Refitting Porsche 986 Litronics and Headlight Washer

[dabistdu]

Hi,

I'm in the middle of retrofitting my Boxster S (3.2L) 986 model year 2000 with the litronic and headlight washer kit, since I got the parts out of a parts car which had both options from the factory (M601 & M288), but I'm not sure as this process will be as straight forward as it seemed at the start.

First of all: I already have litronic headlights, meaning that I have the Xenon and halogen ones, not the Bi Xenon headlights, but nothing else refitted on my Boxster. The work fine, the lights work and the light output is much better than the light output of the halogen headlights. 

However I have to have the headlight washer option (M288) and the self leveling adjustment installed to pass German Tüv inspection. So I was wondering if any of you have  information / instructions for the installation of the retrofit. As far as I know there was / is a kit offered by Porsche for refitting the Litronics, but the self leveling feature will not work, but the headlights will still move up and down to assist with the Xenon bulb the Halogen light output of the highbeams.

Do you have any instructions or part numbers what I will need to install it?
Is it possible to do a full factory install of the options M601 & M288 just as they would have come out of the factory? If not why is that (parts,..)?

I have a second Boxster 986 (2.7L) also model year 2000, with those options equipped from the factory, but I have it currently in storage as the previous owner had an engine failure with it and I bought it with an dead engine, which I'm rebuilding too at the moment. 

So if you could pin point me in the right direction for the install I'd gladly appreciate it! If I get a chance I will take my second Boxster as a reference for the retrofit.

 

 

I have already looked at the parts lists and at the wiring diagrams. It seems to me that I would need the two height sensors with the plastic arms etc. mounted on the wishbones (these are different too, since the have a hole in them where the arm of the headlight sensor goes through) on the left side of the car front & back, the wiring harness from the sensor to the control module, some sort of control module ( do I need one or two for both sides?) and the wiring harness from the control module to the headlights. Plus a wire connected to ground, another wire connected to Term 15 (Plus), one for the signal on high Beam and another one for the signal on light (connected at the bridge points on the relay holder) and two more wires one for Diagnosis and one for ESD.

 

I'm confident that I can connect up all the wires, except for the Diagnosis wire and the ESD wire. What do they stand for and where do they have to be plugged in? Goes the Diagnosis wire to the obd port, where there is one pin empty? For what does ESD stand for?

I have read that the control module will need to be activated. Can I do that with a durametric diagnostic tester or can the Porsche dealer enable this function?

 

What should I watch out for when installing the headlight washer kit? Do I need a new wiper stock on the steering wheel or will my old one work just fine? I saw that in the parts list there was mentioned that the cars with option M288 (Headlight washer) have a different cap with a different symbol on the stock. Is that all the difference or is there more to it?

 

Best regards

Victor

 

[JFP in PA]

I think the biggest obstacle you face is the leveling system, as even though you fit the mechanical parts, your DME does not have the programming to make it work, and even Porsche has proven to be reluctant to reflash the computer for this purpose.  And without that, the car will fail inspection anywhere in the EU.

 

The washer stalk does have a distinct cap which indicates the action required to activate the washers.

 

This is a file done by someone that tried this, but it does not address how to get the DME functional: 

 http://986forum.com/forums/attachments/performance-technical-chat/20080d1455322905-adding-headlamp-washers-litronic-retrofit-automatic-dynamic-headlight-beam-adjustment-minimum.pdf

 

This may also prove useful: http://www.skylersrants.com/Porsche/Litronics/Instructions/Litronic11-02.pdf