Jinster

I rang up a Porsche dealer today. They said the 996 355 955 04 actually replaced the 03. My PET lists 02 and 03 as being for a 1997 Boxster. And the 04 as being for a MY2000 and above. but if you click into 03, it actually says it's replaced by 04. It's all very confusing.

I would imagine a US cluster would be in mph and a Oz cluster would be in kph. So there would definitely be a cosmetic difference at least.

Thanks guys. I could very well be wrong but from what I read from Mitchel's online manual, the ABS5.3 with TC needs to be bled with the PST2. The ABS5.3 without TC can be bled with the foot pedal method. Can you please confirm that Loren?

What a fast reply. Thanks Loren.

There are so many ABS controller/hydraulic units for the 1997 Boxster Tip without TC. There are: 996 355 955 02 996 355 955 03 996 355 955 04 And then there is all those for M222 and 224 options. Which one should I use to replace my broken one? I am trying to source it from a wrecker who says he has a few different ones to offer.

I know that a lot of Boxster's speedo indicate about 10% faster than actual speed. Would a simple increase in tire wall length correct the situation? I am not sure whether bigger tires would fit though. Also, there would be concerns regarding why Porsche doesn't approve 18 inch rims on 1997 models and whether an increase in tire diameter would result in the same problem that caused Porsche to disapprove 18 inch wheels. Does anyone have any thoughts?

Recent events in my poor Boxster ownership experience led my Porsche mechanic to tell me that the ABS controller in my 97 Boxster is a goner. This is in addition to needing a possible tiptronic rebuild. Depressions aside, I will try to make something out of this if I can. Here is the thought: Can the ABS controller replacement be DIY? It is located in the front trunk so it seems quite easy. Does anyone know the procedure? My mechanic mentioned the need to bleed the brakes. Can the ABS controller be replaced with a newer unit? My 97 doesn't have any traction control. The later cars do, albeit with a different ABS controller (version 5.3 if I am not mistaken). Can the new ABS controller be installed, along with other addition components to add traction control?

Thanks Loren. After some further checks on the speed sensors and revealed no obvious problems, I decided to take the car into the workshop. Where I was told that the ABS controller was faulty and the tiptronic may need a rebuild. I was quoted: 1. Around $2500AUD to replace the ABS controller unit with a 2nd hand item 2. Around $4000AUD to rebuild the tiptronic transmission. I was wondering if it's possible to replace the ABS controller myself? Has anyone attempted it or has any info on it?

Some of you may know that my Boxster had a problem of not having any speed signal with both the ABS and Spoiler warning light on. The CEL light is NOT on. The transmission 4th Gear light is NOT on, either. But, the car has been shifting poorly lately especially when cold. It lurches and slips and the gears don't engage or downshift properly. It is still driveable, but only if carefully shifting. The problem is more marked when driving gently. It seems to be masked when driving aggressively (the delay in shifting and slip between gears become less noticeable to me). Having spent heaps of money on my Boxster last year alone, I have decided to trouble shoot this one myself. So I bought a OBD2 scanner. It didn't return any speedo signal related codes! It did return a P0740 which is "torque converter solenoid circuit open". I am guessing that this means the torque converter is not engaging properly due to this solenoid not switching it right. I have two questions for those in the know: 1. What is the most likely cause/fix to this P0740? Is replacing the solenoid a start and can that be DIY? 2. Can this P0740 also relate to the lack of speedo signal problem which surprisingly doesn't seem to show any related codes at the moment? The scanner I used is from http://www.obd-2.com/ Please help. The last thing I need now is a transmission replacement. It's a 1997 Boxster with 120kkm on it. No tiptronic service yet as far as I know.

jinijazz: I have had blue coated bulbs on my Mazda for a while. Two sets of cheap ones (Made in China/TW) like the ones you get from the Internet - each lasted a few month. 1 set of good ones from Autobarn (Made in Australia) and it's now 2 years and no problems. Visibility? Poor with either brand. White? Yeah, but not very bright. Looks? Passable until you realise they are not very bright. Verdict? Not safe at all.

Thank you TP and Loren for the replies. The fuse is intact. Looks like another expensive repair bill for me. I was hoping it could just be a loose connection - I had a similar problem on my Mazda and it was all fixed in a twist of the wrist.

Does anyone know where the speedo cable can be found on the transmission side? And is there a connector somewhere along its path to the ECU? My ABS and Spoiler warning lights are on. I am hoping it's due to a loose connector in the speedo cable path.

I think I know the problem now. This morning I went for a drive, the same lights were on and I also noticed the speedo signal wasn't there - showing 0 when I am doing around 60kph. Since the ABS and Spoiler both require some speedo signal to work, I am pretty certain this is the cause of the problem. Does anyone know where the speedo signal cable is located and where its connectors are? I am hoping it's just a loose connection somewhere along its path.

My 97 Tip Boxster was being driven by my girlfriend when I noticed the ABS warning light was on. Pulled the car over, turned it off, and started it back up. The ABS light was still on, but now, the Rear Spoiler warning light won't go off either. It seems that there is now a fault in both the ABS and Rear Spoiler, both within minutes of each other. Does anyone have any prior experience with these faults? I hate my Boxster. It's already had two AFM changes since I bought it less than a year ago. And now this.

