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Problem with P.C.C.M. Plus and On Board Computer

Boxster1999

Boxster1999

PCGB Member
Member
Hello I've just put a post on the 996 Technical Articles Forum page asking for help/feedback with a particular problem I'm experiencing with my recently fitted PCCM Plus unit.

Having read PP I see that Richard Hamilton is our recommended contact for technical issues. Richard if you pick up on this thread could you please give me the benefit of your experience. Obviously I'd be delighted to hear from any 996 or 986 owners who could add to the conversation. Many thanks Phil

 
Hi Nick thanks for the suggestion. I've forwarded it to Tracey but yes that's a great idea. I'll copy it onto the Boxster forum. I'll have to figure out how to do that. Cheers Phil

 
Hello please could I ask if any fellow 996 or 986 owners are experiencing the same issue with their recently fitted PCCM Plus unit.
Namely the On Board Computer keeping re setting it's self. Mine does this after approximately every 70 elapsed miles. The trip odometer, average MPG and the average speed are effected in this way. The outside temperature and the remaining fuel range functions are working perfectly.
Porsche have failed to diagnose the problem. To make matters worse they are also saying that there isn't an issue. They are also saying that there isn't a link between the On Board Computer and the PCCM unit.
I can provide much more information if required.
However at this point I just need some reassurance that I'm not alone out there and that this is a real issue. To date I can only find one other owner world wide with the same issue (North America Rennlist forum)

Thank you in anticipation Phil
 
Hi Nick managed to copy and paste the post to the Boxster Forum as well. Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Thanks Phil

 
Boxster1999 said:
Hello I've just put a post on the 996 Technical Articles Forum page asking for help/feedback with a particular problem I'm experiencing with my recently fitted PCCM Plus unit.

Having read PP I see that Richard Hamilton is our recommended contact for technical issues. Richard if you pick up on this thread could you please give me the benefit of your experience. Obviously I'd be delighted to hear from any 996 or 986 owners who could add to the conversation. Many thanks Phil
Click to expand...
I moved this to the main forum, as it should get more hits. The TA section may not be accessible to non-PCGB members.

As for the question, I have to say I have very little experience of PCCM. The OBC is (hard wire) connected to the instrument cluster, and I don't know if the PCCM communicates with the cluster, but I suspect that if it does then it is via the comfort CAN bus. I can't see any reason why the PCCM would reset the OBC functions though. Other than a Ctrl-Alt-Del (disconnecting the battery for a couple of minutes) I don't know what else to suggest. (Note: When disconnecting the battery, turn the ignition on, then off, but leave the key in the ignition. This stops the siren sounding when you disconnect the battery.)

 
Hello All thank you very much for your replies and information. My local Porsche Centre is supposed to be contacting me to inform me when any update or solution comes their way. Obviously they haven't done this. Reading about other owners experiences, both in the UK and the USA, it seems Porsche are at best dragging their heels when dealing with customers problems. I shall be speaking to to them on Monday morning. Thanks again.

 
Hi the response to date has been really good. However I'd still like to hear about other members experiences of the PCCM Plus and how it effects the operation of their On Board Computer. Many thanks Phil

 
Hi

The PCCM communicates on the facelift 986/996's via the CAN bus between the instrument cluster and the heating and PCM.

So if you have a facelift vehicle it will utilise the CAN bus and communicate with the cluster (it sends the route info etc to be displayed - and takes the shut down/start up instruction from the cluster, lighting etc).

If you have an earlier model then the communication it has with the cluster is to take a feed for the lighting (switch illumination) and it also has a connection to the speed signal (volume control). The power on/off is done in the old fashioned way via terminal 15.

So both pre and post facelift vehicles do have a connection to the cluster. However whether or not the PCCM is impacting on your cluster is very difficult to both prove and explain to be honest.

I have a PCCM (fitted to a pre facelift vehicle) but it does not seem to suffer this issue - although I do have problems with the sat nav

constantly rebooting randomly which i have to sort under warranty.

There seem to be a few software type glitches associated to this unit as per other forums - and my own experience.

It might also be worth checking out the cluster though. It could be a problem within it. The trip can be reset via the control knob/switch on it - so a dodgy micro-switch might cause this - if this hasn't been checked out it might be worth it. The cluster connectors are also not the best at seating properly - a badly made connector on the back can cause all sorts of issues if it isn't latched home properly.

good luck

 
I had the PCCM installed in November and had been experiencing random resets until a couple of weeks ago and have since covered 350 miles without issue.

Porsche are aware there is a problem, my car is booked in on Wednesday for a software update which should fix it.

Other than that the PCCM is excellent.

 
Had mine fitted in November in a 2003 996 4s last year and had random resets ever since. Last reset was when the car was sitting in the car park, engine off but radio on. Did 400miles no problem then another reset. Does not happen on rough roads so I assume not a loose connection. Anyway, my friendly Porsche garage (Edinburgh) is coming to collect the car tomorrow to investigate!!!! Should have the results by Friday.

 
Hello everyone. Thanks again for the excellent advice.

Andy I take it that you have your car booked into Swindon OPC on Wednesday.

Can you please let me know how you get on .Porsche Centre Swindon seem to be on the ball with this particular issue. Namely the onboard computer randomly re setting it's self.

I rang the centre myself on Saturday. However they close early. I'm expecting a call back from them on Monday morning. At this stage I'm going to ask them for the reference number relating to the Filmwear Update. Then I can pass this onto Porsche Centre Sheffield and get my car booked in.

Thanks again everyone.

 
Just another fault I have come across, not sure if anyone else has this issue or uses the SD card for media playback?

The SD card for mp3 playback just seems a very broken. when I skip a few songs it will jump seemingly randomly to another folder and get stuck repeating the same song as well it will often crash and return to the first song it always plays when first initiated. The shuffle feature seems very badly coded since you realise the second time you use it that it plays the exact same "random" songs in the exact same order every time you select it making it useless. I've experimented using. a 32GB card a 16GB card and the 8GB that came with the PCCM and that doesn't affect the issue still present every time, I've tried with a fully loaded card and a card with just 2GB of music and again this issue is still present for me. Has anyone else had this issue? I am preparing to get in touch with Porsche customer support but just want to check if my unit seems defective or this is another software issue.

 
Hello I'm afraid to say my experience with Porsche head office wasn't a positive one. All they did was tell me what they couldn't do and the fact that they don't have a system to log problems or any way of checking if other owners are having the same issue.

 
Boxster1999 said:
Hello I'm afraid to say my experience with Porsche head office wasn't a positive one. All they did was tell me what they couldn't do and the fact that they don't have a system to log problems or any way of checking if other owners are having the same issue.
Click to expand...

 
Hello Andy Could I ask you if you had your car fixed successfully at Porsche Centre Swindon last Wednesday.

I'm expecting Porsche Centre Sheffield to contact me on Monday the 26th to tell me what they can do for my car.

Thanks Regards Phil

 
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