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This is clever, but once you've forgotten, don't you have to remove the bumper to read it? And at that point, if I have to pull the bumper off, the hard part is done and you might was well give them a once-over anyway. Is the writing visible with the bumper on?
Of course it isn't visible with the bumper on, but there seem to be other opportunities to have the bumper off from time time. This, together with the notes I keep in a separate record book, serve both as reminder for me and as notice to any shop that may have occasion to remove the bumper skin.
Omgosh what was the trick!? I cant get them off. The larger one is like some horrible IQ test!!
So lookIng straight down with plug at the top of amp. Grab right side edge of plug and pull toward the right while wiggling the entire plug. The entire plug will walk off as u pull it. U can see the slots in the plug, this is the cam action.
Getting prepared to do major maintenance on the 2001 C2. It will be getting the following: IMS Solution, UAOS, water pump, new 4 & 5 chains, cam actuator wear pads, coolant tank and blue cap. I am waiting on the coolant tank a d cap. The car has 58,500 miles but it is 22 years old. Runs great, had the AOS, water pump, clutch, plugs, coil packs, Spark Plug tubes and IMS retrofit when I bought it in 2015 at 46K miles.
Nice. I've an 01 C2 as well, and I'm on the same program. I had DME reports today and I'm still in spec, but the small chains and vario pads will get done at some point regardless, and sooner rather than later, as my car has 97k miles on her. With no service history it's a labor of love to get the deferred maintenance all caught up. I'm getting there, the girl has her own binder and spreadsheet. She's spoiled.
So lookIng straight down with plug at the top of amp. Grab right side edge of plug and pull toward the right while wiggling the entire plug. The entire plug will walk off as u pull it. U can see the slots in the plug, this is the cam action.
@De Jeeper
I think I have the same amp (hifi, non most, non bose) and with 4 new CAI speaker kits the hifi is sort of living up to it's name, but not really. What if any amp is a plug and okay upgrade for these units? Any recommendations? She needs more hrsprs.
I wish I could claim I did this myself, but my skills lie elsewhere. Maybe some day I'll find said skills...
At my request my Indy dropped the sump and did the deed for me, and when he sealed her up, she had a 997 upgraded baffle, mine was beat. He videoed the sump, and found two tiny pieces of what he said is chain pad, both about the size of a pin or finishing nail head. No metal, and the borescope was a result. Only cylinder 6 has minor scoring, you can see on a small 2 inch max area, right on the bottom of cylinder wall. The scoring is light but you can see some wear on the lokasil? Or whatever it is. 1- 5 were perfection. As he said, if I tore this engine down this is exactly what it should look like. So I've dodged a bullet. Sometimes there are happy endings. I skipped the scope ppi so this certainly could have gone anyway. Good oil change habits and good start habits should see me going a long ways down the road. Cam deviations were taken a couple times at full operating temps and are within spec, but I'll be doing that top end pretty soon, small chains, and vario can pads, as I do not know when if any they were done. I'll save up and do the UAOS, water pump, reservoir, but almost everything else is done.
He had a look and as i suspected, from the mild clunk on slow bumps I do need new front top mount kits and will do bump stops. I'm going he'll let me source from FCP euro, his parts warranty is only 3 years which is not bad, but I would prefer lifetime. I'll get those done next week w the necessary alignment, as I'm leaving to drive from NC to Canada after Easter. That's right, Savannah is going to visit America's hat. So plenty of miles will be rolled on, likely about 3500. To paraphrase Elwood, I've got good brakes, good tires, a full tank of gas and a half a pack of cigarettes,,it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses." Somewhere on the road we'll hit 100k, hopefully somewhere pretty.
