Jinster

Then my guess is that the top motor has given up the ghost.

Is there a way to test that? As in, if I apply direct 12V electrical connection to the motor and see it spin (or not spin)? Where would I find those wires? Someone mentioned a black and green wires but I don't know where they are.

Also, does the top operate up or down because current is applied in either backward or forward directions into the motor or is it mechanically switched somehow?

I have posted the same thread on 986forum but nobody there seems to have any suggestions. I am hoping someone here can give some pointers.

I have had this problem for a while now. I will try to describe this in detail. The car is a 97 Tip without alarm or remote modules.

Initially - and I don't know if this is related - the driver's side window will not stay slightly lowered after the door opens. But pulling on the door handle both inside or out does lower it so I have been pulling on the door handle to lower the window to close the door to avoid hitting the window against the top frame for a few months. That problem is gone spontaneously now. And at about the same time, the new problem started:

Driver's side:

I can't lock the doors from the driver's side.

If I try turning the key once on the driver's side, the doors (including the fuel door) would lock, and then all three doors would automatically unlock straight away within the same mechanical sequence (I hear the mechanism's locking sounds, straight away followed by unlocking sounds).

If I try to emergency lock on the driver's side by turning the key three times, the driver's side and the fuel door would stay locked, but the passenger side is not locked at all. Also, the doors can be opened from the interior door handle if locked with the triple turn like this (I don't know if this point normal, never did it when the car was working fine).

Passenger's side:

If I try to single turn lock from the passenger's side, all three doors would lock and then straight away unlock much like if I tried to lock from the driver's side.

I can, however, lock all three doors successfully if I emergency triple turn lock on the passenger side. If locked this way, I can unlock all three doors normally from the passenger's side. But if I unlock from the driver's side, the passenger door would stay locked from the outside and the central locking switch light would stay lit as I drive the car. The passenger door can be unlocked via the interior handle.

I am completely baffled. I need some thoughts as to the logic of what is happening. I can't think of a sensor or actuator failure that could single-handedly lead to such symptoms...

What exactly is emergency lock anyway? I assume it was designed to bypass some circuits or mechanism which may be faulty to make locking possible in an emergency situation in case of component failure. But what exactly is bypassed?

Also, the fact emergency lock works on the passenger side would seem to suggest that the actuators on boths sides are working properly (unless emergency lock doesn't actually use actuators?).

The fact that emergency lock on driver's side doesn't work may suggest some sort of one-way communication failure between the driver's side and passenger's side, but what could that be?

I think it may well come down to the mechanism that'is actually involved in emergency locking. Part of it may have failed. If you guesstimate the emergency lock to be a "skeleton system", the most basic system, the simplest electromechanical pathway to lock the doors then this would account for the higher functions of normal single turn lock not working on both sides too. The question then remains, which electromechanical parts are actually involved in the emergency lock pathway?

Anyone have any thoughts on the situation at all?

I plan on opening up the doors to have a lock, but it would help if I know where I should be looking at.

Hi friends, I have many problems with top of my bosxter of 1998, Top light is turn on on dash.

My problem is that when I press open button windows go down but top doesnt make anything, I already test my relay on other porsche and its work ok, fuses are ok, I make Micro switch trouble shooting sequence and I only have problem with 8 step, When I insert direct power to motor it's work ok( 12+ black, 12- green), then I measure green and black wires of power motor conector and result was = batery power but when I plug connector to motor measure is 0, Can any one help me? I think is problem of motor thanks and regards from Spain.

Where did you find the black and green wires clk2004? Did the top work if you keep the battery connected to those wires? Does the top work the other way if you reverse the polarity? Thanks.

Wow... my top always looked like this and I didn't even think it was meant to be any different.

Make sure the latch is unlatched all the way. Put yout finger in the hole where the latch goes and push your finger in and out while you push on the switch.

Pull out the top relay/control unit, gave it a tap, and put it back in. Or swap the relay with another 1997-1999.

