Melchior

Yesterday I installed the new Cold Air Charger Kit in my '99 996C4 Cab and it seemed to go together and line up with everything pretty well. I then started the car and heard a loud metal on metal rubbing sound. I shut the car off and tried to investigate with a flashlilght but I couldn't see what the problem was. I then took the kit out of the car to find that the heat shield was pressing against three of the pulleys on the engine. They made some pretty good swirl marks but there was no damage to the engine and only minimal gashes on the heat shield.

I called K&N and spoke to one of their tech-reps and she told me that this has been a first for this kit. I am in San Diego so I have made an appointment with them on Wednesday to go to their headquarters in Riverside, CA so that they can help me modify the heat shield without voiding the warranty. I will let everyone know the outcome.

I am wondering if the C4's or Cab's have a different spacing in the engine bay? I only need about 1/4" to get a good fitment.

10 GT3

It should fit your car fine if it is lined up correctly. I would recommend doing a few things. First, pull the heat shield out and re-align the 3 rubber mounts. Second, make sure the heat shield is not bent. Third, when you put it back in set the align for the front "L" bracket. Last, several people have already commented about rubbing on acceleration. I made my own bracket for the left side of the heat shield as a preventative measure. I used Simpson steel to bend it into shape with one side bolted to the side of the heat shield and the other to the access hole just below the latch. Absolutely no problems here.

joes c4 cab

The 99 C4 has a different top end due to the E-gas electronic throttle system. I found this out the hard way when I bought a replacement motor for mine and had to spend an extra 4 hours of labor to have the top end changed. That is probably why yours will not line up. Good luck

10 GT3

The 99' Carreras are the only 996's without E-gas. All 00'+ have E-gas (including my Carrera). Hence this should not be related to the problem. But with mention about an engine replacement, if the rear engine mounts were going bad it could cause the engine to lean into the heat shield. Make sure there is no fluid around the engine mounts (i.e. they are leaking).

LVDell

Actually there HAVE been documented problems just like yours. And they were here on the board. Do a search since it was recently here on the 996 forum. There were some guys having the EXACT problem of this pulley rubbing. Nice design

Melchior

I just spoke with K&N and they are setting up a time for me to bring my car up to Riverside, CA so that their engineers can look at the fitment problem. They said that nobody else has called them to report this problem. So, if others are having the same rubbing issue, then they need to call K&N.

LVDell

That's b/c they are calling the vendor that sold it to them, not K&N themselves. Shotty engineering if you ask me. Still don't understand the fascination with these CAI's other than the nice noise they generate. But slap on a PSE and you have all the music you need!

Melchior

Along with the possible engine mount problem, I doubt that is my case since the vehicle only has 39,000 miles on it. However, if that is the case, that woulod be a crappy was to determine if you needed new engine mounts several years down the line when your K&N heat shield starts going metal to metal with your engine pulleys. Bottom line, K&N needs to put more spacing into their design!

cdodkin

David,

while you are on-site with K&N, ask them for a CARB decal for your CAI.

Otherwise you'll be failing the next smog test before they've even put the car on the test rig.

No Decal = No Inspection

Ask me how I know!

Chris.

newport996

Incorrect..the 99 996 C4 has e-gas....its a 2000 spec car with the upgraded HP as well...all minor chabges to the 2000 C2 were first done on the 99 C4.

Melchior

I received a follow-up call on my fitment problem from the engineers at K&N. It seems that I am not the first one to have this problem and they are wondering if it is just with the C4's. I live in San Diego and they are located about 1.5 hours north of me in Riverside so that asked me to drive up to their lab to see if they can modify the filter kit to fit in my car and then possibly do some design changes to the existing kit they are selling. I am expecting an appointment within the week to meet with them. I will post the results.

10 GT3

That's what I said. Only the 99' Carreras (not Carrera 4's) don't have e-gas. E-gas was introduced when the Carrera 4 came out in 99'.

I have seen several comments about the HP changing for 2000, but this is not true. The power rating change is not related to E-gas. There was no change in the ratings of the 2000 over the 1999. Both the dealer order guide and the PCNA brochure clearly state 296 hp for the 2000 model year. This is supported by the road tests in Car & Driver, Motor Trend and Road & Track. Car & Driver shows the increase in their "tracking the changes" for 2001 the minor hp increase. This is also supported by the ratings of several tuners including Powerchip (check it out on their website). Porsche formally changed the rating for the US cars for the 2001 model years to 300 hp, although they never specified any formal changes in the vehicle for the increase. This was the first year the US cars were rated the same as ROW cars. The ROW cars were rated at 300 hp at their introduction for the 98' model year. Is there really a difference between a 99, 00, or 01? Probably not. E-gas only changes how the throttle is actuated, it doesn't change the airflow in the engine.

LVDell

Sorry 02....wrong once again. 1999 is 296hp and 2000 and 2001 are 300hp. And the hp bump HAS been documented and explained by PAG/PCNA. First place is the exhaust. I'll let you do the rest of the research.

evolvedaz

LVDELL. They make power. Maybe I should give you one for free so you see it is a reality.

Simple adjustment when installing/aligning it so the screw/bracket does not hit the pulley. Call me and I can help you. The intake fits all C2/C4 for both 997 and 996. I have fit them in all models. I have also seen the exact problem you are talking about.

LVDell

Hate to be brutually honest but I wouldn't even install a free one in my ride. Maybe if I didn't have PSE and I was just looking for some great sound but not a chance. FYI....CAI's do NOT "make" power. Turbo chargers "make" power. CAI's do nothing other than make some nice noise and maybe "unlock" 5hp that have been choked down by substandard restricting airboxes.

I gotta hand it to you though. You realy believe it, so I have to applaud that.