[QUOTE=Chipster;12407789]The coil packs all looked like this

Attachment 951161[/QUOTE

Do you drive the car in the snow?

 

Chip those are great pictures and the best argument for preventive maintenance so far. If you had known they were in that shape would you have changed them sooner?

 

Yikes!!! I inspected mine when I did my plugs yesterday at 81K miles and mine looked perfect.... not even dirty. I can't imagine why yours looked that way. I drive my car in the snow and salt..... maybe these '09 are more "buttoned up" with the plastic panels under the car or something......

Peace
Bruce in Philly

 

I drive the car year-round as a daily driver. I keep it out of the snow (I have a Cayenne for that) but you can't really escape the salt here in Ohio. Yeah, had I known the coils looked that bad they would have come out sooner. The car has all the panels and covers it should have.

 

No good deed goes unpunished.

My problems only started after replacing the spark plugs. Before that the car ran great! Plugs, and particularly their mechanical connection to the heads, do suffer from aging. However, they don't suffer as much as many Porsche mechanics will suggest. Many other mechanics will tell you not to change them until they throw a fault code.

The coil packs are another story. If your location is listed on Rennlist, I can almost tell you whether the coils will be a factor (can you spell "rust belt?")

In benign areas the coil packs can last a very long time and routinely are not the source of problems.

 

I changed mine on my 2010 C4S in January 15K miles ago (at 40K miles). They creaked and groaned on removal regardless of screwing them back and forth in the threads. Corrosion was the problem. Plugs looked great, but I would not have wanted them (the threads) to corrode any more than they had before pulling them out!

 

When I replaced the plugs (and coils) on our prior '07 997 S, while aware of Porsche's admonition to not use any thread anti-seize on the threads, I did a very careful wipe of a small amount of copper-based anti-seize on the threads. Recently, discussed this same thing with the Porsche Independent shop when he had our GT3's motor out for welding in BBI coolant pipes and replacement of consumables, and he suggested doing the same thing to our new plugs, just a tiny bit of a anti-seize that is a good electrical conductor. I read the NKG caution posted above, but taking out or putting in new plugs on corroded threads can also risk a fractured plug. Besides, sooner or later, the new plugs are going to come out again. Both times I/he used a good torque wrench.

Just our opinion and experience.

All the best....

 

Anyone who has dealt with spark plugs fusing to the head of any engine will not think twice about changing plugs with reasonable frequency. With how much these cars costs, $400 is nothing for the peace of mind once every 6 years or 60k miles. Just my opinion.

 

The 997.2 coil packs are fully encased in plastic ... so hopefully corrosion will be less of an issue and coil pack life will be improved on the 997.2

 

You could, you know, just check them every 10,000 miles or so and replace as needed ...

 

Very good point. Pull, wire brush, blow clean, install! Anything that resists gets replaced.

 

Absolutely agree. A little anti-seize goes a significantly long way.

 

What torque spec did you use? That is, did you reduce the torque to compensate for the lubrication supplied by the anti seize, and if so, by how much?

 

http://amzn.com/B002RVRKJO

Works like a charm.

 

I went two pounds down from spec, which I can't recall now what that is. I also have expensive 3/8 and 1/2 inch torque wrenches. And am careful to keep the angle of the drive on the plugs straight. I wonder if Porsche's recommendation to not put anti-seize on the plugs is to avoid some one just slopping it all over the plug threads and electrodes, hindering proper electrical isolation of electrode and insulator, with resulting in "troubles." Or uses a ceramic or other poorly conducting anti-seize or other inappropriate compound, resulting in "troubles."

I will say that when we removed our 997's original plugs, they came out without any difficulty. Our car had never been in any salt, which may make some difference in plug an coil life.

All the best...