jjanari

I don't have them yet; I should hopefully have them w/in a week or so. I learned about them from a thread off another forum and he reported good results. However, i think he sold his boxster, so no telling how they held up. I was also considering going the vertex route, which seems like a really good bet, but thought I would give these hardrace arms a try.

I'm getting the clunking/rattling noise from the rear (not endlinks, which I checked recently). I've ordered the aftermarket adjustable control arms made by hardrace (approx $260 for the pair), so I will try and post results.

did you use loctite when you did the install yourself? (didn't you say you did one of the installs yourself)? maybe someone else can chime in regarding how critical or not using the loctite is or if it's in the service manual, bentley, etc. while this may have nothing to do w/your situation, when I installed new boots, I used all new bolts, partly because I stripped several of them trying to remove them. in fact, a couple were on so tight, I resorted to using a torch to break them loose. while replacing the bolts was probably overkill, i read several threads involving situations like yours, i.e. driving and then the axle pops off...

do you know whether loctite was applied to the bolts prior to install? iirc, that's mentioned in pedro's instructions. I believe I used the blue loctite.

I had a similar problem after a wheel bearing change. I tried bending the shield back, but also faced clearance issues. I ended up wedging a couple of wood shims between the shield and rotor and left it overnight. this ended up working fine.

txhokie, Those prices seem a lot more realistic. out of curiousity, assuming it's a broken valve spring, how is a broken spring typically diagnosed?

Providing more details may help us: What were the actual codes that you or these 2 different mechanics pull? Which cylinders are misfiring? Did the last mechanic explain how a broken valve spring would cause a misfire in 3 cylinders? I am certainly no mechanic, but I would think that a broken valve spring in one cylinder would result in misfire in just that cylinder. Something doesn't seem to be adding up. Although the cold air intake change prior to misfire may be coincidental, did you replace the stock airbox? Did the last mechanic mention performing a leak down test before "pulling" the engine? hopefully, someone with more knowledge/insight will chim in...

thanks guys. Loren, you posted the cylinder location for a 996, iirc, in another thread. Is the cylinder location the same on the 2.7 boxster? I would imagine so. thanks.

**An update** I was finally able to check the coil packs on cylinder's 1 and 5. I'm fairly certain that the connector to the coil pack on #5 apparently wiggled itself loose as the connector came off too easily. In other words, I don't think it was "clicked" in properly when I changed the plugs our around 200 or 300 miles ago. As for #1, I"m not so sure, but I unplugged and replugged it in, making sure I felt/heard the audible click. So far, I've driven about about 8 miles w/o any misfiring or CELs. However, I'm not so sure if the car is pulling as hard (accelerating) as it was before (I didn't disconnect the battery). Nevertheless, the engine is idling smoothly. I'll update with any changes. 2002 Boxster 2.7; 90k miles I was nearly 20 miles away from completing a 180 mile trip when i started feeling hesitation while cruising at around 75 mph on the highway. I then began feeling a distinct engine vibration, suggesting misfire. Soon after, I got a flashing CEL for a few seconds, followed by a hard CEL. I pulled off the next exit. By the time I pulled off, it felt that I could barely accelerate and the car didn't want to go over 3k rpm; however the CEL was no longer on. I had it flatbedded to my house. I've only got an actron scanner, which pulled the following codes: P300 (random misfire) P301 (misfire cylinder 1) P305 (misfire cylinder 5) When I re-started the car after letting it cool down, the idle surged to around 3k or so, but then dropped down. however, the engine was running rough (though no CEL, but of course did not have it on for very long, just enough to limp it into my garage). after shutting the car off, there was a very distinct smell of gas fumes. Recent work done to the car (w/in the past 300 miles): changed plugs to OEM Berus, cleaned throttle body and MAF (the latter two to fix a hunting idle, which worked). My questions: 1) for diagnosis, I should begin by checking the conditions of coil packs 1 and 5 for noticeable cracks, correct? 2) is there a way to test the coil packs if there are no visible cracks to the coils? would it be of any benefit to switch the coil packs to see if the misfires follow the other cylinders? 3) any other suggested diagnostics? I'm thinking if the coil packs don't solve it, I should just have it towed to my local indy, which has better diagnostic tools than I have.. thanks in advance! -jimmy

No special tool needed. However, the boat drain plug didn't work for me as my tubes seemed welded in place. I ended up fashioning my own, very simple tool, which consisted of an 8" long carriage bolt with a large washer at the end secured by nuts on both sides. I inserted the carriage bolt into the spark plug hole and used the washer to "grab" the end of the plastic tube to yank it out.

