firstgenbird

Reading KFH2818's other topic, I find it interesting that the instrument lights and clock went back to normal when he removed and replaced his faulty ignition switch back in. I already tried 2 different switches without success. Looking closely at how my instrument cluster and ignition acts, I notice that when I turn off the ignition the engine shuts off and the dash is in normal operation, nothing funny with the clock. And I remove the key from the ignition lock cylinder very slowly. Still no problems till the key is completely out of the cylinder, and when I finally take it out, I hear a "clunk" sound from inside the ignition lock and the clock goes into set mode instantly after this sound. This "clunk" sound is not subtle. I believe it's some kind of an actuating rod, probably the mechanism that connects the ignition to the tiptronic shifter so that you can't put the shifter out of park without inserting the key. I don't remember how the movement of the ignition felt before this problem occured but this sound is very obvious and harsh. I believe instead of a "clunk" it should feel like a small "click" when I remove the key. It feels as if a metal rod is pushed up by a spring and bottoms out on a metal surface. Since the clock goes into set mode right at this instant and causes my dash lights to stay on, I still want to believe my problem is related to the ignition, maybe the mechanical lock cylinder portion. I don't know if it's servicable but I'll remove it this week and see how it looks like. Maybe try with another cylinder if it's not too hard to get it coded with my key. I will also try to get a video of the situation. If everything else fails to cure the problem, can any of you guys recommend me a shop which can repair my cluster? I'd rather ship it across the planet and back than get a new one and mess with the dealer for the programming.

I have the same issue with my '98 Boxster. I have already tried a used and a new ignition switch but that didn't work for me. When I turn off the ignition and remove the key, it acts like the clock setting switch was pressed and all the ODO lights stay on, the clock blinks, waiting for me to adjust it, and I can actually adjust it by twisting the switch left or right. But when I press it, nothing happens. Doesn't move from hours to minutes by pressing the switch, but when I turn on the ignition and back off, it moves to the next step, to hours from minutes, to minutes from hours, etc. I checked the stem for binding but it's not stuck at all, working freely. I went further and removed the cluster, took it all apart and checked the operation of the micro switch that the clock reset stem presses on, hoping to find that the switch was busted, but no. I tested the continuity on the switch and it just works right. I have read all of the posts about the dash lights staying on and the ignition switch issues. None of the solutions work for me, except, I haven't tried a fully charged battery. I will have the battery checked this Monday, and try with a fully charged one. If that won't work, I'll replace the mechanical portion of the ignition lock, and if that won't work too, I guess that means my instrument cluster is dead? Well I hope not because I live in Turkey and it's not easy to find a spare cluster, too expensive to buy a new one, and even harder to get it programmed at the dealer because they don't let you into the shop, you can't see what they're doing and if they say it didn't work, your only option is to believe them. If anyone is interested to read further, this is how it all began: I left the car parked at the apartment's garage for a week, and when I came back I found the battery was all gone, not enough power to even light up the interior lamps. I had to jump start it but now I wish I hadn't because I've heard jump starting these cars causes a lot of problems because of the power spike, I don't know if that's true but sounds right. Once I got the car moving, I noticed that I can't read the outside temp gauge. The display was blank, something like --.-- was showing. I checked my front bumper and found out that my temp sensor was removed. It might have got loose and dropped off somewhere or maybe someone just stole it? Anyway, then I noticed the dash lights won't go off. First thing I did is install a new temp sensor. I thought it might have caused some sort of missing link in some circuit (yes I'm unliterate and just superstitious when it comes to computer stuff :) ) The temp gauge went back to normal but the dash lights were still the same. Now I have to remove the negative lead of the battery when I park the car because I don't want to find it dead again. If I don't find a solution soon I think I will be looking at a completely fried system. Any ideas about swapping a 350 SBC in it? :P

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum and also new to Porsches. Please excuse my bad English. I'm from Turkey and it's nice to be here among you guys. I've been searching the board for a couple of days, trying to find out if the problem I'm currently having has been covered before. Couldn't find anything relevant, so I thought it's time to post. My Boxster had been in an accident when I bought it. Previous owner has spinned and crashed the car to a street lamp from behind. The exhaust and left rear axle carrier and shaft was trashed. I found that the impact had made one of the engine mounts break up. I was frustrated thinking I would come across worse internal engine and transmission problems in time. Anyway, I replaced the mechanical parts with good used ones. But the process took a little long, like 2 years :) since I wasn't able to find much time. So the car was sitting in the garage for 2 years, battery disconnected, never started it. After all the work was done, it was time for ignition, and to my surprise, it lighted up just fine. The engine made a little rattling noise for a couple of seconds, like an empty lifter or such, but it went away quickly. I drove around real slow to let the engine recover from lack of oil just in case. As I came to a complete stop, I had to rev it up to about 2500 rpm to make the car move. No movement until 2000 rpm. But everything else was ok, I had the full gear range working without any problems. I took it to a transmission shop later, known to be good with ZF's from Audis and VWs, they said the filter might be clogged and so maybe the pump isn't receiving enough initial atf pressure. Sounded logical. They changed the tranny oil and filter. The oil came out pretty dark, but without any significantly bad smell. The problem was still there, but seemed to be less frequent. So I took it to the dealer, they hooked up the computer thing, don't know what it's called. They found no error codes. The foreman took it for a test drive, and said he feels nothing wrong with the transmission behaviour. Whenever I take a car to a dealer, the problem seems to be gone, making me look paranoid :rolleyes: I described what was happening, and all they said was it sounds strange. The official dealers just love to replace broken parts and that's all they really do here in Turkey. So .. It's been about 2 weeks now, I've been driving it regularly. Tried a couple of off the line WOT acceleration, shifts down to 1st, no hesitation, the power is there, shifts up just fine, nothing wrong. I'm still having the same problem, but not so frequently as before. Every once in a while I stop at the lights, I have to rev it up to 2000 rpm (sometimes 2500-2700) to make it move, and once it moves, all is fine. It seems to be less frequent when warmed up, but it still occurs. Lately I have also noticed that under 2000 rpm, when I'm cruising constantly at 1800 let's say, the rpm shakes subtly, as if I'm slighltly pressing on the gas pedal back and forth. But after 2500, it's gone. I feel like it's going away as I drive it more and more. I tend to think that it's because the transmisson sat idle for 2 years, all the atf drained down to the pan, letting things dry out inside, and now it's suffering from pressure leaks because of dried o-rings and such. Nowadays I think it might be a torque conv. problem too. I dont know too much about transmissions, so my guessing might be just silly :lol: Somehow I feel like it will go away in time. Whishful thinking. I would like to know what you guys think about it. Maybe the torque converter is faulty? Maybe some ATF treatment will help? Maybe it's the beginning of the end? :huh: I don't like expensive electronic european cars because they have always scared me with hard to get problems, but I loved this porsche, there's definetely something enchanting with it. I hope I'm not being foolish, driving it around with this condition. Thank you all for taking the time to read this. Once again, it's feels good to be on this forum, and I appreciate all your comments. ...I'm attaching some before and after photos, just for personal satisfaction :P