spg356

Thanks, that is a great first step. I am also looking for what to do after that. In other words, a kind of a flow chart of what to try and in what order if you were to have the same problem.

Regards,

Greetings,

I have a rough running '86 911. It is a 30,000 mile original car, 2nd owner. Was running fine and then all of a sudden it seems to be running on 4 or 5 cylinders. I do not believe it is the gasoline as it started to run this way at half a tank from a fill up from the same gas station I've always used.

No backfires, spitting or pops; just runs rough as. I could start with puling plugs to see which cylinder is the culprit, but I would like some more ideas before I start to work on it.

I have lots of general suspicians but would like to know what you would do in this situation. Does anyone have a good progression of what to check and in what order?

Thanks!

Thanks Loren!

Guys,

I recently replaced my coolant tank but forgot to get a new cap in the process and I still had a leak. I have a new cap ordered, but noticed that the threads on the tank were a bit rough in a couple of areas. The image shows the worst area, on the other side is an area with just a tiny bit of roughness.

I assume this was done when installing the old cap on the new tank. Question is, will this damage the new cap or perhaps keep the new cap from sealing the tank?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

JFP and Cassiebox,

I cannot believe it, it was the battery. I never bothered to check it all this time since the car would eventually crank (at what seemed a normal rate) and it never lost its charge.

It tested bad with only 440 CCA.

A new battery and good to go, it now starts to crank without any delay.

I am always appreciative of the advice given here,

Sebastian

Guys,

'98 5 speed with 99k miles, I've owned it 4 yrs and started with 41k miles.

Since I've owned the car, the starter has been slow to engage. I turn the key and there is a pause of anywhere from a split second to two seconds before the starter begins to crank.

To remedy this I have:

-replaced the electrical portion of the ignition switch

-replaced the clutch microswitch

-cleaned all grounds and connections at the starter

It never got better but it never got worse, until now.

It still starts but the pauses are always longer than shorter. Sometimes I have to release the key and let out the clutch and then try again. I am just worried that soon it will not crank at all.

Any Ideas?

Thanks!

PS it is not the floormats preventing the clutch pedal from pressing all the way down, it still does the same thing with them removed.

Thanks Loren. It will be installed today.

Guys,

1998 5 speed with a small leak starting beneath the coolant tank so I am going to replace it. I have access to a very competent independant tech with little Boxster experience. I do not question his ability to do this job but I want to give him a good idea of how long it typically takes to replace one.

Pelican tech article says 4 hours but that is geared towards the do it yourselfers. Any opinions?

Loren and All,

Is there a similar app for the Iphone?

Regards,

Thanks to all who replied. I did not win. The service manager told me he had 4 engine numbers that could be in my car and if it were one of those I would get the replacement engine. Turns out it was none of those. He reported the number of the engine in my car to Porsche and I get bubkis. I did not buy the car thinking I would get an engine so I am not too upset. Had the oil changed at a local place who reported that the oil leak was the only issue the car has and this person suspect the leak is due to how often and how long this car sat in a garage without being started. So, I am driving the car and having a blast. Will likely have the seal replaced and stop the leak. Thanks again to all who replied. Hope to meet you all on the road one day.

And please do accept my apologies for being so cynical and skeptical in my reply. I stand corrected and welcome to Porsche ownership!!!

Regards,

...he told me that the original engine had been replaced in 2004 by another dealer with one of 79 defective motors imported to the US. He told me that if the engine serial number matched that of the defective motor installed in 04 Porsche would replace this motor, free of charge, and give me a loaner to drive while the work was being done.

This is the first time I have ever seen someone claim that Porsche stated there were a certain number of "defective" engines. The smoking gun? I doubt it. I don't mean to be harsh, but do you have any documentation from the dealer that verifies what you say they told you about this issue and the specific number of "defective engines"?

The reason I ask this is that what you describe is quite the hot button for many owners, and there have been people that post such things on various forums looking for information for their class action law suits (that have no chance of winning).

Again, if this is not the case, then I do apologize, but a very first post regarding this issue often times means something is fishy, especially one that says a dealer stated a specific number of engines.

Regards,

Thanks Loren,

Will do and I will also report back as to what I find.

Regards,

Loren

Turned out to be coil pack on #5, I am back on the road and car now runs great. I have 5 more coil packs ordered along with 6 new plugs as it has been 40k since last changed.

Thanks!

Thanks Loren,

Will do and I will also report back as to what I find.

Regards,

Guys,

'98 Boxster 5 Speed, 82,000 miles

Among other things, at 41,000 miles (2 1/2 years ago) the car received new fuel filter and new Bosch Platinum 4 plugs in the correct heat range. 41,000 later this is the first issue of this type.

Two weeks ago i overfilled the fuel tank and got an evap cannister CEL and cleared it.

Today the CEL came on so I headed for home to check with Durametric. Just as I pulled onto my street the CEL started to flash and there was hesitation at around 3000 rpm's so I coasted in.

Durametric shows P0300, P0305. P1317, P1319 all misfires (Cylinder #5??).

I searched this site and saw several examples of similar issues. "A leak in the air intake, Connection to the plugs were not plug-in correctly, Need new fuel filter, The platinum plus 4 are not good for the boxster, Coli packs need replacement, Vario-Cam sensors" to name a few.

Any suggestions of where to start as a process of elimination?

Any help greatly appreciated!

