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itzbob46

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Everything posted by itzbob46

  1. Loren...... Can you tell me if those drivers are measured from point to point (largest diameter). I'd rather not buy a set, and singles can be purchased. But I need to be able to measure the chrome loop's fasteners and correspond this to the proper size needed. Unless you can tell me which size is used on the 986's chrome loop. Also, thanks for the info above....all I needed was the proper name for the things and they were easy to find. Bob
  2. Suspecting that the latch/striker parts were the culprit, I examined them carefully. There is no significant wear that would be improved by reversing the chromed loop part. But for the heck of it, I tried wrapping a few turns of electrical tape around the part of the loop that is contacting the strike on the door. Down the bumpy road I went in perfect silence!!! That is a temporary cure, and of course the tape cannot last long. After several miles of bumpy driving, I returned home and examined the tape and found that it is most compressed at the inside of the loop where the door latch holds it. I have a feeling that if I raise the loop slightly and move it inwards slightly, the door will rest more solidly on the ramp of the door strike and the door will be held tighter to the moldings. I'm betting that this will be a permanent cure.........now all I need is one of those little 12 point (torx-like) drivers to fit the loop thing. Anyone know where to find one??? Bob
  3. Generally a motor that is not used continuously does not often fail. So, check the relays first and like another member said do a direct connection to the batt to see if it works then. I had a spoiler going up only 1" and just unplugged and switched the up and down relays and it's all better!!! These things are strange.
  4. Last year I researched this problem but it's still there. I have a persistant rattle at the top of the driver's door just where it meets the car body at the rear end of the door. It sounds like it's around 6" above the latch. Last year I removed the door panel and checked everything that could possibly be seen in that area and found nothing. I taped down any wire or cable that could possible move. I did find a loose speaker box and tightened that up eliminating a vibration caused by bass, but that has nothing to do with my rattle. If I unlatch and hold the door while driving on a bumpy road the rattle stops (not a good sloution!!). But I am suspicious of the latch mechanism. Door does feel nice and tight when closed. Next I'm going to place some foam products between the door and body in various places to see if some excessive mechanical motion has something to do with it. Any ideas? This thing is pretty annoying since it's within a foot of my ear. Thanks, Bob
  5. Supposed to be lifetime coolant! Eventually you will need a water pump, radiator, or hose replacement.........I'd change the coolant then. I just did it as I had a bad radiator. I'd recommend at least 2 flushings (fill and run and dump) with distilled water when you do it. Almost a gallon and a half CAN NOT be drained out, so flushing is needed to dilute it and drain. By the way, Maurice earlier in this thread advised a Bentley manual. WOW... I just got one and is it ever good. Highly recommended.... Bob
  6. A few of you have cited the ignition switch as the reason that the oil pressure and alternator (batt) indicators are on, when there are not related problems. I had recently installed an HID conversion and when I switch on my headlights the incicators come on, necessitating stopping and restarting to correct it. I blamed the HID kit, but it seems that I'm the only person that has had this problem after installing the HIDs, so now I'm wondering if it is really just the ignition switch after all. Perhaps the HIDs are drawing just a bit more starting amps and the falulty switch reacts somehow. I am at a loss here. Changing the switch is perhaps a good idea anyway, since they are a weak item that will likely fail soon anyway. How much labor is involved to do this DIY job? Bob
  7. Between the top speakers I have a vinyl bubbling situation that averaged 2" from the vents. Just noticed it, but have only had this car since August 2007. It's a 2001 with 32K miles. This doesn't look really bad but now that I know about it, it really gets MY attention. Any ideas, solutions, etc?
  8. My spoiler only extends approximately 1" when manually raised. It operates nice and fast and you can hear it reaching the 1" extension. I purchased the car 8 mo ago and it was stored for the winter....I have no idea if it operated properly above 75 mph last season, but I never noticed the red indicator light on the instrument cluster when above 75 (rarely done...had tires out of balance). I reviewed the procedure for disassembly in my Bentley Manual, but thought I'd ask you guys for input before taking things apart. Thanks, Bob :(
  9. Very excellent advice from the 2 guys above. Dealer is too far away. The picture idea is wonderful and so easy. I won't be able to see the work done, but having someone agree to the condition of the wheels beforehand is a great thought. Thanks....
  10. Just bought a pair of Contis from TireRack that beat the local tire guy by $38 for the pair, but now I need a mount and balance. The local tire shop's price includes the mount and balance service, but sometimes his guys are hacks and I don't trust 'em with my perfect 18" wheels. A local and very fussy Porsche specility garage wants $65 to do the pair (off the car). Does that sound about right? I'm not used to those prices but this Boxster is new to me and I am not yet used to the cost of repairs and services (do most of my own!). They're 40s on 18". Thanks...... Bob
  11. Be sure to search out the mentioned instructions. It's not completely logical. I did it several months ago and taped down anything that could rattle. Also found the speaker box very loose. Bob
  12. Gus... That jack is fine for dimensions. Great price. Probably just a bit heavy for it's size, but for occasional work that's OK. Make sure that your jack stands will go as low as 11" or so. Don't want to prop the car any higher than necessary.....stability, body twist, etc. And be really careful about that alternative jacking point. Just use to jack and distribute the weight of=ver several inches with some device like I described earlier. Use the jackstands under the desgnated flat jack point.
