Chris_in_NH

which engine is this? 3.2L, 3.4L, etc.?

i hope to god you are not paying them for parts or labor for them to read codes and swap the MAF 3 times. and you were without your car for a MONTH?! was the car running poorly or did you just take it in because of the Check Engine Light? i'm sorry, but you are obviously dealing with incompetents. take the car somewhere else. i don't know why they would try something three times and expect different results. as Loren suggested, you probably have a vacuum leak (a hole in a tube) somewhere. the Air-Oil Separator (AOS) is always suspect. they just can't seem to get this part right. depending on your model year, the oil filler tube may be prone to cracks which would introduce a vacuum leak. have your gas cap tested to make sure it is functioning properly. make sure other caps (oil, coolant, etc.) are tight. it would help to have all the details like model year, mileage, any work done recently, etc. also, just because your car has a Check Engine Light doesn't mean you need to run to the dealer. most of the time, the CEL lights up (solid) for minor reasons and you can take the car to an AutoZone/PepBoys and have them read your codes for free - and then post them here. however, if your CEL is flashing, that means there is a potentially serious problem and you want to pull over and shut down the car as soon as possible and have it flatbedded. so, if your CEL isn't flashing and your car is running normally, it's perfectly fine to drive. CELs clear themselves all the time. ;)

vacuum leaks could be occuring via cracks in the oil filler tube or AOS bellows tube. just a thought... how many miles are on the car? has the fuel filter ever been changed? but i think K&Ns are notorious for setting off this code. switch back to the OEM filter and see what happens. as you said, it didn't start until you switched filters. last thing touched... ;) btw, there is a TON of info on these codes here. i'm guessing that's why no-one besides me has responded. just search this forum for '1128 1130'. also search for 'K&N' to learn more about others' experiences with those filters.

it looks like the LCD screen is starting to go bad. the good news is that even when the symbols become completely unintelligible (reminds me of the alien language symbols from 'Predator'), the HVAC control will still work! :lol: for reasons unknown - some think it is from touching the LCD screen - the liquid leaks from the screen. you can either find a new (~$400) unit or a used one (~$200-300) or replace the LCD screen (~$60) or... live with it. you may get a year or two out of it (meaning the display. the unit will still work fine. you'll just have to go by 'feel' instead of sight). i think Tool Pants did a write-up on replacing just the LCD screen. there is a seller on eBay that sells them, and it is pretty simple to replace the LCD screen. it is actually one long piece of glass (but appears as two 'windows' when installed). the 'font' on the replacement glass is a little different from the original, too. if you search for 'LCD' or similar, i'm sure you will find the thread (with pics). and i don't think hitting it is a good idea. but what do i know? :rolleyes:

since the 'manuell' question has been answered... on to your other question. with regard to your wheels, what 'design' are you speaking of - the wheel center caps with the Porsche crest? i don't know what the 'tapped part of the spoke' means. but i'm trying. ;) i'm also assuming that NS = near side and OS = other side. ? as for your wheels being 'handed', the front *wheels* can be swapped between each other (right or left side of car), as can the rear *wheels*. it all depends on the direction arrow of the rotational tires. if you look on your tires, there will be an arrow (hopefully) facing in the forward direction. this is the direction in which the tires are designed to be run. so while you can swap WHEELS side-to-side before tires are installed, you shouldn't swap WHEELS w/TIRES. also, the back wheels are larger/wider than the front wheels, so you wouldn't ever want to swap front-to-rear or vice-versa. i'm still not sure if i understood the question. :rolleyes:

your car did not come with the factory alarm and you are having it installed now, correct? are you having it done at a Porsche dealer or independent? is the alarm module new?

