DJF1

Since the matter came up on another thread I would like to start a 993 FAQ that will help answer some of the questions that frequent this board and help new and old users alike. The threads and topics below are the brain childs of all of us and I will keep on updating the thread so please send me a private message with your ideas and what you would like to see on the FAQ:

Last updated: March 2003

1. The SEARCH button located on the top right of the forum:
How it looks like on the top courtesy of Robert:
search button picture
And the LINK to the search button:
SEARCH 993 FORUM

HERE IS HOW TO USE SEARCH COURTESY OF E.J:

Here are some thoughts from a Crotchety Old Rennlist Fart (can't believe at 31 I am calling myself that). These are not meant to be disparaging at all, so please don't take them that way.

Part of the problem is messages just like the one you posted. Not only do we get tired of the same questions over and over, but also the comments just like your PS (not BS). It just gets old. The search function is very powerful. I realize that questions must also be asked on the forums as the archives are certainly not complete, just don't expect the old farts to continuously answer them over and over again. Secondly, recently there has been a spate of questions on the board and via email to the old guard, most of which are answered quickly yet we never hear a 'thanx' or an 'appreciate it'. It certainly doesnt hurt our feelings, nor is it truly expected, it might just be nice to hear every once in a while. That's all. If you don't know what TIA means or stands for, you weren't here a while ago when almost every question was prefaced with those simple three letters.

Now as for your question and my real purpose of posting, you can't possible tell me you tried to search for your answer (and nowhere in your post do you actually say you did).

I am going to walk each and every person here through the 3 minutes it took me to find an answer to your question.

1. Click on search button.



2. Type "Compression Test" in the first available box

3. Press Search (see above picture)

4. Look at your results

The 17 results are probably not that hard to sort through, but I got lucky and knew I needed 'results', so I took the obvious answer and clicked on the one that had the word 'results' in the title: "PPI Results - Leakdown interpretation needed".Here is the thread.

Guess what I found smack in the middle of that short 11 message thread? This little gem by one of our old farts:

Quote:

By: Steve Weiner
[qb]Now, the leakdown figures you posted look good to me as this indicates good valve & ring sealing. I would be inclined to perform a hot compression test, and simply make sure that each cylinder's pressure is within 15 psi of each other.[/qb]

Literally took me three minutes to find the exact results you were looking for. 15 psi variation.

Proof positive that the system works. If people want to post questions, certainly I don't have a problem with it, nor do any of the old timers, just don't expect us to answer each and every question time and time again when the search works as well as it does. Now go out and have fun. I know I'm having a blast driving the 993 with snow tires in todays ice storm.

E. J.
This is a newbies best friend to find a lot of info.

2. 993 Model Years:
1994-1995: 272 HP no varioram. US bound 993's 1994 models were imported as 1995 models.

Major problems: Wiring harness issue, read valuable info here:

Wiring Harness TSB Update

E.J's site link
The recent recall from Porsche has addressed this matter. Check your VIN with your local dealer and if you had replaced the harness and your VIN is included with your receipt you can get a refund.

Some early 1995's had 964 sports seats which are different than the rest of the years sports seat with the plastic hard back.

Also the radio unit is the CR-1 which is a cassette low quality unit.

All coupes had the "basket handle" 3rd light which somewhere in late 1995's was relocated to the roof over the rear glass.

These years were easily "chippable" and devoid of the immobilizer system which for some is cumbersome. A note here that LATE production 95 models had the immobilizer. In short if the key is the switchblade type you have it, if not you dont!

Finally in order to fit 18" wheels 1994-95's need a $40 part to strengthen the steering column.
Otherwise the 1994-95 models are identical to the later years.

1996-1998: 285HP with varioram. Some issues with wiring harness reported on 1996's.

An issue that was reported with the 96 and on models with the check engine light coming on indicating that there is carbon build up blockage of air injection ports. While the common advise is to use Techron treatment on a full tank before the oil change and opinions that this is caused primarily to city driven engines there have not been any conclusive prevention methods. However, David has come up with what seems to be the solution! Here is the thread:

Carbon Built up Bypass circuit solution

1996 models with their OBD are the most difficult year to chip.

Fitting 18" wheels is not an issue in these years.

