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Incompetence abounds. The mechanic I paid locally to get a quote claims he tested the temperature sensor and it wasn't working. Since I've got it sitting here and I'm bored, I decided to run that test myself.
@ Room temp: 2.1k Ohms
@ Boiling water from a tea pot temp: 0.3k Ohms
Furthermore, you can watch the resistance rise as the water cools. Ticks me off. I replaced the gorram sensor because he claimed it was broken.
edit: I called the repair shop and left a voicemail asking for a callback. I also called up the dealership to find out where my email/check is. It turns out that the guy who my salesman claims was writing me said email hadn't yet been informed that he was supposed to be doing that. You know, over a week after the fact. Grr!
Last edited by TeeJayHoward; 03-11-2019 at 07:29 PM.
Agree, those readings look like a typical NTC sensor, where the resistance decreases as temps rise. NTC sensors are commonly used in this application.
Not saying it's not bad, just that the sensor seems typical for a NTC.
The fact that you replaced the sensor AND you still have issues is more troubling.. either the ECU or wiring harness is probably suspect... With the amount to electrical gremlins that you have encountered it might be worthwhile to get the ECU flashed back to a known-good factory map.
I just assumed that my new one (which read similarly) was working right. I test all my parts before I install them if I can. It's possible my new one was bad out of the box, I suppose. I don't have a table available which shows the Ohm reading for each temperature or anything like that. Love to have it if it's available though! It's the kind of thing I'd expect to see in a factory service manual. From what I've seen of PDFs available online, Porsche's service tools are somewhat... lacking.
I'm not against flashing a stock map. Ain't got a Cobb for the 997 though. Nor a stock map to flash. Is this something I'd need to harass a dealer for, or is there one floating out there on the 'net (and a cheap tool to do the flashing?)
I'm dying to know what the mileage and sales price of this car was. It is ROUGH to say the least.
After doing some research into what I can and cannot say pending arbitration, I've come to the conclusion that the following statements should not impact the current state of things with the dealership. The advertised price was $59,995. The mileage indicated was 75,257 miles at time of purchase.
I'm not against flashing a stock map. Ain't got a Cobb for the 997 though. Nor a stock map to flash. Is this something I'd need to harass a dealer for, or is there one floating out there on the 'net (and a cheap tool to do the flashing?)
Honestly given the number of electrical gremlins you have observed, a dealer re-flash to stock would be the only thing I'd recommend if you wanted to go that route.. not knowing the state of the ECU, you need to get to a known-good starting point.
Another thing to consider, is a local 997TT buddy of mine had rodent damage in his.. oil pressure and oil temp were wacky after a few week storage and he originally was going to R&R the sensors until he realized it was rodent damage.. He claimed on his homeowners insurance and had a dealer pull the engine and put in a new major engine wiring harness (big $$)
I spent two hours driving my car tonight. Not because I wanted to (although I did!) but because I needed transportation to various hardware stores...
What you're looking at are two different 1/2 - 3/8 drive adapters, one of which is made for an impact gun. I snapped them both while trying to get my wheel off. One of those bolts just did NOT want to budge. One Husky, one Craftsman, both toast. The Husky got replaced, the Craftsman did not, as Sears basically doesn't exist anymore and Lowes doesn't have individual sockets, just sets. I ended up buying a 1/2" drive 6-point deep-well 19mm impact socket which worked great in the end, but damn. Didn't expect that. I've broken breaker bars before on these little adapters. To have them snap like that shocked me.
Subscribed because I want to see a happy ending to all this. TeeJay, you are a better man than I am because I would of thrown the book at the dealership and PPI shop. Sounds like the Turbo might of been abused. Hopefully all internals, inter-cooler components and tranny are all checked out.
Me too! Here's the current list of issues. Until I can put the car up on my new lift (early next month, I expect) the car's just gonna sit. I figure I can get it tip-top in about 60 days, if I don't have any more unexpected financial difficulties... Like a certain bomb cyclone tearing down both side privacy fences in my backyard. An inch or two of wood ain't made to hold up to 96MPH winds throwing ice around. Hell, several of the 4x4s are snapped off at the base!
