The dreaded day arrived for me last fall. I'm writing of course about when my factory Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) sensors reached the end of their life. My car is a 2007, manufactured in June 2007, put into service in July 2007. I started seeing TPMS malfunctions (the readings all went blank while driving, then came back) in the summer of 2014. So I got about 7 years, 80,000 miles out of my sensors before they went kaput. This is pretty much in line with the 6-8 years that other...
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In Part 1, I covered some of the basic functions that can be performed using the Enthusiast version of the Durametric cable. In this tutorial, I will discuss some of the more advanced uses of the cable, including some Coding functions for those who purchase or borrow the Professional cable. NOTE: Some some of these functions, particularly Activations and Coding could result in damage to your vehicle, as well as disabling some of the normal safety functions of your car. You undertake these...
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Since I DE my car a lot (6 track days last year, planning 8 track days this year) 2010 is to be the year I will bleed brakes before each event. I stand today 20 days from my first event of the season at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds AL (where PSDS is held) so today was bleed brakes day. Over Christmas I had changed out the pads since they would not have passed the 3/16" minimum by the event date. While I was at it, I bought a liter of factory brake fluid (factory pads, factory fluid I'm just...
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Changing a battery or suffering a dead battery is something that all of us will experience at one point or another. Our Caymans are very sophisticated. They contain many computerized control modules that may/can/will be effected by loss of battery voltage. This technical article will present the many instructions that Porsche recommends to their mechanics after loss and replacement of battery power. 1 Control Unit Memory Values and faults stored in the control units can be lost if the...
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If you track your car a lot, you may find yourself considering the use of some more aggressive brake pads. There are many good choices available. Some folks use them part time only when on the track, others use them full time for both track and street. Regardless of how you want to use them, you will run into one snag. Many of the available race pads are not compatible with Porsche's brake wear sensors, and for those that are, changing the sensors from pad to pad is a hassle that slows down an...
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INTRODUCTION Durametric is a small company which produces a Porsche diagnostic tool for use by independent service shops or individual enthusiasts, and is as close as one can come to owning the equivalent of the PIWIS system that dealer service departments use, for thousands of dollars less. Unfortunately, Durametric provides very little in the way of documentation or tutorials in the use of their tool, which is part of the reason I have decided to write this primer. Some of the...
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I managed to snap off two of the studs that hold the plastic under tray onto my Cayman. I dropped the three center under trays to start the repair because there was a broken stud on each side. The dealer and their technicians don't bother to repair broken studs and don't sell any replacement parts. Surfing the web led me to the ClickBond adhesive attached threaded studs used in maritime and aerospace applications for cable tiedown points. The ClickBond part number is CS125-1024-CR. The...
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A question came up in a discussion about testing Relays. Relays seem like magical little boxes of wonder. They often catch the blame for mysterious electrical gremlins because they're operation is a mystery to most auto enthusiasts. But if we really stop to learn what a relay is and how it works, we will learn that they are really quite simple. Understanding and being able to test them can help us cross them off the list when things go wrong. So let's take a lesson on Relays, how they work and...
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The flexible brake lines that connect the calipers to the brake line hydraulic system are subject to wear and should be replaced periodically. This article provides a guide on how to replace the brake lines on a Cayman. In this article I replace the factory brake lines on my Cayman with new Braided Stainless Steel Brake Lines. Braided Stainless Steel Brake Lines are a relatively inexpensive way to improve the feel of your Cayman's brakes. The intent of braided stainless steel brake lines...
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After attending your first autocross or driver’s education event, it’s likely that you’ll be thinking about improving your car’s handling. During discussions with other drivers and “interested spectators” you might be advised to get a “track” alignment or find a way to get “more negative camber”. This article will explain what the alignment parameters of toe, camber, and caster mean and how changes in their settings may affect performance. Finally, I’ll discuss the benefits of having a wheel...
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