-how many miles does the car have? -is the sound 'metallic' or something else? what would you compare it to? -did this happen right after your brake job or was there some time in between? -does this happen exactly this way every time you start to drive? -after the initial click/clacking in reverse to your first braking going forward, does it ever happen again while you are driving/braking/reversing? (e.g. when you brake the second time or third time, etc.) -after you start moving forward and apply the brakes/hear the noise, what happens if you go back into reverse? does it click? continuously? what if you are in reverse and don't use the brakes? anything? it's not the brake pads moving around. even if the cotter pin was missing, they'd stay in place. sometimes a small rock or other debris can get stuck between the pad and rotor and make noise. rocks/pebbles usually make a terrible SCREEEEECH - (you'll know it when you hear it) :wacko: . it also could be as simple as some rust built up on the rotors overnight and the pads are scraping it off (although that would probably happen with ALL the wheels, and you'd be able to feel it in the brake pedal). but since you had the brakes worked on recently, i would triple-check everything involved. brakes are a 'need-to-have'. make sure the wheel bolts are tight (you'd be surprised - my dad had a wheel come OFF AT 70MPH driving home from getting a brake job! he lived, thankfully). check the calipers and the bleeder screws. make sure there is no brake fluid on the caliper. if there is, that's a problem. you could jack that corner of the car up and spin the wheel forward and backward while someone applies the brakes to see if you can pinpoint the source of the noise. and if you had a shop do the work, just take it back to them and tell them what's going on.

Porsches leaking oil = common. that's how you can tell it's a real Porsche. :lol: what model year is this car? how many miles? has the Air-Oil Separator been replaced (yet)? if you don't see drops of oil on your driveway, it's probably nothing to worry about. have you needed to top off your oil, or has the level stayed the same? depending on your mileage and model year, you may want to proactively replace the AOS with the latest model. they seem to go at about 60-80K miles on earlier Boxsters. earlier oil filler tubes were also known to crack and introduce vacuum leak. if you have no Check Engine Lights (CELs) and the car is running normally, i would just keep an eye on the leak and your oil level.

does this hold true for the CR220 also? CDR-220 - yes CR-220 - yes CR-22 - i dunno. but you may be able to trick the radio into thinking that your iPod is a factory CD-changer. you must also 'enable' AUX-IN on the radio by pressing and holding 'TP' button until display reads 'BECKER1'. then using the right radio knob, scroll through the pages until you see AUX-IN and select 'enable'. you can see if AUX-IN is already enabled on your radio by pressing the 'S' (source) button to cycle through the sources. if your sources are just AM, FM and CD, then AUX-IN is not enabled. if enabled, 'AUX' will be included with the previous audio sources whether the AUX-IN cable is connected or not. but, chances are if you had AUX-IN enabled, you'd know it. ;)

do you have a CDR-220 (CD player) or a CR-220 (cassette)? is it a cassette model and that's why you want to switch to a radio with a CD player (and mp3 capability)? did you know there is a button above the right radio knob that flips down the faceplate to reveal a CD player or cassette player? ;) something tells me... both the CDR-220 AND the CR-220 have AUX-IN for an mp3 player. you just need a cable from www.beckerautosound.com that connects to the back of the radio and ends in stereo female RCA connectors (part # BNA - 1319 - 116, $15 or so - the radio removal keys should come with the cable). you also need to enable AUX-IN on the radio by holding 'TP' until the display reads 'BECKER1' and then scrolling with the right radio knob until you see 'AUX-IN' and then enable it. that will get you the mp3 player connectivity at the least. you'll also need a cable that is 1/8" mini-stereo plug on one side (to go into iPod) and stereo male RCAs on the other end (to connect to the female Becker cable). you can get them anywhere - RadioShack, Wal*Mart, etc. if you want a factory radio with a CD player and AUX-IN, just get the CDR-220 (or go aftermarket - Nakamichi CD-500 is what i have). you don't want to mess with a CDR-23, believe me. as Loren mentioned, it's fiber-optic. if you wanted it to work in your car, you'd need the matching Porsche fiber-optic amp. then after re-wiring everything, you'd have to pay another $500 for a box to allow AUX-IN/mp3 capability. don't even waste your time... a CDR-220 should pop right into your car, no re-wiring, no problem. they are on eBay all the time and sell for around $200 used. also take a look at www.swstereo.com. they probably have a CDR-220 and will probably take your CR-220 in trade. or you could decide that your mp3 player is a 'good enough' solution for $15 (for the cable) and forget the CD player. who uses CDs anymore, anyway? ;)

why does it need to be 'rock solid'? if your car is not overheating and is within a 'normal' range, why worry about it? ;)

this is my solution for water under the seat. ;) no, there is no heat build-up, condensation, etc. whenever i have an 'issue' that i can't figure out, i always disconnect the battery for a minute to reset the DME/ECU. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. (you'll need your radio code for a 2000MY). sorry i can't be more help.

