Tool Pants

The pictures are with 986Host so they are not working, so I moved them. Porsche sells their branded fluid which I believed to be Pentosin Super DOT 4. Until recently the parts list identified it as Pentosin and the shop manual says Super DOT 4. But then again, Ate also sells a brake fluid called Super DOT4 and the specs are identical to my first picture. Who knows? Stevens Creek Porsche of course sells the Porsche branded fluid. They also sell the Ate blue. The 2 guys in parts I spoke to said they do not carry the Ate amber. I suspect they carry the blue to top up a car that already has it because so many local owners use blue. Plus Peter uses the blue in his own cars. I have no idea what other dealers do.

Come to one of our local events and you will see cars with spacers. 5 mm is nothing. That is what is used on on 550 special edition. Technically they are used to clear the suspension from certain wheels. But most people do it for the cosmetic look.

All I can think of is the switch is bad or something wrong with the DME. The fact the switch clicks into position does not mean anything. I thought maybe the indicator bulb could burn out and maybe the cruise control would not work, but I do not know enough about the circuit Unless someone has a better idea it is time to get hooked up to the dealer's computer so they can see where the fault is. I do not know what more a DIYer could do except pull the steering wheel and check the switch with an ohm meter. And also check the indicator bulb by removing the cluster and opening it up. Let us know what it turns out to be.

Start 9:00 am. It will be at Raman's house in the Evergreen area of San Jose. The largest cross street is Aborn Road. 3692 Rose Terrace Circle, San Jose 95148. Raman has kid duty at noon. We will finish a TrafficPro install, put in a cd changer, and maybe a rear speaker kit. Stop by if you are in the area. Jeff http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=4UVVu...&name=Home&qty= Ooops. Rose Terrasse Circle. That is why you cannot find Terrace on the maps.

We have some owners who had them then removed them due to air flow sensor issues. We have another local owner that put one in last year and so far no problems. When it first came out years ago Dan, another local owner, put one in. Dynoed his car before and after and there was a modest hp gain.

When I met Peter he had already installed the new version lock/switch so I did not watch him do it. He said you remove 2 bolts and then press on a button and the entire assembly comes out. I think he said the key had to be in the ignition when you did this. No special tools. Only time will tell if this new version switch is any better. The old version changed design 4 times. I had some version put in my 1997 Boxster under the recall 3 years ago and it has been fine.

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...st=0entry1941 Yes, but why?

The relay tray is above the fuse box.

The only way to know for sure is to contact Germany as I doubt if anyone in the US knows about the retrofit kits. I am going through this now because there is a retrofit kit not sold in the US for a tilt sensor and alarm siren with a built in rechargeable battery. But I can order it from Germany. It is about $300. Always thought it was funny the alarm did not have a tilt sensor. Well, in the UK the tilt sensor/siren is standard because their insurance companies require them. I'm on the UK board and 2 people sent me pictures so I know what it looks like. Then I went to Boxster guru at my local dealer, Peter, and we looked at the ROW wiring diagrams to see how it was hooked up to the alarm control unit. Peter thought the retrofit kit would work on a US car. But the only way to know for sure is if I buy the kit and hook it up. In your situation I would love to find out what can be done with both kits as you are not the only owner who has asked the same question over the years. Maybe you can sit down with one of the mechanics at your dealer and go through the 2 kits which are in the parts computer under ROW tequipment. A parts person is not going to know because they never sell them. Or send a letter to Germany. The only way to turn off an air bag light is with a PST2. Disconnecting the battery will not do it.

Well then I am going to have to check out your car better next time I see it. What model alarm do you have, since I do not think larez is going to have much luck with either retrofit kits.

The only way to know for sure is to look at the VIN since there are Ruf look a likes. Ruf issues it's own VINs. They are not Porsche VINs. My pic is a real Ruf.

If that owner got into the desnork fad then I would have very little sympathy. I warn people that will increase the chance of water being sucked up into the engine. Porsche has changed the design of the air tube (the snork) twice in an effort to reduce the chance of water being sucked into the engine. Then Porsche raised the side intake vent housing in 2000 so that it would not be flush with the body to further reduce water from being injested. Then for 2003 Porsche blocked off the lower vents on the intake. And then what do people caught up in a fad do? Chris was a mechanic at my local dealer. Several years ago he told me about a customer car that came in after going through a car wash. One of the water jets must have been spraying directly into the intake vent, which filled the air box with water. Car came out of the car wash and customer started the car and it ran bad and had a check engine light. The air box has a drain at the bottom but it is a very small drain and the air box can hold a lot of water. Water was sucked into the engine when started but not enough to hydro lock it and break the engine. This car still had the air tube.

I spoke to Peter Smith at Stevens Creek Porsche yesterday, who I have known for 5 years. He confirmed they do not rebuild the transmission because you cannot get parts for a 6 speed. He also said some special press is needed to remove a bearing and he did not know of a shop that had it. If you luck out with rennwerks or rmg you might make an appointment with Stevens Creek. Tell them you want Peter to look at your car. Then tell Peter you are the guy I mentioned to him. Jeff Lopez.

I did not tell Peter your were turning the key off, then on, then getting the engine to run properly by push/roll starting the car. Wish I had as he may have had a different thought as to what is wrong. I also hope it is not the DME as they are very expensive.

