Richie_007_1968

Boxsinit, how did everything work out with the shop/dealer? I have a similar situation where the trim panel was taken off to fix the lock on my right door. All of a sudden the airbag light is on. I'm going to a shop which i believe has the scanner to give me the airbag codes. I agree it doesn't make any sense that all of a sudden your airbag module goes bad, right after the shop touches things.

Sorry for no reply, I have been really busy...I never got a clear cut answer. The service manager and the body shop said it was the module. They didn't elaborate on the codes or anything (even though I questioned). How it failed, I have no idea. I do think the body shop had something to do with it. I was stuck on not paying for it, which I didn't.

Well, I have just had a similar experience that I am also frustrated with. I have the service manual for my 99 Boxster so was able to do a little research. There is a 3 times counter in the Air Bag Control Module (aka Trigger Unit, foggy on this?) that renders it useless once this 3 times limit is reached. I know for sure my car left the road when a previous owner failed to claim an accident that my car has had in the past. That would be 1. The last owner had the paint chips repaired on the front of the car, that would be 2. I just recently had the hood and front bumper stripped and redone for rock chips again... 3 times the charm, on goes the airbag light. :censored:

No airbag light upon entry to the body shop, light on when I get it back. :soapbox: I am wondering if this control module has a vibration sensor to measure shock and sanding??? I know it seems a little bizarre but I can think of nothing else that might cause this. I took the car to my mechanic who checked with their PST2....no airbag controller present... no other codes either. The system was not registering the controller at all and based on this, the manual states "Replace Air Bag Control Module". Oh, basic troubleshooting exists but no other REAL information is included. Is this some porsche conspiracy to grab cash for those who fix their car rather than replace them? LOL Just kidding.... Break away nuts for $20???? sounds like a cash grab to me... LOL

The controller has to be configured to correctly read the systems installed in the car, driver's & passenger's airbags, side impact bags and triggers, SEATBELT BUCKLES etc. If there is a fault in the system, a new controller can not be LOCKED with the configuration information for the car until the fault is fixed. I have bought a used one and will be replacing mine in the near future once it arrives. This used one is likely LOCKED and I have been told is for a 02 S so it might not work anyways. $400 for a control module from the dealer so for a $50 :cheers: used one it's worth a shot....

Wish me luck.....

:drive:

I've added this from Stuttgart.co.uk It consists of Turbo front & rear bumpers side skirts and boot spoiler, plus exhaust. Many £££'s

Thanks for the link. I found these guys, anyone ever try these guys out?

http://www.precisionporsche.com/boxkit.html

Thanks!

I'm in the market for an Aero Kit and am having troubles finding decent ones at reasonable pricing. Are they gold plated or what? I want to change the nose and skirt the car.

Please tell me what you have used, where you got it, and more importantly, Do you like it?

Pics would be cool also! Thanks so much for the help!

The bumper in the link below is made of FRP - fiberglass-reinforced-plastic, in other words, fiberglass. the factory ones are plastic and very flexible. unless you are racing and plan to replace often, I've heard it is a good idea to stay away from FRP as it doesn't hold up as well.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...TRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

Thanks for the heads up! I appreciate it.

I like the look of the screen/mesh behind the front air scoops and found a GREAT walk-through by Jes.

I used a product at Home Depot called Gutter Guard. There were 6 3-foot sections per package for about 6 dollars.

Following Jes' instructions, I started by . . .

- Jacking up the front end of the car

- Removing both front wheels

- Removing both inserts from front wheel wells (armor all'ed them before putting them back in)

- Removing Bumper

- Removing rubber ducting leading to radiators

And this is what I saw.

I could'nt believe the amount of filth that was accumulated in there. Cig' butts, leaves, bugs, TONS of gravel.

Passenger Side.

Driver side.

Got that all cleaned up, and put the screening/mesh in place and put everything back together.

I like it very much! Took about 4 hours, but totally worth it.

Todd

Yeah, I like the result and the mess scares me. I have a 99 and think I'll follow your lead on that one....

Here's to dodging butts on the beltway! LOL

R.

I am considering this GT3 front bumper for my 99 Boxster, any thoughts on this product? Anyone have experience with this manufacturer or product? Any thoughts/suggestions are appreciated.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...TRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

I'm pretty sure a pre-face lift GT3 Cup car bumper will fit - but I think the GT3 RS bumper would require some additional mounting points.

Thanks Tool Pants & John. I'll give it a try.

One time in my life I can offer a Bill the Cat ...."Pthbbt!"