I have a 1997 Tip. Recently I have noticed that if I brake firmly, the car would slow down, and the tip would downshift - only that when shifting into 2nd gear from 3rd it takes about 3 seconds! This only happens if I am braking firmly and downshifting in either auto or manual. If I brake lightly to allow the car to downshift into 2nd gear before coming to a full stop, and then step on the accelerator to take off, there is no problem. If the car comes to a full stop during the 3 second window period when it tries to downshift into 2nd, the gear simply doesn't go into 2nd. It sits somewhere between 3rd and 2nd. So if I was to then accelerate, the rev would go up but the car won't move, for a few seconds, and then the car kicks into action (feels like the 2nd gear has now finally "hooked up") with a sudden jerk. It just seems that the car needs a bit of travelling distance in order to downshift from 3rd to 2nd - if this distance is shortened, the gear sits in between the two and results in subsequent slippage when taking off again. This happens very often - as I brake firmly into a corner, accelerating out of it from 2nd gear would result in the rev going up but the car not accelerating, and then a jerk kicks in to suddenly pick up the acceleration. Has this happened to anyone else? Does anyone know why this is?

You were right TP. It was the AFM. Took the car into the workshop yesterday because I didn't want to risk this being a tiptronic problem. They tested it today and said it's a bad AFM and they replaced it. The only thing is - I had the AFM replaced in April this year by a different workshop. Now I am trying to get warranty claims out of the original workshop. This looks like a hard three way battle at the moment between the two workshops and Porsche with nobody wanting to claim responsibility. Major headache....

My 97 Tiptronic has been playing up the last two days in first and second gears. Everything is fine if I just drive gently as I normally do. But if I step on full throttle suddenly in first or second gear, the engine revvs up very slowly in first gear, and it seems like it would rev up to around 4500 and no more (maybe it'd keep going up but it was certainly too slow to wait for it). The car would be going very slowly at the same time too (out of proportion to the rev despite first gear). In second gear, if I suddenly floor the throttle, the car would rev up, but again slower than usual, and the car can be felt jerking forward and backward - the acceleration is not smooth and towards the higher revs there might even be some deceleration as the rev goes up. When this happens, the tiptronic usually doesn't shift up into the next gear, or does so after a lot of time waiting in the higher revs. Other than the upshifting problem which cannot be gaged when in manual mode, the slow to rev in first gear and accel/deceleration in second gear seem to happen in manual mode too. Does anyone know what this might be due to?

What was the EXACT model number of those plugs, Jeff?

Yeah, a 996 bumper fits without any trouble and gives the option to fit a third radiator in the middle using 996 parts. In retrospect, I should've bought the radiator assembly from the shop that sold me the bumper. Was cheap. Anyway. There is a concern though. I have read that the Boxster engine, like all alloy engines, expands under heat. It is meant to reach a certain operating temperature at which point all components of the engine is "expanded" correctly so that all "holes and pokes" in the engine are at an optimal operating parameter. Adding a 3rd radiator may cool the engine too much to cause it to not reach this optimum temperature. I don't know if this is true. It's just something I have been thinking about.

TP, the part number is FR78 if I remember correctly. It was listed in the Bosche catalogue online. Yes, I went with the conventional copper, not platinum amist fears of the thinner electrode falling off like discussed in other threads. I agree that there wouldn't be much performance improvement with Super 4. But respectfully, I don't think the "only one spark with four tips" theory is correct. For two reasons: 1. Electricity does prefer to travel the path of least resistance, but that doesn't mean it doesn't travel through the path of greater resistance at all. Two resisters of different resistances placed in parallel would see a total resistance less than either singular resister - simply because electricity travels through both resistors. It's just that there is less current going through the higher resistor than the lower resistor. Another angle of looking at it, is that in a global circuit, electricity must absolutely travel through the path of least resistance. In a parellel circuit of resistors, that path of least resistance is achieved by travelling through all the resistors rather than any singular least-resistance-resistor. A four tipped plug can be thought of as having four parrallel resistors of similar but varying resistances. Therefore a current would split up and travel through all four tips concurrently, just at different amperages. For those curious, the equation for total resistance in a parallel circuit is: 1/R1 + 1/R2 = 1/Rt where R1, R2 and Rt represent Resistor 1, Resistor 2 and Total Resistance respectively. 2. My friend and I have conducted an experiment with Splitfire V plugs that are essentially two-tipped plugs when I bought them for my Mazda. We basically hooked up electricity (granted, at a much less voltage than when the plugs are subjected to in a car) to the plugs and had the circuit temporarily connected (without pulsation) and saw two "permanent" sparks much like streaks of "plasma" from those cheap plamsa effect spheres going from the electrode to both tips of the plugs - and yes, one stream was a lot thicker/stronger than the other, but the weaker streak was definitely and obviously there. Still, this doesn't mean that there will be much of a performance advantage, since current is split between the two plugs - Omhs Law should verify that the total current is still the same. However, as to whether the split sparks offer any benefit, well, it feels like very little, if any.

My 1997 Tip just had a 120kkm major service done at Weltmeisters. Used Bosche Super 4 (four tips) spark plugs. So far, 1000km later, car is running smoothly. If anything, car starts easier, but that might just be due to the service (oil, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter, etc). Just thought I will post it here so ppl know - four tipped plugs seem to work fine. Don't know about performance advantage though.

Yeah... that looks right. Does anyone know how whether they are meant to be light weight alloys?

Does anyone know what wheels are these? (see attachment) I am looking for some light weight 17 inch rims , what are the best stock or non-stock options?

I have a very similar problem. Only the driver's side window. It lowers when I open the door, but it then goes back up again before I can close the door. So I end up banging the top window edge against the plastic covertible strut all the time. Does yours do that? And where would this micro switch be located?

I will sending my Boxster to Weltmeister next Tuesday for a major service. I will talk to them about the mods. Thanks Aurthur. Btw, whereabouts do you live? Might have seen you around. I am in Richmond.