Help please. I am out of ideas on how to stop an occasional reoccurring CEL with a P2096 ( Post catalyst fuel trim system too lean bank 1) error code on my 2003 2.7 Boxster, FSH 72K miles.

I have owned the car nearly two years. The car has always been well maintained and is running beautifully throughout this period. Everything is working exactly as it should be.
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The CEL/ P2096 code pops up every 150-200 miles or so, which is easy enough to clear using my Foxwell OBD2 tool, but is annoying me.

So I have on 2 occasions put it in to a highly respected local Porsche Indy, to investigate and fix.

On the first occasion, about a year and 1500 miles ago, the 4 O2 sensors were replaced with new Bosch sensors. This did not stop the occasional CEL problem.

So last week the Indy spent a couple of days checking every possible other cause, including:
- live diagnostics and live data -pass, no strange readings
- fuel rails checked and pressures checked - pass
- manometer check on vacuum system - pass,
- full visual check of exhaust system, cold and hot - pass
- spark plugs removed and inspected, no evidence of lean running on either bank, nor any injector issues
- O2 sensor wiring checks - pass; and plug connectors checked cleaned
- air filter check -pass
- Engine bay pipework inspection - pass
- smoke tests of intake system, vacuum system, AOS, Exhaust system warm & cold - pass
- Fuel cap and oil cap seals, fuel vent check - pass
- MAF sensor inspected - pass, and cleaned

We assume the CATs are ok as there are no emissions issues.

To rub salt in the would the CEL light came on again on my drive home from the Indy.

Am loathe to give up and accept that this P2096 code is may be an unsolvable "ghost" or random "cable-earth" cause, so thought I would ask this forum, anybody else had this issue and if so what was your fix please?

Rob (in South Wales)

Both my Boxsters have this problem, the one I am selling is the worst. I decided to fix them both starting with my 2000S, that I am keeping, to gain experience before doing the one that is for sale.
The video from Help Me DIY is my inspiration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42IZ0lb33C8
Some things that I did differently.
1) Instead of cutting the sides of the snorkel-like duct and folding it down I cut the bottom as well and removed the cutout completely to simplify the operation and have more room.
2) I worked with the first door partially or fully open rather than fully closed as shown in the video. This gives more room to get a hand in to remove the old foam and the access to the door is just as good.
3) Instead of using tape or foam I used a piece of thin aluminium that I JB welded to the door. The advantages of are that the aluminum is easier to control than tape when maneuvering it into place and before the JB weld hardens the patch can be slid around to place it accurately. With the door fully open it is easy to feel how the patch is placed at the bottom and on the sides.



I stuck a couple of pieces of masking tape with a fold in the middle onto the patch to act as a handle during installation.



The second door will not be so easy. The foam on it is starting to degrade but is almost intact and very resistant to being removed. I am considering the alternative of going in through the heater core which gives better access to this door. I can wait to do this later, so will button up the parts that I removed and come back to it some other time.

Hi guys,
The rear spoiler is making a rubbing sound when coming up, but upon inspection I can’t see it rubbing anywhere. Also, when retracting back into the parked position, it doesn’t fully go back down as it used to — it sticks out about 1 inch.
I tried adjusting the part where the spoiler attaches to the car (see photo), hoping that would fix both the rubbing noise and the spoiler not fully seating back into position, but it didn’t solve the issue.
It seems like some sort of alignment issue perhaps? Has anyone here experienced something similar or have any clue what might be causing this?

I am selling my Oem wheels.
The rims are in 2 parts, star in glossy black edge, polished aluminum with new chrome-plated screws.
Dimensions: 7.5x18 ET50 with 225/40/ 18 N4 Pirelli P Zero Rosso and rear 9x18 ET52 with 265/35/18 N4 Pirelli P Zero Rosso.

The rims are in great condition.
The tires at the front are DOT 7/20 and at the rear are 43/21. carefully driven 745 miles on my Porsche 986 Boxster.
Having front 7mm and rear 6mm.

Asking $1300

Located at Chicago Illinois
Location pickup preferred but can ship on buyers expense

Just seeing if I can attach a picture.

Hello so I'm posting this because is seems to be an anomaly against the recommendations.

I just changed the trans fluid in the 2000 S. The old stuff was pitch black, and stunk. Not burnt, just very strong old oil smell. Vehicle has 126k kms and could have been original fluid.

Anyhow, based on all the recommendations , I simply went with the pricey Classic Porsche GL-5 oil in the metal tins.

Well, it now requires a LOT more effort to shift gears. Quite a bit more pressure on the lever to get it into 1, 2 3, etc... the old, black, expired fluid allowed for less effort. No grinding, just resistance going into gear.
I'm wondering if this isn't too slick on the syncros, but this is THE recommended oil from Porsche for this 6 speed trans is it not??

So my question is, any other fluid recommendations? Any additives thats have proven to work?

Thanks,
Dan

Hello,

My right hand side exhaust manifold has developed an annoying rattle and it's time to source a replacement. Hoping someone from the community has one they'd sell.

Thanks

Hey guys, I came across the company Bayoptiks recently after seeing a set of their headlights on a Cayenne in the wild. They make Porsche matrix-style headlights for a variety of models so I reached out to see if they had plans for the 986/996.1

I was told that if the market interest is there in the community they can make a case for developing a set for our cars. Here are some examples from their site, what do you guys think?

