PSE Complete Installation with Links and Lessons

[charlesl]

Gang,

I just finished a full PSE install on my 03 996. Couldn't have done it without Renntech and all of the people here. I've compiled all of the links I used below along with a "Lessons Learned." I did not include photos of my install because there are lots of them in the links. Hope it's useful!

Links:

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=6847&hl=

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=6173&hl=

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=6

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...nstall+complete

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...&hl=pse+install

http://www.belladessa.com/auctions/exhaust/exhaust.htm

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=7011&hl=

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...&hl=pse+install

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=4558&hl=

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...&hl=pse+install

http://www.funcarsonline.com/ubbthreads/sh...true#Post108035

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=7739&hl=

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...&hl=pse+install

PSE Lessons:

1) Order the Y Piece P/N 928.573.727.03 from the Porsche dealer and Grommet P/N 443.906.102.G. from

the Audi dealer. Use the Y Piece for Orient Red's famous vacuum connection. It works beautifully

and is much, much easier. The grommet will give your installation a factory finished look.

2) Unless you ordered your kit from Suncoast Porsche, it will probably not come with the console

switch. It's not part of the standard kit from Porsche. You will need: P/N 996 613 987 10 A05

(Right of Radio) or P/N 996 613 988 10 A05 (Left of Radio). NOTE: These part numbers have been

inconsistent. My switch is specifed as 987 (Right) but it is most certainly a left side switch. If

you have an open position on each side, this really won't matter. If you MUST have it on one side

or the other, I would recommend having your distributor visually verify it before shipping.

3) STUDY the TSB for the PSE installation. Your Porsche mechanic has probably been to a class on

this. You probably haven't! Make sure you understand every step of the process before breaking out

the tools. This will save you endless hours of frustration later. I probably read through it 5

times before starting. Get the parts out of your kit and make sure you know which one goes where.

Do some "test" assemblies before actually putting the parts in the car.

4) Read every link in the list above. These are people who've done the installation and you can

learn a lot from them. Study the photos so you know where everything goes.

5) The wiring diagram talks about connections to the relay. If you look at the bottom side of the

relay where the silver spade connectors are, you will see numbers for each spade. These do not

count! It's the numbers on white Relay Socket that count, not the numbers on the relay! These

numbers are REALLY hard to see. I took a red sharpie and "colored" each one so I could see it. I

also drew a "map" of the connector. I marked the top of it with a red "T" and then drew a little

picture on paper with all of the slits and their numbers. I then flipped it over to the backside

and drew a map of that. This helped a TON. Trying to figure out which slit is which while you're

under the dash is very difficult.

6) To properly prepare the electrical connector for the vacuum switch and the 2 wires that connect

to it, get a length of small black plastic flexible wire conduit, and place the length that comes

into the engine compartment. You can get this stuff at any auto parts store or Radio Shack. This

will prevent the signal wires from inadvertently shorting out by coming in contact with a hot piece

of the engine and melting their insulation.

7) To move the tailpipe from the old muffer to the PSE, you'll need to move the V-band as well.

Don't struggle with this! Take the bolt completely out and insert two screwdrivers. One through

each hole from the inside to the outside. THen squeeze the handles together to spread the band.

Move it in one movement from the old to the new. If it gets bent, don't worry. Squeeze it back

together with a pair of channel locks until the bolt will pass through again.

8) The new muffers will smell for the first few outings. This is normal and will eventually go away.

9) Remove the driver's seat. Someone here did one without removing it and I tried it that way, but

eventually realized I was just struggling way too much to move around inside the car. It's much,

much easier with the seat out.

10) The wiring was really daunting to me at first. I just couldn't keep up with everything and kept

getting confused. Here are some tips. 1) Go ahead and tape the gray/pink wire back out of the way.

You're not going to connect it anyway. 2) Start with the easy wires. The brown one is a good

start. The Gray/Green from the switch to the relay is next and then the Red/Gray from the switch to

the relay. The three Red/Blue go into slot two of the relay. This isn't entirely obvious. The

longer, single Red/Blue goes to B10 in the fuse panel. In my kit this had a connector that just

didn't fit. I clipped it off and spliced it into one of the other Black/Red wires in B10. It

doesn't matter which one. This is just a power source.

11) I had a lot of slack in the wires after everything was connected. I formed a loop out of it and

zip-tied it behind the relay carrier.