infocusf8

I'm guessing there is no easy way to correct the error?

Have the speedo and the fuel gauge re calibrated. I was quoted $400 and two weeks by a local shop. Instrument cluster has to be removed and sent to a facility that does that kind of work.

Or you can simply go with a taller wall profile tyres next time you change tyres. The speedo is calibrated to the diameter of the tyres.

Since my Boxster came with 17" Pirelli P Rossos, which are a low profile tire, my speedo should be calibrated for those so which replacement tire are you saying would recalibrate the speedo so it is accurate?

Speedo signal comes from axle rotations. Each rotation of the axle is assumed to equal to a certain distance travelled. This distance is the circumference of your tyres. The speedo signal can only measure the rotation of the axle and not the actual circumference of the tyres. So if your tyres have a bigger circumference, your car would cover a larger distance even though the speedo still gets the same amount of axle rotation signal. So if your speedo is off by 5%, then you can just increase your tyre circumference by 5% to offset it. This assumes the increased tyre size fits inside the wheel well - which I would have thought is quite reasonable but isn't something I have experience with personally. I don't know which brand and model of tyre would give you the exact increase in diameter you need. But your tyre shop should have no trouble telling you which ones.

It would seem then that you would end up with a tire that has a taller side wall and I would question how it would perform under conditions such as track, AX and general aggressive driving since Porsche selects tires that are "performance based" and generally low profile. A new set of tires would also cost as much, if not more, than the $400 calibration so all you would save is time and you might lose some performance.

Actually, you will end up with a new set of tires with a slightly taller wall profile or a $400 saving.

If this is correct then why doesn't Porsche and the independent shops recommend it as a cure for speedo calibration? A taller wall profile is not necessarily a good thing on a high performance vehicle used in racing conditions. If all you want to do is drive on the street then possibly.

This is correct as far as correcting the speedo error goes in theory.

Why Porsche doesn't recommend this is not for me to know. Don't put too much faith in Porsche. They are the ones that made the mistake in the first place. Behind the corporate facade and a brand name that might instill confidence in the customer, there are a still a bunch of human engineers of various levels and experiences working on things. They make mistakes and omissions like anyone else. However, one possible suggestion, like Maurice says, is that it is only the speedo that is off, not the OBD2 data as used by the ECU. This almost suggests deliberate foul play by Porsche. Be it as it may. Another possibility, is that the fatter tires may cause problems with a lowered car. A third possibility, is that Porsche simply doesn't want to admit to the problem.

I would place even less confidence in independent shops. I would've thought that the speedo correction shop would propose the speedo correction method rather than the fatter tire method for obvious reasons, amongst others.

Yes, it is possible that tires with a taller wall profile might not be better for racing.

Theory and practicality are two different animals. I would want to discuss the results with someone who has done it and can show it works before I altered the existing dynamics of my Boxster. For all the criticism Porsche takes for their design criteria the engineers have really designed a very good car.

I'm guessing there is no easy way to correct the error?

Have the speedo and the fuel gauge re calibrated. I was quoted $400 and two weeks by a local shop. Instrument cluster has to be removed and sent to a facility that does that kind of work.

Or you can simply go with a taller wall profile tyres next time you change tyres. The speedo is calibrated to the diameter of the tyres.

Since my Boxster came with 17" Pirelli P Rossos, which are a low profile tire, my speedo should be calibrated for those so which replacement tire are you saying would recalibrate the speedo so it is accurate?

Speedo signal comes from axle rotations. Each rotation of the axle is assumed to equal to a certain distance travelled. This distance is the circumference of your tyres. The speedo signal can only measure the rotation of the axle and not the actual circumference of the tyres. So if your tyres have a bigger circumference, your car would cover a larger distance even though the speedo still gets the same amount of axle rotation signal. So if your speedo is off by 5%, then you can just increase your tyre circumference by 5% to offset it. This assumes the increased tyre size fits inside the wheel well - which I would have thought is quite reasonable but isn't something I have experience with personally. I don't know which brand and model of tyre would give you the exact increase in diameter you need. But your tyre shop should have no trouble telling you which ones.