3. SUSPENSION ISSUES:
The general concent on this board is as follows:
A. The stock suspension does not last long, some have reported 15-20K miles with shot shocks.
B. The US agricultural ride height for most belongs to a 4X4 not the 993. Our ROW brothers and sisters do not really have to deal with this. In order to lower the ride height read below.
C. Upgrading the suspension is by general concent and my strong opinion money well spend.
My 993 is transformed! For more details and probably THE NEXT BEST website for the 993 click on the link of fellow lister Robin:
SUSPENSION FAQ - Robin's website
UPDATE!1/14/03 Please read on page 3 of this FAQ the fitment problem reported by Robert when combining the PSS-9 with M030 sways!
A thread that turned to be very informative and solved a couple of mysteries by Sean Spicer:
Suspension discussion

4.MORE POWER!! We all want this! Steve Weiner of Rennsport systems seems to be the most trusted CHIP Guru here.
There have been some listers who supercharged their 993's the reports are good but the general feeling is that this is mostly a street setup would not be optimum for racing etc.
A lot of questions about the 3.8L conversion. Very expensive upgrade for the HP gain (Over 10K)
The BEST upgrade seen is getting your hands on a G50/21 gearbox which was used in the first production years for the Euro models which has shorter gearing and suits the engine better.

5. SOUND! And I do not mean the radio. Something we all cherish is the flat six singing. Popular "mods":
A. Robin's mufflers...yes in one word:
FANTASTIC!!!! I have them on my cab and they are the sound that our cars should have had from the factory. Not too loud, just perfect!!! I especially like the low end rumble, rich and full of aircooled flat six magic! Many happy customers will equally attest to my testimony. Besides Robin being a fellow Rennlister he is a gentleman to deal with. Incredible...

B. Motorsound airbox cover: Either the original ( it has a "silver" intake with small holes on the side or you can drill the stock box as seen on E.J's site : E.J's airbox mod
Everyone loves the sound still debating about HP. My dyno run showed it helps redistribute a bit the torque and HP but no gains up top. I love it would not go back to stock!

C. Other excaust systems are FabSpeed MaxFlow which some love and some claim some resonance. Fabspeed Supercups seems to be great for the track and the track only unless you want to wake up and terrorize your neighbours and your local friendly Highway patrolmen I sure want them for my track car.

6. TIRES: Endless threads and topics!!!
From what I have gathered:
A. Best street tire for the dry and track/DE work on street tires= Pirelli P-Zero.
B. Best all around tire: S02 and S02'A. People here tend not to really like the new S0-3.
C. Best R-Compound tire: Michellin Pilot Sport Cup. Our "expert" racers here swear by it and tests confirmed it. Another favorite is the Kumho types for their low price and good traction. The latest polls show that although the Michellin is more expensive on the long run they last longer hence you will save money.

6.1 Wheel Offsets:
A very informative thread:
How offset os measured

7.Clutch/gearbox: Pretty reliable units some listers have gone 100K miles on original clutch!
Pretty amazing! People here favour the RS clutch which is a lightweight unit. Some issues with stalling on the 1994-1995 years but nothing that a chip from Steve and an ISV adjustment wont fix:
ISV adjustment
The BEST upgrade seen is getting your hands on a G50/21 gearbox which was used in the first production years for the Euro models which has shorter gearing and suits the engine better.
Viken's Report on G50/21 Gearbox

8. Best site to buy OEM stuff accompanied by classy service and great prices:
www.carnewal.com Gert IS the man!

9.BEST INFO DIY stuff sites: Robin's and E.J's:
Robin's site
E.J's site

Additions to the above FAQ courtesy of fellow listers ideas for the FAQ:

Suggested by Graham:
1. OIL LEVELS: Yes your 993 has three instruments that measure temperature, level and pressure.
oil is the life blood of the engine and you have to religiously pay attention to it!
See below self explanatory threads from the archives:

OIL LEVEL -Newbie question
OIL Level gauge accuracy
Adding Oil tips
Oil quantity question
Which oil to use? Porsche changed the recomendation to Mobil 1 0-40 which should be fine for cold climates and normal driving. My personal experience is that if you track the car or live in a hot climate like I do Mobil 1 15-50 is the ticket. My mechanic refuses to put anything else in a 911 engine.

