Pablo

I have a 2002 Boxster and on both key caps (where you press the lock/unlock and truck open buttons) the raised round piece that your press down to activate the truck opener remotely has popped out and no longer works?!? I've looked in various places to try to just buy a cap replacement instead of the $150 complete Key head unit but can't seem to find a source?!? Any ideas? Also, the other remote key is completely dead. It's not the battery, I've taken it apart and one of the microchips things snapped off. What is the best way of replacing the head unit? Just buying the $151 piece and letting the dealership program it? thanks!

Hello, I have a 2002 Boxster and in order to close the front hood after I open it, I have to slam it so hard that a lot of times it takes a few tries before it actually closes?!? There are no obstructions in the latch so I was wondering if anyone has any ideas so that I don't have to slam it as hard as I have been in order to close it. Thanks!

Hello I have a 2002 Boxster and it is making some rather unusual sounds. Sometimes when I turn ther key to start the ignition, I get this awful sound like pulling a record backwards on a record player?!? Any idea what that could be? Also when I change gears sometimes I hear a "clunking" sound like something is moving around in my back passenger side of the trunk, like 2 midgets wrestling in my trunk. There are no sounds when I'm not shifting gears. Any ideas on these 2 annoying sounds would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

Thanks Derek, I had read that thread previously but I thought that the difference was that there was no puddling under the carpet and there was major leakage that came from under the car 2 hours after I opened the coolant cap?!? It almost seemed like opening the coolant cap led to a leak underneath, which I thought was very strange?!? And then the amount of coolant that vanishes from the resevior afterwards (a few hours) seems like it can't just be evaporating from the Cap part that the thread recommends swaping out? what do you think? Thanks for your help :) Pablo

I recently noticed that my coolent gauge in the trunk of my 2002 Boxster was a little below Minimum, so being the idiot that I am I opened the cap to look inside and then I closed it up. When I went home 2 hours later, my nieghbor knocked on my door to let me know that a very large amount of coolent was leaking from under my car. I purchased some Porsche coolent and when the engine was cold I filled up the resovrior and before I even replaced the cap I noticed it was dripping under the car but when I put on the cap, the drip stopped?!? I figured everything was fine until I drove above 30 miles and my coolent light went on. I looked at the coolent resivior and sure enough it was way, way below min but not bone dry and there was nothing leaking from underneath. When I pulled the carpet back next to the gauge there was no puddling of leaked coolent either?!? I topped it off again but the same thing seems to happen a day later, the level goes way down below min, I can't find any leaks, and I have no idea what the problem could be. PLease help...any suggestions? Thanks!

Problem solved, the leak is fixed and after 5 days straight of rain, it passed the test. I just sealed the hole that I gauged in the drain and no more leakage :) Thanks for walking me through this and saving me a lot of money at the dealership. You da' man! Pablo Pablo: Glad you are still on it, that's the only way to get to the root of the problem. I had cautioned you in your other thread to "...snake down a heavy gauge (12 gauge should be sufficient) stranded wire with no sharp edges at its leading end down into the drain from above..." but at the time, I guess I didn't realize just how hard that plug was stuck in there and you wouldn't have been able to dislodge the plug with a stranded wire, so it was unavoidable. Now that you have found that hole, it's very likely you have found the solution. You can definitely use that Permatex sealant (next to the "16BR", the tube also says Item #81158) and it comes in a black tube on a blue card. Make sure before you apply it that you clean and dry the area around the hole with denatured alcohol or Formular 409 (doesn't leave a residue) so that you get really good adhesion. That sealant is really good for these types of jobs because it makes an excellent seal, it's waterproof and it stays flexible (so it won't crack). Let it cure for 24 hours before you test it with a hose and let us know if you finally have a dry car. Let us know also if the fogging up of the rear window has disappeared. It may take you some time to dry out the thick rubber foam under the carpet, but that will be the "fun" part once you are done. Regards, Maurice.