I"m left handed and have never had a problem.... 'evil grin'

Both shafts are bent/broken. The middle LCD display has missing segments. Other than that it is in great shape. :lol:

I would need a donor cluster for parts. Send me your cluster....

I have repaired many liquid crystal displays in portable electronics devices, specifically Fluke digital volt meters and think that the cluster display appears to be similar... well, similar in that it they appear to be of similar style of display technology.

If you take the actual center assembly apart you should find a rubber type of material that seems like a spacer that may surround the liquid crystal display. It may surround it, or be on only two sides. This spacer will actually contain carbon that acts as a conductor and shock absorber for the liquid crystal display itself. From personal experience I can tell you that there is likely dust inbetween one side of this rubber strip that is preventing the carbon to conduct. Generally these things are delicate but if you play with it a bit you should be able to clean up the membrane contacts with a little rubbing alcohol. Use an eraser or fine fiberglass scrubber to clean the contacts that the membrane rests on....both sides. Reassemble it and you 'might' get lucky. Good luck.

Don't thank me, thank the author for this as he really did a great job! I found this here on Renntech.org some time ago and while I have not used this guide myself yet, it is quite detailed. Good luck with your swap and please let me know if you have anything to add to this guide...

R.

Hi everyone.  I was hoping to find a nice set of instructions/manuals/go-bys/etc. for a 3.4 Engine Swap.  I tried searching, but searching for what I wanted here is tough as I could not search under 3.4.  does anyone know of anything like this existing?  Anyone know where to pick up the factory manuals?  I have the motor sitting in my garage right now and it is going into my wife's 97 Boxster.  We have the computer and harnesses that came with the engine and are starting to go on the search for the other parts.  I will be doing the swap in my garage.

TIA. :cheers:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

:welcome: Ok.. So now I"m in a position where I think I might wish to invest in a lift for servicing my car. Researching the types of lifts lead me to two types as follows:

http://www.asedeals.com/low_rise_lifts.html which will get me a 29" lift for $1250

http://www.asedeals.com/mid_rise_lift.html which will get me a 48" lift for $1500

My question is this... do I need the extra inches to clear tranny, engine etc? If I drop the engine, can I get it past the 29" clearance or should I bite the bullet and go for the 48" lift anyways?

My right rear wheel bearing has failed do it is either $1400 at the shop to replace both or $100 in parts, $100 in labor to press the new bearings in and I do the job myself.... Hmm.... so do I take it to the shop or buy the lift and do it myself?

What are your thoughts guys? Please post alternate vendors if you know of a better deal/manufacturer on the lift. I am in Northern Virginia and would prefer not to have to pay freight.

What year and how many miles on your machine? I'm at the 100k myself and am wondering what is around the corner.... Any known 100k issues?

Both GAHH and Cabrio World are charging $950 and $959 plus options. What price are you guys paying and how are you ordering it?

I have the Yokohama AVS on my 99 Boxster and find that they are excellent tires as far as traction in either wet or dry conditions. They are very NOISY... they have to be the noisiest tire I have ever heard and will not purchase them again. As I only purchased the car a few months ago (they were on the car at the time), I will be replacing all of them next spring with Goodyear Eagle F1's. No Porsche N rating but the reviews speak for themselves. Here are a couple reviews, make your own judgement.

2003 Porsche Boxster S

Miles driven on tires: 1,200

Reviewer's Overall Rating: 9.500

Location: Danville, CA

Driving Condition: Combined Highway/City

Driving Style: Spirited

Awesome Tire. Repalced OEM Dunlops for these F1s. No Porsche N-Rating, but I didnt care about that. I have yet to break these tires loose. No slipping or squealing around corners. Big improvement over the Dunlop 9090s -- Review Submitted 2004-07-09

2001 Porsche Boxster S

Miles driven on tires: 6,000

Reviewer's Overall Rating:8.875

Location: Barcelona, 69

Driving Condition: Combined Highway/City

Driving Style: Spirited

I drove from Germany to Spain with these tires, in terrible wet conditions. Not once did they let me down. Totaly incredable wet weather characteristics. My car has been heavily modified and has a 3.6 Litre engine from the Carrera with some 330BHP ! In the dry they have all the grip you can safely use on the road. On the track I got better grip from Pirelli PZero Asymetrics. If you need a tire for the Wet these almost defy belief. -- Review Submitted 2004-03-05