here is my (then) 10-year old replacing my MAF. it's right next to the engine air filter 'drawer'. ;)

normal. ;) you will notice that if you have unblocked airflow (like on the highway) your temp will run lower, as opposed to sitting in stop-and-go, bumper-to-bumper traffic where the airflow is much less (and restricted to an extent).

that's great news, but... personally, i have found that cleaning the MAF is usually only a (very) temporary solution. my guess is that you will again have MAF issues in the near future. best bet is to replace the MAF with a new one (if the MAF is actually the cause of your CEL - and it usually ISN'T - keep that in mind). AutoHausAZ.com has the best prices on MAFs these days. you didn't mention any problems besides your CEL being on. what were the codes you found? if they were 1128/1130, more often than not, it is not the MAF. as far as teaching your 9-year old how to do it, i did exactly that. ;)

it sounds like YOU did the wet-sanding yourself. that is quite brave of you. ;) how did you go about it? have you wet-sanded anything before? did you have instructions on how to do this, or did you just kinda 'wing' it? one time, after applying some touch-up paint to a small area, i wet-sanded the touch-up and ended up with the same chalky, scratched result as you. a few applications of different grades of polish completely removed the scratches. but for a while there, i was pretty scared that i completely ruined my paint. :o i'm not sure of the differences between enamel paint, acrylic paint, etc., but i would guess that polishing the hell out of it would remove the scratches and bring the paint back to a nice, shiny finish. my car is a '97 and no matter what i do to it with an orbital polisher, i can not get the little scratches/spiderwebs out (and i have many quality polishes/compounds and many specialty pads) . i know that the paint needs to be 'wheeled' with a rotary polisher and/or wet-sanded. i once paid a guy $300 to 'fix' the paint, but when after a month the wax he applied began to degrade, i could see the scratches were still there. he basically hid the scratches with fillers/waxes. there's a picture around here of a guy that wet-sanded his 996 and it is the BEST-looking paint i have ever seen. if i can find it, i will post it. but i am interested in learning more about your wet-sanding experience. thanks.

i believe i'm asking the same question as RFM above, but when you say you removed the canvas, did you remove *just* the canvas, or did you remove the metal FRAME with the canvas still on it? what is the present condition of the conv top? did you put a new canvas on/put a new plastic window in and put the canvas back on the frame? it sounds like the top is 'down' at the moment. there is a basic checklist that you can do: - when you pull the emergency brake, does the BRAKE dash light illuminate? if the BRAKE light does light up, then your handbrake microswitch is ok. if it doesn't light up, that explains why the top is not moving. a replacement microswitch costs about $5 and is a very common problem. - since your top is 'down', put the windows all the way up then turn the key to the off position. with your finger, press the 'button' where the conv top latch latches when you are closing the top (so the car thinks that the top is closed). holding this button in, turn the key to the 'acc' position so that the dash lights are on. release the button. do the windows drop a few inches? if the windows do drop, your top latch microswitch is ok. if not, you'll need a new microswitch. if both of these tests are positive, your top should work when you press the conv top button. if the top still doesn't work, you can move the clamshell manually by following the instructions below. take a look at this picture. (don't pay any attention to the arrows/lines). see the black canister with the white sticker on it? that is what moves the clamshell up and down. you need to pop this off of the V-lever that it is attached to. it is a ball/socket connection. you can just pry it off with a screwdriver. do this on both sides and your clamshell will be able to move freely. please respond with results from the tests above and as much detail as you can. ;)

for some reason i just saw this... still available? yes. :) hey L_T, it seems we've lost contact again. if you are interested in these tail lights, please let me know via PM or email.