OK Maurice, I think i figured it out, but it's not what you'd think. After doing a ton of tests I realized that the water tray had no leak. I corked the drain hole afterwards and no leakage anywhere. So eventhough earlier I mentioned that the drain is flowing smoothly when I pour water down it, upon closer investigation whenever I let water only go down the drain (a hose aimed into the drain not the foam liner tray) then I got leakage. So I pulled back the foam liner, shined a flashlight into the funnel-like flask that leads to the drain (see photo) and noticed that there was a hole in the plastic funnel where it meets the drain!?! It must have happened when I was trying to snake the cork like thing that was jammed in the drain before. So now that I think that I have identified where and how the water is getting through, what should I use to seal the plastic funnel where I gauged the small hole? Should I use the Permatex Black Silicone Adhesive Sealant (Permatex Part # 16BR)? I'm pretty excited, I think this may be the end of the mystery. We'll see once I get it sealed. Thanks Maurice Pablo Pablo: Your photo gives a hint as to the possible cause of the leak. It may be that your foam liner somehow got torn under the frame support for the convertible top frame. Take a look at this photo of my passenger's side foam liner again, where this time I have highlighted an area. The foam liner has a depressed groove where it goes towards the front of the car (circled in red) and the front of that groove could be just behind the area that your photo has highlighted. If there is a tear or hole under there (which you cannot see unless you remove the convertible top and frame mechanism), you would get a leak where indicated by your arrow in your photo. Try this to narrow it down: Pour water slowly down the actual drain hole, without pouring too much volume, so that the water just goes directly down the drain hole and does not "pool" around the hole. See if that gets your carpet wet, as I don't think it will. Then, pour water slowly down the depressed groove of the foam liner, directly where the red arrow is pointing (and don't let any water back up so that it would pool and go down the drain). Now see if that gives you the same kind of leak as you described when you poured water over the passenger's side of the convertible top. (You may have to slightly raise the rear of the car so that the water just goes down the groove and doesn't flow back towards the drain hole. Driving the rear tire over a 2X4 would probably be enough on a flat surface). If it doesn't get wet when you pour it down the drain hole, and it gets wet when you pour it into the depressed groove, you may be able to temporarily stop the leak. You can get some Permatex Black Silicone Adhesive Sealant (Permatex Part # 16BR) at any auto parts store and lay a thick bead perpendicular to the depressed groove, along the back edge of where the convertible top frame meets the foam liner. That might stop the leak until you can take the whole top off and fix it correctly, either by sealing it or, preferably by replacing that side of the foam liner. Keep us posted. Regards, Maurice.

Perhaps my theory is not correct. I did some more tests by pouring more water on both the driver's side that has no leakage and the passenger side. The driversside water flow runs down the top and down into the water tray area and then down the drain, no leaks. If I pour water on the top of the leaky side it flows the same but instead of catching in the water tray it goes down (where I can't see) into the area where the water tray should devert the water to the drain but doesn't, instead it goes down into the seatbelt area and onto the floor. In the attached photo I highlighted the area where it's coming down. Once I get my window regulator fixed I will open the top again and take a closer look at the water tray. That seems to be the general area of where water is getting through. Any thoughts? Pablo Pablo: I don't think your theory is correct, although it is quite a mystery where that part could come from. The reason that I have some doubts about your theory is because of the "threads" that are molded into the base of the rubber piece. Those threads would indicate that the piece was screwed into some other part, rather than suggesting that it was some kind of plug or stopper that would be pushed into a hole or orifice. Just a thought, but I am curious to know if you get to the bottom of that mystery. If you do take the convertible top off, you will get a much better idea of what the leak problem might be because you will then be able to peel back the foam liner completely and see if there is anythin obviously missing under there. Regards, Maurice.

