Spark Plug plastic tubes

[Izzy]

I recently did my 30K mile service on my 03 C2 coupe. What I did notice when replacing the spark plugs, the hole where the plug goes in is solid metal. In other words, no platic tubes. I have replaced the tubes in my 99 before, so have a pretty good idea what they look like. So question is, does anyone know if any 3.6L engines have no plastic tubes? The engine is not original, it was replaced by Porsche before I purchased the car from a PCNA dealer. Thanks

Izzy

[RFM]

You are right, engines where the coils are mounted strait up and two camshaft sensors on the right side have no longer plastic tubes.

[Izzy]

RFM, thanks for the clarification. When you mention "coils strait up", you don't mean veritically, right? The coils are still on the side of the engine, horizontally opposed. I will look for the 2 cam sensors. Anything different about the engine that you know about? Thanks again

Izzy

[RFM]

What i mean is that the connectors are straight on top ( 12 hour ), those with plastic tubes are inclined ( 01 hour ) and cylinder 4 is the most difficult to set. Some small details are changed, the AOS is changed and a more resistant rubber tube for the leaking bellows, fuel system etc.

[Izzy]

Excellent, that is exactly what I got, thank you again.

[Tool Pants]

As a Boxster owner, this is interesting.

I looked at PET for 2002-2004 996 and do not see the black plastic spark plug tubes listed. Instead, I see a gasket listed and 6 are reguired. I assume this gasket replaces the tube. VarioCamPlus started in 2002 for the 996 and the tubes must have been replaced by gaskets.

Several months ago on the Porsche Club of Great Britain message board a 2003 Boxster owner with a 2.7 posted this picture. He had cracked igintion coils. When he removed the coils he noticed that it did not appear that the engine had the black plastic spark plug tubes, and took the picture. For the life of me I do not see a spark plug tube in the picture.

The 986 Boxster never had VarioCamPlus, just VarioCam. When I look at PET it shows that the black plastic spark plug tubes are used on a 2003 Boxster. I do not see a gasket. Does anyone see a spark plug tube in the picture? Again, this is a picture of a 2003 2.7 Boxster.

[RFM]

@ Tool Pants

The Boxster engines M96/23 and M96/24 2003 have no longer the plastic tubes and have nothing to do with variocam plus. You can check it in PET 7, this engines have other cylinder heads than the previous ones and other coils. The difference in coils is essentially the pipes that have an other design.