what is the car doing now? have you unplugged the MAF yet/reset the DME yet? i understand that the previous owner installed a new MAF, but that doesn't mean it's not bad. ;)

there are a few things i would do/check. first, i would double-check all the coil pack connections, especially on the cylinders that are misfiring. make sure the ignition wires are connected properly and snapped into the coil packs. then i would run a bottle of Techron through the car. do this with a full tank of gas and after the tank of fuel is gone, change the oil (assuming you can get the car to run well using the MAF test below). if the car is completely undriveable even after the MAF test, i would still add the Techron and change the oil. a failing MAF (Mass Air Flow meter) is a possibility. when the MAF goes bad, it starts sending wacky signals to the DME and can make your car run REALLY rough and/or not at all. a very easy test to do is to unplug the MAF's wiring harness, then disconnect the neg battery cable for at least 1 minute (this will reset the DME/ECU), re-connect neg battery cable (but not MAF's wiring harness) and go for a drive. if the problem is completely resolved (and you will know *instantly*), you need a new MAF. DO NOT skip the battery disconnect/connect with this test. you will also need your radio code to get the radio working again after the battery disconnect, so make sure you have it if your radio is OEM. at 60K on an earlier car, the AOS (Air-Oil Separator) could be starting to fail. this is a fairly common failure and many people proactively install a new AOS to head-off a potentially catastrophic event. the AOS design has been 'updated' 5 or so times now. that's how bad the original design was. and that's what's in your car! (unless you've already replaced it) ;) a failing AOS usually (eventually) produces 1125/1128/1130 codes (and misfires from the engine being fed oil), but who knows, maybe this is the beginning of AOS failure. it won't hurt to consider it. you can check the AOS by opening up the throttle body and looking for more than just a misting of oil. you can also check the J-tube that connects the AOS to the throttle body for more than a misting of oil. my TB had a RIVER of oil in it. here's a pic: if this is what your TB/J-tube looks like, it's time for a new AOS. so that's what i would do and the order i would do it in. let us know how it works out!

i'm not so hot on the 'S' wind deflector, but that's OK, it's your car. i know the rest of it is debadged, but the rear view with 2 S's just looks a little 'essey' to me. i would prefer one or the other. ;) i do like that the replacement wind deflectors can be colored/etched. however, it does seem a little pricey ($179 for clear/etch; $279 for colored/etch), especially for an aftermarket piece of acrylic in which you have to re-use your old frame. and those prices are supposedly 'introductory' prices. ? Pelican sells the OEM windstop for $240, so you could probably find it somewhere else for ~$200. so i guess it's not too bad a deal considering the tinting/colors and etching. thanks for the heads-up. :)

swap the window motors (driver's to passenger's/passenger's to driver's) and see what happens. :) if the problem follows the motor, you know it's the motor. if not, you know it's the regulator.

i doubt you're getting screwed. juniinc is fairly active on this board and i doubt he would risk public humiliation by screwing another member, especially if he is selling products. i do hope everything works out for you. :) if it doesn't, please let us know.

from his previous thread: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=19349 "Attempted to change out instrument cluster bulbs with blue LED bulbs, got the first set (3) of bulbs in, and could only get one to light. I understand that they are polarized, with a "right" way to be installed in order for them to work. To make a long story short, after many attempts, couldn't get anymore to come on and then, of course, the one bulb that did light stopped working. In utter frustration, I decided to put the old bulbs back in...and sure enough, they won't work now either. Checked the fuse for the lights, and it looks fine. Not sure what to do, any help or suggestions would be appreciated. I seem to have all lights except for the three which light up the digital read out on the lower part of the instrument cluster. (The digital gauges are still working, using a flashlight I could see the odometer reading, the temperature and the clock working) Looking for suggestions..." 2000 Boxster 2.7 5 speed

Chris - is that the voice of experience? I had that happen on a race car - couldn't get to the track that weekend because nobody could get the fill screw off after we drained the tranny fluid. well, it almost was. but no, i was able to remove the fill plug eventually, although it was probably an hour after i had drained the transmission fluid. at that point i started to worry about what i was going to do if i couldn't remove the fill plug. but in the end, PB Blaster saved me. i can't say enough good things about this product. it truly is the best of the best.