Engine Wiring Harness Question

[Cbonilla]

Too long a story to go into, but suffice it to say that my 2003 986S Tiptronic needs its engine wiring harness replaced. The part numer on that original wiring harness is 986 607 011 16 which has been superseded by xx18 I have access to a harness with a part number of xx14 Am I correct to assume that these are backwards compartible? What differences are there between the xx16 and xx14? Carlos

[JFP in PA]

Suggest you contact Sunset Porsche in OR. The bay harness has been changed a couple of times, and they should be able to tell you what harness you need from your VIN. It is imperative that you get the right one as these harnesses are anything but cheap, and often non returnable.

[Cbonilla]

Thank you and I'll follow up

[The Radium King]

no xx.14 on the parts diagrams (must have been superseded by something).

http://www.********************************************.c om/porsche-parts/hardparts.php?dir=986-97-04&section=902-20

xx.16 is for 03/04 3.2 car, xx.18 is for 03/04 2.7 car (uncertain what difference displacement makes to engine wiring harness, but presume something otherwise they would use the same harness).

don't get anything pre-2003 - o2 sensor connectors, timing, wheel speed sensors different.

[Cbonilla]

Just to close the loop (I hate when people never come back to address how an issue is resolved). This harness worked fine, and the car is running great.

[Gelbster]

Originally Posted by Cbonilla

Just to close the loop (I hate when people never come back to address how an issue is resolved). This harness worked fine, and the car is running great.

You mean the replacement from Sunset that JFP recommended - or your old one was O.K.?I am rooting for the later ?
I wish the Forum gave Gold stars to guys like you and panned the no shows. Some of them - we spend a long time helping and then they just disappear or worse give flip/rude answers.Makes me question why I bother to help sometimes. The penalty should be going back to zero posts?
So thank you for closing the loop nd particularly glad the car is running again.It helps build the fund of knowledge on the Forum. Particularly it helps eliminate ineffective remedies.

[Cbonilla]

Neither. This was a replacement engine saga. The short hand version is I sourced a used engine from LA Dismantler that came with a damaged harness. After two months of back and forth they were finally able to provide me with an undmanged harness to finish the engine swap. This replacement harness (xx-14) from LA-D is the one I was referring to in my question, and it is working just fine even though it had a lower revision number. Interestingly it was from a later Boxster.

My old engine ('03 Boxster S, tiptronic, thus there was no clutch changing to piggy back on and the harness was less common) died from a failed IMS bearing (confirmed by my shop - the old bearing came out in pieces). Someday I'll write up my experience with replacing an engine. It's all working great now, it just took 4 months (during which my original harness suffered rodent damage), two of those months being caused by shortcomings in the replacement engine (missing alternator, exhaust manifolds and starter, damaged wiring harness) and the time it toook to get those shortcomings remedied by the vendor.