Thanks Maurice, your the best. I think I will have the dealership replace the window regulator and I will try and fix the leak myself. I found a good write up about removing the top so don't worry about looking for that write for me but thanks. I truly believe that the strange plactic piece I found is a plug from the leak area that popped out and got lodged in my drain. because the plug is out, now water is seaping through that unplugged area. I just need to find where that piece goes?!? I sent a new post with the photo of the plastci piece and my theory to see if anyone had an idea of where it came from. I will keep you posted. Thanks again, Pablo Pablo: I can guarantee you that the reason your rear window fogs up is because of the accumulated water or moisture that has been seeping into your car, first through the clogged drain on the passenger side, and now through that as yet undetermined path near your foam liner/seat belt reel area. Once you get rid of the leak and dry out your carpet (especially the VERY THICK foam rubber backing, you will no longer have a foggy rear window. As to the replacing of the window regulator, depending on your mechanical ability, that's a very straightforward procedure which should take between 1 and 2 1/2 hours. You can buy a replacement window regulator from Sunset Imports (a board sponsor) or from Autohausaz.com (Part # 996.542.076.04). I bought one this past summer from Sunset for less than $175.00 The most difficult part of that procedure is the removal of the door panel. I will look for and send you a couple of links that will explain exactly what you have to do, with photos, if you are interested in tackling it yourself. As to the leak and the removal of the convertible top, it takes less than 1/2 hour to remove the complete top with the frame mechanism and that will make if very easy for you to investigate the cause of the remaining leak. If you want to attempt that, let me know and I will look for a write up that I did recently on that procedure. Regards, Maurice.

Recently, I found major pooling of water under my passenger seat of my 2002 Boxster that Maurice helped me realize that I had a blockage in my rear passenger drain. When I finally removed the blockage I found a very interesting plastic, cork like top with a screw end that was stuck in the drain. (See attached photo of plastice piece found in drain) Don't confuse this piece with the 2 pieces on the underside of the clamshell that fit snug into 2 large "nut fittings" it's not that, this piece in the phot is smaller. I thought removing this piece from the drain would fix my leak that was pooling under the passenger seat but it didn't. The drain works perfectly now but when I pour water over the convertible top, water seaps down the inner canvas (see 2nd photo) and down the seatbelt area and into the passenger seat floor area. So I've come to the conclusion that the piece I found in the drain is some sort of plug that got dislodged from somewhere in photo 2 and fell into my drain. Anyone know what this piece is? and where it belongs? The Porsche dealership is saying it will take 4 hours of labor at $150 an hour to take the entire top off and figure it out but that sounds a bit ridiculous. Also, my passenger side window isn't going all the way up when the top is completely closed leaving about an inch opening. The window is making a "crunching" sound when I try to close it completely. The dealership says it's a broken window regulator, another $400 for the part and labor to replace that. Yikes! Is this a fix i can do myself? Or is that even the problem in the first place? I've already tried to retrain the window by olding it all the way down and then all the way up but it's still stuck. Please help, this is driving me crazy!!!!

Thanks Maurice, here's the latest...I took it to the Porsche dealership to have them take a look at it for an hour. Before I went, I tried to retrain the window and no luck...there is actually an nasty "crunching" sound when it tried to go up. The dealership says window regulator is broken and it will cost about $475 to replace...is that reseaonable or is it something I can do myself? The leak was coming from underneath the inside fabric behind the door frame. (see photo) When they poured water over the top of the canvas you clould look in there (see photo) and see water flowing down inside the care intot eh seatbelt area but you can't tell where exactly it's coming from because it's hard to access the area. I would like to take a closer look when I have some time because they are saying they have to take the whole convertible top off, possible take out the seat belt mechanism, ect and it it 4 hours of labor at $150 an hour. they mentioned it could be the drip tray being punctured but I don't know what that is or how to access it. So that's the latest...on another note, it's been pouring rain here in Northern California (by the way, where are you located?) and whenever there is a lot of rain, the rear plastic window is fogged up to the point where you can't see anything out of it. Do you have the same problem? Is there anything to do about it? I put in a rear backup camera that attaches to the rear license plate but wasn't happy with the image so I took it back. Take care brother and let me know if you have any new idea based on this new info. Thanks :) Pablo: Only one photo got attached to your post. Do you have any more? Also, when you put the top up, do you have the black/gray vinyl apron attached by means of its trailing plastic bar onto the two plastic brackets that are mounted on the rear wall of the convertible top compartment? Also, where that vinyl apron goes toward the front, it's supposed to have a fabric/vinyl loop on each side where the tension cable (that is attached to the underside of the rear main bow) goes through and is pressed onto a steel metal ball on each side of the engine compartment. The tension cable, by going through the loop causes the vinyl apron to stay in the proper position. That vinyl apron is supposed to direct water that goes past the clamshell towards the drains. If it's not fastened it could cause water to fall onto someplace outside of the foam liners. Anyway post a couple of more pictures and maybe I can see if something is not quite right. Regards, Maurice. Pablo: I took a look at my water drain area and it appears that your foam liner is where it is supposed to be. Here is a photo of what the liner should look like in that area: If you have checked to make sure there is no tear or slit at the area near the metal ball that accepts the cable, then you should check the vinyl apron with the top up. Pull the passenger seat forward and then the seat back forward and stick your head between the roll bar hoops to have a look at the area in your photo. With the top up, the vinyl apron should be draped so that it ends up over and to the outboard side of the lip of the foam liner. Then have someone rain some water on the convertible top so that you can see whether the water that gets under the clamshell with the top up is actually draining over the surface of the vinyl apron, and not going through it. If the vinyl apron is on the wrong side of the lip of the foam liner, it will direct water exactly where you are indicating in your photo. Also make sure that there is not cut or slice in the vinyl apron in that area, as that would allow the water to pass over to the wrong side. After you have rained water on the convertible top, feel the INSIDE of the vinyl apron to see if it has allowed water so seep through it as that side should be completely dry. BTW, any luck with re-training the window? Regards, Maurice.

