statement, Ross-Tech's VCDS cannot activate or even access many fucntions on a Porsche that the Durametric system can; in fact, from Ross-Tech's own website: Porsche: Although Porsche SE and Volkswagen AG have takensteps to merge, Porsche still does diagnostics quite differently than VW so VCDSdoes not do OEM diagnostics on most Porsche systems. However, we've heard goodthings about Durametric's Diagnostic Tool for Porsche.

I think you need to understand the process a bit more, and we would need to know a bit more about where you are and what you are trying to accomplish. First of all, why do you want to get rid of the cats? If you are just adding headers, you should also recognize that the potential for increased power output via this route is rather limited without going the full "ten-tenths" in retuning the engine, including a DME re-flash with one of the aftermarket programs on one of these engines. As the US versions of the 986 use four O2 sensors (two per bank), while the "ROW" (rest of the world) use only two (one per side), it is possible (using a PSTII or PIWIS) to re-flash the DME to ROW status if you remove one of the sensors from each side to prevent throwing related codes. But in the process, you defeat the DME's ability to alter the fuel trims accurately, which leads to higher levels of pollution. In some states, visual inspection of the emissions systems is part of the annual inspection process, with the cat and O2 sensor missing, which could lead to some major problems. In some states, they still plug the "sniffer" in the tail pipe to test the cars rather than run the OBD II based I/M readiness test; a car with a revamped DME program and missing cats could have problems there as well. Several header manufacturers also produce good quality headers with the cats and the O2 sensor bungs, so they would be a bolt in swap without all the other associated downsides. And as aftermarket headers add little in the way of absolute performance, you would not be giving up much by having headers with cats.

You should be fine with 3 gallons of coolant and 3 of distilled water. Pre mix them outside the car, and if you have access to one, use a vacuum fill unit.

Year and model? In general, the cars hold about 6 gallons of coolant mix total, but it varies by year and model configurations,

You probably have over filled it, but it is easy to adjust, get the trans up to temp and remove the over flow plug and it will correct itself.

You need to be extremely careful with the cooling systems on these cars; the M96/97’s do not take well to being overheated. Neither photo show any signs of an intermix issue; if you had one, the oil and/or coolant would look more like hot chocolate, and they do not. That said, the “-01” cap is a suspect. If the car were in my shop, I would pressure test both the cap (to see what pressure it opens at), and the cooling system to see if there are any leaks. If the cap and cooling system checked out OK, I would then pull the plugs, looking at each for signs of “steam cleaning” that would be evidence of either a head gasket (not common) or cylinder head cracking (more common). I would also run a leak down test on each cylinder, and possibly bore scope them as well looking for the same signs. Assuming that the inspections found nothing obvious, I would replace the cap, drain the entire cooling system, mix fresh coolant with distilled water and refill the system under vacuum.

The Durametric system is not perfect, but it still remains the best non-PIWIS system out there. I think of it best described as “a work in progress”, as they seem to be open to comments and suggestions on how to improve the system.

Glad to be of help; next time I'm south of London on the M25 ring road, I'll take you up on that pint.................. :cheers:

True enough, but it can also be done with a simple multimeter if one does not have access to one of those; if memory serves, I think the voltages on a good sensor are 450mV between pins 3 and 4, and 720mV between pin 3 and ground.

The sensors can be tested individually as they are simple electrical devices that operate is certain voltage ranges. As the code indicates that the timing of the signal between the two sensors on that bank are out of range, it could be only one, or it could be both (most of the time, it is the one after the cat). Usually we test both sensors to see which is not up to snuff as these things are not cheap. Unfortunately, I am away from my shop at the moment, so I do not have the testing voltages at hand, perhaps Loren may have access to them.

Not surprising, the O2 sensors have been updated more than once, so they often have new part numbers. Check with a dealer like Sunset to get the latest number.

I would go back to whoever did the PPI and ask to have it run, at worst they should only charge a couple of bucks as it takes about 5 min. to run; they might even be embarassed into not charging for something they should have done in the first place. I would also have the oil filter pulled and cut open as well. When you get the point of running a PPI, the buyer is obviously serious about the car, getting all the information is really your last chance to make and informed decision before a lot of money changes hands and there is no going back..........

You can clean the electrical connections with any commerical electical connector cleaning spray from someone like CRC, you could also use their MAF sensor cleaner as well. The O2 sensor is not that hard to get at, but it is in a bit of a confined space so don't rush it. Put a dab of antiseize on the threads of the new one, and make sure it is properly tightened (they are known to come loose). A decent O2 sensor wrench is also a good investment.

These cars have a TSB out on them concerning high resistance battery cables (loose cable ends, often with corrosion as well). Checking the cables is easy using a multimeter, they should have no resistance. If the cables are bad, they can be changed as a DIY project, but it will take some time as some things need to be removed to get at them.

The water pumps in these cars use a composite impeller, which eventually begins to break up. When this happens, small particles can get jammed in small water passages, particularly inside the cylinder heads, causing hot spots and potentiallycracks. Aftermarket pumps with metal impellers are not a solution as when they age and begin to wobble, as all water pumps do, the metal impellers tear up the engine case. So the water pump on the M96/97 had gone from being a “repair item” (replace it when it breaks), to a “maintenance item” (replace it before it fails). Based upon your mileage, you are in the window to put a new one in. This will also give you the opportunity to replace both your coolant mix with fresh, and consider upgrading to a 160F thermostat at the same time (an excellent mod for these engines that run entirely too hot).