Delusionary

Hi! Reset my radio while working on my Boxster, lost the slip of paper the seller gave me. 2001 Boxster 2.7: TP gives me: CDP2081 Type 4462 Serial 15061555 Thanks!

I used Goo Gone recently on the bumper on my 2001 speed yellow 986 to remove adhesive left over from packing tape that held the temporary license in place. It worked like a charm and had absolutely no noticeable effect on the paint. I'd highly recommend it, although, as the label says, I'd also highly recommend trying it on an inconspicuous area first. Better safe than sorry. -k. -_-

Running wheels with non-stock widths (such as 17x8.5 fronts) would knock you out of the stock class in SCCA and PCA autocross, wouldn't it? If you're new, you're probably not that concerned about it, but just thought it might bear consideration.

See, this is important knowledge you don't get when you never go faster than 135mph. :D

Why would you need to? I imagine you could own those little plastic thingies that go inside the roll bar hoops for a couple years and never need to remove them.

With the "911", there's no actual external numbering that indicates what generation of car is underneath. Wikipedia provides a pretty good reference to telling them apart, so do those Porsche or 911 coffee table books you see on the bargain shelves at the book store. :) The differences can be a little subtle sometimes, and for any particular car, they can be more than that. (Is that a 930, or a 911 with a factory whale-tail? etc., etc.) The 924/944/968 have labels on the rear of the car, as do the 914 and the 928. The 986 and 987 are both just labeled Boxster/Boxster S. The 986 has the "egg yolk" style headlights and the 987 has the newer lights that look more like the older lights. If you don't know how to tell the cars apart, Wikipedia is more your friend than Porsche. :D

I don't know...I've not "lost it" in my Boxster, but I can make the PSM kick in at will. You can, for instance, a. Drop the clutch in first, or actually even when shifting to second, if you get on the gas a little first. That'll spin both back wheels and cause the PSM to step in. b. Floor the gas while turning. When leaving a stop light and turning left, for instance. The back end will rotate a little bit before PSM steps in, but if you turn PSM off, you can spin around in circles, supposing you don't like your tires. I think letting the PSM step in is a mark of shame, but I'd rather have it there and not need it than need it and not have it. Same reason I keep a jimmy hat in the door pocket. :P

Update: I just took my first extended highway trip, and got 27-28MPG, mostly cruise control at 75 GPS MPH.

FWIW, I generally fill up with 10% ethanol (it's what's at the shell stations, maybe everywhere here), and I haven't seen that at all. You could use an OBD II scanner, or get someone else to, to pull the fault codes; that's probably your best starting point in any case.

I found this interesting: http://www.deter.com/porsche/PSM.txt

I am totally and completely in love the PSM on my 2001 2.7. My last mid-engined car (a 91 MR-2), I spun out and totalled getting on the throttle too quick exiting a flyover (it was actually the panic lift that killed me). PSM would have saved my *** there, and although the Boxster has rear suspension that mitigates lift rotation, it's still going to be a problem with any mid- or rear-engined car. Not only that, but PSM will also keep you from spinning your tires (much) on launch, and help you get the power down better coming out of corners, where it works a lot like a limited slip diff. In my experience so far (I haven't had my car long), turning the PSM off can be fun and let you hang the tail way out there or exit a stop light in dramatic and smoky fashion, but I'll bet, short of *maybe* on the track, you'll be faster with it. Even on the track, you're generally not going to run more than the 5-7 degrees of slip you get even with PSM on, if you're Doing it Right. I'd say definitely, definitely, definitely get it. It could save your car, or even your life.

Possibly both. :) My 986 fan comes quite a bit since I got it. It seems to me the 996 would probably have a lot better heat dissipation in the engine compartment with the open rear deck lid. I'll have check that heat sensor though.

I don't even think you can replace the entire grill. As I understand it, the air vents were moved and reshaped for the facelift in 2003. It seems to me, though, that putting a screen behind the earlier intake wouldn't be too hard. It looks to me like the earlier intake strakes were thicker, though, and since they're black instead of color-coded, a screen would probably be harder to see than on the later cars. I think the earlier cars (but not the earliest ones) had an intake snorkel to deal with the whole a-flaming-cigarette-lights-the-air-filter-on-fire issue, and also to avoid sucking water into the engine. On a related note, I've had my car for five weeks, about two of them drivable, and I gotta say, those vents appear to be a lot more important and functional than they were on, say, my old MR-2. Judging by the amount of rainwater grime and road filth they collect, they seem to be pulling in a lot of air. On the MR-2 I don't think the intake was actually sealed to the left side, and the right side was just a screen with no fan behind it, so that probably explains it all. I love my car.

I don't know the offset of the 16" wheels (they should be print/cast on the rim), but my 2001 17" wheels are 55 front, 48 rear.