If that does not work then you need to see if there is 12 volts to the top motor or if the motor is bad.

Thanks for the quick reply, TP. My Boxster already has problems with central locking and a leaking coolant pump. And now this..... added to the ABS control unit failure and MAF failures and Tiptronic case leak in the last three years....... suffice to say I am a bit depressed.

I don't have another relay handy but I did reinsert and tap the relay. The same problem remains. I have extensively tapped the microswitch from the latch hole, no use.

I can distinctively hear a tick followed by a few seconds of hiss from the back that sounds like the motor is being supplied with electricity and is trying to spin when I keep the convertible switch depressed. There is a corresponding dimming of instrument lights for around 5secs when this happens. But there is no top movement at all. The hissing sound stops in about 5sec and the dimming comes back to full brightness again even tho my finger is still on the convertible switch.

And in amidst my frantic tapping of the convertible top switch, there were two times when the windows just randomly dropped all the way to completely open rather than the 10cm open. Once, only the driver side window completely opened while the passenger side stayed at 10cm. This is after the initial 10cm drop when unlatching.

My MY97 top just wouldn't open after closing it and left at a shopping centre today.

The windows drop when unlatched. The handbrake light is on. And the transmission is in park position.

I have read that the point of failure could be the cables or the transmissions. But is that more likely to result in a unilateral failure? As in, the top would try to go down on one side while the other side appears stuck, or is that not the case?

I do hear an initial clicking noise from where the convertible top is if I keep the button depressed. Like an initial push by the motor or a relay activating at the back or something.

I am just trying to get an idea what to expect before I manually drop the top and look around.

TP, do you know how many volts these bulbs are? 12V? I am thinking about replacing them with different coloured LEDs.

FYI I've posted this on PPBB and have had some responses.

...

Sounds like MAF. When my MAF failed, twice, the car wouldn't accelerate properly. It gave no CEL light either.

The MAF? Either you didn't understand my post (the subject line is not very descriptive - my apologies) or you have a great sense of humor!

The engine runs great. No problems there - it is a mechanical problem somewhere between the business end of the crankshaft and the wheels. Gearbox/clutch etc.

Dam I wish I can claim this one on humour. :) But, just re-read your thread. Are you saying that you car won't move at all? I must have misinterpreted as it having poor acceleration. Apologies. And good luck.

I like it. A bigger pic of the whole car would be nice.

FYI I've posted this on PPBB and have had some responses.

1- Yesterday, accelerating at approximately 75% from a stop in first gear, there was a moderate pop from the rear and the car began to lose speed. It felt like an old Alfa I had that used to pop out of first when I didn't fully engage the shifter in the gate. There were no other sounds and no 'burned clutch' smells Fortunately, I was almost at my client office so was able to coast/ push car into lot.

2- Engine revs freely - no issues

3- Shifter feels normal

4- Clutch pedal feels normal, there are no strange sounds when using the pedal with engine running or not running.

5- Can push car back and forth when gear appears engaged (tried 1st, 2nd and reverse) there are no unexpected sounds. It is quiet.

6- CV joints appear to be intact - and besides, there's no noise.

7- Cannot verify whether clutch is engaged or not. Can shift into all five gears - engine running or not, clutch 'engaged' or not.

So - has this happened to anyone else here? I'm thinking clutch failure of some sort or input shaft. Any thoughts about what it might be?

Also - need independent service recommendations (West L.A. - car is in Beverly Hills, I live in Playa Del Rey) as I don't think I'm to tackle this myself. I spoke to Marcel at Swiss Motors - any feedback on them? I've heard good things about Dutch Treat too. I have an on-going relationship with Pacific Porsche but, given that it may be the clutch, I may be interested in non-dealer recommended mods.

Thanks in advance

Sounds like MAF. When my MAF failed, twice, the car wouldn't accelerate properly. It gave no CEL light either.

Jinijazz, I am going to attempt to make some custom xenon lights for my car.