I ask questions there in English and they answer in English. I met one of the German guys on the board, Olaf, a few months ago when he was in San Jose for a convention if you need help. I email him all the time for German info. When we were trying to figure out if there was a sport exhaust for the facelift one of the German guys simply called the factory to find out what was going on. Maybe one of them will do that for the retrofit kit. Zuffenhausen also has a parts department believe it or not. When I could not get info in the US I have faxed them a letter in English and they answered my questions in English. I have the fax number somewhere if you want it. The only thing is that Zuffenhausen will not sell parts to an individual to an address outside of Germany. I looked at the parts list again and it looks like your car needs option M535 for the retrofit kit. Option 535 is anti theft lock 315 mhz. There is also another retrofit kit listed in the same section for 1998-2000, 000 044 900 30. And it lookes like this kit requires the car to have M534, the alarm. Your car does not have either of these options if they are required for either of the retrofit kits to work. In the US market our remote is for the door locks and alarm. That may not be true in all markets. I guess you can have factory remote locking without remote alarm, or the other way around. I doubt if there is anyone in the US who will know if either kit will work on your car.

You can contat him via this board . http://www.unlimitedlaps.com/

Another one of those $499 per month lease specials with no options. We have a few local owners like that. I have no info on this retrofit kit 000 044 900 32 other than what you already know. Never seen it and do not know what this retrofit kit can do or if it will even work on a US car. The tequipment part number is listed on pet only in the ROW section, not US. The kit includes a horn (which I assume is the alarm horn), a key cap, rear trunk unlock, and some other parts. I can send you a list of the parts if you want but your dealer can also print it out for you. The radio frequency used in the US is different than ROW. For $500 you are not going to get much even if it would work on a US car. You might try the German board and see if they know anything out this kit. There is a technical section. http://stau.jowood.de/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=4 There is a local to me guy on renntech with a no option car. Tensia. He has an aftermarket alarm. I think it is made by Clifford. But it does not work the door locks or trunk release.

I spoke to Peter today. He works at my local dealer, is a PCA tech advisor, and put on tech sessions for us local owners. I told him your car would not rev past 2,000 rpm. You disconnected the sensor and the car ran fine. You then replaced 986 606 125 00 with the superceeded part 986 606 125 01. No reprogram is required for this swap per Peter. You car still has the same problem. Is this correct? He said your DME/ECU may be bad and it may not be a sensor isssue. You need to have someone with a PST2 check your DME. He explained why and I sort of understood it. The DME receives signals from the sensor. If the DME is bad then the signals confuses the DME and it does not know what to do. When you unplugged the original sensor then your removed the source of the signal that confuses and the DME goes into the limp mode. This is why you have the same problem with the new sensor plugged in. You did not say if you unplugged the new sensor and tried the car. But try that to test the seat of the pants theory. Then you have no choice but to take it to someone with a PST2 unless someone has a better idea. Let us know what it turns out to be.

Each LCD has a bulb behind it. Need to remove the cluster to replace a bulb.

Local guy Hunpin had them do many modifications on his 2001 S. I am almost positive he tried a different throttle body. He has since sold his car but he still hangs around. He was at a recent tech session. I have his email if you want it. Jeff

A 1997 top will fit any year. The ears on a 1997 are there because the RTS was mounted to the top via the ears after you remove the covers for the ears. The way the RTS mounted was redesigned in 1998 so starting in 1998 the ears went away because they were no longer needed. A 1997 top has a different part number from 1998 up only because if you have the 1997 version of the RTS you need a 1997 top. A guy on rennlist with the 550 special edition has a used 1997 top on his 2004 because the special edition did not have a top option. So he had the 1997 top painted CGT silver to match his special edition. Here is my 1997 silver top on a yellow 2001 with a line to an ear. You can see my car in the background.

Loren did that when the board started last year. I never registered myself. I tried to change it to Boxsternaut but could not figure out how. The only guru I know is Peter Smith at my local dealer who is on the PCA tech committee.

Try again with your part number. Then, what was the part number of your orignial sensor.

Did you eat a hamburger within 10 days of the problem. Maybe that is the reason. :D Coincidence. This A/C display thing is rather old stuff and it is there because the display came from an Audi and that is what they used. I have done this on several local owner's cars, including my own, and pushing the buttons is not going to kill an an air flow sensor. If you can find another Boxster owner with the exact same part number on the sensor then swap them and drive around for a while, turning the car on and off once in a while. Then you will know. Or have someone with an OBD2 code reader read the fault codes when the check engine light is on.

I will tell you what I did and you can figure out what you need to do. I have a 1997 Boxster that was backed up into last year and the headlights were damaged. I had the standard halogen amber headlight that the Boxster has used from 1997-2002. Us Boxster owners want the clear headlights used on the 1999-2001 996. The insurance company paid my body shop for all the repairs and included was $850 list for the standard amber headlights. I told the body shop not to replace the headlights, but to give me the money. A local Boxster owner had converted to lits so I borrowed his old halogens for a few months while I watched ebay for some 996 clear halogen headlights for a few months. People on ebay would bid up the price of 996 clear headlights so much that I could buy them new for less, or buy lits for a few hundred more. Then a seller in New York was parting out a wrecked 1999 996 on ebay and had the clear halogen headlights. I get an email from ebay when a Porsche part is listed. He had a buy it now price of $300. I used buy it now because the way the seller set up the auction was if a bid was place then the $300 price would be gone, and the price would get jacked up. So 20 minutes after the lights were listed on ebay I bought them. I confirmed with the the seller that they were clear, not amber, as the early 1999 996s also had amber. I used buy it now and got them for $300 and they are in my car now. If these headlights were stolen, then the ebay seller stole the entire car. He was selling things like the clutch and brake pedals and the brake booster. A year later he is still parting out what is left of that 1999 wreck, but he only has things like the coolant pipes that run from the motor to the radiators. Plus, I know what to look for to determine if a light was stolen from a car.