Porsche 911UK Forum

Welcome to the @Porsche911UK website. Register a free account today to become a member! Sign up is quick and easy, then you can view, participate in topics and posts across the site that covers all things Porsche.

Already registered and looking to recovery your account, select 'login in' and then the 'forget your password' option.

Jonttt's 993 C4S Journal

jonttt said:
A quick question.......

On driving home tonight I noted that all interior buttons etc.. light up as one would expect with the exception of the actual light control knob itself. It seems strange that this is the only one not lit.

Is this normal or has a bulb gone ?

Bulb has blown Jon.
The reason is that it's constantly powered once the key is turned past first position , so it'll blow quicker than other lights. I'd say most 993's are driving with the bulb blown and the owner not knowing the difference.
I can't remember the exact bulb , but I've a few spares if you want me to send one to you ,no prob.
To replace the bulb , just GENTLY pull the selector switch towards you, it should pull off with medium pressure, but be careful the retainer teeth are brittle. The bulb is nestling within the switch in the dash (it can be stuck in there and need to be removed with your other halves tweezers :) .. )
 
Oh, did you not see the RS screwdriver specifically for these screws on my thread?

A lot easier with one of these.
 
ballcock said:
Bulb has blown Jon.
The reason is that it's constantly powered once the key is turned past first position , so it'll blow quicker than other lights. I'd say most 993's are driving with the bulb blown and the owner not knowing the difference.
I can't remember the exact bulb , but I've a few spares if you want me to send one to you ,no prob.
To replace the bulb , just GENTLY pull the selector switch towards you, it should pull off with medium pressure, but be careful the retainer teeth are brittle. The bulb is nestling within the switch in the dash (it can be stuck in there and need to be removed with your other halves tweezers :) .. )

Thank you for the clarification. I'll add it to my list and get it sorted. Thanks for the offer re the bulb but my OCD tendancies will force me to buy a stock of them now :D
 
dommorton said:
Oh, did you not see the RS screwdriver specifically for these screws on my thread?

A lot easier with one of these.

:frustrated: I've read so much information re the 993 over the past few months I've obviously forgotten most of it already :D
 
Becker Cascade Install

First off I have to thank Fourtuitous for his advice and link earlier in this journal about his install. The swapping of pin 6 from plug C1 to pin 5 on socket A probably saved me many hours of frustration (see pics below for detailed description).

First off some facts:

- my car has the Sound Package (option code M490). I'm not sure what difference there are to the standard install (amp ?)

- there is an amp under the driver seat but no subwoofer

- the amp ideally needs unamplified spealer line outs

The install...

The aftermarket Sony headunit in the car when I bought it




The aftermarket wiring "box" and harness. These seem to be used to bypass the OEM plug C1 (ie the speaker wires) to the amp. There is actually no need for this and the original OEM harness could have been used if the installer understood the amp trigger wiring (more on that later). This aftermarket box and cable can be removed.




As the original OEM headunits where actually made by Becker (not sure if all but certainly the ones I'm aware of) then the OEM wiring should just plug straight back in. So you have to hope its not been butchered or cut out. Thankfully mine was intact.




The yellow plug is referred to in the Becker manuals as C1 and the Black plug as A. The only other thing you need is the aerial plug which has its own signal wire attached (the aerial has its own powered amplifier and this signal wire turns it on when needed).

C1 is the speaker and sub woofer line outs. Or at least it should be and thats what the Becker Cascade heanunit is expecting. However in the OEM wiring pin 6 is the signal wire to tell the amplifier its needed and to turn on. So if you just plug the yellow plug C1 into the headunit the amp won't work as pin 6 will be giving a sub woofer signal instead of a trigger signal. I'm not sure if this is a change Becker headunits (old v newer) ?

The trigger signal is actually on plug A pin 5 "control signal for aerial / amplifier". The trouble is this pin is already used to trigger the aerial amplifier. So you need to share this trigger by connecting two wires to it ie cut the white wire going to C1 pin 6 and joining it to the aerial trigger wire.

Plugs A and C1 in the headunit





Note that the empty sockets next to C1 (known as C2 and C3)are used for the Ipod lead (or CD changer) and telephone microphone which come with the Becker headunit (Ipod lead bought seperately)

There is no middle socket as this would be for amplified speaker connection which is not needed with the amp (C1 line outs are used instead).

Note you will need an aerial adaptor to connect to the Becker. If you have an aftermarket unit fitted this will probably already have one you can reuse. I've reused the one from the Sony




To get the amp trigger you have to cut the white wire to pin 6 C1




I also cut off the OEM connector for the aerial trigger so I could use a shared spade connector




The shared amp and aerial trigger wires with a spade connector to the wire going to plug A pin 5.



nb this was all taped up after pics.

There was one "mysterious" green wire present which I have no idea what it does so I left it alone



You have to make sure the OEM amp end of the speaker cable is connected. Mine had been unplugged so the aftermarket bypass could be connected but was securely lying alongside. I simply plugged it back in.




There are 3 other signals that the Becker Cascade can use which you need to consider

a) GAL (speed signal for volume ie faster = louder)
b) light signal (so when its dark the display changes intensity / colours)
c) reverse (used by the sat nav to guess position is GPS signal lost eg tunnels)

Plug A had a GAL wire already connected so no need to worry about that one.

b) and c) signals I believe can be sourced from the adjacent Climate Control Unit. However the Becker Cascade model has its own built in light sensor which you can use to change display brightness and I prefer to use that. Plus I'm not bothered about reversing in tunnels. So I decided not to connect these signals.

You then have to connect up and fit the GPS receiver for the sat nav and microphone for the hands free bluetooth telephone.

