jthailer

Sometimes the insulators crack with age (same as the ignition coil packs).

I change mine every 4 or 5 years simply because I don't want to chasing an intermittent fault caused by one of these.

Loren,

I ordered the NGK Iridium spark plugs. They have a single ground terminal instead of 4 on the Beru plugs that I pulled. Is there any reason why the single ground will not work or will be bad for the car? Waiting for your reply before I install.

2003 Boxster S.

Thanks

Loren,

Do you know why they suggest changing the spark plugs every 4 years regardless of mileage?

Pulled one of the spark plugs last night. My engine does not have spark plug tubes. Does anyone know when they stopped using spark plug tubes? I have a 2003 Boxter S.

I am thinking about changing my spark plugs. 2003 Boxster S with 31k miles. The maintenance schedule says 60,000 miles or at least every 4 years. Car runs great and I don't want to replace them if I don't have to.

I am assuming my spark plugs are the original plugs which would mean that they are almost 8 years old. I am wondering why they are suggesting to replace after 4 years regardless of mileage?

Google Pedros Garage. He has an excellent DIY. I am sure it is somewhere on this board as well.

40. 2003 Boxster S.

Porsche engines no like over fill B)

Oil level is now perfect. Would still like to find a better dip stick, still very hard to tell the oil level on the stick. While the digital guage is good, there is no substitute for the dip stick.

mine does that after i change the oil because it sits and fills up.If you check it after you drive it will be lower unless you have overfilled it a quart i wouldnt drain it.

I have driven it about 50 miles since changing and refilling the oil. Still shows 1 bar overfilled on the digital gauge. I don't want to take the chance of messing anything up. Will take me 10 minutes to unscrew the canister and screw it back in and then SLOWLY refill the oil and check the level several times.

2003 Boxster S

Does anyone else find the dip stick in the boxster hard to read? I clean off the dip stick completely and reinsert into the tube. when I pull it out I find it very hard to tell what the oil level is.

Is there an aftermarket dip stick that may be easier to read?

Thanks,

One point to consider is using the oil level indicator on the dash.

The digital guage has arrows for min and max off to the right. There is one bar above the max arrow, does this mean an overfill of oil if that bar is solid?

Depending upon how long the car has been sitting; yes if it has been sitting for a long period before reading, or no if the engine has just been turned off. It takes some time for the oil to cool and settle and get a correct reading......

OK, looks like I have to drain some oil out, must have overfilled.

Try doing a filter change, that will remove about 2/3 of a quart and is a lot less messy....................

Thanks for the idea. I had tried vaccuming some out through a small tube that I inserted into the dip stick hole. I was able to get some out, but it was very slow going. I was convinced that I was going to have to open up the drain plug again, but your idea of taking off the canister sounds better.

2003 Boxster S

Does anyone else find the dip stick in the boxster hard to read? I clean off the dip stick completely and reinsert into the tube. when I pull it out I find it very hard to tell what the oil level is.

Is there an aftermarket dip stick that may be easier to read?

Thanks,

One point to consider is using the oil level indicator on the dash.

The digital guage has arrows for min and max off to the right. There is one bar above the max arrow, does this mean an overfill of oil if that bar is solid?

Depending upon how long the car has been sitting; yes if it has been sitting for a long period before reading, or no if the engine has just been turned off. It takes some time for the oil to cool and settle and get a correct reading......

OK, looks like I have to drain some oil out, must have overfilled.

2003 Boxster S

Does anyone else find the dip stick in the boxster hard to read? I clean off the dip stick completely and reinsert into the tube. when I pull it out I find it very hard to tell what the oil level is.

Is there an aftermarket dip stick that may be easier to read?

Thanks,

One point to consider is using the oil level indicator on the dash.

The digital guage has arrows for min and max off to the right. There is one bar above the max arrow, does this mean an overfill of oil if that bar is solid?

2003 Boxster S

Does anyone else find the dip stick in the boxster hard to read? I clean off the dip stick completely and reinsert into the tube. when I pull it out I find it very hard to tell what the oil level is.

Is there an aftermarket dip stick that may be easier to read?

Thanks,

Part number of the new belt that I installed that was causing the whirring noise is 996.102.151.66

Is this the correct belt?

Update, I took out the new poly rib belt that I had put in a couple of months ago and put back the old one. Whirring noise seems to be gone now. Didn't get a chance to get the car out on the road yet since we had snow in the north east.

Wonder why the new belt would have been making noise? It must have been rubbing just enough against one of the pulleys to make the noise.

The model numbers are a little different on the two belts. I will try to post the model number of the new belt when I get a chance. Maybe it is not the correct size.

How do you check the water pump? Does the water pump not turn on until the thermostat kicks in? That would make sense that I don't hear the whirring noise until the car is warmed up if that is the case.

