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Guys, 

An update. But not much of one. 

I've found the time to dig out the PCM unit. It turns out that it's built into the ABS pump and lives on the RHS of the frunk area as you look from the front of the car. Here's a photo:

I've disconnected the battery, and then taken the connector out of this and given both the plug and socket a good dose of contact cleaner. Having said that there was nothing visibly amiss about them; the connector was a locking thing that was very snugly home, no damage to wires, no water damage anywhere nearby .... all looked pretty much as new. 

I've yet to do the same with the connector on the steering column. 

I've re-connected the battery and it has given the usual 'PSM Inoperative' and 'PASM inoperative' warnings, as I'd expect. 

I'll drive it tomorrow, clear out all the fault codes and drive it again. We'll see what that brings. 

A trip to Lee at Cotswold Porsche is indeed an option (does he have PIWIS?) However if the problem is nothing more than some lines on screen when I plug in a code reader then I'll keep my money in my pocket (unless you think that Lee would let me use his PIWIS for 30 minutes for free .... which is unlikely - and I fully understand why). 

Thanks to @Paul Pand @Richard Hamilton for your input. I'll keep this updated. 

Guys, 

Thanks for the answers. I think I am learning that fault codes are not logical things and there is a degree of black magic in understanding them. 

FWIW, the car drives perfectly fine and the only problem is the fault codes listed when I plug the code reader in. There are no warning lights on the dashboard and the ABS works fine (there is still ice on our road and I tested it yesterday). The PSM and PASM warning lights come on when it's first run after re-connecting the battery but they go out within 100 yards or so, which suggests that there is some form of self-check of the modules and they pass. 

PaulP, thanks. It looks like the PSM module is underneath the brake master cylinder and easy to get to. I've not done any work in that area for a while (the recent work was entirely at the rear) but I'll see if I can find 5 mins to strip the carpet out of the frunk and have a squiz at what's what. Your comments on the relevance of the different terminals is particularly helpful. 

RichardHamilton, good to see you - it appears that you are the go-to chap for this sort of thing! If it is just a result of disconnecting the standard-fit radio and not coding it out then I'll not fuss too much, but it would be good to find someone with a PIWIS who can confirm this. 

Ah .... members map! I'll have a look! 

Thanks again. That's very helpful. 

PIWIS is the scan tool to rule all scan tools and I understand that some people on here have one. Is there a list of such people or do I need to talk to my local indie (whom I hardly ever use)? 

1 minute ago, iborguk said:

Maybe it was that and it needs time to clear the codes from active status over the next few ignition cycles.

Ah, I didn't know that codes sometimes disappear over time. That's helpful - thanks. 

5 minutes ago, iborguk said:

I wonder if Gateway: Code 8007 (Gateway Incorrect Coding) is related to the PCM having been removed and not coded out.

1 minute ago, iborguk said:

I'm wondering again if this one is caused by a battery issue, Porsche Access System: Code 8004 (Current terminal 50)

8004 and 8007 could be related. I guess that I am probably less bothered by them as they are (probably) of little consequence, although I'd be happier if they weren't there. 

The C152 one is bothering me quite a lot more as it's PSM, and I don't want to find out that that doesn't work when I desperately need it to .... 

I disconnected the battery when I changed the fuel rails and re-connected it afterwards. I know that it wasn't 'cleanly' re-connected, by which I mean that it sparked a little bit. However I have subsequently disconnected the battery overnight and re-connected it to see if that helped. 

The battery itself is less than 6 months old and the car is stored on a CTek charger. 

3 minutes ago, iborguk said:

C152

Diagnosis information ­ CAN PSM

control module, communication

NOTE
Internal function test completed!

Diagnostic conditions

The PSM control module initially tests internal function sequences after wake­up. If they are OK, all diagnosable outputs are then tested and any faults are stored.
PSM control module wake­up through:

 event­-induced CAN message

 "Ignition on"

Possible fault causes

No power supply for PSM control module
PSM control module incorrectly coded
Short circuit or open circuit in the CAN drive
PSM control module faulty (in most cases the cause is not the PSM control module but incorrect coding!)

