Re: Interesting 981 tech book

I was poking around Suncoast's website awhile back, and after looking at what I wanted, I stumbled into an interesting sounding book on the 981. It's called "Service Information Technik: 2013 Service Introduction." They have the cover and one page on their site. Always being a sucker for another book, I ordered one.

I found it really interesting, and learned a bunch of things. If you liked Paul Frere's The Boxster Story, this is for you. The audience looks to be dealer personnel to give context to what's in the PIWIS computer. Some nuggets: the new generation has an absorbed glass (AGM) battery to cope with the auto-start/stop mechanism. Don't jump start it with the battery terminals, especially the ground post, use a chassis ground, otherwise there could be damage.

While I would have guessed the ECU was from Bosch, it's not, Continental makes it. The lengths that they go to thermal management is quite remarkable. The gearbox and differential oil can be heated or cooled by the radiators, and there's a separate unit for doing the PDK. Really hot climates can have a center radiator, though not the U.S.A. It includes a procedure for closing the top manually, as well as how to get the hood open with a dead battery.

There are a number of drawings showing the different metals used in construction, more elaborate versions of what you see in the sales book. They give the location of the sensors for PASM, descriptions of the various buses, and there are a lot of them. Talk about computer-controlled. They mention the 991 book, so I bought one of those, too. It's got more detail in it, including how the sport exhaust plumbing works.

One thing suspicious about the 981 torque curves, is that they're perfectly flat on top from about 4,500 to 6,000 RPM -- not what I'd expect from a normally aspirated engine, but very common in a turbo. That's not the way I remember the 9x6 and 9x7, nor are the 991 that way. I'm thinking deliberately curtailed. The MA122 2.7L engine does not get a tuning valve in the induction system, whereas the 3.4 MA123 in the S model does, even though the S has the lowest HP per liter of the flat 6s.

The 991 book has details on the systems the 981 doesn't have, such as the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control. My takeaway is that the Carrera S gets a whole bunch of little tweaks the base Carrera doesn't, something not obvious from the sales literature.

So no affiliation from Suncoast, but here's a link to the book. It's got a PCNA number on it, so your local dealer could perhaps get one, too.

[www.suncoastparts.com]

Happy reading.

Jim

Thanks for posting, Jim. I didn't know about the AGM battery. I find the only time the start/stop is useful is in a traffic jam condition.

It's interesting watching temperatures during warm up. Coolant warms up first. Oil temp hardly moves up until coolant is at operating temperature.

There are a bunch of priorities in the temp cycle, and the baseline temps are different for the 2.7 vs. the 3.4. The cabin gets first priority, if it's calling for heat. They list the thermal management as contributing 2% to the efficiency.

As for the auto-start/stop, I get the EPA credit they get for putting it on, but the first thing I do after starting a Porsche so equipped is to push the disable button on the console. I like that it's "sticky" and never need be reset. The sport button should be that way, too.

Two other trivia notes, your sport exhaust tips have a "nano" coating, and if you have the automatic climate control, there's an air quality intake sensor, and if it detects to much NOx or CO2, it switches into recirculation mode.

Jim

I actually only activate the sport button when driving enthusiastically. Not much point in having the engine idle at an extra 200 rpm in city traffic.

I wonder what the "nano" coating on the sport exhaust tips is. I thought it was chrome. That's what it looks and feels like.

They don't go into detail on the coating. I assume it's something to keep the carbon buildup down.

I should have said CO rather than CO2, BTW.

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Jim in Iowa
They don't go into detail on the coating. I assume it's something to keep the carbon buildup down.

I should have said CO rather than CO2, BTW.

You do get more carbon buildup with DFI. I've really noticed that. It's worst when you start a cold engine with the H20 mix coming out. Once warmed up it's not too bad. At least with "nano" or chrome coating, it easily washed off with a sponge and water. No scrubbing necessary unless you leave it on for a while and it gets baked on. Then a simple cleaner wax will take it right off.

The auto air circulate function can actually be activated/deactivated using the Multi-function display. Same with the "extended" vents (the ones on top of the dash). They are turned on or off through the MFD also.

"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."

It's included when you order PSE.

Thanks, G-man, and good to know, given what Porsches charges for the PSE, or just the tip for that matter.

So, have you ordered a Gilmour Foamaster II Foam Wash Gun for your Boxster yet?

"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."

I prefer the more gentle manual method. Don't need to shoot anything at my Boxster with a gun to keep it clean.

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Guenter in Ontario
I prefer the more gentle manual method.

Bad boy!

"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."

The foammaster is gentle enough to lather up your car or your significant other.

Different strokes for different folks.

Whether shifting or lathering, manual just feels way better to me.

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Guenter in Ontario
Different strokes for different folks.

Whether shifting or lathering, manual just feels way better to me.

For both, I hope

"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."

I asked at the factory why the build-up with DFI? It's because they inject fuel into the cylinder with the exhaust value open to pre-heat the cats to improve the cold cycle emissions. So the build-up is left over from that.

I bought the book too, but I was disappointed in it. I felt it could have been a lot more informative. It doesn't go into much detail, other than the thermal system, which I read about elsewhere.

The 2 things I learned are:

If you require a new battery, it has to be set up at the dealer with the PIWIS to work correctly. This means that we can no longer replace our own batteries.

If you change your own ACC belt, you now need to remove a "Special" bolt because the belt is trapped as it passes through a bracket or motor mount or something (I've forgotten). Shouldn't be a big deal, but it's not as simple as levering the old belt off anymore.

After you install a new battery, it must be initialised in the control unit

Page 222 of the iManual under Replacing the Battery.

[www.porscheownersmanuals.com]