Everything is attached correctly, the vinyl apron, the metal ball and cable, and the plastic brackets are holding the apron intact so that it drains correctly. Working on this stupid problem, I've become a master at open the clamshell, disassembling the apron, liners, ect. So here is a picture of the area that is wet next to the rear passenger drain under the foam liner and probably causing the leaks since there is no leaks when I pour water down the foam liner area where it flows directly into the drain. So take a look and tell me what you think. Just to added injury to insult, when I put everything back together, closed the convertible top, my passenger window won't close completely?!? Any idea on that one? Sorry brother, this is driving me crazy... Pablo: Only one photo got attached to your post. Do you have any more? Also, when you put the top up, do you have the black/gray vinyl apron attached by means of its trailing plastic bar onto the two plastic brackets that are mounted on the rear wall of the convertible top compartment? Also, where that vinyl apron goes toward the front, it's supposed to have a fabric/vinyl loop on each side where the tension cable (that is attached to the underside of the rear main bow) goes through and is pressed onto a steel metal ball on each side of the engine compartment. The tension cable, by going through the loop causes the vinyl apron to stay in the proper position. That vinyl apron is supposed to direct water that goes past the clamshell towards the drains. If it's not fastened it could cause water to fall onto someplace outside of the foam liners. Anyway post a couple of more pictures and maybe I can see if something is not quite right. Regards, Maurice.

Well Maurice, that was a great guess but unfortunately the bullet shaped plastic piece was not the piece on the underside of the clamshell. This piece I found is slightly smaller and both the pieces you guessed are intact?!? I brought the piece by the porsche dealership to get their opinion and 4 service guys said, I have no idea what that is after realizing it wasn't the underside of the clamshell piece. Before I spend $150 an hour at the porsche dealership I thought I would send you 2 more pics and some info on the problem to see if you have any other guesses. The photos attached are of the 2 areas behind the passenger seat that water is seaping through. The bottom of the backing behind the pasenger seat where it meets the ground and the lower seatbelt area. When I pour water directly down the rear drain, there is no leakage, it just drops down to the bottom of the drain and onto the pavement. However, when I close the top, and spray a hose over the convertible top for awhile, it starts to seap through the passenger area?!? There is no leakage through the convertible top or door. However, when I pull back the foam liner to access the drain, I noticed that the area to the inner left of the rear passenger drain, where there is an opening where one of the convertible top levels folds down into, surrounded by foam, the foam is wet? I can send you a pic if you don't know where I'm talking about. But other than that, I have run out of ideas but I am obessed with figuring out the Boxster leakage mystery before paying hundreds of dollars to the Porsche dealership. Thanks again for your time and help Maurice, without your help I would have never gotten the block out of the drain:) Any other ideas? Pablo

Hello, after finding a ton of water under my passenger seat of my 2002 Boxster, I was able to extract this plastic, bullet shaped cork looking part that was plugging my rear passenger drain and causing water to seap under the passenger seat and collect a pool of water. Now that I removed the blockage, and the water flows directly through the drain, I thought the problem would be fixed. Not the case, after a long rainfall, a large amount of water is still collecting under my passenger seat?!? My only idea is that this thing in the photo attached is some sort of plug that has a purpose and since it's removed now, the leak problem still occurs. Any one know what this part is and where it belongs? Or any other ideas as to why there is still water seaping under my passenger seat eventhough the drain is clear and water flows directly through? This is driving me crazy, please HELP! Pablo