Regards,

If you look at the rear end of my car it has 3 different paint jobs done over 8 years by 3 different shops. Body done by factory in Finland. Bumperettes by Eric of bumperplugs.com and bumper cover done by Tysons P-car body shop. All match perfectly despite AS being said to be a difficult color and they look fine even after 10, 3 and 3 years.

Hi MIke,

I should probably stress that my point was really that even with a perfect match, the paint reflects differently on steel than it does on plastic and other materials. So even if a hood and fenders are painted with the same paint and at the same time as a bumper cover, it can "look" different. Some times people do not notice this until after the car is painted and then have an issue with it.

A good shop will point this out to you beforehand, as kbrandsma's shop did.

Regards,

Blues,

Shops will use whatever paint system they are set up for, whether it be Glasurit, PPG, Sikkens etc, etc. Formulas change constantly so even the original paint would have to be tinted to get a perfect match. They will start with the factory paint formula and tint and match from there. Many will use a spectrometer that "reads" the paint and shoots out a matching formula, but sometimes even that needs to be adjusted to match perfectly.

Be sure to stress to them that the paint match must be very good, but also keep in mind that painted metal "looks" different than painted plastic. Before the car goes to the bodyshop, look at the paint match on any modern car from the bumper cover to the hood and/or fenders, you'll see what I mean. It would be best if just look at your own car to see the difference I am talking about. Most people do not notice this until after their car is painted and I hate to tell you this, but silver is the worst offender for difficulty in getting the best match between bumper covers and metal surfaces.

Shoot me a PM after you talk to your bodyshop and I'll be glad to give you independent help and advice. If you choose a good shop, they will explain everything to you and work with you every step of the way, so you should be fine.

I understand the stress; I went through the same thing before buying mine.

A fellow emailed me and said this: "let's say that the failure rate is 10% (which it isn't, that's too high), then you have a 90% chance of nothing ever happening. Go buy one and enjoy it!"

I took that advice and never looked back.

Thanks Mike! I'll buy two bulbs tomorrow.

Regards,

Greetings,

'98 Boxster 5 speed 80k miles.

My driver's side headlight bulb is very dim in the low beam setting, but the high beam works fine as does the flash to pass. The right side headlight works fine in both low and high beam. The plastic housing is not discolored nor is it pitted any more than the right side.

I did a search but only came up with threads where both headlights were dim and most answers were about checking the HL switch.

Any ideas? Could it be a ground or a bulb? Any thoughts on where to start are greatly appreciated!

Regards,

Jeff,

It looks like cleaning the contacts solved the problem, the light has not flashed since doing so. If it flashes again without any coolant level issues, then I will know to just replace the sensor.

Thanks again!

Thanks Jeff,

I will clean the connections, and if that does not do it I will then replace the sensor.

Regards,

Greetings all,

'98 Boxster 5 speed 79k miles.

My temp light flashes intermittently. The coolant level is fine and there are no leaks anywhere.

Sometimes the light flashes and sometimes it does not--there is no pattern as to when it does or does not.

Searching the forum I found these possibilities:

Four functions of the coolant warning light:

1. Engine coolant level too low

— light flashes slowly (0.5 Hz)

2. Engine compartment temperature too high

— light flashes slowly (0.5 Hz) (engine compartment blower might be faulty)

3. Engine coolant temperature too high

— light is lit; pointer on the right

4. Temperature sensor at water outlet faulty

— light flashes rapidly (1 Hz); pointer on the right

It is not #1 as the coolant level is correct.

I do not think it is #2 as sometimes it will flash at startup after sitting over night in 25 degree weather; engine compartment temp can't be too hot then.

It is not #3, see above.

It is not #4 as it flashes slowly

Could it just be a coolant level sensor? Any thoughts?

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, and for those who don't have a nice few days of downtime!!

Be careful as this can be a slippery slope. I lost my one and only key on a '98 and it was $700 total with the tow and two programmed keys. No mention of reprogramming the alarm control unit on my earlier model year car.

The keys can only be programmed by the dealer and I believe (correct me if I am wrong) the key must be cut at the factory and shipped to the dealer. They then mate the key blade with the remote head and program them to the car.

The slippery part is buying a remote key head elsewhere that may not be compatible with your car, no matter what the seller says. Step lightly here.

I know this stinks, but this is the downside to a system that makes your car "un-stealable" to 98% of car thieves. Not much different with other makes. I sell Lincoln's and Volvo's and the tab is about the same for this situation.

I would contact another dealer or two to see if they come up with similar numbers.

Best of luck with this and thanks for you service to our country!!

Guys,

Thanks for the replies,

Alignment was good when tires were switched, but I will have that rechecked.

Mike,

All 4 tires are less than 2 years old, temps have been around freezing. Also, pressure is 29 front 36 rear.

Any other thoughts appreciated!!!

Regards,

Guys,

'98 Boxster 5 speed with factory 17" wheels.

Long story made real short: Today I mounted General Altimax Arctic 225/45 on the rears; upfront are (excellent with one season's use) 205/55 Dunlop Winter Sports so each axle has the same tire, but they are different front to rear. On the highway driving home (dry but cold conditions) the car felt "squirrely" almost like it was swaying with each movement of the steering wheel. It felt better on surface streets, but nothing like summer tires. The car didn't feel as stable.

This is my first time driving on winter tires so I do not know what to expect, but it does not feel right.

The rears are narrower than the stock summer tires, would that have anything to do with it or could it be the different brands front to rear?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

Regards,