rsfeller

Moral of the story? You get what you pay for... I had a less then fun experience installing my $60 short shifter (from ebay). It is built well but there are some design issues that required modifications to the shifting housing. I think many of us have been on here researching and asking about the inexpensive units before we bought them. 90% of the comments seem to be positive so I took the plunge. I as cussing and drinking hard the whole way through my modifications :cheers: !!! Part of my therapy to talk myself down after this experience was to put my procedure notes on my website with some poor quality phone camera images for others to learn. Again I am sure the $200-300 shifters fits better, I now understand why the manufacture of this did what they did (to save resources and money). It may or may not be worth it for you to buy the "el cheapo". I know many of you can do the work but prefer not to dremel and blow torch your car! read here if you must... http://www.carboncow.net/index.php?option=...7&Itemid=85 I'll tighten up this page when I get some more time.

You are not to late as I hope to get the car on a lift this weekend to look at the tranny linkage, Loren suggested something may be bent. We know the shifter is fine and the cable may be binding. I hope to pull that off the trans end (I beleive as you state) and see if things move easy there. I am more concerned with anyone knowing of any internal problems with the transmissions that would cause the left/right gate motion issues! As far as the alignment comments I am reading and keeping an open mind but I don't see this being the issue at the moment for many reasons. Additionally, I did not opt for the inexpensive tool as some "white out" works just as fine marking the threads to cable location. I could be wrong when we put in the short shifter tonight. Have we seen bends in the support/brace on these often?

Thank you for your comment. I believe it is clear that I don't have a short shifter installed as I state "so I have a $60 ebay shifter on the way, should be here tomorrow or Thursday." But if one is assuming I am replacing a short shifter with another short shifter then maybe it's unclear then! :rolleyes: II currently have the original plastic shifter and the bushings are 100% intact and well lubricated. Everything shifts just fine through through the gate and engagement points are as one would expected but simply is tough to move left or right and have it return to center, does this sound like a concern with incorrect cable adjustment? I know from experience (with boats) that cables do stretch but you instantly have issues with engagement, notchy-ness, cannot get into gear, ect. Are you simply mentioning the tool that locks the shifter in place when swapping cables?

Last year I posted about the shifter on my 97 986 not wanting to move left/right in the gate freely, a binding non-mechanic feeling. Very little input was given by members then other then possibly the bushings in the shifter being bad, such as dry or damaged. The issue has progressed to the point my wife is afraid to drive the car...so I have a $60 ebay shifter on the way, should be here tomorrow or Thursday. Tonight I pulled out the old shifter and have the shifter in the plastic box sitting on the bench. The bushings are 100% fine and spin freely with no load of the cable on the shifter. :angry: :angry: So I guess the good news is I have a short throw shifter about to go in...the bad news is I still don't understand my concern. I have had a few bad steering and throttle cables in boats over the years so that is my next guess. They are in wet environments and usually 20+ years old. This car has spent it's life in south and in a garage, so little moister. What advise does anyone have? Anything to check on the transmission end? Does something need grease? Or is there something scary going on in the trainy? Anyone seen this failure scenario yet? Who has an idea that will not have me dealing transmission. Thanks.

Are they really that much brighter then the driving lights in the back? I seem to recall in my Saab it being rather redundant!

Hmmm... never heard of a law like that in Illinois. Is there some hack for this? Or something that can be purchaed to fix this? I wouldn't say there is need to "fix this" but if you feel the need becuase you like things "balanced" in life, go for it! ;) . From my experience MOST Amercan cars do not have rear fog lights but many European models do and some do not. Vw, BMW, Mini Cooper, ect just to name a few. Google the topic and you will find people from coast to coast feeling the need to find a "hack" to give them two fog lights in the rear. There has to be a reason one is only there and that one is only need. My Saab 9000 CSE had the same thing and the only thing concerning about it was the regular comment from those who see it and tell us one of our tail ligts are out! Pesonally I never needed it but the wife seemed to always turn it out.

