dmcole

OK, this was one of those, " I wish I never said anything..." posts.

When I was doing the maintenance last week, I also moved a bunch of stuff around in the car. It turns out that I had set my umbrella on the outside of the passenger seat and it was resting on the seat adjustment controls; so it was continuously trying to adjust the seat even though the seat couldn't move any further.

Anyway, problem solved, but thanks for the feedback.

2002 996 C2 42K miles

I tried a bunch of site searches and came up with nothing; so I apologize if this is already captured somewhere.

Seven days ago I was doing routine maintenance, and when I popped the hood there was a tremedous amount of + terminal corrosion buildup on the battery, like an inch of corrosion in every direction away from the terminal. I sprayed battery cleaner on it and then used a scrwdriver to break off the chunks. Since the cleaner had over-sprayed to small areas other than the battery, I took distilled water and poured it gently over that terminal and surrounding areas--probably a quart total. Some of the water ran down the wiring bundles to who knows where... It looked like most of it ran through the bottom and out onto the garage floor, similar to how rain water would run through the area, though i suspect that rain water doesn't actually run through that particular area due to the battery cover.

Immediately after, I started noticing a soft CLICK-click sound every seven seconds--it's clockwork: never faster, never slower. This clicking occurred all the time--car on, car off, every speed. All electronics work fine, it seems. No trouble starting, using HVAC, radio, alarm, CD, etc. So I assumed that the water ran down into *something* that had shorted some circuit.

Now the battery is dead, which I can deal with, but it would appear I need to dry out something, as well.

Does the seven second pattern ring any bells for anyone--is there some process that checks for status 'x' every seven seconds and flips a switch of some sort? Once I deal with the battery, I can get it on ramps and look under, but that's just a crapshoot at this point. Is there someplace or something I should be looking for specifically?

Glad to see that someone finally benefitted from this article! I would check every couple of months, but no replies until a month ago.

I do need to give credit to Loren and several other articles for helping me through the repair. I could not have done it without them.

The DIY writeup is done in a separate post called

"DIY Upgraded Ignition Switch Installation for 996/Boxster"

Loren, thanks as always. It works.

One note for anyone who stumbles across this post in the future...

The little silver 'beauty ring' around the key hole can get turned 180 degrees; at least it was in my car. So the hole into which you stick the paper clip was up at the ~1 o'clock postiion instead of ~7 o'clock where it should be. That completely explains why my prior efforts in this post weren't working. After figuring out this little nugget of knowledge (some number of hours into the effort...) and following the info above, the cylinder just falls out.

Once it's out, leave the paper clip in until you put the cylinder back in. Push the cylinder in firmly, pull the paper clip, and it should be in there just right.

One other thing...use your valet key instead of your remote key. The slim head makes it a lot easier to work around.

OK, I've got it removed. I'll write up a full description of the procedure for posterity here at renntech. The last question I have is how to transfer the key cylinder from the old to new part.

I've posted that question as a new topic, but any help is appreciated.

I've removed the old ignition switch/steering lock mechanism from my '02 996 Carrera. This was so I could replace it with the upgraded model. Replacing just the ignition switch in the back didn't fully solve the problem.

Anyway, my last remaining task is to remove the ignition key cylinder from the old part so that I can put it into the new one.

How do you do that?

I read somewhere that you turn the key to position 1, stick a straightened paper clip into the little hole (the one on the upper right of the key in the silver ring surrounding the key) as far as it will go and that will supposedly free the cylinder to be pulled straight out. That's not working for me...

I'm trying to understand three things: what is the correct procedure, how far is the paper clip supposed to go in, and what are you supposed to 'feel' when you do it right?

Some notes:

--In position 1, the paper clip won't go in at all

--In position 2 (or in the 'starting' position as well), the paper clip will go in about 1-1/4", but it doesn't feel like it's actually depressing anything that would free the lock.

--I've already detached everything else--ignition switch, wires, etc.--so if those are supposed to be attached when I do this, please let me know.

Thanks for any advice.

Can anyone please confirm whether there is a DIY article for replacing the entire 996 ignition switch and steering lock mechanism? I commit to becoming a contributing member in return for accurate answers to my questions above. Thank you!

I've spent two hours searching the site for this and haven't found it; so I hope this is a somewhat unique post...

2002 996 C2 with 34K miles.

I just DIY'd the 4A0-905-849-B ignition switch (German-made one with the Audi rings on it) based on all the help in these forums. Thanks to all the previous articles I again have AC, lights, and wipers! Right after fixing the switch, the car started right up. I ran it a minute and turned it off. Two minutes later, it barely make a coughing sound and then wouldn't start at all. Next morning it started first turn, ran until I turned it off, then would never start again, and I mean I can only get a 'cough' probably once every ten turns. It's in no danger of starting, I assure you. I took the battery to AutoZone and they said it's fine. Reinstalled it and still barely get a cough once in a while. So I think the upgraded switch is the only choice; I can't believe the starter coincidentally went bad with the switch replacement. I saw similar notes with this complaint which led to the advice to replace the whole mechanism with part number 996-347-017-07-M100. The advice seems sound, but I want to confirm a couple of things before moving forward.

Here's the bottom line:

--Does a guru agree that the switch is still the likely problem based on the facts above?

--Is there a DIY article on this procedure here or anywhere? (I already found the one for just the black switch but could not find one for this)

The rest of these may be answered by the DIY article if it exists...

--Is disconnecting the battery a must? I didn't do it the last time, but since it started a couple of times, I can't believe it's truly mandatory...

--Are there more than two mounting points and have the mount points changed from the '02 original model to this upgraded model? After jamming my head between the clutch and brake pedals, I only see the one bolt by the steering column and a screw next to where the key is inserted.

--Is engaging (or disengaging) the steering lock mechanism with the steering column difficult? it looks like it is inserted about a half-inch beyond the flange, but is it splined or something that makes it difficult?

--How do you pull the existing key barrel so that it can be reinserted in the new mechanism and I won't need new keys?

--Is there another 'gotcha' that I haven't asked about? I've seen the estimates of 2-3 hous of work and comments about how shop mechanics don't even want to fool with this, and I assume that's because it's just so hard to get to the bolts on this thing.

--Am I an idiot for even thinking of trying this myself? I can fix a lot of things, and since towing is already my only option for moving the car (well, I could push it, I suppose...), I don't see how getting halfway through this and then bailing is going to make it much worse.

Looking forward to your expert advice.

One update since I posted this...another old thread led me to try and hold the key in the '2' position for a while. It turns out that, after a few seconds, it starts strongly, but it's completely silent for those few seconds until the starter engages. It's weird, but I tried it over and over and it does work. My friend with an '07 Cayman says his always takes 2-3 seconds; so I feel a *little* better. I still believe I should replace the whole ignition switch; so I look forward to any knowledgeable replies to my questions above.