List of issues:
Engine coolant temperature sensor - Or wiring, or thermostat, or check valve, or disc valve, or ECU
Should be easy to check once I've got access to the bottom of the car. Thankfully the sensor grounds inside the ECU so I don't have to track THAT down. I'll be digging into this serious-like early next month.
Rear wing doesn't move (I don’t see any leaks - But I’ve not seen it move either)
Talked to tech, who claims that the wing works, it's just disabled in software. The LED on the switch supposedly comes on when you use a Snap-On Zeus (Or Launch Tool?) to fiddle with things, so I imagine a Durametric Pro or grey market PIWIS could "fix" that problem. Maybe an eRam setup a few months down the road, too.
Tires need to be mounted and installed
Hoping to have the other two wheels, sensors, and caps in today - Then it's off to the tire shop for mount and balance!
Driver’s seat motor thunks when you drop the seat too far
Going to leave this one alone. It works well enough for now, and I've got a different seat I'm thinking about installing anyway.
Fog lamps
Need to test these still on a benchtop power supply. If they're bad, replace 'em. Otherwise, start tracking it down. Super low priority - We get fog once or twice a year here.
Cruise control
This one is important to me. Gonna grab a Durametric or grey market PIWIS or something and track down why it isn't working after I figure out the coolant sensor issue.
Passenger door microswitch
Should be another simple fix. Next month or the month after.
Center console ugly
Ditto with above. Pick up an eBay used console and play around with my paint gun and a quart of Atlas Grey Metallic, maybe.
Valve stem caps missing
Buy valve stem caps. Complicated, no?
PCM2.1 lacks modern functions
Radio replacement probably a few months down the road, when it starts to tick me off. For now, it's "Good enough".
Spacers installed
Tried to remove these recently, was unsure. Will probably do it sometime this week when I install my winter wheels and tires.
Summer tires getting old
Keeping the existing setup for a few months, then buy a new set when they get proper "worn". Get an alignment then too, just in case.
Missing screws for kick panel/fuse box connection and airbox/air filter connection
Lowest priority. Works just fine without them, but I'll probably buy 'em at one point or another.
I got my bonus in finally, so I started the re-fi process with LightStream. Gonna drop the ten grand I was saving for "OMG THIS THING IS BROKEN!" into the loan instead and drop my APR a couple %.
Last edited by TeeJayHoward; 03-16-2019 at 02:44 PM.
Reason: formatting
Today felt like a good day to spend money. I picked up a US Mill Works front plate frame since my state requires one. I also spent some time debating taking the coolant parts off and checking them first. It could possibly save me some money if the existing ones aren't bad. In the end, I decided that it's worth it just to replace them while I've got them off, so... Ka-ching. Control valve, change-over valve, thermostat. Bought. While I was buying stuff, I picked up some new valve stem caps too. For $0.50 each, why not?
Slowly stockpiling parts for early next month. I wonder if I can fit new sill covers in to replace those TechArts? Hrm...
Last edited by TeeJayHoward; 03-19-2019 at 01:48 PM.
Wow. You'd never think so much could go wrong with a car.
First, it clearly has not been properly serviced. (Too many faults that have been ignored).
Second, it's been neglected. (Wheel lugbolts rusted on).
Third, there has been too much work-around work done on this car. (See fusebox).
Warning: The Turbo 997 will always be a more difficult and expensive car to repair than the NA version of it. Be prepared. My NA 997S has been one of the most reliable Porsches I have ever owned. It would take me 30 years to wrack up this many issues in a car.
Final warning: It's hard to avoid tickets with a Turbo. You're not even getting close to enjoying the performance of that car without breaking most speed laws in the States. It's better off as a European pocket rocket. I bought an S because of this.
Lastly, do not warm it up by merely letting it idle in the driveway. It needs to be driven to properly warm up. With a Turbo, my personal rule of thumb has been 20 miles. 20 to warm up before you punch it, and 20 miles from when you flogged it to parking it and shutting it down.
I've been driving Porsches since 1974--45 years, so I know a few things about them.
03-11-2019, 07:04 PM