Can it be tapped with a drift or should a press be used for removal and/or reinsertion? Mine arrives on Wednesday!

Mike, my guess would be an issue with your brake light switch. Usually the lights don't come on when they fail but maybe something internal is giving the odd behavior. Search the board for the topic and info on a DIY will come up. Not sure if you are a DIY'r or not based on your trouble shooting comments but it would be an easy one for a anyone to try. A bit hard to get to but it can be pulled out, checked, cleaned, ect. I believe there may be a upgraded one to as I recall reading about a recall on a board once. Some one else may have another idea with such unique (off/on/off) behavior but I would definitely start there, I'll even give you your first link: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...l=brake++switch Start searching the boards after you have read that one in detail.

What do you mean "seafoam"?!?!? I re-read the posts and must be missing something!

we don't mess around here! actually a few of us are a bit to "connected" to the internet or just have no life <or both>! good luck and send me a pm and let me know how it goes, as I am one week behind you.

MIke Focke showed me this link last week: http://www.turbo911.com/showthread.php?t=282 I have a B&M knock off in transit and wanted to do the procedure in my head before getting the instructions.

See attached PDF with selected pages one engine torque values. I didn't have time to find that pully nor know exactly which one you are having issue with. If there is no value for that pulley on the list you can possibly estimate it from other pulley bolts of comparable spec. torque_specs.pdf So did you find the bolt too? I still say noise = replace, there is a reason it came out even if it's human error. The pulley is going to be inexpensive compared to a overheated engine (again). Find out which pulley you need and drop the number to Sunset Imports (site sponsor) and get it ordered. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...amp;code=sunset

noise = replace. Please explain how it fell off. I recall you other post and I don't know that pulley from experience, but I have never seen an idler or tension pull "fall off" unless there is massive failure of bearings.

Looks like my blind squirrel approach found a nut this time!

Boy I haven't seen a alternator lock up in years on any modern car but that would explain it! http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/replacingyouralternator

I've seen cranky batteries on boats do odd things to other systems like demonic possessions. You battery is under voltage for starting. How old is it? Have you charged it externally and do you have a load tester? If not off to FLAPS with your battery now!

I does sound normal in one sense but after a daily drive in Miami I would think you would here the one coming on. If you temp does not change (when up to temp) or go over 185-190F then you don't have an issue and it may very well be coming on w/o you noticing. In Miami w/o the fan on your would soon be running very hot. If you don't have the Durametric software buy it. It will tell you your running temp and I believe the new version tell you if the fans are firing up.

My comments are automotive experience "in general" and not from Boxster experience, so take them for what they are worth. If nobody gives you anything concrete they are worth considering. I'm with RFM since you are not throwing any codes. I would guess every piece of the ignition/timing system that is capable of failing is going to show up with a CEL. Now I have no experience with a Boxster and fuel pumps but I just got done replacing the pump in my Saab 9-5 wagon and it had no codes either. It was very easy to test the pump on that car as first you can hear the pump running with the ignition on and the pump was easy to get out to bench test. I am going to guess the hum of that pump with the front boot open is going to be obvious. Also from my experience pumps either fail or don't, no in between. So you will hear the pump and it's working 100% good or you will not hear it and it's 100% bad. In the last 5 years I've had 3 pump failures in my fleet. Some came with warnings I did not heed and other slapped me across the face once at 75mph on the freeway with no warning! I assumed far worse in all cases only to take a deep breath, pull out the multi-tester and solve the issue. Lastly, I had a Vw Eurovan and Vw Vanagon do the same thing which turned out to be a bad ground cable from the starter to the transmission (if I recall) and the other had a bad cable from the starter to the alternator. Corrosion. fuel_pump.pdf

