Porsche 996 Front Suspension Knocking When Warm

When my Porsche 996 had warmed up I found that there was a pronounced knocking sound from the front driver's side suspension when going over bumps. I also noticed that when driving at motorway speeds or on rough roads the steering was very disconcerting with the wheel being thrown from side to side.

From reading various forums and blog posts there were various suggestions for the knocking sound which could be the drop links, coffin arms or top mounts, all of which look to be the original 1998 vintage parts still in place.

Porsche 996 Front Suspension Knocking When Warm

During the free healthcheck at Porsche Centre Tonbridge it was noted that there was slight play in the Track rod ends/Tie Rods on one side so I decided that I would replace all both the track rod ends and inner tie rod joints to resolve the problem.

Worn track rod end Porsche 996

On removal from the car it was obvious why the steering had been so uneven and pulling side to side as one inner tie rod was completely corroded in place with the ball joint unable to move. The other was the one with play in it and showed slight movement. The rubber boots of track rod ends were both perished and the grease lost as well as the bearing being very loose.

I purchased brand new TRW parts to replace both track rod ends and inner tie rods which came to a total of £90. Compared to the £90 for one track rod end for my Porsche 944 this seemed a bargain!

After replacing the track rod ends and tie rods on both sides the transformation is amazing! The car no longer feels like it's wallowing all over the road, the steering is precise and untroubled by rough roads or bumps.

Overall it actually is pleasant to drive on the motorway again as it now feels reassuring and controlled rather than feeling unsure which direction the car could swerve without input. So if you are experiencing similar problems with the steering knocking, feeling very unstable over bumps and on rough roads then I'd suggest checking your track rod ends/tie rods as one culprit. Even if they show no sign of play then it may still mean that the joint is beyond repair and seized as that was the side that was making the knocking noise on my Porsche 911.

Porsche 996/911 Sunroof seal Replacement procedure

My 911 is proving to be quite noisy at speed with the sound of wind that seems to be coming from the roof. On inspection it appears that the sunroof seal is well past its best and not giving a complete seal around the edge of the roof line hence causing the sound from air rushing through at speed.

Porsche 996 Sunroof seal replacement procedure

There seems to be little information online about the sunroof seal and how to remove it to replace and fit a new seal. There may be a difference in seals between models of 996 as some guides refer to removing the sunroof panel itself which appears unnecessary as the the seal is on the car side of the panel and can be accessed when the sunroof is retracted into the car.

Porsche 996 Sunroof seal removal

To remove the seal from the car you need to push down so it detaches from the metal edge of the roof. It's not obvious from looking at the seal initially if it pulls off, down or up but having tested it works best using a thin trim removal tool between the edge of the paint and the seal to dislodge it first at the join. Once it has started to come away then it's easier to remove around the rest of the aperture.

Old seal removed

Once removed it's easy to see the difference from old and new

Old vs New - Porsche 996 Sunroof seal removal

 Seal removed is dated July 1998 so is the original 21 year old one - well due to be replaced and the rubber is so much harder and less flexible than the new one.

Date code on Porsche sunroof seal 

The roof was showing signs of rust when the seal had been removed so I decided to treat it with corrosion preventer before fitting the new seal. First job was to mask around the edge to prevent the roof being contaminated with wax.

I used Dynax S50 anti-corrosion spray to treat and coat the edge of the sunroof to protect it. Once the wax had dried I then started to fit the new sunroof seal.

To fit the seal I used a trim removal tool to push the seal into place

Porsche 911 Monthly Running Costs - 3 Months Summary

As I've owned my Porsche 911 996 model for three months I though it would be worth doing an update on the costs that I've incurred over this time.

It's been a busy time since I've had the car with lots of maintenance jobs done and a mix of essential and optional spending as a result. Some things like the replacement bumpers and new wheels were entirely optional, cosmetic choices but others such as engine oil and gearbox oil changes were key maintenance items.

Other jobs such as coolant hose replacements were preventative maintenance that hopefully will keep the car running better over the long term. Things like tyre replacements are routine maintenance that will hopefully only need doing again in 20,000 miles or so.