FWIW, I've been keeping a running total on my 2001 2.7 whenever I fill up, and I've gotten between 20 and 22.8 MPG each time. Of course, most of my mileage is either city or, uh, enthusiastic. :D

In case anybody runs into the same question: Okay, the numbers I got did not come from an official source, but was from a mechanic shop online manual. So, YMMV (pun intended), but all the other torque figures in the manual matched up with the Bentley book. All I can say about the source is that it was watermarked "EB Copyright 2008". It says to torque the studs that go into the frame to 15 ft lb (20 Nm), and the nuts that go onto the studs to 48 ft lb (65 Nm). These seem like reasonable figures, especially since 65 Nm seems to be a pretty common torque specification for rear suspension bits on the boxter (cross-member to side section, diagonal brace to side section, etc.) I got it all put back together, no parts left over :), and no noticable problems, although I've only got about 150 miles on it so far. If it holds together to 500 I'll put together a DIY from the bazillion pictures I took. To other novice Boxster spelunkers: get a LED headlamp from REI, and take pictures of everything you do, including a picture of each set of parts you took off and the tools you used to do it. It can help with parts identification and ordering on the back side. That way you won't end up putting diagonal brace nuts on the sway bar end links. :P All I can say is that if Sunset still has those factory sets for $200, I'm getting one the very *second* I get $200. I guess I can also say that that sheet metal brace is a real %!#$^!# to get back on.

All right, I got my new parts, including an uncracked suspension mount :P, and now all I've got to do is put them in. I got the drive shaft and flange out okay, was hoping somebody could tell me: 1. What's the best way to put the flange back in. The ol' hammer and drift doesn't seem like a good idea. Some kind of giant C-clamp? What to use to press it back in? I'll bet it ain't gonna go back in easy, especially with a new snap ring. 2. Does anybody have the torque specs for the four nuts at the top of the rear suspension mount, that go into studs in the frame? Everything else, I think I can handle. I'm gonna get me that $200 manual set, as soon as I get me $200...

Yeah, thanks. I've got a replacement on the way now, was mostly just curious.

So, a week after I got my shiny new '01 Boxster, the drive axle bolts sheared off, and the axle flew forward and contacted the rear suspension mount. I ordered a replacement from a scrap yard, and it came pre-cracked, too. I really don't think the crack in the shipped mount is cosmetic and want to get it replaced. My question is, how bad is the crack in my current mount (and, just out of curiosity, in the shipped one)? "Don't do more than putt that car around a few times until you get it replaced" bad, or "O dear god, you're not *sitting* in it like that, are you" bad? My hosed up rear mount: http://www.flickr.com/photos/delusionary/2433566562/sizes/o/ Junkyard dawg hosed up rear mount: http://www.flickr.com/photos/delusionary/2433563368/sizes/o/ Links go to full size caps, smaller versions from links at top.

It sounds like the final drive, differential, or drive axle component. The only thing that augurs against the drive axle is that it was making the sound when it was in neutral; if the car was moving, however, then that ceases to be remarkable.

You should actually be able to get a third-party warranty, actually, no matter who you buy it from. I know Eagle warranty doesn't seem to cover Porsches, but a guy from Carchex quoted me about $3300 for a 3-year contract on a 1997 986 Boxster with 97k miles (examples of which also had some occasional catastrophic engine failures, such as cracked cylinder liners and failed intermediate shafts). That's not an endorsement, as I haven't bought one from them, and I'm sure there are other companies that sell them. One thing to be careful of, though, is that some third-party warranties may provide provide repair funds only as a reimbursement for a bill, and may take some time to do so. Some pay the mechanic directly. If you Google "Porsche service contract", you'll come up with a list of possible providers.

So I just bought a shiny yellow 986. A week afterward the drive axle bolts sheared off on the driver's side (left). When it came loose, it whacked the U-shaped rear suspension mount, and cracked it. The mechanic said whoever serviced it last didn't tighten the bolts properly, and wants $2800 (1150 labor plus 1400 parts plus tax) to replace it. So, that's out of the question for the moment, and seems kind of high in any case. Now, I was hoping to work on my Boxster first under better conditions, but the rear suspension is awesomely put together, and I'm pretty sure I can handle the job. (No CV Shaft snap rings? Piece of cake!) I've got Bentley's service manual, and a rip from an auto shop generic service manual. These sources have left a couple questions unanswered. I was hoping somebody here could help me out with a couple questions: 1. I can find instructions for removing all the rear suspension components *except* the mount. It looks to me like, once the other components are removed, there are only four bolts at the top holding it to the chassis. Is this correct? Also, does anybody have torque specs for these bolts? 2. When replacing the transmission output flange on the left side, is it necessary to replace the oil seal around it? Is there any tool that would make a good subsitute for Porsche special tool 3382 (need part #) for inserting it? If not, where's a good place to get it? 3. JPLV Porsche parts (http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?siteid=214626) seems to have prices significantly below MSRP on genuine parts. Does anybody have experience with them, or want to recommend anybody else? 4. Does anybody know of something I'm likely to be missing that would put me in over my head? I intent to have the alignment done when I'm finished, even if I get all the eccentrics the way they started.