  13. Thank you guys for all the help... I am leaning towards a not so expensive jack adapted with the hockey puck... My big concern now is how to keep the car stable and safe during the repair, should I go for jack stands ? If so, what kind works? I wish I were good at wood working, but that is another skill I am still to acquire. My other question is: dont ramps replace the need for jack and stands? I found these online:ramp What do you guys think? Best, Gus The ramps in your link are typical of what you can get and any parts store, sears, etc. There are plastic alternatives now which may not slide (be pushed) as easily. These ramps are a quick, steep rise....therefore the car may try to push them when attempting to drive up. The ones that I described made of wood are a gradual incline, 1.5" at a time. I have 4 ramps so I can elevate all 4 wheels at once if I want. Can't do that with the commercial ones like in the link. Not enough clearance under the car for the second set. Often a pair of ramps AND a pair of jackstands are a good alternative. Oh...one other safety issue....don't forget to chock wheels so the car can't possibly roll when jacking, while on ramps, etc. The brake should be set, but don't count on it without wheel chocking. Leave the car in gear if possible (first gear or reverse) too. Be sure that the car can't be tapped by another vehicle while raised. Before getting under the car, I like to lean a thigh into it and see if there is any shake. If so, DON'T go under it until it's stablized. Bob
  14. There are some threads that describe how to use hockey pucks to protect the 4 jacking points. I can't figure out why anyone is worried about the paint finish on the bottom of a jack point. Only a mechanic will ever see it. Therefore, any jack that fits firmly under the jack point will do, in my opinion. Personally, I use a Torin Aluminum Race Jack with Single Piston Pump — 1 1/2-Ton, Model# T8150121 which is a nice lightweight jack for under $100 that handles the car easily. For jack stands, personally I made mine out of wood blocks with a 6x6 base and 3.5x3.5 inch top about 10.5” high which just gets the tire off the ground for removal of wheels (there's photos and descripts somewhere in Boxster forums, but which I can't recall). I own 2 sets of heavy duty steel jack stands but the tops are sort of U shaped and will not fit firmly under the jack point. Besides, their min height is unnecessarily high. As for "alternate jacking points", the area several inches behind the front jack point and several inches in front of the rear jack points is a great spot, but personally I would distribute the weight better than the concentration of a hockey puck (guess that I'm just not much of a hockey fan!). I made a roughly one foot long piece of 4x4 with a saw slot approx 3/8" deep and 1/4" wide along it's length. This supports the body along the entire foot of length and has clearance to the delicate rocker panel. Just slide your low racing jack under it and pump. Ramps… There are plenty in stores, but I built mine from 3 progressive layers of 2x6s with angles at the ends to allow the car to climb on. I have 4 such ramps with the only difference that only the back ramps have wheel stops. The resulting 4.5 inches is usually enough, but in some cases I want it a bit higher, so I have a few longer precut 2x6s to boost it to 6” of lift…just tack them on with a screw when needed. I’m changing the oil as we speak with this and it’s a great height. I advise making ramps longer than you think you need them. You want the car to be fully up each 1.5” before rising up the next 1.5”. OK, all of this stuff is wood. I can afford the ’01 Boxster but not every service device on the market, so DIY items like these are saving me money and are much more stable than factory build items, sacrificing versatility and light weight. I don’t mind!!! Good luck, Bob
  15. Say, 99Boxsterkid.......... I really recommend that you hunt around for a good independent mechanic. Forums like this one can help you locate one. We tend to refer to dealers as "stealers" for a good reason. Just because parts (eg battery) is original OEM does not mean it's better than after market items. Saving big bucks does require some research. Also, depending on your skills, garage availability and money, some DIY can save you a bundle. Again, this forum and ones like it car really help. Remember that the dealer's service dept is only as good as the person that worked on your car. They have time allotted to each job they do...so it's rare to have a dealer mechanic really put the effort into figuring out what is unique about your problem and car. With a 1999 car, an oil change is likely to cost you more than the car is worth! Personally I subscribe to Consumer's Reports..... Great tests on batteries, tires, etc. On the other hand, stay away from jiffy lube, Midas, etc. Best of luck with your new toy.