Sounds like heat gun is the way to go. Thanks Vfxbox & djantlive.

TP, I will fry them if only heat gun doesn't work. :)

I have tried to bake the headlight to take it apart. But my experiment failed very prematurely as none of the ovens I have access to is big enough to fit the headlight.

So I need to use a hair dryer as that has been reported to work. I don't have a hair dryer at home. And a search turned up hair dryers of different power ratings obviously representing the heat ratings.

To those that have used a hair dryer to open up any kind of headlight, what rating was your hair dryer?

The function of the tiptronic transmission is selected by a multi-positional plate-like switch at the bottom of the car on the transmission. The position of this switch, in turn, is selected by pulling or pushing the cable that connects it and the lever selector in the cabin. I doubt there are any electronics around the shifter lever that comes into this.

The length of this cable is adjustable by twisting a horizontal screw type of connection. It's possible that over time, the length of the cable has changed due to various reasons so that when you select your gear position via the shifter, the cable doesn't pull the multi-positional switch on the transmission just the right amount to get it to select the next function within the transmission. That final shove you give your shifter when things sit in between or in the wrong mode would then bump the switch into the correct position.

So it's possible that you would need that cable length adjusted.

Hi,

As title suggests, I was wondering if there are any alternatives to Porsche's own ATF when topping up/changing the 'tip box? I'm sure that many brands make good-enough stuff, I'm just not sure which to go for - e.g. does it need to be Dexron stuff? Oh, and I'm in the UK so if there are recommendations for fluid that I can buy here then so much the better!

Cheers, JoshM

Don't use the Dexron AT4 or whatever ATF you get at the supermarket. They are completely different to the ones used in the Porsche.

Proper Porsche labelled ATF cost heaps. They sell them in single units of 1L as well as larger volumes - and the larger volume cost more than if you were to buy individual 1L bottles combined! Ridiculous.

Porsche uses the same ATF as some Audi and VW, since they use the same ATX units built by ZF (5HP19FL). These cars share this transmission:

1996–2001 Audi A4 2.8 V6

1996–2003 Porsche Boxster 986 2.5L 6 Cyl

1997–2003 Audi A4 1.8T

1997–1999 Audi A8 3.7 V8

1998–2001 Audi A6 2.8 V6

1998–2003 VW Passat GLS 1.8T

1998–2003 VW Passat GLS V6 2.8L

1998–2003 VW Passat GLX V6 2.8L

1999–2003 Porsche Boxster S 986 3.2L

2003– VW Passat GL 1.8T

So, you can rock up to a VW or Audi dealer and ask to buy their transmission fluid. It's a lot cheaper. I think from memory, it cost $24AUD for 1L of Audi ATF here in Australia. Prices in US may be different, obviously.

P.S: The part number for the Audi ATF and Porsche ATF are different. But it's the same fluid since it goes into the same transmission. So don't be put off by it.

Alarm Control Unit = $230, I got at dealer cost plus 15% at one of their sales + $275 labor, it was going to be $530, but they took pitty on me.

Passenger Door Actuator = $380 + $112 labor

Driver Door Actuator = $380 + $112 labor

Fuel Door Motor = $49 + $220 labor

New Key = $150

Water Drain Pan = $75 + $190 labor

I sympathise with you, Iccubed. If this was a Mazda or Toyota, it wouldn't have cost this much to fix the same problem. It probably wouldn't have happened in the first place. German engineering leaves much to be desired, honestly.

Anyway, I am having issues with doors not locking - they lock but then automatically unlocks straight after. Fingers crossed it's not a fried computer.

Alarm Control Unit = $230, I got at dealer cost plus 15% at one of their sales + $275 labor, it was going to be $530, but they took pitty on me.

Passenger Door Actuator = $380 + $112 labor

Driver Door Actuator = $380 + $112 labor

Fuel Door Motor = $49 + $220 labor

New Key = $150

Water Drain Pan = $75 + $190 labor

I sympathise with you, Iccubed. If this was a Mazda or Toyota, it wouldn't have cost this much to fix the same problem. It probably wouldn't have happened in the first place. German engineering leaves much to be desired, honestly.

