Rennlist - Porsche Discussion Forums - 981 Forum

Wash engine

drv911 — Wed, 20 May 2026 02:42:01 GMT

I gained access to the top of engine in the Boxster to inspect and clean up, vacuum the road debris from the flat areas.

Has anyone washed the engine from the top with a hose? Maybe use a cleaner like simple green. Is that a bad idea? Are there areas not to wet with a hose like the alternator?

Kline Headers

matthewlorenz — Tue, 19 May 2026 21:36:32 GMT

Hey everyone, I have a 981 cayman gts and I need to pass emissions. Emissions in my county tests with a obd2 scanner to check for a CEL, I/M Readiness, and DTCs. I was wondering if anyone had experience with the kline 200-cell stainless steel headers. Do they pass emissions? Do kline microcats help? Etc
Thank You

expensive problem I think

greg rx2 — Tue, 19 May 2026 00:30:52 GMT

hi men and women,
so my 2014 cayman s instrument cluster has a white with lots of vertical Iines screen where the gas gage is and all of the other things that should be there . any ideas? I disconected the battery for 1/2 hour reconnected it and it screen came back to normal on Sunday. how ever today I tried that same trick and the screen never came back just a white screen with the vertical lines. so am I looking at a new instrument cluster ? or an the repair just the dead gages. i think I know the answer but just wanted to put it out there just in case someone had a possible trick .

on another issue today I lost the bolt that holds the front motor mount while I was changing the serpentine belt. oh I put a rag down there to prevent it from falling into the bottom of the tray. but as I was putting it back in it fell. found the bolt but I can't get it out it is trapped between the lower crankshaft pulley and wedged in a slot on some piece of engine mount metal. does anyone know what size and pitch that bolt is? I can see the bolt I it but it won't come out no matter what I tried I can grab it with I a long nose pliers but can't get it out no matter what I do.

you guys know some days working on these cars is just one error after another. and this is one of those days for me

thanks for listening to day of woe and all of you are glad your not me today

rx

981 GTS Taillight repairs?

Bandur97 — Tue, 19 May 2026 00:08:01 GMT

I traded my OEM GT4 taillights with another forum member for his GTS taillights a couple months back. Unfortunately, they were seriously damaged in shipping (allegedly), and he did not get any kind of appropriate insurance on them.

I see taillight covers on eBay, but has anyone had any success with 981 taillight repairs? They do appear to be plastic welded so I don't know I could get them apart anyway.

I have since bought a new OEM set from Suncoast, but now the damaged ones are just laying around collecting dust. Adding a couple of pics to show the extent of the damage (left is ruined, right is bruised).

Back up camera

f4 plt — Mon, 18 May 2026 11:16:52 GMT

Has anyone added a backup camera to their 2014 Cayman if so, which way did you go as I’m looking to also upgrade to get Apple play. The car currently has the basic CDR 31 radio system

AWE Wind Diffuser

rockhouse66 — Mon, 18 May 2026 11:07:22 GMT

I bought these because I have had issues with the headliner running HPDE with the windows down and thought they would help. For my car, the "simple, easy installation" involves disassembling the door. There is no way I am inclined to turn this into a major project. Has anyone actually done this? Removing side air bag cover and door panel X 2 to do both sides. Sheesh!

How unicorn? How to find out more?

Suprastar — Mon, 18 May 2026 02:52:08 GMT

I've been wondering how unicorn my car is after never seeing one in the same color combo...ever. So I suspect it's quite rare based on color combo alone and not "option stacking". It might be 1 of single digits and I wouldn't at all be surprised if it was 1 of 1.

After chatting with a buddy with a new Cayman GTS (it's awesome!), we're starting to think it was a special dealer order to be their "showroom" car. His car was...and has similar odd color combos and options.

Now I know Porsche doesn't keep track of how many cars were sold in X color, but is there a way to find out more? Ideally finding the original dealer might unlock some info. But barring that, how do o find out more?

The important bits: 2014 Boxster, 6 speed manual, in Lime Gold Metallic with FULL Lime Gold leather. The contrasting trim on the rest of the interior (door card, steering wheel, etc) is Agate Gray. Top is brown. I have seen a couple similar cars...but they had the 2 tone, partial Lime Gold interior (only the seat centers are Lime Gold). Mine is entirely Lime Gold.