when I come back it's time for Radiators, UAOS, cooling reservoir, pump, timing chains, new oil filler tube, and likely new tires. Mine have great tread but are dated 2016. If they were not southern only tires and and off brand I would do it before I go, but they're pilot sport 3+ AS, I can't bring myself to take them off just due to age. There's no signs of rot and the rubber is still rubbery, so I'll risk it. I'll be doing 55 the whole way, so no worries. Time to go research radar detectors and the legality of such in the various states. My toll pass is test to go and so am I. And I am going to upgrade the amp, hopefully I'll find something plug and play. My system is mentioned in a reply above, but it's the HIFI 10 speaker (that's a stretch but ok porsche) non most non Bose all copper wire. If anyone has a suggestion that will bolt in and use the wiring plugs, I would appreciate the advice. 🙏
Last edited by damage98MO; 03-17-2023 at 11:29 PM.
What if any amp is a plug and okay upgrade for these units? Any recommendations? She needs more hrsprs.
The factory amp is 6 x 25 watts RMS and about 40 watts peak. Nothing is going to be plug and play since those connectors are proprietary. But it's quite easy to cut off those connectors and wire in an aftermarket amp. I went with this very reasonably priced (~$135) Kenwood KAC-M1814. It's only 4 channels (I dropped the rear speakers for better imaging) but puts out 45 watts RMS.
For size comparison
Mounted on the front of the factory bracket
I used an RCA splitter from the front channel pre-amp output of my Sony XAV-AX6000 headunit. I reused all the OEM wiring since this amplifier doesn't need large gauge power wire and the OEM wire was 14awg, and the factory amplifier fuse (15A) matches the needs of the Kenwood amp. The OEM speaker wires are 16awg which is plenty for up to 75 watts. The amplifier's 4 channels drive a pair of Hertz 4" components in the dash, and the factory 5.25" woofers in the doors.
I consider this a budget audio setup for now while I figure out if and how crazy I want to go with audio.
I pretty much did what this guy did ^^^^ but i have a 4x50w kenwood. I do have the continenral radio that only has speaker outs (no rca) but my amp accepts then for a high pass signal. Basically just tapped into the factory harness.
The factory amp is 6 x 25 watts RMS and about 40 watts peak. Nothing is going to be plug and play since those connectors are proprietary. But it's quite easy to cut off those connectors and wire in an aftermarket amp. I went with this very reasonably priced (~$135) Kenwood KAC-M1814. It's only 4 channels (I dropped the rear speakers for better imaging) but puts out 45 watts RMS.
For size comparison
Mounted on the front of the factory bracket
I used an RCA splitter from the front channel pre-amp output of my Sony XAV-AX6000 headunit. I reused all the OEM wiring since this amplifier doesn't need large gauge power wire and the OEM wire was 14awg, and the factory amplifier fuse (15A) matches the needs of the Kenwood amp. The OEM speaker wires are 16awg which is plenty for up to 75 watts. The amplifier's 4 channels drive a pair of Hertz 4" components in the dash, and the factory 5.25" woofers in the doors.
I consider this a budget audio setup for now while I figure out if and how crazy I want to go with audio.
@binaryaudax That helps, thanks. My head unit is the pccm plus, so I'm hoping that all i need is another better 5 channel amp that I can wire in and not run any new wires through the firewall. Does that sound doable?
@binaryaudax That helps, thanks. My head unit is the pccm plus, so I'm hoping that all i need is another better 5 channel amp that I can wire in and not run any new wires through the firewall. Does that sound doable?
Yes, very do-able. The PCCM+ should have pre-amp outputs (6 channels) that run to the factory amplifier. You'd chop off the factory amplifier connector and tap into the speaker wires. If you're running a larger amp than me, I'd suggest running new power and ground, but you won't need to go through the firewall for those -- just through the frunk wall to the battery.
Yes, very do-able. The PCCM+ should have pre-amp outputs (6 channels) that run to the factory amplifier. You'd chop off the factory amplifier connector and tap into the speaker wires. If you're running a larger amp than me, I'd suggest running new power and ground, but you won't need to go through the firewall for those -- just through the frunk wall to the battery.
Thanks @binaryaudax .