It would seem then that you would end up with a tire that has a taller side wall and I would question how it would perform under conditions such as track, AX and general aggressive driving since Porsche selects tires that are "performance based" and generally low profile. A new set of tires would also cost as much, if not more, than the $400 calibration so all you would save is time and you might lose some performance.

Actually, you will end up with a new set of tires with a slightly taller wall profile or a $400 saving.

If this is correct then why doesn't Porsche and the independent shops recommend it as a cure for speedo calibration? A taller wall profile is not necessarily a good thing on a high performance vehicle used in racing conditions. If all you want to do is drive on the street then possibly.

Hi guys,

My '99 boxster's tiptronic is slipping in 3rd gear. Reverse, 1st and 2nd gear shift properly, but when engaging 3rd gear it just slips, the car only revs and can

drive around 20-30mph.

I took the car to the dealer and they did a service (filter, ATF, gasket change) and the problem still persists. They say there are no faulty codes. Any ideas?

I've read about solenoids not working properly but they don't report any codes. But before attempting something else, can someone please point me in the right direction?

Thanks.

Does it slip in both "M" and "D?" Have you tried disconnecting the battery then reconnecting it?

Yipee38 you might join the PCA Boxster site and post your question there. Here is the link http://boxsterregister.org/index.php.

If you suspect a vacuum leak perhaps it's time to do a smoke test on your system. The problem with codes is they rarely point you to a specific part but to a system. I had to have three smoke tests done to find a pin sized hole in the rubber bellows that is attached to the secondary air system vacuum tank. Replacing that only got rid of some of the codes and it took a really good mechanic to figure out that it was a small vacuum line under the intake manifold that had come loose from the diaphragm. Because it was under the intake manifold it could not be seen and eluded the smoke test.

I installed Pedro's Enthusiast mount which gives you a much stronger mount for track use but only transmits a small amount of vibration and noise into the cabin. I've had mine for about a year now and don't notice the noise or vibration anymore.

Yippee38 most of the questions you are asking are pretty technical, have you developed a relationship with a dealer or indy shop that you can talk to about the swap? My '99 is running very well but if anything happened to it I would probably put a 2.7L in. At one time I briefly discussed this with Tillman's in Santa Rosa, CA and with Alden at Flintworks in Campbell, CA. My recollection of the discussion was that it was a pretty straight up swap versus the 3.2L that requires a lot of extra parts and labor to do as well as a complete remapping of the EMC module. If it were me doing it I would definitely talk to a shop or dealer who has done this and can advise you. You might also post your questions on the PCA Boxster Board as I believe a couple of the members there have done this kind of thing.

I will give that a try. I didn't ask the shop because I'm not having him do the work. I figured he might not want to waste his time helping me when he's getting no work/income out of it.

That's why I prefaced it with "relationship." If you use a specific shop or shops and have spent money there most time they are very helpful. If you haven't another approach would be to stop in and explain to them you are thinking about an upgrade, suggest you had heard about them and ask a general question like what is involved. You might be surprised at the amount of information you get.

Yippee38 most of the questions you are asking are pretty technical, have you developed a relationship with a dealer or indy shop that you can talk to about the swap? My '99 is running very well but if anything happened to it I would probably put a 2.7L in. At one time I briefly discussed this with Tillman's in Santa Rosa, CA and with Alden at Flintworks in Campbell, CA. My recollection of the discussion was that it was a pretty straight up swap versus the 3.2L that requires a lot of extra parts and labor to do as well as a complete remapping of the EMC module. If it were me doing it I would definitely talk to a shop or dealer who has done this and can advise you. You might also post your questions on the PCA Boxster Board as I believe a couple of the members there have done this kind of thing.

I'm guessing there is no easy way to correct the error?

