[Cabman4007]

To summarize this and provide a few pointers, here is what happened to me:

About 2 months ago my 2003 5 month old 996 Cab died sitting in my garage the day of the seneca park picnic, sunday. Porsche roadside came out and before flat bedding it, took a portable powerpack and it started. Made sense to me it was a defective battery.

Went to Seneca Park Picnic, Porsche died again. Tom Trew, past pca pres and crew helped me start it,, Tom said he didnt think it was the battery.

Called HBL on mon and they told me if I delivered the Porsche Battery they would give me an Interstate or Porsche battery, my choice.

Called Joel Reiser, Guru from PCA website and he said go with interstate.

Put battery in car,, it worked fine.

Took car to HBL for a 2 hr diagnostic on wed,, nothing wrong, HBL said computer in car may have cleared up the problem. Tom Trew didnt think so but mechanics did.

Drove 1,000 miles to Fl last week. When I got here (non-stop), stopped and had lunch,,, car wouldnt start!! Same problem as before.

Called HBL,, they called Maitland Porsche (65 miles away),, they got me flat bedded to Maitland (8th largest dealer in the country),, anyway, Maitland found the problem finally.

Faulty fuel pump relay.

Fixed it the next day. Couldnt get to Maitland. Porsche authorized a Flat Bed tow to me (they normally dont ever do that) and they paid my hotel, food and expenses up to $750.00 since I was away from home. What a company!!!

I am still in FL,, resting comfortably,, fuel pump drama is solved and the car is running great.

HBL spoke with Maitland and they were appreciative of learning about this problem. HBL never encounter a 996 relay problem.

This is just in case this happens out there to anyone in the future.

Don fom Rainy Fl

ps.. that drive down on 95 was awesome,, I hit 120 plus a few times in between 2 trucks. Endorphine City...

[Parenn911]

ps.. that drive down on 95 was awesome,, I hit 120 plus a few times in between 2 trucks. Endorphine City...

Glad to hear that the Cab is back in action . I hope all is well down there in Florida after Hurricane Charley wreaked havoc. Have a safe trip back up to NoVA, and watch out for those endorphine's .

[Richard Curtis]

I own a 964 and, although I'm a newbie, I've heard they are notorious for DMEs going bad (that's the fuel pump relay as I understand it). Do 996s have the same problem? I even bought a spare DME to carry in the car for when the current relay inevitably goes belly up.

As for hitting 120 mph on I-95, given how much everyone speeds on that highway, I'm surprised you didn't get over going that slow!!

[Rick Lee]

DME relays are a weak point on all 911's from '84 on. They take 30 sec. to replace and cost $25-$35. Buy a spare and never take it out of your car. A buddy of mine spent $1200 at shop having his 993 "fixed" before I suggested this and it solved the probalem.

[Cabman4007]

I didnt ask Maitland Porsche if it was specifically a DME problem but I will. They told me it was the fuel pump relay so I will see exactly what that meant.

As far as 95 South goes,, once you get into NC and the speed limit is 70,, its a free for all. I made it to Fl in record time, 11 hrs 13 mins hrs for 905 miles with stops,, 3 very short gasoline stops. Must have averaged 80 to 82 mph but I was trucking at 98 and 110 for long stretches. It was a great trip down,, I was alone tho, ,if my wife was with me it would have been a 15 hour trip since we cant seem to pass a rest stop without stopping for 20 minutes.

The P Car weathered the hurricane without incident.

Cabman Don

[Cabman4007]

Rick: Where is the DME on the 996 exactly? I will take a look at it and see if I can tell if its new or not.

Don

[Rick Lee]

Don, I dunno on your car. On 993's it's in the fuse/relay box under the front hood on the passenger side. On Carrera's the DME is under the driver's seat. DME relay and fuel pump relay are the same thing.

[Jase007]

DME relay and fuel pump relay are the same thing.

That I didn't know.

On every other German car I own(ed) / work(ed) on / futz(ed) with, the DME / ECU (computer) relay and the fuel pump relay are separate Bosch relays. Usually, they are distinguished by colors (one is orange and one is black).

In any event, I always carry spares (cheap insurance) in the glovebox.

Jase

[Rick Lee]

Jase, I think pre-84 911's had fuel pump relays, but I know they did not have DME relays. Once Carreras came along, I'm pretty sure they were one and the same. It's amzing how many problems this relay can cause and how a new one makes them all go away.

[APKhaos]

Carrera models 84-89 have a compound DME & Fuel Pump relay, mounted under the driver's seat next to the DME computer itself.