2. Litronics/HID headlight conversions: By general concent the litronic upgrades are a worthwhile upgrade for the low beams. Here are some threads about it:
Robin's HID Faq
Litronic Headlights
HID conversion topic with lots of interesting links from Dan and others

3. HOW WILL THESE WHEELS LOOK ON MY 993?:
Here are some threads with various Listers cars and their babies:

SSR GT3 and Gemballa Competition

Ricks Speed Yellow C2S with RS Speeline wheels

Randy's Iris Blue 993 with DP motorsport enduro wheels

MB's 993 with factory Sport Classic II rims

Brian's pride and joy with TURBO TWISTS

Ben's awesome CS with MY2002 Porsche 5 spoke wheels

18" OEM sport design

BEST WHEEL PIC COMPARO featuring awesome listers cars with Kinesis K28's , K58's and supercups, Fikse FM10 and BBS LM rims and more

993 with CARGRAPHIC WHEELS, also featured in the pic the RSCS Aero Kit

4. WHAT ARE THESE OPTION CODES? courtesy of Pete:
You can purchase a PCNA Certificate of Authenticity, which will list your vehicle's factory options.
Alternately, the option codes are found on a white sticker under your trunk lid. You can look up the numbers here:
Option Code Look Up
and from BILL Gregory:
Or you can call Porsche customer service at 800-PORSCHE, and, based on the VIN, they can tell you the option codes, delivery color, and if there are any outstanding recalls. Note they can't tell you what the codes mean, however, those are documented online, and in several books (Bruce Anderson's and Peter Morgan's are two).

5. MANUAL OR TIPTRONIC?
An interesting subject and a good thread below with a variety of opinions and conclusions:
Manual or Tiptronic Gearbox?

6. TIPS FOR BUYERS & SELLERS:
Written by PeterS:
Tips for Buyers and Sellers

7. GASOLINE & OCTANE RATINGS:
100 OCTANE GAS

8. SHOPS FOR PPI:

ARIZONA:
PHOENIX/SCOTTSDALE

California:
BAY AREA
SAN FRANSISCO
SAN FRANSISCO EAST BAY
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY
SAN DIEGO
NEWPORT BEACH
BEVERLY HILLS
ORANGE COUNTY
VENICE
MONTEREY
SANTA ROSA
SACRAMENTO
LOS ANGELES

COLORADO:
DENVER

CONNECTICUT:
GREENWICH

FLORIDA:
TAMPA
WEST COAST
SOUTH FLORIDA/POMPANO BEACH

GEORGIA:
ATLANTA

ILLINOIS:
CHICAGO
CHICAGO

MASSACHUSETTS:
BOSTON

MARYLAND:
POTOMAC

MICHIGAN:
ANN ARBOR

MISSOURI:
SPRINGFIELD

MISSISSIPPI:
JACKSON

NEW MEXICO:
SANTA FE

NEW YORK:
LONG ISLAND
LONG ISLAND
WHITE PLAINS

OHIO:
CLEVELAND
DAYTON

OKLAHOMA:
OKLA CITY

OREGON:
PORTLAND
PORTLAND

PA:
KING OF PRUSSIA
PITTSBURGH

TEXAS:
AUSTIN
HOUSTON
PLANO
SAN ANTONIO

VIRGINIA:
ALEXANDRIA

WASHINGTON STATE:
SEATTLE

WISCONSIN:
MILWAUKEE

HOW TO DISCONNECT THE AIRBAGS
A post from the 964 board: How to disconnect the airbag

ALL THE 993 COLOURS!!! By Tim Ashfield:
Colour Post and Analysis

User 4621

What options are on my car?

You can purchase a PCNA Certificate of Authenticity, which will list your vehicle's factory options.
Alternately, the option codes are found on a white sticker under your trunk lid. You can look up the numbers here:

http://www.kindel.com/Porsche/options.asp

Robert Henriksen

A picture is worth a thousand words:



(Danny, feel free to use my link (www.houstontc.net/robert/misc/rennlist-search.bmp) as an inline image in your post above).

graham_mitchell

DFJ1,

Thanks for starting this. Much needed, imho.

A few other FAQs worth adding:

1) Oil levels - how to measure your oil level, and the general behaviour of the meters, etc

2) Headlight upgrade issues and DIYs

3) Workshop manuals, illegal CD versions, PET CD, etc

4) Add a link to an online wheel simulator for the 993 so people can see what wheels look like on the cars without creating endless threads. For example, http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_gara...&autoYear=1995

Cheers,

Graham

Bill Gregory

Or you can call Porsche customer service at 800-PORSCHE, and, based on the VIN, they can tell you the option codes, delivery color, and if there are any outstanding recalls. Note they can't tell you what the codes mean, however, those are documented online, and in several books (Bruce Anderson's and Peter Morgan's are two).

Tom W

It appears to be a popular misconception that '95's don't have the immobilizer. Not true. Mine has it.

I also thought the final word on the change to 18" wheels was that the bracket was not required.

You might also want to edit your list as it's not the lightweight RS clutch that people want and like, but the lightweight flywheel (which requires the rest of the clutch too).