2003 Boxster S 30k miles.

Recently started having a whirring noise coming from engine compartment. When started cold there is no noise, but once the car warms up the whirring starts. The noise seems to be tied to RPMs, but it seems to lag the change in RPMs a little, if that makes sense.

The noise started shortly after I changed the poly rib belt. I have not opened up the engine access yet to see if I can tell where the noise is coming from. I will open it up once I get some feedback here.

Thanks,

Just changed my oil today in my 2003 Boxster S. Very simple. I recommend using an oil catch pan that doubles as a storage container. Mine cost $15, but I have seen them online for $8.

Question, is there a way to siphon Oil through the fill tube? I tried sticking a clear hose down the filler tube, but it seems to be getting stuck.

Is there a filter or screen somewhere down inside the filler tube? I got about two feet down the tube.

Thanks,

BTW, the 75mm oil cap wrench with 14 flutes branded by Penzoil fits the Boxster/996 filter canister. The code on the filter is "D".$3.99 at Strauss Auto here in the North East.

Wish I new that a few weeks ago when I took the wheels off to flush the break fluid. Thanks for the reply.

2003 Boxster S.

I am not able to identify what some of the tools are for in the tool kit that comes with the spare tire. There is the tool for removing the lug nuts, a tow hook, but there are some tools that I have no idea what they are for.

One tool looks like an 8mm hex wrench which I assumed would be used for the oil drain plug, but when I tried to fit it into a spare drain plug that I have it would not fit.

Another tool is about 8 inches long and has a threaded end on it. It is probably about 1/2 inch in diameter.

I will try to post a picture.

BTW...bearing checked out good at 84K miles so I'm just going to replace the flange seal and call it good.

I have read a lot about IMS, but I don't really know what it actually does. Can someone explain it.

Thanks,

The IMS essentially takes the timing from the crank and send it out to the cams. The IMS sits below the crank in the engine. There is a chain that goes from the crank to the IMS. The IMS has two other chains that transfer the timing to the cams. The back one (by the bearing, flywheel side) that goes to the exhaust cam on cylinders 1-3. The other end of the IMS has a chain that goes to the exhaust cam on cylinders 4-6 (this end also runs the oil pump). If the bearing fails, the IMS has no support in the rear and the chains can/will jump timing. This timing jump causes the pistons to strike the valves and mayhem ensues, causing a total engine failure.

Rick

99 996C4

87 944S

What have they changed in the 987/997 engine design that eliminates this problem?

BTW...bearing checked out good at 84K miles so I'm just going to replace the flange seal and call it good.

I have read a lot about IMS, but I don't really know what it actually does. Can someone explain it.

Thanks,

I went on your website. How did you know the spring was broken? I can't tell from the pictures.

Just did the Pedro DIY this weekend.

Clutch bleed nipple is a pain to get at. There is very little room to manuver in there. When I have to do it again I will either use a very short 11mm open end wrench or use a ratchet to loosen the bleed screw a little bit and then quickly tighten it just enough to stop fluid from leaking. Then you can attach the bleed hose and easily loosen the bleed screw with the open end wrench.

The way I did it this time was to use the closed end of the wrench and point the wrench away from you which is counter intuitive, but it allows you to get enough space and leverage to loosen the bleed screw. Don't be tempted to loosen the screw more, just be patient and wait for it to flush.

Keep in mind that you will have to pull up the clutch pedal with your hand when you are finished.

Also, I dropped the bleed nipple cap and lost it, so you may just want to have an extra on hand just in case.

Hi there, newbie here but any advice would be greatly appreciated please!

The alternator on my 02 Boxster S is not fully charging my battery and after a 300 mile run the battery is only at 58% charged. The meter tells me the battery itself is alright. Given the drain on it and the cold weather as it is parked outside, after about 3 – 4 days it won’t start the car.

I will be unable to drive it for two weeks and wondered if anyone with any prior experience or knowledge would recommend me disconnecting the battery over this time? Would this lead to any potential issues at all? I have the radio and satnav codes and am concerned that the battery will be so flat I won’t be able to open the bonnet to jump the car on my return. I am also unable to put it on a trickle charge.

When I am back I will get it serviced! Also, does anyone know the damage a new alternator and work will set me back…?

Many thanks and Happy New Year to all.

Nick

Pick up a battery tender for $40 to hook up while you are away. Some of them plug into the lighter socket, so you don't have to worry about keeping the hood open.

Steering seems very tight when not moving. I tried the thumb and forefinger technique as you suggested without the engine running and with the engine running. At this point I agree that the feeling has a lot to do with tire pressure and outside tempurature.

Another question: The 30k mile service says to inspect the steering bellows. What exactly are the bellows?

Thanks,