Have the speedo and the fuel gauge re calibrated. I was quoted $400 and two weeks by a local shop. Instrument cluster has to be removed and sent to a facility that does that kind of work.

Or you can simply go with a taller wall profile tyres next time you change tyres. The speedo is calibrated to the diameter of the tyres.

Since my Boxster came with 17" Pirelli P Rossos, which are a low profile tire, my speedo should be calibrated for those so which replacement tire are you saying would recalibrate the speedo so it is accurate?

Speedo signal comes from axle rotations. Each rotation of the axle is assumed to equal to a certain distance travelled. This distance is the circumference of your tyres. The speedo signal can only measure the rotation of the axle and not the actual circumference of the tyres. So if your tyres have a bigger circumference, your car would cover a larger distance even though the speedo still gets the same amount of axle rotation signal. So if your speedo is off by 5%, then you can just increase your tyre circumference by 5% to offset it. This assumes the increased tyre size fits inside the wheel well - which I would have thought is quite reasonable but isn't something I have experience with personally. I don't know which brand and model of tyre would give you the exact increase in diameter you need. But your tyre shop should have no trouble telling you which ones.

It would seem then that you would end up with a tire that has a taller side wall and I would question how it would perform under conditions such as track, AX and general aggressive driving since Porsche selects tires that are "performance based" and generally low profile. A new set of tires would also cost as much, if not more, than the $400 calibration so all you would save is time and you might lose some performance.

I'm guessing there is no easy way to correct the error?

Have the speedo and the fuel gauge re calibrated. I was quoted $400 and two weeks by a local shop. Instrument cluster has to be removed and sent to a facility that does that kind of work.

Or you can simply go with a taller wall profile tyres next time you change tyres. The speedo is calibrated to the diameter of the tyres.

Since my Boxster came with 17" Pirelli P Rossos, which are a low profile tire, my speedo should be calibrated for those so which replacement tire are you saying would recalibrate the speedo so it is accurate?

I'm guessing there is no easy way to correct the error?

Have the speedo and the fuel gauge re calibrated. I was quoted $400 and two weeks by a local shop. Instrument cluster has to be removed and sent to a facility that does that kind of work.

This is common as is the fuel gauge not reading full after you've filled the tank. My speedo reads four mph faster than I'm going according to GPS and those traffic control readouts that are put up to warn you of your speed.

I recently paid an indie shop $830 to replace my wp with an OEM, the dealer wanted $1,200.

I would look around at the rest of your emissions system before replacing a cat so you don't lose another one due to some other existing problem. Typically cats go bad from raw fuel being poured into them from the ECU causing the system to run rich due to a problem with the emissions system. The unfortunate thing with Porsche codes, that involve emissions, is they only point you to a system and don't always mean that a specific part has failed. I went through an emissions episode recently that had one shop telling me to replace the entire secondary air system, another shop told me to replace the O2 sensors and cats and the problem turned out to be a disconnected 25 cent hose on one of the secondary air system diaphragms under the intake manifold.

Same exact sound my water pump was making when it went out. Had the car trucked to my repair shop and a new pump made it go away. Porsche wp's are cheaply made and third party are worse so if you replace use OEM/

I already have the center clear piece windblocker.

Some wind still gets through at high speeds. I realise obviously it's not possible to block all wind when driving with the top down.

But I am just wondering if those two additional mesh pieces for behind the seat provide any significant wind blocking at all, esp if I already have the larger center piece.

Anyone experienced a before/after?

My opinion is they look cool but I haven't noticed much difference in before and after. The wind still tries to blow my hat off. I found a set on eBay that the owner had painted Arctic Silver and they look great in the black roll bar and match the exterior color.