The total spend to date has been just over £1500 which includes an allowance for the sale of the Techart wheels that the car came with and have now been switched back to the original Porsche style ones. I'm hoping the spend will reduce now that some key jobs have been done but am also aware that there are some other expensive tasks that I still want to do such as suspension component replacements.

Taking in to account the cost of the car I think I'm still breaking even as the fixes I've done should make it both easier to sell and increase the asking price.

Porsche 911 Falken FK510 Tyres Review

I've now fitted my Porsche 911 with the original style wheels, Sport Design model. These came without tyres so I needed to purchase a full set.

My previous 911 was fitted with Falken tyres when I bought it so decided to go with the same brand again.

Porsche 911 Falken FK510 Tyres with Sport Design wheels

First impressions are that the ride is harder than the old tyres but it's a tough comparison of brand new tyres with ones that were between 12 and 16 years old - the tyres on the old Techart wheels were dated 2003, 2007 and 2008! They had plenty of tread left but were definitely beyond their best.

It's early days but so far they seem to be pretty quiet and have decent grip. I found that the tyre fitters haven't set the tyre pressures to the recommended settings from Porsche so will get those set as 36 front and 44 rear over the weekend.

Porsche 996 Wheel arch liner fitting - Fixings replacement

I needed to remove the wheel arch liner to check radiators and on doing so found that they had previously been bodged with cable ties to attach them to the car.

I've got a selection of clips that I've bought from Porsche and keep to be able swap if existing ones are broken or rusted so used some from my supplies. These are also available on eBay for s small amounts and mean you can properly attach the liners.

It's very satisfying to be able to fix minor issues like this, they're not visible to anyone else but it's good to know that they've been done

I decided to use 10mm headed screws for these so that all the fixings in the wheel arch liner can be removed using the same socket. I did have some Torx T25 screws but realised that would be more of a pain to remove as another tool would be required.

I wonder why Porsche originally used plastic expansion fittings rather than screws when the car was originally built? I suspect it may be due to possible corrosion of the screws - or it could be a cost based decision.

Porsche 996 Remote Locking Broken - How to Fix

When I bought my Porsche 911 I was told that remote locking hadn't been working for at least 7 years since before the last owner got it. I put new battery in with no joy when I got the car in May but hadn't done any more investigation until today.

Porsche 996 Remote Locking Broken - How to Fix

I followed the guides to reset with battery reversed and then did the ignition reset by putting key in, turning ignition on and then off followed by pressing the button on key which amazingly worked! So it's always worth giving them a try even if you think it might be hopeless.

However the second key still doesn't work. After taking the key apart I can see why, the button microswitch connection on the circuit board is missing!

I've ordered the microswitches from eBay but at least I have one key working and don't need to rush to put key in ignition now!

Details of the RESET PROCEDURE I used

1) Reset by manually unlocking the car door and whilst the key is still in the door, press the button, lock/unlock button. This re-syncs the electronics if it is time that has caused the car to forget the remote. 

2) As the remote uses a rolling code (new code every lock cycle) if the remote sender has been activated more than 256 times and less than 1024 times with the receiver out of range or while the vehicle battery is disconnected the unit must be resynchronized as follows: 

- Switch on the ignition (ignition key must have the correct transponder). 
- Switch off the ignition. 
- Remove the key and press the remote sender button within 6 seconds after the ignition key has been removed 
The activation counter will then be reset to zero. 

3) If the fault lies with the remote, you can reset the remote fob's chip by inserting the button battery in reverse (wrong way round) for a couple of seconds. (ie -+, +-) 

You should try these in order, but note that if 3) is used, 1) and 2) will need to be run again. 

If none of those work, you probably need a new remote! 

Porsche 911 GT2 Replica Front Bumper for Sale - SOLD

This GT replica bumper was on car when I bought it but have now switched it back to standard. It will only fit pre facelift 996.1 cars due to the headlight space. It's fibreglass with mesh grills to protect the radiators

Looking for £150 which includes genuine GT2 splitter.

Collection only from Kent UK