This is the part I had to replace.....
I know that the part has gone up in price,by like $100 since the last time I bought it....BUT for the life of me I cannot find the receipt to give you an exact number!
The Part number,I had to replace was......997.610.105.09

And it is located under the front hood-under the passenger side plastic panel.
I will try and get a pic for you....hang tight!
Hope that helps!


OK here is the pic and sorry for the bad pic.....one handed and didn't get a good focus,LOL

 

Justatoy,

Thanks for all the details, that is exactly what I needed. And the location is easy to get to.

I like your avatar picture.... very nice car and girl....

Yves

 

You are welcome,glad I could be of help....and thank-you for the compliment on the two toys,LOL!

Stacy

 

I have the same "go to workshop" notice on mine. It comes on every time then turns into the little red exclamation point when I pull the lever to acknowledge it. Here is the strange part. My rear lights are on all the time now when the car is running. When I turn on the turn signal, the red exclamation point goes away. Is this the same module problem? Mine is a 05 997 S. Any help would be appreciated.

JR

 

JR,

what you are describing is very similar to what I am experiencing with my 2006 C4S. Although I did not notice the turn light effect, everything else is similar. Now, I need to read the code on the OBD computer to verify that it is indeed the front module which is shot.

Some people have indicated that this module is being destroyed by static electricity when you rub/polish the headlights and the front spoiler. In my case, it was just after vacuuming the cooling tunnels leading to the radiators, that I noticed a grinding and persistent noise in the front, even with ignition off. The emergency trunk lid release motor was spinning all the time. It is unbearable and so ridiculous: Park a Porsche somewhere public and hear that grinding noise going on, while the car is stopped.

I ended up removing the front spoiler and disconnecting the offender. Now, at least I don't have the ugly noise, but I am left with the erratic rear lights behavior.

I knew that German engineers have never been good with electronic design, but that goes beyond my wildest nightmare. Why don't they use protected Mosfets to control the various actuators and lights is beyond my understanding.

I am thinking that only Italian and British cars are worse than German ones, from an electrical/electronic standpoint.

Yves

 

Mister Pink,

Where do you buy your parts from? Is the local Porsche dealer the only place where you can find them? I am thinking about that Front control Unit, of course.

Thanks
Yves

 

Based on symbology, its an electrical/book-keeping/reconciling fault... something big isn't reporting things the way it should.

If you have a durametric or access to it or a piwis, the error codes would help say 'what is wonky'.

Beyond that, its not saying you cannot drive it... its no red engine light flashing.

 

You would put American and French cars ahead of German in terms of electrical design and construction? Really?

 

Nah...probably not. I would put anything built before 2000, would be very reliable electrically speaking.

Yves

 

Electrical concerns? buy Italian and sleep better at night. Well, not really but I can say this: I have owned 3 Ducati's and a Laverda. The bike that left me stranded with faulty electrics was...a 500 Honda. Go figure.

 

Justatoy, Mister Pink,

Do you remember if that front control unit needs some kind of re-programming when installed or if it will run correctly out of the box, when installed in the trunk?

Hopefully, I can get the part, install it myself and skip entirely the Porsche Dealer here in Cary, NC. They only want lots of your money and nothing else....

Thanks
Yves

 

As I recall no 'programming' is required. If you disconnect the battery you might have a couple of anomalies, when your reconnect the battery, but they should clear themselves.

It's always 'good procedure' to connect a 'battery tender' when ever the battery is disconnected as insurance against data loss or errors.

 

First time I had the dealer supply and install the module.....then I got the bill,LOL!
Second time I did it......no issues BUT I did clear the fault with my Durametric.


Stacy

 

That would defeat the point of disconnecting the batter, since you'd end up with still having power to the electrical system.

If the car is that sensitive to static or short circuits on the modules, I'd depower the entire car before I started fiddling around with the electrical components.

 

You're probably right. I was thinking of replacing the battery when I wrote that suggestion.

However, it's not the 12 volt system that creates the 'front control module' problem but rather the introduction of 'static electricity' from rubbing the front plastic fascia or headlamp covers. The low current capacity of a 'battery tender' might not be a problem in this instance.

I've also heard the suggestion of 'grounding' the car to 'earth ground' (ie. cold water pipe or conduit) when waxing the frontal area to prevent the static build up.