absoluteczech

Not to mention if youre already in there changing plugs. might as well just change the coil packs for peace of mind

ledbette

BTW - I think they are on revision 7 of the ignition coils (9A160210407), so definitely some problems/changes to the part.

okie981

This reference has me scratching my head a bit. The cylinder numbering in the 981 cars is like this (firing order shown at top):



So this places the #3 and #6 coil packs closest to the catalytic convertors and they are the most prone to failure, AFAIK. The top of the coil pack is about 1 to 1.5 inches from the cat with sport headers installed, not sure with OEM exhaust, never checked. I have the 911 heat shields installed.

In 911 cars the 9A1 engine is rotated 180 degrees such that cylinders 3 and 6 are closest to the front of the car.

ledbette

You are correct. I misstated. The 5 & 6 are the closest to the rear... Due to the arrangement of the engine and exhaust, the cat on the driver's side sits closer to the engine than the passenger side. So 5 & 6 sit closer to the cat than 2 & 3.

TXshaggy

Service is by year/mileage...the 3 year/30000 mile service should have been done 4-6 years ago.

Most of these cars are serviced by year, regardless of mileage.

Do you have the service manual? What is your in-service date? Manual or PDK?

Anyway, if you assume nothings been done get the service manual actions up to date, which for you should be everything up to year 7/8.

AdamIsAdam

How hard is it to access the #5, 6 coils? Is there anything else prone to failure on the 981's? (I'm considering added a Boxster, 981 most likely, to the mix.)

davei

I just bought plugs and coil packs from Pelican. I'm getting a misfire on cylinder #2 and my Boxster is a 2014 (non S) with mid 30k miles. I just pulled the wheels and the inner fender and wow - this looks to be a major pain. It doesn't help that there are sharp metal edges close by.. I'm starting to reconsider my decision to do this myself. It is really tight on the 2014 Boxster. I watched some of the videos of other models and they looked to have more room..

ledbette

You need to get a set of wobbly extensions of various lengths, and remove the screws to release the fender liner. It's not too hard if you have the right tools and the right approach.

ledbette

Those are pretty easy to get to. Farthest to the rear, right above the cat on the driver's side. There are a few lists floating around of common issues. We need a sticky for those things.

These are the what seem like the most common things that come to mind.

Coils 5 & 6
Door panel warping
Coolant cap warping/leak
Windshield washer tube break at hood junction
Headlight delamination
PCM rebooting due to HDD issues
Hood latch sticking (need to lubricate)
(Cayman) headliner

Of those, I think the only expensive items are the door panel warping and headlight delamination, and headliner droop if you go with a Cayman. These are all appearance issues. Compared to the bore scoring, chunking, spun rod bearing or IMS issues of the 986/987, we have it pretty good.

If you track your car, there are a few other things to keep an eye on.

Coolant pipe drain plug crack
Stripped brake caliper bolt threads in front uprights (use aftermarket studs instead)
Exhaust manifold weld cracks

AdamIsAdam

That's a much less expensive list than I had with my 996! (IMS, AOS, Cam tensioners, coolant tank (drop motor to replace, what else is new), water pump, and more.) I replaced that all on a "very good" exceptionally clean, 30k mile car. The worst part about all that is that I can't do so much of it at home because I'm not dropping that motor. I know it can be done, but I am getting too old for that stuff. (Oh, and my caliper stud seized into the hub too).

I was really enjoying the car, but didn't totally love how the steering felt with all the weight in the rear. It was like driving a small speed boat. I'm looking forward to trying some Boxsters and Caymans. I've driven them in the past, years ago and briefly. Really liked them. I'm old school muscle primarily, but love a small, good handling car. I have a Cobra (the ultimate cross-breed between small and muscle) and a new GT350 now (best handling car I've ever driven to date. It REALLY does run dead even with GT3's. Ask me how i know. LOL).

Anything more to add to that "things to look for" list that anyone thinks of, please feel free to add it. I'll keep looking. I'm in no rush.

THANKS!

ledbette

In addition to the MA1 engine, which seems to have solved all of the reliability issues of the M96/M97, the electric power steering solved one of the other big reliability complaints. The electric power steering really is pretty darn good. Most of the issues now seem to be cosmetic or minor repairs. There have been a few cases of PDK failures, but those seem to be pretty isolated.