You might also note that the current recall should resolve the potential issue associated with the wiring harness.

DJF1

Thanks guys, I will keep on updating the post!
Please keep your suggestions and ideas coming!

AvsFan

Just a couple other things that seem to come up a lot...

Why would I buy a 993 vs...
Things to look for in a PPI.
Finding a good service person.
Kids and 993s- the carseat issue (coupe and cab)
So, you want to go racing...
What is this OBD stuff?

Jeff 993TT

Dannny, I was thinking of creating a more formalized faq site or area in the rennlist site. This would could be something as simple as a moderated bulletin board, or something where users can add their feed back on very specific items.

Whatever it turns out to be, I think that it will need to be distilled by someone so that only the relevant information is presented.

Jeff

Bill Gregory

We started a 964 FAQ, a work in progress, which is http://members.rennlist.com/jfk964/porsche_964_faq.htm, if you want to see one way to approach one. Jon Kaminsky did a great job setting it up, and it's out on his rennlist site for now. When it gets more complete, we may want to move it to the tech.rennlist.com site with the other FAQ's. We've gotten positive comments on keeping the answers short and sweet.

DJF1

That is a great idea and I started this with something like that in mind...but there seems to be little or no interest in the matter in an issue that it would be usefull for all... i have no moderators access to do something like what you describe, I just started a thread and spend some considerable time filtering through info and compiling it in hopes that the board would jump in and add many things.
I wish our senior users with their wealth of info to jump in and guide this process as well. If the majority of this board does not care about doing something like this then so be it... I know how to use the search button

There is one thing for sure. It is very overwhelming being a new owner of a P-Car especially a 911 model type. Even going through the search button procedure reading through sometimes it is very time consuming and many times confusing as different opinion surface.
I work with ships for a living and for me the ships envinronment is something very familiar. I know what the bow means and where is it, I know what port side is and what is strb. For my guests especially the ones who is their first ever experience its very overwhelming. So what we try to do is compile info and present it in a format that is handy, compact and definite which helps them very much get through the first few confusing days onboard. We also have orientations, ships guided tours just for that reason.
For a first time Porsche owner it is pretty much the same. Especially if one have not had any exposure to Porsche before...
Autopia although a wonderfull site has this rule about the "University" and not posting anywhere else unless you have 20 or more posts. So you go and start using the "search button" spend hours reading through and at least personally I'm still confused and know almost next to nothing still...
There are many opinions, many codes, many different stuff..
Do I ask a question? not really...why? because I will be told to read through the archives and buy the book they sell... This is a common answer given over there to a lot of newbies...Now try and explain to these guys that I'm still confused having read through the archives and that I have not bought the book yet!
I'm really gratefull for this community and the advise I had gotten even though I was not a first time Porsche owner. I just like to give something back to the community that helped me in the same manner it was given to me.

tmobley

This is a great idea! I recall a 993 site started by the person that created a classified site for porsches http://www.poorshe.com . The format of the 993 site was well considered, with background information on the series as well as series of maintenance topics and 993 "quirks," which I recall were presented in an outline fashion. Does anybody have access to that site or the individual that started it?

Additional topics you may want to consider: (1) the windshield noise; (2) rust around the front and back windshields - which I had repaired under the lifetime warranty; and (3) DME Relay failure - the spare saved me a tow and diagnostics fee from the dealer.

993chaz

Right on DJ,--half the fun is interacting with the other board members, it's like actors always say that stage work is so much more than doing movies. Instant gratification "Priceless"

STLPCA

Great job. IMO, that's exactly what a user friendly & useful FAQ should be. Unfortunately, it'll take literally hundreds of hours of dedicated work to determine topics, search the archives, sort the posts, separate the reliable from the unreliable info, & then to succinctly & accurately write the text. A difficult task & undoubtedly a labor of love for someone w/much time, energy, dedication & patience.

I'm sure many of you will remember that at least one person tried to put together a well constructed Rennlist 993 FAQ. After a valiant effort, he gave up leaving just this: "I am officially tired of the web. You will find very little here until I get some enthusiasm."

Jeff 993TT

If anybody has any experience with FAQ systems, let me know. Otherwise, I'm going to start installing/playing with a few systems out there.

Here's a page of links to FAQ programs that I've found.

http://faqomatic.sourceforge.net/fom...cache/119.html

Danny, I was hoping for more support from rennlist as well. I sent an email but did not recieve a response. My first choice would be for it to be part of rennlist.

I'll update you guys in a few days on the software that looks most promising.

Jeff