I stopped by a local audio specialist recommended to me, and got a quote to install a $699 JlAudio 5 channel, the RD900/5 EDIT: $899! JLAudio XDM 700/5. The installer there said no to the cheaper kicker version, that there's bad alternator whine that's not present in the JL. I think he means this feature
'differential-balanced inputs help eliminate noise'. he mentioned the whine in the cheaper amps can be fixed, but requires some more expensive rewiring.
He knows the pccm+ and that it has preouts, so his work includes running the new line level rca cables into the console via that hole above our gas pedals.
Total install is just over 1200, ouch, but I guess inflation. I think he will reuse the speaker wiring.
Will I pay it? Not today donkey, not today. (Shrek anyone?)
I installed the pccm plus so I can probably manage an amp, but it's been a long time since high school and wiring my Craig cassette deck to 6x9s haha. That install cost is making me think to wait, but since I'm driving 1500 miles to Nova Scotia after Easter and the current amp can just barely play my podcasts and music loud enough at 55. On the highway, the wind and road noise is pretty dominant. I'm not sure blasting podcasts and music loud enough to drown out cabin noise is good for my old ears. They were abused in college at far too many kids but awesome shows.
I will probably pack in those squishy ear plugs and use bone conductive headphones. Not safe or legal probably, but I'm taking about interstates, would not use off highway. It's the $ sadly. Yeah we can make more, I know. I just dropped 1200 on oil change, borescoping, sump dropped and baffle replaced. Finally got my new key programmed so that's awesome. I can lock and open with a button press now. A button!
I've got to have the front strut top mounts and misc parts 2 bearings and nuts replaced this coming week, that's another 1100 or so. I asked my mechanic if he thought I was being wasteful restoring a 95k mile no service history 996, and should have waited for a cherry lite miles, spent the money there. He said no, the gas for my boat doesn't pay for itself. Haha. I like restoring this car, eventually it will be mint except for the odd scratch and dent and paint mar. I'm keeping the patina.
I'm rambling again sorry.
Another option for better cabin audio and less noise would be to buy new pilot sport 4 AS, or the Conti equivalent. It's possible my highway road noise is down to my Pilot sport 3+:AS with date code 2016. But that's also a gamble, and like I mentioned earlier, the tyres are still sticky, well treaded, and hold air impeccably. I've got an all in one battery powered gauge and nflator and check pressures often and I've never seen air leak, even slight. The only psi changes are down to cold temps. So yeah buying new tires might help, but it would hurt to take them off before there's tread wear that warrants it. Decisions...
I have done 1 door with soundmats deadening, and I should get to the other and the engine firewall. Floors as well, these cars are noisy, just by design. I'm not sure I can get to those before I leave. I'm sure I could pay the amp installer to do that as well, but I hate to have a stranger doing things like that to my girl. Only I get to undress her interior.
I'll see myself out ...
Last edited by damage98MO; 03-18-2023 at 05:30 PM.
The installer there said no to the cheaper kicker version, that there's bad alternator whine that's not present in the JL.
FWIW, I have no alternator whine or static on the Kenwood. I know it's not audiophile-grade stuff, but if the input sensitivity is set correctly (easy) then there isn't an issue.
FWIW, I have no alternator whine or static on the Kenwood. I know it's not audiophile-grade stuff, but if the input sensitivity is set correctly (easy) then there isn't an issue.
I don't like that the installer never mentioned the JLAudio amp they quoted me on is discontinued, and they are asking full retail, 899.00 its this one at crutchfield. Kind of disappointing, they are highly recommended but now I've got a bad taste in my mouth from that. I could be jumping to conclusions so not judging yet.
crutchfield also points out that the amp is not compatible with my car. I've not researched why. But yeah back to square one and on a budget. I don't suppose anyone has the wiring diagram for the stock non- most non Bose amplifier and tips on how to change that amp? I'm off to Google now. I will likely order that Kenwood, and like you, see if it's a solution I like.
03-17-2023, 01:22 AM