Can post build sheet if that's useful?

agate grey gold Weiss wheels

gingerporsche — Sat, 16 May 2026 07:07:06 GMT

Hi ,
im maybe going to get my wheels re powder coated at some point and was maybe thinking of a colour change still not sure..
currently running anthracite but was wondering how Weiss gold would look?
anyone got any pics or maybe photoshop mine?
tia

Need Advice on 981 Purchase

Jyounya — Sat, 16 May 2026 06:56:40 GMT

Hey everyone. I purchased a Black 2013 Boxster S (Chrono, PSE, 20" Carrera Wheels, Convenience Package, ~45,100 miles...$43K before tax and fees) through Carvana and had a rough delivery experience. Before taking possession the following work was completed by Carvana:

New N-rated Pirelli P Zeros (235/35ZR20 front, 265/35ZR20 rear)
HVAC head unit, blower motor, and resistor replaced
Aftermarket wheel spacers removed, OEM lug bolts installed
Hood struts replaced
NHTSA Recall AMB7 (rear subframe) completed

After taking possession, two independent inspections (Porsche dealer and indie PPI) identified additional issues currently being addressed via warranty:

New front brake pads and rotors
New window switch and Sport Plus button/center console

Still within my 7-day window and deciding whether to keep it. Both inspections flagged the following remaining items that Carvana declined to cover:

Coolant flush - coolant is waterlogged (more water than coolant). Porsche quoted $1,348.
Brake fluid flush - fluid tested black. Dealer quoted $362. I can do this myself.
Convertible top - intermittently stops mid-cycle, no fault codes stored. Porsche couldn't replicate it and suggested it may have worked itself out from sitting. I suspect a microswitch issue.
Front fender liner - missing, no evidence of damage or accident per Porsche and Indy. Dealer quoted $618. Seeing OEM liners on FCP Euro for ~$150.

I'm comfortable wrenching up to intermediate level anything that doesn't require opening the engine (I have a quickjack and necessary tools). Structurally the car is solid. Engine and Trans work great.

Worth keeping given the refresh it's had, or would you walk away?

Cam Actuator Bolt Failure Fix - SPM Titanium Cam Actuator Bolts

SP Motorsports — Fri, 15 May 2026 23:29:33 GMT

Here at SP Motorsports in Hayward CA, we have been seeing cam actuator bolt issues more frequently on the 9A1 engines found in the 981 Cayman/Boxster and 991.1 Carrera platforms. The factory aluminum hardware can lose preload over time and begin backing out under vibration and high engine load. Once the bolts loosen, the cam actuator repeatedly rattles against them, eventually causing the hardware to shear and potentially leading to major engine damage.

Recently, SP Motorsports received a failed 981 engine on a pallet after a catastrophic valvetrain failure. During teardown and inspection, we found the factory cam actuator hardware had backed out, allowing the actuator to move excessively before ultimately shearing the bolts and causing significant internal damage. The engine required a complete rebuild and served as another reminder of how serious this issue can become once the hardware starts loosening.

A lot of owners replace these with standard steel hardware, which solves the immediate strength concern but significantly increases rotational mass in the valvetrain. To address both issues, SP Motorsports developed a CNC-machined Grade 5 titanium replacement specifically for the 9A1 platform. The titanium construction provides substantially improved strength over the factory aluminum hardware while maintaining a lightweight design better suited for high-RPM valvetrain performance and long-term reliability.

Benefits:
• Minimized rotating mass
• OEM fitment
• Thread locker included

Technical Specs:
• Triple the strength of OEM aluminum bolts
• Only 1.5x the weight of stock bolts
• Steel equivalents are roughly 3.5x heavier than stock
• High-torque T40 bolt head
• CNC machined Grade 5 titanium

Product Link:
[size=13px]SPM Porsche Titanium Cam Actuator Bolt Upgrade Kit – 981/991[/size]

981 Cayman Headliner Clip

John-993 — Thu, 14 May 2026 13:50:03 GMT

Does anyone know where I can get a clip that holds up the rear portion of the headliner? See photo of one that I didn't break. Does anyone have one as I don't think they're available. I broke top portion that clips into steel roof opening during removal. Will Velcro alone be sufficient in that corner? Any help/experience appreciated.
Thanks

. John

Vredestein Ultrac Pro on Track?

nowata — Wed, 13 May 2026 01:34:25 GMT

Price is too compelling to ignore

has anyone put these on track yet? I need some new treads for road America HPDE

Running pse always open ?

gingerporsche — Tue, 12 May 2026 19:44:38 GMT

Hi all,
Ive just bought a pse exhaust with seized valves so thinking of maybe trying to free them if possible or maybe removing them and running it open all the time.
so my question is how many of you run it open all the time anyway?
to loud in normal driving mode? Pop & crackles even without the sport button on?
oh my 981 is the 2.7 pdk base currently with standard exhaust..
tia

Fog Light Trim Removal

caiman981 — Tue, 12 May 2026 01:40:29 GMT

Hi all,

Haven't seen a post or video about this one. Just seen some ones to remove the fog light itself. We will be removing the fog light chrome trim (daytime running light sometimes called) on a 2014 981 Cayman S. You will need one tool, just a slim plastic trim remover. You can definitely use other things to do this, like a screwdriver or something thin and sturdy, but I recommend plastic to not damage the trim and the light housing itself. You do not need to remove the bumper for this and is a super easy way to modernize and customize the look of your Cayman.