Well, I finally got it figured out. I took out the wheel liner and dislodged the drain just enough to turn it almost sideways. I snaked it from below and above, whacked a few layers of skin off my fingers, and low and behold a bullet shaped plastic cork-like fragment that had been deeply lodged in the S turn of the drain popped out :) It made my day. Just to make sure there was no more blockage, I poured a glass of water down the drain and it flowed through with no problem. Thanks again my friend, now I can sleep at night. Pablo: The photo did not show up, maybe you can repost it. Don't give up yet, and do throw the Boxster into the dumpster. That would be sacrilegious! As Peter suggests above, it now sounds like you may possibly have a large pebble or some other similar debris stuck in the drain hose, blocking the path of drain water or of the snake you are trying to push through. If you have access to compressed air, stick the compressed air gun into the drain from underneath and maybe wrap the gun nozzle in a rag or a rubber sheet to get some seal there, then go up top and listen for any air coming through the drain hole. If you hear high pitched whistling, then there is probably something stuck in there. Be careful not to look down the drain hole while there is air coming in from below under pressure as whatever is down there could suddenly come flying out. If you determine there is something in there, before trying to take out the complete drain tube, try pushing in something stiffer than the snake in from underneath , and push it back and forth to try to dislodge it. At the stage you are presently at, a dealer would not do anything different that what you are presently attempting, other than to dismantle everything in that area and replacing everything and charging you accordingly. As a last resort, since you have everything opened up from above and from below, how hard would it be to pull out the drain hose completely and then either re-install it after clearing it out or replacing it with a new one. Another possibility, although I don't know if it's feasible, would be to get a new drain hose, and route it right next to the present problem drain hose and connect it to underneath the foam liner drain tray. I'd love to see the photo you took, if you can manage it. Regards, Maurice.

Thanks Maurice, I finally got around to removing the wheel liner to see if the drain was dislodged and it was still intact. I have included a photo to show that next I tried to snake the drain from below and the snake went up 14 inches until it hits the curve in the drain at that point, I hit "the wall". No matter how hard I try to push the snake up past that curve, it won't go any further. I am thinking about just throwing my boxster in a dumpster unless you have any other ideas. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out, this is so frustrating because like you said, it seems like it should be an easy solution but so far it's not. Perhaps it is time to bring it to the dealer and spend an unnecessary amount of money to finally get this drain unclogged. What do you think? Pablo Pablo: If you have managed to take off the V-lever and have figured out how to peel back the foam liner without removing the entire convertible top frame, you should certainly be capable of tracking the source of this problem. You have already figured out that the drain or drain hose has become dislodged. Remember my caveat to not operate the dash switch for the convertible top while the V-levers are removed. Otherwise, again, you will incur additional work in re-synching the top. You don't need a body shop removing the rear quarter panel for this task. If I were in your shoes, here is how I would proceed: On the driver's side, since you have determined that drain is not dislodged, I would snake down a heavy gauge (12 gauge should be sufficient) stranded wire with no sharp edges at its leading end down into the drain from above. Once you see where the wire comes out from the bottom, you will have a better idea of where to look for the routing of the drain on the problem side, i.e., the passenger's side. Then, go over to the passenger's side and jack the car up safely onto a jackstand. Then remove the right rear tire. It would be a good idea, for safety's sake, to put the removed wheel and tire sideways under the car near where you are working. From under the car, take a look at where the passenger's side drain exits (by comparing it to the exit of the drain where the wire came out on the driver's side). Then, remove the wheel well liner on the passenger's side and see if it exposes the drain hose and if you can put it back in place so that it drains properly. The wheel well liner is only held in place by a few 10mm plastic nuts and a couple of black plastic push pins. Let us know if you have any success, as I am reasonably sure it is something relatively simple. Regards, Maurice.