I track and AX my '99 Tiptronic and never had the temp go up until I had the LN ceramic IMS bearing installed and now the car runs nine degrees hotter consistently on or off the track. My water pump recently went out and I had it and the coolant replaced and thought that would remedy the problem but it didn't. My car has never gone over 200 deg. and stays right around 199 up from the 180 it ran at pre IMS change. Don't know if I should be concerned about the temp increase but 199 doesn't seem that critical to me. Tips weigh more and have their own cooler but I don't know if this has an effect on over all temp or not. You might check the trans cooling system if you haven't all ready. To be honest with you I've asked questions about my tip to dealer mechanics and independent Porsche trained mechanics and their operation seems to be a mystery. At my last DE my instructor was freaking out over the shifting pattern of my tip but I've gotten used to how it shifts so it didn't bother me. Prior to my doing the 90K service on my tip I couldn't get the tip to downshift into first at AX and was forced to deal with the very long build up to power curve in second gear after coming out of tight braking turns. After the service the car easily downshifts into first in those same turns and let's me blow out of the hole with power cutting seconds off my times. This probably doesn't help your case and I will be following this post to see what the cause is just to add to my knowledge base od this mysterious thing called Tiptronic.

I went through pretty much the same thing your going through about six months ago. While driving home from just having my IMS and RMS changed out my CEL came on and the codes indicated bad 02 sensors and cats. I was told to replace 02 sensors and cats (very expensive), I had the car smoke tested three times and was told the rubber bellows on the secondary air system vacuum tank was bad. It was replaced but only half the codes went away. I was then told the secondary air system had to be replaced because it wasn't working ($800). Here's what I learned from all this, emission codes are only guidelines that tell you that you have an air fuel mixture that is not within parameters that meet established emission laws for the state you are living in at the time of manufacture. An example is the 02 sensor which everyone wants to replace once a code comes up that points to it. Reality may be that the code is pointing to the 02 sensor because the 02 sensor is telling the ECM that it "smells" something different than what it was programed to "smell." The ECM then adjusts air fuel mixture to compensate for what the 02 is smelling by either enrichment of fuel mixture or leaning out fuel mixture. The ECM can only do this by a certain percent and after so many cycles of this mixture the CEL comes on. Because it is difficult to determine the exact cause of the variation many mechanics will "shotgun" your repair by telling you that an entire system has to be replaced when actually it may be something minor. After having my car smoke tested three times the actual cause of my codes was found and replace. The cause- a $.25 cent vacuum hose had come undone from one of the diaphragms under the intake manifold in the secondary air system. So instead of thousands of dollars to repair it was only a couple of hundred and I still have the same 02 sensors and cats. Find yourself a good independent mechanic who has good diagnostic skills and let him have a go at it, that is what I did and it saved me a bundle in the long run.

I stand corrected for using the wrong terminology. My intent was to describe the cable system that controls the fuel system in pre 2000 Boxsters and not the electronic system that replaced it after that.

This article explains what is involved in engine swapping.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/11-ENGINE-911_Engine_Swap/11-ENGINE-911_Engine_Swap.htm

Your '99 2.5L uses a fly by wire fuel intake system that was changed to an electronic fuel delivery system I believe in 2000. If you purchase anything but a 2.5L check to see what system the motor uses as the electronic system will require an extra expense to purchase and will require a DME reprogram. The DME reprogram seems to vary in cost from $300-800 depending on who does it. I've also heard that your instrument cluster will not work properly with the electronic fuel delivery so you will probably have to change it out and most definitely if you go from a manual to Tiptronic or vice versa as the Tip cluster has the gear selected LED column on it. I changed my OEM IMS out to the LN ceramic and agree that spending the extra money on it is a wise investment as it seems to be the most common cause of engine failure for the Boxster motors.

Not quite correct - MY99 and older use conventional cable operated throttle and MY2000 and newer all use eGas (also know a drive by wire). eGas is an electronic solution where the signal is sent via an electrical wire as opposed to cable where the throttle is controlled mechanically by the cable.

You are correct that if he goes with a larger/newer engine he will need either modification or a newer DME.