Fault effects

Communication via the CAN drive is no longer possible.
No other control modules are able to communicate with the PSM control module.

Affected contacts on the PSM control module connector

Connector A:

4 ground supply ­ terminal 31 

14 CAN drive low

28 power supply ­ terminal 15 

35 CAN drive high

Now that's more interesting. PSM = stability system, non? 

Does this mean that my PSM isn't working? 

Thanks. Googling PCM shows pictures of various different head units from 987's and I have changed the head unit. The new one is aftermarket (Pioneer). That's a really helpful chunk of text - thank you, it explains the C141 code perfectly. (Where did you get the text from?) 

Checked the car and it beeps when you try to lock it with the frunk open, so the beeper works. 

19 minutes ago, iborguk said:

Porsche Access System: Code 8004 (Current terminal 50)

Is the car beeping when attempting to lock it ? If it is then sounds like something isn't shut/locked.

iborguk, 

Thanks. I'd guess active as well. 

No beeps when the car is locked. Let me try locking it with a door open to make sure that the beeper works. 

Ah, thanks. 

They are codes that I saw there after a 60 mile drive, cleared out and were back again after another 60 mile drive. I suspect therefore that they are being generated by the car. Does that answer the question? 

8 minutes ago, iborguk said:

Are these actually active codes ? 

Erm, as opposed to what? Inactive codes? Passive codes? 

(Sorry to sound fick. I only sound that way because I am not very clever). 

Update: FWIW, I'm using the iCarSoft tool for multiple brands of car, but I believe that the Porsche software in it is the same as in the iCarSoft POR2 tool. 

Guys, 

After shredding my hands changing the injector rails earlier this week I've done a few miles in the car and it's a HUGE improvement. No smell of fuel and better fuel economy, and I think it may have cured a starting problem as well. Work well done, and thanks for your kind comments in the other thread. 

However I've just attached a code reader to the car to see what it thinks is wrong with it and the following are reported: 

Porsche Access System: Code 8004 (Current terminal 50)

Gateway: Code 8007 (Gateway Incorrect Coding)

POSIP: Code C141 (Client communication PCM) and Code 152 (Client Communication PSM Control Unit)

I'm not fussed by C141 and C152 as they were there before and I think that are related to fitting an aftermarket head unit.

However the 8004 and 8007 ones are new since doing the work on the injection rail. Google tells me very little other than not to worry about them. Does anyone have any more detailed light to shed on them? FWIW the car works as it should and drives perfectly. 

Thanks for any input anyone can offer. 

On 12/15/2022 at 5:52 PM, iborguk said:

Nope.

Looks like you’d have to crack the headlights to install them ?

Double nope.

 

Double nope? Let me guess - first 'nope' is because they look a bit naff and second 'nope' because they involve opening up the headlights? 

If so then make that a triple 'nope', with the third one coming from me for free! 

Bravo Trooper! Good for a pro (i.e someone who makes his bread from working on these cars) to offer advice on how to do so for free, both on here and in person! 

😀

OK. It's done. And I am PIG SICK of the car. It's kicked my ass hard and it's not the first time it's done that. I've spent nearly two whole days on the thing and I changed the clutch in my 944 quicker than that. I am sure that it would be quicker if I did it again but I don't intend to do that for a LONG time. 

Things to note when removing fuel rails / injectors (it's pretty much the same job): 

- You can't get the fuel rails out with the manifolds in situ. Even with both the fuel rails and the manifolds unbolted it's a SERIOUS jiggle to get them out. If you could remove the radiator header tank (on the RHS) and the air filter housing (on the LHS) then it would be easier but I think that getting these out is harder than getting the inlet manifolds off. (And anyone who removes the inlet manifolds to 'clean them up' or paint them so they look spiffing under a clear engine cover is certifiably insane). You therefore need to remove the entire intake system; plenum chambers, inlet manifolds, those two big fat pipes that lie across the top of the engine, vacuum hoses a-dozen ... the lot. 

