Stefan

I don't think I've ever heard the click of the seat heater relay so I wouldn't rely on its audibility. I recommend you swap in the driver's side seat heater relay and see if the problem is fixed. If so, then you just need to get a new relay.

I've found that they come off without any problem. I use a 135 psi compressor (I don't have the model and exact specs here with me) with a 50 ft. hose and cheapo impact wrench. This wrench is similar to what I have

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...temnumber=92208

I make sure that the threads are always clean before reinstalling. Once every few times I remove them, I wipe them clean and reapply a small amount of anti-seize.

I am always extra cautious about using an impact wrench on the locking bolt as I know that overtorquing with that socket has been known to cause them to break.

I use soft sockets like these to avoid damage to wheels and lug nuts

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...temnumber=40035

I would think that a non-MOST radio would simply connect the way any non-MOST radio connects to the car. You would use a non-MOST amplifier and connect the two of them to power. The MOST bus wouldn't know about the radio but that hardly matters.

I agree with djantlive. The seat heater is basically a big resistor. If there is power going to it then the only reaonable explanation is that there is a break in the heater wire (unlikely IMO). I suspect there is no power which probably means a blown fuse, bad switch, or disconnect in the harness leading up to the seat.

I use a 90 ft-lb. torque stick with my impact wrench. It consistently and effortlessly brings the wheel bolt to almost the correct torque setting (96 ft-lb.) very quickly. Then I "top it off" with my Craftsman torque wrench set to 96 ft-lb. The last turn with the torque wrench ends up being about 1/3 of one turn, but identical every time.

Awesome writeup, CJ. Were you able to feel the play in the old control arm before you took it off the car? I don't want to replace parts that don't need it so I'd like to diagnose the problem. I recently replaced one of the front upper control arms and it made a huge improvement (fix rattling and made the front feel tighter). The front one took less than a half hour and that included looking for tools I had misplaced.

Can you comment on the strength of the fork end? The stock one looks much thicker and sturdier. Also, I'd be curious about the weight.

Pull

That's cool but it doesn't change the fact that the stock speakers from Porsche are not very good quality.

This could be a sign of the electrical portion of the ignition switch going bad. If you turn on the headlight switch and jiggle the key, do the headlights flicker (or go on)?

I am in the middle of upgrading the speakers on my Boxster and I can tell you that the MB Quart speakers are really nice (I got the Q-series), very high quality. They look like works of art. However, the crossovers are huge. I haven't yet figured out where I'm going to put the crossovers. I am hoping to fit them behind the dash somewhere.

There are some preliminary details here:

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...ic=8780&hl=

I will post more when I am done.

That's a great idea. Thank you.

I have found and fixed the problem. As I suspected, the problem was that the mechanism connecting the lever and the post was broken. It turns out that there is a pin that goes through the two to transmit the torque from the lever to the post.

Here is a picture of what I am talking about. The remnants of the broken pin is circled:

Here is the piece of the pin that was left in the lever. I'm a bit surprised that it was hollow.

To fix it, I had to squeeze the two parts together (because there is a wavy washer that pushes out on the lever) so that the holes lined up then hammer in a nail

I put it back in and turned it and the nail broke. So I put in a bigger, stronger nail (the biggest that would fit in the hole). I also lubed the spinlock mechanism. Now it is all as smooth as butter and works perfectly.

Duh. I just realized that if I can't remove the top then the bolt can't be simply broken. Perhaps there is some mechanism that connects the lever to the bolt.

Any insight from anyone who has seen the mechanism up close would be appreciated.

(1999 Boxster)

This morning, I was going to remove my hard top. When I pushed the passenger side latch lever forward, there was a faint pop sound and the lever moved way too easily.

After some inspection, I found that although the lever moves (easily), the post that goes into the spin lock doesn't appear to be rotating. This means that I cannot remove the hard top.

So I have some questions:

(1) In PET it seems like the part I will need to replace is 986.563.404.02 "catch". However, there is another part number (900.067.378.09 pan-head screw micro-self-locking). Is that a screw that goes down into the catch from the top? (I can't tell from the picture and I cannot remove the hard top for closer inspection) Is it something I might need?

(2) Does anyone have any tips for removing the hard top given that the latch on the right side is in the latched position and the lever does not unlatch it? There is a very small amount of space where I can see the silver post that is supposed to spin. I think the space is too small for pliers. Perhaps there is some way to remove the latch from the hard top or the spinlock from the car with the hard top in place?

(3) Has anyone ever heard of this problem?

Hawk HPS pads are very good on the Boxster. They don't have a hole for the wear sensor. You can drill a hole if you wish or you can tie up the sensor wires (and not use them). Either way is pretty easy. When you take the old pad out you wil see where the hole is supposed to be. It doesn't have to be exact by any means, just close to the backing plate.

Changing the brake pads is very easy, BTW.

I imagine that the introduction of VarioCam Plus on the 3.4L engine might make for better power delivery and improved fuel economy. But I haven't tried either so I'm just guessing.

See here

http://www.ppbb.com/boards/ppbbphp/showfla...;Forum=ARCHIVES

I have the EVO short shift kit and if you're referring to the part I'm thinking of (the part that the bottom of the shift lever goes into), I already have it. Good idea, though.

Cool, thanks. I have the adjustment tool and can now quickly check to see if it needs to be pulled apart.

In your original instructions you said to remove the center console. Is that necessary to check alignment, to adjust cables, both, or neither?

(It looks from your latest picture that it is possible to snap the clip on with the center console in place)

Your new sound could possibly be the metal guard near the brake rotor making contact with the rotor.

I have had a K&N filter in my 1999 Boxster for over 50k miles. I have cleaned and reoiled it once, being very careful to not over-oil it and to make sure (using a fan) it is dry before reinstalling it.

I had absolutely no problems until I installed an EVO high flow intake (less than 10k miles ago). About 600 miles later, I got a CEL (P0102 - MAF sensor voltage too low). I replaced the MAF and about 600 miles later I got the same error. I checked all of the wiring for correct voltages and connectivity and checked the tubing for leaks. No problems detected.

Then I put the stock air intake (with K&N filter) back in hoping the problem would resolve itself. It didn't, even after thousands of miles of driving.

I just replaced the MAF again today. Given that I went tens of thousands of miles with K&N in and had no problem, I am thinking that there is no issue with K&N. And K&N is quite vigorous about defending claims about their filters causing problems. In fact they will replace your MAF if it a problem with it is determined to be a result of their filter.

In summary, I don't think there is an issue with using K&N as long as you don't over-oil it.

Maybe it's an optical illusion but the lettering on those looks smaller than the lettering on Chris'

Chris -

When getting the Wurth Silver spray paint, take special note that they reformulated it so that it didn't match the wheels. Then they went back to the original. But there are some rogue spray cans that don't match the wheels. I was unfortunate enough to get one of the wrong ones and eventually got the correct one.