Hello everyone,

I’m excited to join the forum! I’m based in Cleveland, Ohio, and currently own a 2004 986. I’m looking forward to learning more about modifications, maintenance, and overall ownership experiences with this model and the BMW lineup.

I’m also happy to share my own experiences and engage in discussions around builds, reliability, and best practices.

Glad to be part of such a knowledgeable community!

Best regards,

FS. An official 550 Anniversary edition keyring part number WAP05009114.

Never been used, remained in the box since new. No signs of any marks on either the cocoa brown leather fob or the chrome fitting. The Boxster 550 commemorative disc is totally as new.

I bought 2 of these when I bought my car but have only ever used 1, which after 16 years of use still looks like new, hence offering this unused keyring for sale.

$140 plus postage cost

I am based in the UK

As the title suggests, I need to get a few wires from the frunk and battery area into the interior. Frunk to battery is easy, so let's focus on battery to interior.

Original loom has three entry points, one left, one right and the battery positive. Left and right ones are completely molded, the only way I found to get wires out (or in for that matter) is to destroy it. So I don't want to do that for the additional wires I need to run (any wires I don't need anymore might as well be left in place).

So I am looking for suggestions on a place to get some wires in. It should be accessible from both sides (that is probably the difficult part). And on top, any suggestions on rubber parts to nicely fill the hole again would be nice (I don't know the english term, but would be looking for a rubber feedthrough which either is quite tight already or can be filled with rubbery stuff).

The wires I need to run:
- +12V power steering pump to main circuit breaker box (the white box directly behind the +12V battery connection)
- Brake signal switch (I have only one signal now, ABS 5.7 requires both the NO and NC contacts)
- +12V fused for the ABS (so to the regular fuse box)
- CAN signal pair of ABS unit (will end up in rear trunk for Audi ECU

I might have missed one, but I guess these are the main. So not that many, but still some to feed through. Thanks for any pointers. Will also look in my wreck to judge locations, but I'm sure someone has done something similar already (radio wires or what).

To check whether they are published or not.

Well, if they're published, some will be and some won't.
Mystery.

T304L stainless steel, mandrel-bent tubing. These are over $750 new. (Link: https://www.fabspeed.com/porsche-986-boxster-secondary-cat-bypass-pipes-2000-2004/)

$150 shipped within CONUS.

Posted Elsewhere trying here

Hi guys,

Hoping for some collective wisdom on my 1999 2.5L Boxster. It has developed the classic flare and thud on the 2nd-to-3rd upshift.

This was happening before I touched the gearbox. I did a full fluid and filter service using Febi ATF (LT71141 spec) hoping it would be a miracle in a bottle fix, but the thud has decided to stick around.

The Symptom: Under light throttle (the pootling to the shops range), the revs flare up by about 300-500 RPM mid-shift, and then 3rd gear engages with a heavy thud as the clutch finally bites.

The Data (via ThinkDiag): I’ve been logging the data, and it seems my Tiptronic has some serious trust issues. The adaptation value for "2-3 shift, lower rpm range" is sitting at 1.39 bar, and I’ve watched it climb as high as 1.49 bar on a hot run.

My Theory: My stab in the dark is that the TCU learned this high-pressure correction to overcome the old, tired fluid. Now that the fluid is fresh and slippery with a new filter, the car is still using that massive bar pressure to slam the clutches shut. I've noticed that if I drive it with more purpose (steady 20% throttle on once on the relearn drive ), the pressure dropped to 1.29 bar and it behaves much better. The moment I go back to being a sensible citizen at low revs, it spikes right back up.

Next Steps: I’m in the process of trying to get the car to relearn. My ThinkDiag doesn't cover a full adaptation reset, so I tried a manual process, but I'm not sure it worked as the values haven't changed. I haven't really pushed it into the medium or upper rev ranges because the thud is so pronounced, but I guess I could try once the trans is fully warmed up to see if it helps.

I'm in Oxfordshire and I think I need to give this TCU a lobotomy so it forgets its old bad habits and starts fresh with the new fluid. Any specialists or anyone mobile area with a PIWIS who can do a full adaptation reset? Also curious if you guys think a hard reset is the cure, seen this before or if I should be looking at the solenoid with values this high.

Details:
5-Speed Layout: The log shows "Selected gear" values plus more ranging from 1 through 5, plus Reverse.
Adaptation Buckets: The "lower, medium, and upper" RPM range adaptation categories are a signature of the Bosch TCU logic used to control the ZF 5HP19.
Any thoughts or advice would be great.
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Ok a couple of updates....I hooked up the ThinkDiag while the car was stationary and idling. The 2-3 lower rpm shift pressure is sitting at 1.39 bar without the car even moving. Probably confirms the value is hard-coded in the adaptation memory and isn't just a live calculation......

I also have a DTC 108 (Supply Voltage) showing up, the battery has been a bit low lately. Even though my live logs show about 14.0V while driving, I'm wondering if the low voltage during startup is stopping the TCU from correctly saving any new adaptation data or if it’s just making the computer a bit grumpy

I know this is probably a long shot, but in the market for a used FVD Brombacher Sound Version Muffler for my 2000 986S. They seem hard to find. Thanks all in advance!