996 Turbo Cabriolet PCCM+

[floz61]

Hi All,
Has anyone had or know of anyone who has had a pccm+ fitted in a 996 Turbo Cabriolet.
The Porsche indy that I use has fitted more than 20 pccms into 996's but has had problems with the Cabriolet. We have even just had the local OPC have it in and they couldn't get it to work either.
So I'm hoping that maybe someone out there with a Turbo Cab has had one fitted and can shed some light on the situation.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[photek]

Did they say what the problem is?

 

[gizlaroc]

Yeah, what exactly is it not doing?

This is like when my mother in law calls to say "My computer is not working." and what she really means is "I have no sound on Youtube."

 

[floz61]

It will not stay connected. The Porsche report states " External amplifier causing noise through speakers. They tried another new pccm+ with same results but when refitting the old pcm it all works okay !

 

[GrafZero]

Erm... it will not stay connected to what?

 

[Flozzer]

The sound comes through for about 10 seconds and then cuts out for a while. We think that the amp has an issue working with the latest pccm+ and that there is a heat sensor that trips because of the incoming power from the new system !

 

[HMG66]

Why would it be specific to the cabriolet?

 

[Winny911]

I thought the PCCM+ could output two sound levels a low level for the OEM Porsche amp and a high level for people who bypass the amp and drive the speakers direct. Have you checked the output voltage with a meter and not just the PCCM+ setup screen

 

[Flozzer]

The person who is doing the work has a far better understanding of the electrics than I do, having fitted 20+ pccms.
He seems to think that there is a heat sensor that may be the cause for the pccm cutting out from the amp, as the power going in may be triggering the fault.
The whole saga started in the summer, when the first pccm threw up this problem and then Porsche recalled all 996 pccms, which made us think that maybe we had a faulty unit.
So come November when Porsche managed to provide us with a replacement we thought great but the same issue arose. Last week it was taken to the local OEM, who spent 7 hours trying to come up with a solution but to no avail. They want to take off panels and go through wiring but cannot guarantee that this will solve the problem, which I'm not prepared to pay for, as you can imagine.
The reason I asked about Cabriolets, is that maybe there is something slightly different with the wiring :?:

 

[Flozzer]

The person who is doing the work has a far better understanding of the electrics than I do, having fitted 20+ pccms.
He seems to think that there is a heat sensor that may be the cause for the pccm cutting out from the amp, as the power going in may be triggering the fault.
The whole saga started in the summer, when the first pccm threw up this problem and then Porsche recalled all 996 pccms, which made us think that maybe we had a faulty unit.
So come November when Porsche managed to provide us with a replacement we thought great but the same issue arose. Last week it was taken to the local OEM, who spent 7 hours trying to come up with a solution but to no avail. They want to take off panels and go through wiring but cannot guarantee that this will solve the problem, which I'm not prepared to pay for, as you can imagine.
The reason I asked about Cabriolets, is that maybe there is something slightly different with the wiring :?:

 

[Winny911]

Has your fitter tried the PCCM+ in another 996? That would be an easy swap and would rule out a fault with the unit or your car

 

[GrafZero]

To be honest I've never heard of an amp cutting power due to some input being "too hot".

OP says he had at least two PCCM+ boxes fitted already - next logical step would be to try a replacement amp. They can be faulty, mine required pricey replacement unfortunately (but it was stone cold dead).
I wouldn't go as far as stripping the panels off...

 

[floz61]

In total there have been 3 different units tried, as we have had two different and the main dealer also tried another. When they had it last week they said that it was the amp but we had tried a couple of different amps that we knew were okay. So as it was a sale or return item (around a grand they said), we let them try it but as we thought the amp is not the problem, that was when they said that they would need to do the extra checks but still couldn't guarantee that they would solve the problem.
I have emailed Porsche UK to see if they could shed any light on the problem.

 

[Kilsoj]

hi, i had a similar issue with my turbo but not a cab.

sound came through then stopped

eventually figured out it was a faulty most converter

i know you are saying they have tried several different units, but no chance they have left the same most converter in and just swapped the units?

Highly unlikely but thought would mention

 

[Thunderace]

To be honest I've never heard of an amp cutting power due to some input being "too hot".

OP says he had at least two PCCM+ boxes fitted already - next logical step would be to try a replacement amp. They can be faulty, mine required pricey replacement unfortunately (but it was stone cold dead).
I wouldn't go as far as stripping the panels off...

Yeah I'm with this, had similar issues with a new head unit and the amp was trash. The amp is in a very odd position when opening the bonnet when it is wet and the wires have no additional protection.