- You also need to remove the AOS on the RHS to get the fuel rail on that side out

- The front bolt on the RHS (driver's side in UK) manifold had corroded in place and wouldn't budge. Thankfully access to it is not too bad with the panel behind the seats removed but I had to grind the head off and then lift the manifold off the stub of the bolt. I then had to heat the stub hard with a blowtorch and twist it out with some grippers. That didn't help either the time taken or my mood .... 

- The two fuel lines each connect to a rubber hose that has a stiff plastic hose inside it. (This is the bit that is pictured in the first post in this thread). This is a push-fit joint and has no clip on it but the only way I could get it off was to cut it longitudinally. This would have made attaching it to the replacement fuel line very difficult. The rubber hoses from each fuel line join to a Y-shaped piece which has another hose that runs underneath the near side of the car to a clip-fit join. Thankfully I bought both new (second-hand) lines which came with the hoses, Y-piece and the hose that leads on to the clip-fit join. It seemed to make sense to therefore change both sides rather than do battle with re-attaching fuel lines. This made the job twice as long but less risky (I don't like playing with high-pressure fuel lines). 

Interestingly, my RHS fuel line had rusted through at the end nearest the front of the car, as per the photo above. (This was where the very rusty bolt was as well). The LHS fuel line was hardly rusted at all. The replacement (second-hand) RHS fuel line was also quite rusty but not quite as bad as the one that came off. I gave both replacement fuel lines a good rub down with a wire brush and a coat of Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 (I love Bilt Hamber stuff) before fitting them and will further anoint them with some Dynax S50 (I love Bilt Hamber Stuff) (have I said that before?) with a paintbrush in situ tomorrow. I can't explain the difference between the two sides but having seen two parts rusting in a similar way I suspect that this will be a common problem in times to come. 

FWIW the car fired up first time and drives fine and there are no leaks anywhere. (It fired quite a lot better when I plugged in the final injector 😀). I've cleared the consequent 'injector open circuit' fault code and there are no more fault codes from the engine, although there are a number of new ones from elsewhere in the car (driver's door module, passenger door module, 'coding fault' etc). I suspect that these are due to disconnecting the battery and then not reconnecting it cleanly - it sparked a little. However I'm fed up with the car at the moment so it can wait until tomorrow for me to tackle these, as well as putting the trim panels back in. I'm hoping that they aren't serious. 

If anyone else attempts this job you will NEED a magnet on a stick to lift the bolts out of the holes. Don't attempt it without one. A 1/4inch socket set was sufficient to do all the un-doing but you may need more tools depending upon what goes wrong. I thought about re-fitting everything with some nice shiny stainless steel fasteners but didn't as they won't stick to magnets therefore couldn't be lowered into place (or removed next time 'round)(Oh no, I said I wouldn't do this job again). 

Not many pictures as I was too busy with my hands full and dirty. I'll take some tomorrow. I'd offer photos of my hands and forearms, complete with blood, bruises and holes in the skin but fear that they may ruin the family-friendly reputation of this website so I won't. Go into your local butchers shop and ask to look at some beef mince and you'll get the right idea. 

Questions on a postcard to the usual address. Or just post them on here if it's easier. 

Thanks iborguk and 0.5cwt. Yes, that's a good point and it would be nice to think that this is useful for someone else in the future. 

I'm slightly curious as to why the fuel rail rusted through where it did. Has anyone else seen a failure like this? I'll be looking closely at the replacement (second-hand) pipe when it arrives tomorrow to see if that's starting to go in the same way. And I'll certainly be anointing it with some anti-rust stuff. 

Update (not that anyone cares, probably): 

You can see the hole in the middle of it. New (second hand) part arriving tomorrow. 

And, as an aside, that was a complete PIG of a job to get out. Utter utter swine. Getting the fuel rail loose was pretty easy, but you then had to get the inlet manifold on that side off to get the rail out. And that was a pain in the bum. Not helped by the fact that the furthest forward bolt holding it down was both corroded and seized. I ended up grinding the top off it (thankfully access through the hatch behind the seats was pretty good) to pull the manifold off, and then fighting the remaining stump of bolt to get it to come out. And when I say 'fighting' I mean Plus Gas and heat and my biggest pair of stilsons that would fit in the hole. 

More tomorrow. Hopefully it'll go back together more easily than it came out. 

