stomish

Hey everyone! Have been doing some research on this stuff and have a laundry list of items I plan on doing to my freshly purchased 986, wanted to run them by y'all to see if i'm making the right choices

Issues my car has and what i'm going to be doing about it:

Frunk doesn't open when button is used - i'm thinking this is a faulty switch, unless related to the immobilizer issues i'm having. When I pop it (previous owner rigged up a cable to open it), the emergency latch does trigger the motor to pop it open, the switch just does nothing. I've ordered a new one off of eBay and am hoping it's just that, because that'd be a lovely quick fix.

Blown out pass. door speaker - this should be fairly simple, just need to remove the door card. I have the base sound system, ordered up a replacement on eBay and should probably have it swapped this weekend. I think i'm going to keep the stock radio, as I quite like the look/sound of it, and it gets plenty loud for me!

AOS - I believe it's AOS because the PO said he drove the car hard the previous night, and when I started it up it had a small puff of smoke. Otherwise, the car hasn't smoked on startup since. The car also runs a little funky when removing the oil fill cap while it's running, my friend told me this is likely related. Going to replace it at the same shop i'm having the IMS done at, since it hasn't been replaced on this car.

Speaking of that - IMS! It hasn't been done, plan on having it taken to a shop to be replaced by the LN engineering kit, unless there's a new "best" replacement to go with. It's an 03 base w/ the 2.7 and 105k miles on it so higher failure odds, want to be 110% sure it isn't going to fail.

Immobilizer issues. This is something i've been a bit unsure of. Was thinking of sending it out to Specialized ECU and also picking up the waterproof case for it once it's repaired to avoid this potentially happening in the future. I think it's the immobilizer because my lock/unlock on the fob don't work, lock/unlock doesn't work from the inside switch, and if I lock using the door it'll only lock the drivers door. The interior dome light also doesn't work, nor do the window switches in the center console, even though the windows drop when I open the doors. Airbag light is also on, but I believe this was due to the previous owner disconnecting the steering wheel airbag with the battery still connected since he swapped out the steering wheel for a freshly recovered one. Convertible top works well, and the car starts/runs/drives with no issues. Would it be possible to reprogram another immobilizer I picked up off of eBay/car-part with PIWIS, or is another software/tool needed for that?

On the topic of PIWIS - do they make a bootable SSD version of it? I've done some looking and found some old threads or people that made their own, but wasn't able to find much on a purchasable bootable SSD. The reason I ask is because in the volvo world I have a dedicated VIDA (volvos diagnostics software) laptop, and it'd be nice to have a Porsche PIWIS SSD to boot off of as well.


Thanks in advance for reading my gigantic wall of text, and i'm looking forward to being a member of the community!

Here are some pictures if y'all wanted to see!

sotothehail

I tried to fix the immobilizer, keys, etc without luck. I ended up buying a $20 remote fob and it serves all my purposes quite well. As for PIWIS, I have mine on a bootable SD card, slow but I only need to use it from time to time. Search around online and you can find it

stomish

Awesome - what scantool do you use do interface with it?

While i’d love to just leave it, it does annoy the hell out of me not being able to roll the windows down and having to open the pass. door whenever I want to put the top back on😔

Tom R.

Doing the clutch with the IMS? share the cost please.

sotothehail

I use a knock off VAS 6154B from AliExpress. TBH it was a pain to get it all working, but eventually I got it.

I don't think your window issues have anything to do with the immobilizer. I would just trace that wiring and maybe test with a 12v tester probe.

Airbag light could also be from removing the seat/seatbelt, you can just reset that light.

stomish

Airbag i'm not worried about - previous owner claims he removed it when he replaced the steering wheel, so i'm thinking he didn't unplug the battery and it just needs a reset.

I'm savvy with computers so hopefully won't be too crazy to get it functioning! As for the window issues, i'd love for it to be an easy fix!! Will give that a shot this weekend. I feel like whenever people have had window issues like mine, plus the central locking not working it usually is the immobilizer but i'd love to be proven wrong! The power locks don't work at all, I can lock the drivers door with the key but the passenger door stays unlocked. Every now and then the lock button on the center console will light up, seemingly with no rhyme or reason.

stomish

I'm still undecided - the clutch feels like it's in great shape, but if it's showing any signs of wear more than 60% when the engine+trans are split, i'll probably put a new one in it to be safe.

Tom R.

You are in there for the IMS. It is just parts at that point.