I actually contacted those guys and they do rent them out. However, when I called them earlier this week, there was a waiting list of 2 weeks. They could not confirm that the tool actually works on the boxster, but stated it had been rented by "several porsche guys" w/o any complaints, so the inference is that it does. There is also a DIY on this site on removing your hubs. I couldn't find it but if you go to that link and contact the member who is refferred to there I'm sure he can help you thanks, phillip, but I couldn't find the link either after searching w/various key words. are you sure it's on this site? any luck Zappbranigan? I assume you found some solution :)

sounds good, Jake. good work suburban. :)

I actually contacted those guys and they do rent them out. However, when I called them earlier this week, there was a waiting list of 2 weeks. They could not confirm that the tool actually works on the boxster, but stated it had been rented by "several porsche guys" w/o any complaints, so the inference is that it does.

I hope someone chimes in because I have a similar question posted on another forum. In searching this forum, I seem to recall someone mentioning that they were able to remove the hub w/o any special tool, but using a hammer??? or some type of force. the rationale was that since you are replacing the bearing anyway, it doesn't matter if its damaged in the process. that doesn't sound too comforting to me, though :P

sorry I cannot add any input, but this sounds like a good opportunity for a DIY writeup (fixing cam cover leaks, correct?), unless someone's already done one that I've not found. but don't worry, man, I know you've got your hands full on the new ride and will probably have your hands full if you're doing this DIY! -jimmy

I hear you. My last string of cars ('02 s2000, M3, etc.) were nearly new when I bought them, so they didn't need anything other than very basic maintenance done to them. Also, these newer sports cars are so expensive that it can be daunting to attempt your own work since bad results can mean big expense, so there is a lot to be said for having the pros handle it, particularly when the car is still under warranty. In my case, I've got 4 cars and a motorcycle, so I do most of my own work out of necessity. fortunately, with the advent of sites/forums such as these, it's a lot easier to work on your car, particularly if you don't have the shop manual. Also being able to ask questions and get a quick response on these forums makes it a lot easier than back in the day when I used to rely upon an old Haynes manual.

Thanks maurice. This weekend I hope to get the front brakes completed. Next week will hopefully be the rear tires replaced and the car balanced and aligned. I'll need to borrow someone's camera :P

Hi everyone, I'm a new boxster owner (2002 base). I'm a lifelong porsche fan and this is my first p-car. I know the thread is useless w/o pix, but I'm in the process of replacing my broken digital camera. :P I bought the car for a pretty good price, but it has pretty high mileage (a tick under 90k); it needs a lot of maintenance done, which I've been doing over the past couple of weeks of ownership. The biggest obstacle has been time and getting used to the uniqueness of working on a mid-engine flat 6. To make matters more interesting, I've got the updated glass top, so I have even less access to the top of the engine. fortunately, it's a 3rd car for me (and it's winter :P ), so I'm in no rush. So far, I've fixed/replaced the following: 1) cleaned throttle body since i was having the fluctuating idle/heavy vibration. My impressions: A lot of folks seem to have problems removing the plastic pipe from the throttle body; mine came off easily (I agree it works much better with the engine still warm). re-install was initially tricky, but again, having the engine still warm likely helped. I did not remove the throttle body, just gave it a pretty good cleaning. Result: great improvement in idle, no vibration. there's still some very slight hunting, so maybe taking the throttle body can be done at a later time. 2) changed the spark plugs; went with the expensive berus. The old plugs needed replacing and showed typical wear. Also replaced the spark plug tubes and o-rings...not fun. I had a hell of time removing the tubes. I saw someone use a transom (boat plug) to remove the tubes, but that did not come close to working! I ended having to make my own tool to pull them out. 3) flushed the coolant; got tricked by the 17mm engine oil plug nearby and lost a couple ounces of oil after cracking that one open by mistake :rolleyes: Initially freaked out thinking I had engine oil mixed into my coolant! 4) changed the serpentine belt - wow, very easy compared to other cars simply because, once you remove the carpet and inspection cover, it's easy to access the belt compared to the clearance issues seen on other cars. 5) awaiting a new ignition switch since I ordered the older switch (found out after removing the current switch that the entire lock mechanism had been replaced with the updated one). Next up is changing the oil, replacing the front pads/rotors, replacing the rear tires/align and balance and I should be roadworthy. Sorry for the long post, but wanted to say hello and give an update on "project boxster."