Thanks 0.5CWT. The parts cat does indeed show no clip. 

It now looks like this: 

You'll notice two things: 

1. I've put a clip on it

2. It's still leaking. 

Having fumbled around the area there is quite a lot of crusty rustyness coming off in my hands and I wonder if the end of the fuel rail has rusted through. Which would (of course) mean a new part is necessary. 

I guess the next step is to take it off and have a closer look. Ho hummm. 

Thanks for your help. 

Update: it appears that the pipe that attaches to the rail is held on by push-fit only. At least, that's what this picture (taken from a spare parts seller's website) suggests. 

It also appears that the is only one connection to this fuel rail which is the supply line, which means that this connection is handling the full 2.5bar (or whatever it is) of fuel pressure from the pump. Surely that's not right? 

Thanks for any input anyone can offer .... ! 

Guys, 

I have a fuel leak. I thought that the oil-y/petrol-y smell from my 987.1c was due to the AOS, which I changed and was waiting for the smell to die down. Jasonmo was very helpful on this thread here: 

but it turned out that I was barking up the wrong tree. I have a fuel pipe leak and it looks like this: 

For reference, that's the rubber fuel hose joining onto the front end of the hard fuel pipe on the offside (driver's side) of the car. The darker brown bit (that looks like it's rusty but I don't think that it is) is wet with fuel. Given the price of petrol these days I expect that I have wasted eleventy billion pounds worth of the stuff already and I need to solve the problem quickly to prevent further costs. I suppose I should be grateful that it hasn't all gone up in smoke, eh? 

So ... this leak. And those pipes. I'd normally look at something like that and assume that it's a rubber hose that is pushed onto the hard line and it has just leaked a little, and the solution is to pull the hose off and re-attach it with a jubilee clip to help the seal. Is it this simple? It looks a bit like the rubber hose is not fully pushed home onto the hard line and I've tried to slide it back on but the rubber hose is hard - by which I mean it appears to be very stiff and possibly rigid, which leads me to wonder whether there is something not quite obvious meant to be going on in the join. That, plus the fact that this will be carrying some pressure so a push-fit wouldn't seem to be sufficient to hold things together. 

So, what do I do? Can I just pull it off and apply a jub clip? Or do I need to so something else? 

Thanks for your help. 

Thanks jasonmo. Looking at the figures it's probably only 250miles or so since the AOS was swapped so I'm still within the 'few hundred miles' suggested by your garage. 

It's slightly better every time I drive it, and I think that my AOS was properly kippered before I changed it (I sat on it for nigh on 9 months/6000 miles) so I'll not panic yet 

Thanks for your help.

Guys, 

I changed the AOS on my 987.1 non-S about 400 miles ago as I thought it was kaputt. Why did I think this? The car produced a strong oily/petrol-y smell, particularly when hot, and the oil filler cap was hard to remove when the engine was running. On removing the AOS I also discovered that the hard corrugated plastic pipe from the AOS to the N/S front of the engine had perished and cracked so I replaced this as well (although with some all-purpose rubber hose rather than a Porsche part, not that it will make much difference). While it was all apart I wiped the worst of the oil residue from the inside of the inlet manifolds and plenum chamber with a clean rag. 

Now, about 400 or so miles later the oily/petrol-y smell is abating but hasn't gone entirely. How long does such a smell usually take to subside after an AOS change and how long before I start to wonder whether there is something else wrong with the car as well? I had a good look around for fuel leaks when it was apart but couldn't see anything amiss. 

All wisdom welcomed, thanks. 

Update now that I've driven the car: it's a considerable improvement although I can't entirely pinpoint why. The shift is smoother and easier, which is probably explained by the grease I put into it. I think it's tighter left-to-right as well, but that's not immediately noticeable. It's easier to find the gears and nicer to use, so not time wasted. 

It's all helped by changing the clutch fluid as well, the old stuff seemed to have become contaminated and was very thick, leading to a clutch pedal that didn't return correctly. New fluid has helped clutch pedal feel hugely, which has helped the car feel nice to drive.

Thanks for your suggestions chaps. I'm happy!