Fly by wire is a cable.

For those of you installing the ROW suspension here are the US alignment specs and having the car aligned to these specs makes a difference in handling as I found out when mine wasn't aligned properly. For the US it is the ROW Sport alignment so you'll have to figure out which category your suspension falls into but the dealer you bought it from should have the correct alignment programmed into their alignment equipment. If you're outside the US these will not be correct as your springs are different.

Wheel Alignment Values

The following values relate to empty weight; full fuel tank, vehicle with spare and tools but W/O driver and additional weights.

Front Axle – Boxster and Boxster S

USA: Series & Sport RoW: Series RoW: Sport

Toe unpressed (total)

+5’ ±5’

+5’ ± 5’

+5’ ± 5’

Toe difference angle @ 20⁰ lock

-1° 20’ ± 30’

-1° 50’ ± 30’

-2° 20’ ± 30’

Camber(with wheels straight forward)

5° ± 30’

-10’ ± 30’

-15’ ± 30’

Max difference Left to Right

20’

20’

20’

Caster *

8° ±30’

8° ± 30’

8° ±30’

Max difference, Left to Right

40’

40’

40’

 * A caster adjusting facility is normally not necessary for the Boxster and is therefore not present in series vehicles. In the event of repairs, a caster adjustment facility can be installed if necessary.

Rear Axle – Boxster and Boxster S

USA: Series & Sport RoW: Series RoW: Sport

Toe per wheel

+5’ ± 5’

+5’ ± 5’

+5’ ± 5’

Max. Difference Left to Right

10’

10’

10’

Camber

-1° 20’ ±30’

-1° 20’ ±30’

-1° 30’ ± 30’

Max. Difference, Left to Right

20’

20’

20’

©PCA Boxster Register 2010 Some technical information used in this article is copyrighted by and used with the permission of Porsche Cars North America.

Your '99 2.5L uses a fly by wire fuel intake system that was changed to an electronic fuel delivery system I believe in 2000. If you purchase anything but a 2.5L check to see what system the motor uses as the electronic system will require an extra expense to purchase and will require a DME reprogram. The DME reprogram seems to vary in cost from $300-800 depending on who does it. I've also heard that your instrument cluster will not work properly with the electronic fuel delivery so you will probably have to change it out and most definitely if you go from a manual to Tiptronic or vice versa as the Tip cluster has the gear selected LED column on it. I changed my OEM IMS out to the LN ceramic and agree that spending the extra money on it is a wise investment as it seems to be the most common cause of engine failure for the Boxster motors.

I had the same problem when I went to an LED third light and as stated you will have to add a resister to get your CC to operate properly. To figure out which resister you will need to measure the circuit and cut one in where the harness connects to the third light. I've decided to play around with window coatings instead to see if I can't get something that works and matches.

Nobody seems to be able to tell me how much Ohm the resister must be, i tried a standard turnsignal (6ohm) one but it was not enough to make it work...if anyone knows.....

When I asked two Porsche mechanics about it they both told me the circuit has to be read with OEM then read with after market using an OHM meter. The difference in resistance between the two circuits is the correct amount of resistor you will need.

I have the same setup as you, the only thing i would like is to also have my normal tail lights in led aswell any options is this? also i run into this problem that i have the DEPO tails, when i connect the LED 3rd brake light my cruisecontrol stops working .... when i put the red orginal one back cruise works again! .....any idea's or solutions anyone?

I had the same problem when I went to an LED third light and as stated you will have to add a resister to get your CC to operate properly. To figure out which resister you will need to measure the circuit and cut one in where the harness connects to the third light. I've decided to play around with window coatings instead to see if I can't get something that works and matches.

I looked at the Spyder lights and really liked them but decided to go with the Ebay LED smoke and red lights and like them on my Arctic Silver Boxster. They are DOT approved and are legal in California. The LED's really light up when the brakes are put on much brighter than the OEM and the tail lights are also much brighter.