Anyway, I am having issues with doors not locking - they lock but then automatically unlocks straight after. Fingers crossed it's not a fried computer.

OK its a modern re-write of the 'Christmas Carol' story...

I'm sure Hollywood would snap up the rights if they knew TP was up for a 'Part...... Number' in the movie!!!

I figured it's something like that. My family was never big on Christmas. Didn't know there was a story associated with it.

Richard, the 3 stroke locking technique works. At least I can now lock the car without trial-and-error. Thanks.

Nik, unfortunately re-plugging the module didn't work for me. Thanks for the suggestion though.

TP, is that a movie?

Nick_USA, you lost me completely. So there is a GT in the movie?

These forums are so fantastic. Now I know it's possible to do a 3.2L swap. Almost everyone does the 3.4L so this is great to see there are other options to beef up my 2.5L. Keep up the good work, Kanin.

This happened for the first time yesterday. I don't have a alarm or keyless entry.

I lock the driver side door with the key. It then automatically unlocks straight away. If I use the passenger side lock, the passenger door would stayed locked but the driver side locks and unlocks again.

I can sometimes lock up the driver side door with a twisting action to lock the door during the final click of the automatic unlocking phase.

Any ideas why this is? Thanks.

who makes these?

These are made in Taiwan. The brand is G4 Racing. It's apparently British technology that got licensed to a bunch of TW manufacturers who now produce pretty much exactly the same product under different brands.

Kabel, no need to be jealous. I live in Aust. Boxsters here cost twice as much as US. :)

Well, after a month of driving, I find this setup fantastic!

It is still hard on the bum when going over speed humps, but the handling around corners is great. Very neutral, lots of grip. I don't think I have enjoyed my Boxster this much, ever.

The damper firmness is 24 way adjustable via a twisty knob.

On the hardest setting, you can definitely feel a lot more of the unevenness of the road - which gives you a bit of a headache when you drive for more than half an hour. But cornering on it makes you wonder, why is it still gripping? It should have no grip at this sort of speeds!

On the softest setting, you don't get headaches, which is great for long drives. You do get more body roll and the car seems more willing to slide, very neutrally, around the corner. I think this is the benefit of having a soft setting, and that is the car will give you a bit of warning that you are pushing too far, whereas on a hard setting, the car will probably just let go once the limit is reached.

All in all, I am very happy with this suspension setup. For the price (around 1300USD supplied and installed and wheels balanced and aligned), it is good value.

Clean the old glue and put a new seal (glue). You can buy a lot of different glues, seals at AutoZone.

Thanks. Although what type of glue is actually used? I guess I don't want to end up with something like Superglue coz that would never allow me to open up the assembly again.

In terms of re-assembly, what is the best approach to prevent internal condensation?

Is it:

1. Heat up the individual parts in the oven and then assemble in the oven when hot

or

2. Assemble in room temperature, try to seal it with, say, sticky tape first, then put the whole thing in the oven to get the glue working and then remove the sticky tape?

Or

any other tips?

Hey Jeff,

Long time no talk!

Let me try to shine some light on the situation.

When I took my headlights apart. I baked them in the oven for about 10-15 min. at 250 degrees. Watch them carefully. You have to unscrew and remove the rubber seal that lines the headlight. Then use a screwdriver and slow start to pry the headlight apart.

There honestly is no point of trying to change the inside lens unless you plan on doing a heavy mod as I did. One thing you can do it remove the burn lens and just run them lenseless.

Danny

Danny, my plan was to buy a set of cheap chrome HID headlight assemblies like those Civic or BMW units on Ebay and cut and "paste" the projector parts of of the assembly into a empty Boxster headlight unit. I imagine the parts would need to be small to fit. Your fitment seems very good. Care to shed some light on which parts you used? Thanks.