So put your tool between the fog light lens and the chrome trim. Then use the tool to pull the trim away. It will snap out of place with a good amount of force. When I did this is was a pretty hard snap and even kicked some dust up as it can get dirty behind the trim. I had to twist the plastic tool which gave some more leverage to snap the trim out of place. Try to snap one side out at a time to avoid any damage. My piece came out pretty hard from twisting and pulling the side closest to the outside of the car, but it did not damage anything.

Once the trim pieces are out you can paint them however you like. I went with black to match the surrounding trim and a more discreet look. While the trim is off you can also apply some film or protection to the lens itself. Mine was already beat up a bit from 50k miles. I used Plasti dip for my pieces, no sanding required and did 6 coats.

Once you are ready to reinstall, give the housing and surrounding trim a good clean first, line up the notches on the trim and snap back into place. My trim did not give a good snap when I put them back in, but they were secured properly. Just give them a pull to ensure they are snugly fit.

I did take them out again, and they were much easier the second time, so maybe from all the dirt in the trim, they got locked in and were hard to get out initially.

Let me known if you have any questions below and see my other post for how to change the headlight washer caps from chrome to whatever you want!

Wedge tool between fog light and trim piece. Then pull and or twist tool for leverage.

make sure when reinstalling to line up notches

make sure when reinstalling to line up notches

before

before

after

after

Cayman Headlight Washer Cap Removal and Swap

caiman981 — Tue, 12 May 2026 01:07:14 GMT

Hi all!
I never had seen a video or actual breakdown of how someone did this so wanted to share. I believe this will work for all 981/991 models, maybe a few others as well.

showing after- before was chrome, apply tape to protect paint

showing after- use wrench to keep mechanism up

Empty mechanism with longer tube retracted

Put screwdriver between cap and piece

pull with pliers one end and hand with other opposite directions

Dirty underside with cap removed

Line up tabs

after

before

after

There are plenty of videos on how to remove the whole headlight washer mechanism which you should follow for the first part of this guide. You can find several good ones on Youtube.

I used the painters tape and wrench method. I just used a normal adjustable wrench and pulled the mechanism out with my fingernail and a small screwdriver head. Put the tip on the flathead screwdriver at the top inside part of the washer cap and pull the other side with your finger. It takes quite a bit of pull so don't be afraid of breaking it. Once you get the mechanism up put the wrench under it so it doesn�t fall back in. It will retract if not held up strong. It takes a lot of leverage to pull the thing up but once you have the wrench in place it�s much easier. You can then lift with the wrench until fully extended.Then there is a little clip you can pry the top part of the mechanism from the tube and once you release the top part from the longer tube it will fall back into the bumper. Thats ok though as you can put the top part back in place and pull it out again to readjust.

To get the actual cap off the washer tube I squeezed the end of a tiny screwdriver head between the chrome part and the actual washer housing as seen in the pictures. Go all the way around until the head is slightly separated from the housing, just enough for your screwdriver head to barely have enough room to fit between the head and housing.

Once I got this far, I used pliers at the top of the cap on the inside and pulled very hard while pulling the other direction on the washer tube. It should pop off and it will take quite a lot of pulling at least for me it did so don�t be scared and feel like its too much pressure.
And voila, you have separated all the pieces. Now give it a quick clean, mine was very dirty. I gave mine a quick rinse too and now its like brand new.

The chrome pieces you can paint or plasti dip. I got a set of covers from Painted OEM Parts. It�s called Painted 2014-2016 Porsche Cayman Headlamp Washer Cover | Genuine OEM

They actually paint the heads for you. At first I didn�t think mine matched the Guards red color but once I put them next to the car they matched pretty well. I think over time once exposed to the sun and age they will get lighter. You can definitely paint the caps yourself in whatever color and it will be much cheaper.

Once you are ready to reinstall, match the little notches up to the caps and they snap on. You can then reinsert them into the washer hose as they were before. You will hear several clicks as it attaches. You will need to pull the tube out again with the same method as before as the clip for the top part of the tube and caps does not fully clip in. So pull it out fully again with the wrench method and then try and attach the wrench below the clip part. Then push down on the whole top part and you will hear a few more clicks. Now you are finished! Make sure everything works good and the washers work properly.

Put any questions down below and I�ll try to answer them. I think this mod really makes the car look better without the chrome! Check out my other post on how I removed the chrome fog light covers and made them black.