  16. Maurice.... I'm draining the plug at the botton of the engine, the 2 major radiator hoses at the engine, the 2 heater hoses just in front of the engine, and the two radiators. There are no drain plugs. You must remove the bottom hoses of each which can be accesed with the bumper skin off. Thanks for the advice re Bentley. Bob
  17. Bob: Here is a diagram of the cooling system, with the components numbered and identified: If you click on the photo to blow it up, you should be able to read the numbers, etc. The arrows also show the direction of flow of the coolant. Regards, Maurice. Maurice....Thanks. Interesting diagram but I'm not sure what some of those lines are or do. Do you suppose that ATF relates to an automatic transmisson? Mine's 5-spd. Is that a Bentley manual? Pretty good detail....much better than the Porsche disc at a glance......perhaps I need one. But I still can't firure where the gallon+ is tucked away. It's full of water now and is cooling down. Tomorrow I'll try to find time to drain it again and measure the "catch".
  18. Bob: Have you taken a look at the "Cooling System Components Overview" Diagram at page 19-2 of the Bentley Manual? The only other place that the missing gallon of coolant could be is in the two radiators up front and/or in the lines leading to and from them. Regards, Maurice. Don't have that manual, but do have a factory manual on disc. I've disconnected both of the lower hoses at the front radiators and there was only a half gallon or so that came out of both. There may be some undrainable dips in the lines, but that could not contain much. I'm filling wiht water right now. Warm up, cooldown, top off, etc, etc. Then will measure the drained water to double check my figures and method. Still a big ????? ! Thanks for your assistance, Maurice.
  19. Bob: I don't think the core would drain if you disconnect the hoses at the bottom of the engine because the inlet and outlet tubes for the heater core are at the top of the heater core. The only possibility (and I don't believe it would work in this instance) is if you can get an action going similar to when you siphon a gas tank and suck on the hose until you get the flow of gas going and then hold the outlet of the hose at a lower point than the level of the liquid in the tank. It might be a better idea to blow compressed air through the inlet tube behind the battery and seeing how much volume of liquid you get out through the outlet tube. Here is a photo of the heater core so that you can get an idea of what I am talking about: For reference, as you are facing the heater core in the photograph (which is the way it is mounted in the car if you are standing in front of the car looking towards the windshield), the inlet is on the right side, as should be confirmed by the arrows on the hoses behind the battery. Also, the size is about 10 3/4" high by 6 1/4" wide and 1 1/2" thick. I agree that you should only use distilled water to dilute the pure antifreeze. Regards, Maurice. Had another similar but easier idea....I disconnected the two heater hoses at the base of the engine, then flushed the lines with my garden hose from below. Just a bit messy, but a whole lot easier than removing the batt, etc. But thanks for the ideas, picture of the core, and inspiration. BTW, only a pint or so of coolant came out of those lines and core. I still can't account for a gallon or so of coolant in the draining process!!!!!!!!! Bob
  20. Thanks for all the info, Maurice. This job is getting bigger all the time!!! LOL Bob
  21. Bob: There may be between a pint and a quart in the heater core itself. I don't think it can be drained out by gravity. The heater core is easy to access at the base of the windshield, just behind the battery. You can hook up a hose to the inbound pipe just behind the battery to get it properly flushed out. You can access the heater core in and out pipes more easily by removing just the battery, without going to the more involved (but still easy) process of removing the heater core. The hoses leading to the in and out pipes of the heater core have arrows on them showing the direction of the coolant. Regards, Maurice. Thanks Maurice, but do you think that the core would drain if the hoses are disconnected at the bottom of the engine where they terminate. In other words, would gravity do the job or are there reasons that the core would still hold on to a load of coolant? Bob
  22. I finished draining the coolant from the engine block and radiator lines (front and back) but forgot to drain the heater hoses at the base of the engine and therefore also forgot to mention it on post #5 above...sorry. I drained only 3.5 of the 4.75 gal capacity. Got to crawl under and unclamp those heater hoses tomorrow. I can't envision the heater system holding the illusive 1.25 gallons, so the engine and hose lines to the front must have pockets that cannot be drained. I'm following the procedure in the official Porsche service manual, so I guess that Porsche factory techs don't know how to empty it completely either. The Porsche manual does not say to flush it either, so I'm wondering what those guys know! This should be a simple job and not a PITA as it is!!!!!! Does anyone have any experience with this and thoughts on the procedure??? Bob
  23. Carlos ~~ The owner's manual says 18 liters for the non-S. You've got troubles with only 7.5 liters removed. You need to drain the engine, then detach and drain the two major hoses radiator from the engine that are under the removable pan wide pan in front of the engine. I am in the process of doing this at this moment...... I have my front inner fenders and wheels off at this time to replace a leaky radiator, so I'm going to detach front lower hoses as well to see what else comes out. Then I'm going to measure what came out against the 18 Liters. I'll fill it with water and run it to flush out the remaining coolant and crap then drain again and fill with an acceptable antifreeze. I have the time as the car is down for the winter. Mine is an '01 986. Bob
  24. Thanks RFM. This was driving me nuts too. **** owner's manual does not give a hint why both adjustment screws appear to to up/down only. Bob
  25. Thanks Tim. There are interesting changes between the 986 housing and yours. I see now why you had the problem.
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