Not sure what you have for a GPS but my handheld until would take two months to kill a decent battery. I doubt that is the issue, they just don't pull enough amps. It could be do to a failing (common) ignition switch but you tend to get other issues. For example the car may have issues starting (connecting) or some systems don't get power or stay on from the contact points changing. Sounds like you are charing fine but you may very well have a poor battery. They can die in many different ways with different symptoms. Never rule it out. The best solution is low tech but effective. Make sure you have your radio code. Put a voltage tester on the battery terminals and record the voltage and how slow it drops with doors open and all systems off, turn your interior lights off. Something that is draining it will be slowly pulling it down. YOu can start pulling fuses and when you get to the feature that is to blame you'll see the voltage jump up 0.1 or 0.2 volts. I've done the same thing but backwards before which is pull all fuses (did this on a Saab) and added them in one by one until something was seen to severely with the system. If you don't have a way to test amperage this low tech way can be effective if you are systematic. As far as guessing which system is to blame, I don't have much experience with this failure or know enough of the cars history to pick it. But for example I know the horns are prone to fail and blow out fuses. Also horns pull a voltage all the time to them but often less then 12v. Although I don't know how they work I figure they could be very well to blame if a short is leaking voltage. Just some thoughts. Do you have any after market stereo equipment or such that may be incorrectly wired? Something the previous owner did? Lastly don't be afraid to take that battery to FLAPs and have them load test it, they will do it for free. I had a battery in my boat last year that would charge great and be down to 10v the next (bad cell?). I brought my $40 load tester from home and it told me the battery was failed. If you think your battery is to blame test it first.

And Duram (the developer) is very receptive to suggestions and questions if you feel codes are wrong. When we couldn't get my 1997 to communicate with his latest version of software he took quite a bit of time communicating with me reviewing log files to determine the cause and fix his software. At one point he was offering to send me an upgraded DME if he couldn't get the bus speed working right. So to make his product better for all let him know of questionable code descriptions. He could have bad info or simple human error.

Let's not forget it could be a bad horn too! When I picked up my car it had the worn horn bushings that are so common. The fuse was also blown (not pulled) which had my head scratching. If the bushing were bad (thus causing the horn to sound continuous or intermitant) then why the blown fuse? We'll I put a new fuse in, got a new airbag frame with bushings and guess what. My horn did not work nor did the horn for the alarm. I was able to test them out and they both failed although the one did attempt to do a goose call a couple times. So don't rule out a bad horn that some how shorts the system too.

I "vibe" is always a good enough reason for me to find a new Indie, so I cannot question that. My two Indies are like extended family to me...it's the only way I can almost trust them. :P With that being said things constantly happen to cars that do not have to be cause and effect. I ONLY buy 5+ year old cars and have owned atleast 25 such animals in the last 15-20 years. I can tell you many times when we fix one leak and three days latter the other side starts to leak. It's very common for non-DIY'r to get all cranked up when such issues occur assuming the worst that the Indie is to blame. If you don't trust them prior to this fix, then walk away. If they guy said it COULDN'T be the issue w/o looking at his own work, then walk away. If he's willing to take a look or consider his work could be at fault then he's worth keeping. Is the leak 100% below where the AOS is located?

I'm watching this post to as I need to do this fix in the next month due to a horribly stiff left/right slide, but want it at a discount. I know this has been covered ont he board 101 times but I want to know what the bottom line is for inexpensive solutions.

You'll have to look inside the AOS to determine the oil situation, but if you are 100% sure it's white smoke and no way could be oil then you need to consider a water leak into the system. If you are not knowledge leave to a pro but be prepared! If the smoke was huge and you are infact have a water issue then you should notice a drop in your coolant level, have you checked? If you have no CEL or mechanic concerns then it could be head gasket but many here would think AOS first. Those are you options now take it a mechanic for the confirmation!

Most likely AOS (air oil seperator) issues common and covered in great deal on this board. Search that term and start reading here: http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/airoilseparatorreplacement Just make sure you have no coolant loss or cooling issues so that it's not a bad head gasket.