Hi Maurice, I appreciate all your help. I pealed back the foam liner and took a close look at the rear passenger drain but again when I tried to snake it it hits a "wall" So I pealed back the rear driver side liner and tried to snake that drain to see if I would encounter the same "wall" resistance. No "Wall" resistance on the rear diver side drain so I've come to the conclusion that the problematic rear passenger drain has become dislodged not just clogged. What do you think I should do next? Is this something I take to a body shop to remove the rear quarter panel and fix the drain or is it something that a "semi-retarded when it comes to fixing cars" person like myself can fix? Thanks again for all your help, I just don't know how complex this problem is to fix and if it's better to let a professional do it. Pablo Peter: Is it possible that your foam liner that surrounds the rear drain hole got sliced up or punctured when you were having problems with your convertible top operation? If the top is operated with one of the connecting rod arms disconnected (or partially dissassembled), one of the dangling parts can puncture the foam liner. That would cause water to migrate into the passenger compartment. If that is the case, you can do a temporary fix by using black silicone adhesive sealant (made by Permatex). Regards, Maurice. Thanks Maurice, but the foamliner is fine. It's when I get the snake about 3 inches down the drain when it just gets stopped like I hit a wall. Also when air is blasted in down the drain, I can't feel any air come out the bottom of the car. Any other ideas? In the meantime I will try to snake it again but no success so far. Peter: I know you have been down this road before, so it shouldn't be too difficult for you (haha!). How about removing the 19MM bolt that holds the V-lever onto the top transmission, and then undoing the slotted 2 large round plastic pins at the rear of the foam liner (near the shock absorber) and then seeing if you can partially peel back the foam liner from the inner rear quarter panel. You don't have to peel it away under the front corner (under where the white plastic cups would be). Then you can get a good look at the other side of the drain hole and determine if part of the drain tube has become dislodged. That may be why you can't snake a wire easily down there. IIRC you may also have to remove the three nuts that hold the top transmission onto the rear quarter panel and put the transmission aside onto the engine compartment lid temporarily. As long as you don't operate the convertible top switch, you don't have to worry about re-synching the top mechanism. I know it seems like a PITA, but that alarm control module under the driver's seat is well worth protecting if you want to keep your level of frustration at a reasonable level. Regards, Maurice. P.S. Happy and Healthy Supercharged New Year!

I’m subscribing to this one. I’ve had the same prob. on both sides for ever. I can run a coat hanger down my drains ( feels like there’s and “S” shaped bend though you might be hitting, about half way down…be aware) Regards, Peter So were you able to fix the problem using the coathanger? Was your passanger seat compartment getting soaked when it was clogged? Pablo

Peter: Is it possible that your foam liner that surrounds the rear drain hole got sliced up or punctured when you were having problems with your convertible top operation? If the top is operated with one of the connecting rod arms disconnected (or partially dissassembled), one of the dangling parts can puncture the foam liner. That would cause water to migrate into the passenger compartment. If that is the case, you can do a temporary fix by using black silicone adhesive sealant (made by Permatex). Regards, Maurice. Thanks Maurice, but the foamliner is fine. It's when I get the snake about 3 inches down the drain when it just gets stopped like I hit a wall. Also when air is blasted in down the drain, I can't feel any air come out the bottom of the car. Any other ideas? In the meantime I will try to snake it again but no success so far.

Hello, I know that a clogged rear drain causes water to drain underneath the passenger seat of Boxsters but now I have a real problem. I've pulled back the carpet behind the passsenger seat and had an air compressor blown through the rear passenger drain of my 2002 boxster but the problem is no air is coming through the drain so it is either majorly clogged or something else. I've tried using a clothehanger to ram down the drain but is seeems to just hit a wall and not be able to go down the drain?!? When I pour a bit of water down the drain as a test, it comes directly through the lower back passenger seat in the same area that the seatbelt begins? Any suggestions?? I'm assuming if it were not clogged, when you poured water down the drain, it would flow directly through and under the car and on to the pavement, right? Reguardless, it's driving me nuts and it's a pain to dry out the passenger seat compartment every time it rains. Please help, thanks, Pablo

Hello, the passenger side carpet on my 2002 Boxster is soaked. I've read that it's possibly due to debris in the back drains but I can't figure out how to access the back drains to unclog them? please help me I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!