by: Dean Lewellen

Last December, I asked some of the new, 2003 officers of AZPCA and the new co-editors for some feedback regarding the future of this column in GOING PLACES--should it continue or should it be terminated? The response was zippo except from Betsy Andrade. She and I settled on continuing "FROM THE MOTOR POOL" on a quarterly basis for the near term which is the plan until directed otherwise by the Officers and Board Members of the club. So, what is new since the January issue?

On January 9, 2003, Porsche AG announced that Fred Schwab, ten-year President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) would step down effective March 1, 2003. Fred joined PCNA in 1985, after working at Deloitte Touche and at Fruehauf Corporation, and, became the President/CEO of PCNA in 1992. In the ten years of Fred's leadership, sales of Porsche cars in the USA and Canada rose from a dismal figure of 3,700 sports cars in 1992/93 to more than 23,100 cars sold in the last fiscal year of 2001/02. That's a 525% increase, folks! Under Fred's capable leadership, the North American marketplace became the most important sales market for Porsche cars in the entire world. I would add that Fred Schwab was/is a real friend of PCA. He and his wife, Dottie, attended every Parade for at least the last ten years. Peter Schwarzenbauer, 43, has been nominated as the successor to the position vacated by Schwab. Schwarzenbauer worked at BMW's Motorcycle Division in North America and in Munich, Germany prior to joining Porsche AG in 1994. Since 1997, Peter Schwarzenbauer has been the Managing Director of Porsche Iberica, which covers the Spanish and Portuguese markets.

Where's the Cayenne? Well, by the time the membership might have read this month's article, Cayennes will be available for touching, feeling and tire kicking in the dealer's showroom at Porsche North Scottsdale in Phoenix and at Beaudry Porsche in Tucson. According to Porsche AG press releases available at the time of this writing, the arrival of the Cayenne would be celebrated beginning March 15, 2003. Porsche AG is giving away a trip for two to Leipzig, Germany--home of the Cayenne--during the celebration. You are to invited visit your local dealership and be one of the first to see the Cayenne up close and personal. I hope and pray that this new vehicle, saddled with large scale hype and a large scale price tag to match, will be as inspirational, as personable, as reliable, and, as Porsche-like as the sports cars we have come to know and love for the last fifty-four years. I'll wait and see, for now.

On November 1, 2002, Porsche Cars North America, Inc. issued a Service Action Notification #W301 (read recall), for the inspection/replacement of the engine wiring harness in 1995 and 1996 Model 993 non-turbocharged cars and 1996 turbocharged 993s. This recall covers 11,599 vehicles sold in the United States and Canada. It specifically covers all 1995 Carrera Coupes and Cabriolets, and all 1996 Carrera Coupes, Cabriolets, Targas and Turbos. W301 stated--"....the engine wiring harness of the affected vehicles must be inspected and checked. Depending upon the results of the inspection, the engine wiring harness may then also need to be replaced." W301 is addressing two fundemental issues. One, the insulation used on the wiring in some early Model 993 engine harnesses has been observed to become age-hardened and breakaway from the wire creating some strange, abnormal and even dangerous behavior in the car's systems from crossed-up electrical circuits in the engine compartment. Two, some cars had one or more wiring harness support brackets supported from engine block, cylinder or head studs creating hot spots in the wiring harness which makes the insulation harden faster in those affected harnesses. The inspection is simple. There is a listing of engine harness part numbers which if found to be installed in your car will advance you to the next step--replacement of the engine wiring harness, which is about a six hour job to be done at your local dealer's service center.

I had my 1995 993 inspected in January at Porsche North Scottsdale, and sure enough, the engine wiring harness in my car was on the "replace me" list. I thought that would be the case as my car is an early 1995 with a build date of August 1994. Well, I left the car, drove home in my loaner rice burner, and picked up the car on the next day. The only difference I notice after the replacement harness was installed is that the lumpy idle that appeared two years ago is now gone and the secondary air pump in the induction system now runs again--I forgot it went away. My experience was fortunate, aided by the fact that my car has very low mileage for its age so the heat cycles in the wiring harness were low as well.

If any member owns any 1995 or 1996 Model 993, or knows of anyone who does, go directly to Porsche North Scottsdale, do not pass GO, even if you did not receive Service Action Notification, W301. The future well-being of these wonderful cars depends upon this action. There is a problem with issuing a recall on vehicles this late in their life cycle. Some of these cars are over eight years old and may have changed hands several times without completing the paper trail back to Porsche. When a problem such as this occurs, it is most difficult for any manufacturer to find and contact all owners of the affected cars. A similar problem occured in the Model 914 family when those vehicles were recalled late in their life cycle to replace the rubber fuel injection hoses with metal fuel lines. I'll just bet that there is a 914 out there somewhere, running happily along with its original rubber fuel lines waiting to catch fire and burn to the ground, as many did in the late seventies and early/mid eighties.

The Model 993 engine wiring harness has been an issue since November of 1998. 414 cases of failures were reported to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) since that date. The harnesses were originally made with insulation of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) with rubber sleeves, but were changed in January 1996 from TPE insulation to a polyvinylcloride (PVC) insulation with PVC sleeves. Model 993s built after this date (January 1996) should be fine, but inspection is required, nontheless. Interestingly, NHTSA closed their investigation in January 2002, stating that no safety defect trend was found, but Porsche voluntarily issued this recall on their own initiative. I commend Porsche AG and Porsche Cars of North America for doing the right thing even when nobody was looking. That is the true definition of "character" in my book. I just hope that all the owners of the affected vehicles get the word and get the work done quickly. Hats off to you, Porsche, for being there when needed, and acting with integrity.

The April 2003 issue of EXCELLENCE contains a "Letter to the Editor" describing a $725.00 repair bill for a 1997 Boxster after having become thoroughly choked from driving 28 miles on a dusty, desert, dirt road. The mass-air sensor and the K&N air filter required replacement. The air intakes and the throttle body had to be removed and cleaned. The editorial response stated that Porsche does extensive pre-production testing on dusty, desert, dirt roads which should bring out any dust related/induced problems for solution before production gets under way. Further, the answer brought out that the Boxster problem could have been caused by the K&N air filter which is known to be less restrictive but also less effective than the stock Porsche paper filter in trapping fine dust and silt. I think I'll keep my nearly new K&N filters safely stored in their boxes in the garage in case I ever need one for a DE day at Firebird or PIR.

I'll be back in July if the Motor Pool is still in business.

Dean Lewellen