tcora

On 3/5/2024 at 7:14 PM, JPSummers said:

Need to replace my hard brake lines from the ABS Unit to the splitter block and to both rear wheels. Anyone have a write up, video, photos, instructions on how they navigated this. Left side appears straight forward, more or less. Right Rear looks like a nightmare to route the line to. Yes, I have Flare Wrenches!

I did this job a couple years ago. Yes, the line to the right rear is a total bear. Patience is a virtue!

Good day, all. I'm in the middle of doing a halogen to LED conversion on my 03 Base Boxster, using the RetrofitLabs kit. The first one is done and came out great. While disassembling the second one, I broke the black plastic ball that's attached to the back of the headlight bucket.

I'm going to try to plastic weld it back together today, but I'm not incredibly confident that will work.

If anyone has a headlight assembly lying around and is interested in selling it off or in parting it out, i'd be interested.

Thanks,
Tom C

These look like "replacement bulbs" to me. if they are, I'd suggest starting by pulling the headlight assemblies, disconnecting the connectors from the LEDs, re-installing and seeing if the rest of the lights start working correctly.

On 4/6/2009 at 12:11 PM, yellowlemon said:

This is correct. However when the Porsche radio (eg CDR-23) is on, it's Pin A5 provides

+12V to the antenna/amplifier, which could be used as "radio switched" power for an

FM modulator.... correct?

Hmmmm. On my 03 Boxster, A5 is constant 12V. I guess the antenna amp doesn’t use much power:-)

JFP: Thanks. Looking at the bends and how the lines are routed, I think I'll take the conservative route and stick with the OEM mild steel lines as replacements. Another 12 years wouldn't be so bad, and now that I know that the lines in this location are prone to corroding, I'll pay extra attention to rinsing the winter salt out of that area.

 

Corrosion of the mild steel lines has always haunted these cars, which is why there is an aftermarket using stainless steel.

 

JFP: I have found lots of folks selling braided stainless flex hoses for Boxsters (I'm familiar with this from motorcycling), but I can't seem to find stainless replacements for the hard lines.

I have at least one rusted out hard line to my rear brakes to deal with (hidden corrosion where the forward and aft section join just under the driver's seat and, yes, I plan to replace both lines regardless).

Admittedly, I got 12 years out of the set currently on the car, so I'm not too entirely upset about going to a new set of mild steel lines, but still - any reference to sources for stainless hard lines you can think of?

Thanks.

Answering my own question: either polarity doesn't matter, or I got the polarity correct. The only code left now is the P0306. Going with a fresh set of plugs and a careful inspection of the wiring leading to the #6 coil (important given the mouse damage noted above).

I'm not a big fan of reopening old threads, but this one leads exactly to where I am today.

We are talking about an '03 base Boxster - last week the car started suddenly running really poorly, MIL light flashing, etc etc. P0327 code thrown (along with P0300, P0301 and P0306). I found that the mice had eaten the insulation off both wires going to Knock Sensor 1 and had chewed up a fair amount of the wire as well.

As the whole connector came off in my hand, I disassembled the connector and was able to solder some leads onto what remained and then to solder that back to the wiring harness. I based my polarity connections on how Knock Sensor 2 was wired relative to the diagrams in the Bentley. It's all buttoned back up, however, the car runs exactly the same as it did, including the flashing MIL light. I don't have a code scanner, so it will have to wait until tomorrow to see what code(s) show up.

I am wondering if the polarity of the connection makes any difference or not. When I go to the DME and measure resistance, both sensors give me just a hair over 5Mohms, so I know that my wiring job is at least intact. Grasping at straws here, unfortunately.

Any help appreciated, that's for sure.

Tom Coradeschi

All: I've noticed that the clamshell does not close properly on my '03 Boxster - more a problem with the top down than with the top up. It appears to be shifted a bit to the left, as you can see in the attached photos. I would say, from looking at the gap in the bodywork and how the alignment pins line up with the sockets they drop into that there is on the order of 1/4" of a shift here.

Top Down:

left - top down.jpg

right - top down.jpg

Top Up:

left - top up.jpg

right - top up.jpg

Is there any way to adjust this out? I don't see anything obvious, and the vertical adjustment (left side vs right side compared to the rear deck) looks good.

I have recently had to mess w/ the clamshell, as I had an AOS replacement to do and it was a bit of a struggle, so it would not be out of the realm of reality that I tweaked something while I was doing that.

Any ideas?

TIA...

bump

All: I've noticed that the clamshell does not close properly on my '03 Boxster - more a problem with the top down than with the top up. It appears to be shifted a bit to the left, as you can see in the attached photos. I would say, from looking at the gap in the bodywork and how the alignment pins line up with the sockets they drop into that there is on the order of 1/4" of a shift here.

Top Down:

Top Up:

Is there any way to adjust this out? I don't see anything obvious, and the vertical adjustment (left side vs right side compared to the rear deck) looks good.

I have recently had to mess w/ the clamshell, as I had an AOS replacement to do and it was a bit of a struggle, so it would not be out of the realm of reality that I tweaked something while I was doing that.

Any ideas?

TIA...

Hello All,

I recently felt a snap in the ignition while starting the car. Now the key does not fully engage the zero position and the car thinks the key is in even when it is not. Is this fixed by replacing the key cylinder or does it require the whole assembly.

Thanks

**Please ignore this post I found the answer in one of the links.**

So far, I have not found the answer you did. So, what's the deal?

Thanks.

Hey everyone,

So the ignition switch went flaky on my 2000 986 (after taking key out, I wouldn't hear the distinct "click" - key was then difficult to get back into ignition, etc.). This is the second time this has happened to me in 11+ years of ownership. The first time, I simply bought the Audi switch, pulled out the old one, popped in the new one (with a little yoga in between) and it worked like a charm. Now, after a somewhat frustrating experience getting the second replacement in, I'm not getting the engine to turn over. I can put the key in (although it takes some fidgeting for it to slide in), turn the ignition on (all status lights turn on), but not actually start the car. When I put the key in the start position, I get nothing. At this point, I really don't know where to go. Is there a chance the ignition switch didn't get seated properly (I had a little trouble getting it all the way in) or is this likely an issue with the entire ignition component? I've seen the DIY on replacing the entire thing, but this is not something I really want to do unless absolutely necessary. Any advice would be appreciated.

- Terence

Hi, Terence. Is there a reference to this Audi switch? I just ran into the same problem, haven't even had the chance to crack open the Bentley to see how to take it apart, yet...

Thanks.

All: I am confused by the headlight adjusters in my 03 Boxster. The lower adjuster is supposed to raise and lower the light and it does. The upper adjuster is supposed to move the light laterally, but, instead, it also raises and lowers the light. Neither adjuster moves the light laterally and both move them vertically! This is true for both headlights.

Anyone out there have the clue I am clearly missing?

Thanks.

Tom C

Try this

Look at the Buying, problem Areas and Model Year Differences pages

Great resource you have there, Mike. Thanks!

All: Tom Coradeschi here, new subscriber. I am about to start looking for a "previously owned" Boxster, focusing on the 2001-2003 models, as they are about the newest which will fit my budget.

Aside the stuff which should be obvious (maintenance records, obviously worn tires, brakes, etc), are there any specific "gotchas" in cars from those years which I should be aware of? I've looked for a FAQ and can't find one anywhere.

Thanks...