I believe you can fit the GPS receiver under the dash above the centre vents but I decided I wanted a totally unobscured GPS line of sight as from experience with my previous installs when you are one the move and want the GPS to update quickly even a slightly weaker signal can make a massive difference. It therefore installed on top of the dash on the driver side corner. It is hardly noticeable here and the bonus is you can route the wiring totally hidden without removing any trim.

I decided to fit the microphone on the ledge in the centre of the dash. It give a good reception from here and was easy to wire in. I may move this later but for now think it looks fine (I could follow the GPS up further past the alarm sensor up to above the windscreen)

I also bought the Ipod interface cable. The Becker Cascade has one of the best ipod control interfaces I've ever used. Plus you only need to use an old battered iPod as it will not be seen by anyone. Usually I would locate this in the glove box but the 993 glovebox is not exactly cavernous so I decided to locate this under the dash as there is a space on top of the central tunnel hidden away. I am going to fit the Ipod with velcro so I can simply stick it under there and it is still easily accessible to remove for updates / adding tracks.

So the finished install......




I already have one of these units in my Z3m so I knew what to expect. The OEM looks are second to none and much better than Porsches own updated offering.

The sound quality is superb. It makes the Sony sound very cheap in comparison and really makes full use of the speakers and fills the cabin much more fully than the Sony unit.

The hands free phone is a breeze and Ipod integration second to none.

The only think you need to get used to is sat nav without a map but I only use it in emergencies or general directions anyway. If I really need a sat nav I use the one on my Samsung S3 which has a large enough screen and is as good as my TomTom.

Becker have pulled out of the radio market to concentrate on sat navs which is a real shame. These really are the perfect headunits for cars of this era with modern features and perfect OEM looks.

The one downside with Becker pulling out of making these is the lack of ongoing support. However you can update the units to the last V5.2 system software (which I have done) and this allows you to load current BMW maps (I have 2012 maps on at the moment but will be updating to 2013 next week). Its a bit of an art in doing it but once you know how its easy. I'll post up more on that next week.

All in all a good afternoons work :D
 
993

I feel totally inadequate reading this

I have had my 9934S for over 10 years and only put petrol in it and wash and polish it

Jonttt has only had his for 10 minutes and rebuilt it

Please stop !!
 
really enjoyable thread keep it up - quite inspiring as well!
 
Oops, I was going to do some gardening today, honest. But after I washed the car (well it looked like it might rain) it rained so I could not do any gardening :D . SWMBO not impressed.

So I did the only sensible thing whilst she took our 3 year old swimming, I tinkered with some interior bits n pieces on the car :D

The leather gearstick was not really worn but the leather was showing its age in the sense of being very smooth with absorbed dirt and oils etc.....

Replacements are c£150 but I did not need to replace it all, just the leather. So I sourced a leather replacement and set about fitting that.....

I decided to go for black rather than the original midnight blue as I thought it would look better (I will be fitting a black steering wheel as well).

The original with bottom retaining band released






You have to remove a secondary metal securing clip of the gearstick shaft itself and then the top of the gear stick just pulls off.






Then use a blunt knife to remove the cap






and pull the old leather off




The replacement leather




Pull it over the gear stick until there is an overlap






and then tuck it in




You need to rescue the original retaining ring from the bottom of the old leather to reuse




and the finished result when all back together which I am really please with. The leather will "bed in" with use.

 
Re: 993

Bieldside said:
I feel totally inadequate reading this

I have had my 9934S for over 10 years and only put petrol in it and wash and polish it

Jonttt has only had his for 10 minutes and rebuilt it

Please stop !!
know how you feel Gorden,but some things(FOR ME),are best left as nature intended. :thumb:
 

Attachments

  • img_8010_large_112.jpg
    img_8010_large_112.jpg
    101.7 KB · Views: 24,908
The original porsche Becker units look great. Much better than any none Becker aftermarket units I've seen. I would have gone back to oem but need handfree as I live on my mobile. I also tend to listen to my ipod more than the radio to get me in the right "mood" for a spirited run.
 
993

Just washed the Turbo S

Will stick in the garage this week and get out the 9934S - unmolested as if I tried anything like Jonttt nothing would work afterwards

So I just leave well alone but I have to admire someone who can tweak cars

Keep it going - amazing stuff!
 
Not that it matters much jonttt but the Sony head unit isn't strictly aftermarket as it was original dealer fit. I've kept mine because it was originally supplied with the car and is on the original invoice - but it is carp :thumb:

Never use the wireless in the car anyway... :D

2013-04-20125111.jpg
 
Re: 993

Bieldside said:
I feel totally inadequate reading this

I have had my 9934S for over 10 years and only put petrol in it and wash and polish it

Jonttt has only had his for 10 minutes and rebuilt it

Please stop !!

I knew he was going to be like this after his first ever post. Son of Jackal.

We are not worthy :worship:
 
Wow I never knew that, I've got so much to learn about these cars it's great. I know every fact and stat about the Z3m's I needed a new challenge.

I guess I should get mine out of the bin now :)

So the black box speaker cable bypass may have been a dealer fit? I wonder why they did not just move the amp trigger which would have been so much easier.
 
jonttt said:
So the black box speaker cable bypass may have been a dealer fit? I wonder why they did not just move the amp trigger which would have been so much easier.

No idea but I have the cassette head unit :thumb: but with a 6 CD changer - again fitment by the dealer. However, I had a look under the front boot carpet today (whilst checking my suspension top mounts) and the wiring is a complete mess! In some places they've used three times the length of cable required and just looped it and cable-tied it. :roll:
 

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
124,354
Messages
1,439,451
Members
48,709
Latest member
Silage
Back
Top