1997 Porsche Boxster

Miles driven on tires: 15,000

Reviewer's Overall Rating:7.375

Location: Jackson , MS

Driving Condition: Combined Highway/City

Driving Style: Spirited

When new, these may be the best tires made for wet traction. The problem is, they dont stay new for long! During the first couple of weeks of having them, I prayed for rain....I was so facinated with their ability. Once they get past half way on the tread, you may as well trash them. Now, during a rain storm, its like driving on ice! I also thought the dry traction was exceptional. I saw a reviewer who said they were not a good track tire. Thats not their purpose. They are a great street tire, and I even managed some good times autocrossing on them. My only complaint is how short lived they were! Of course, in this category of tire, its always a trade-off between performance and tread wear. -- Review Submitted 2004-06-16

Does anyone have the cost and part #'s to do this to my 99 Boxster? I really like the looks, what a major improvement! :o)

I am planning on buying some sort of software for my laptop that will allow me to read codes and some even promise to reset alarms and such. Tuning curves? Graphics?

What are you guys using and what is recommended to stay away from?

Any help is appreciated.... general consensus would be awesome!

Much appreciated!! :cheers:

OK, the preliminary write up can be found here:

http://members.rennlist.com/tholyoak/34swap.pdf

A big thanks to Steve Wilwerding for compressing the pdf file to a manageable size.

I will hopefully update this when I get some time, but feel free to contact me with questions and comments.

Thanks

Todd

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thank you for the great job on the documentation! I appreciate the great read for my own future project!

Richard

PPBB? What is that?

There was a guy on PPBB who changed the exhaust and intake with after market parts and got the boxster up to 280+ hp...  Try posting there.

Jeff

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well I cleaned out the throttle body and installed a new throttle switch ($65) and this seems to have restored a ton of power! Where the heck did that come from? LOL Well the car now revs to 6000rpm without a hitch with a smooth transition but bucks and decels quickly when coming off WOT. I think a MAS is in order now.....I was hoping to avoid the $260 part replacement.

At 90,000 miles there was a considerable accumulation of a varnish type mess inside the throttle body and main airway passages moving towards the cylinder heads. The crank case ventilator feeds fumes into our airways via the throttle body and reburns the blow-by gases (as designed) but it leaves quite a nasty residue behind! A portion of a can of carb cleaner and a few paper towels and it was clean as new.. A dremmel tool was used for polishing... :D

Cleaning the throttle body out was easy but was rather daunting as this was my first project on my new baby. I learned a lot and am amazed at how simple the engineering is. The sensors must work and the computer does the rest.... Hmm....

It's not over yet and if interested, come back and I'll keep you posted on the progress with the repair of this type of failure.

I have been researching my own throttle problem and might have an insight for you. Check your throttle switch as it controls the transition from idle to operational rpms.... there is a calibration/alignment procedure for this that affects air/fuel in relation to butterfly position. You posted this some time ago but I can dig up the information if you still need it. Let me know.

Order 2 buckles from the dealer for $71 each, install them yourself in an hour. Then take the car to an independent Porsche shop and ask them the reset the computer. They may charge you 1/2 hour or come equipped with a case of cold beer on a Friday afternoon.... LOL If the light comes on again, then you need to order an under seat wiring harness modification. I do not have the part # for the harness nor have any idea how difficult it is to install but I have researched this issue from multiple sources and all agree.

I was fortunate enough to replace the buckles and reset the code. The light has not been back since. Mine is early 99 non-S. Good luck!

First: As you are the second owner of the vehicle, make sure you are able to transfer the full manufacturer's warranty into your name.

Second: Tell them it is intermittent. Some times it works, other times it is faulty. Complain of a fault that might be hard to find or difficult to reproduce. If you log the problem prior to the expiration of the warranty they will be forced to repair it. They HAVE to repair it!

I bought a used Boxster that is out of warranty and have not had any real issues as of yet however when buying parts I have noticed that the Porsche dealer in my area is VERY snooty and treats me like crap. They have actually and noticeably "looked down their nose" at me! I am a professional and may not wear Armani but come on! I just can not believe the treatment I have recieved at the dealer! Don't let them push you around, write a letter, threaten to write a letter. I'm sure the parent would like to know how the child is treating their clients new or used.

My first post. I just bought the car and it does have an issue: When I accelerate the car pulls beautifully but falters at transition at little, once it passes 5000RPM it loses power. If I back of the throttle about 20% I get the power back with even more pull than before. ( What I think the car should have for acceleration at least) It idles and runs perfectly other than this one fault. Any thoughts or suggestions are truly appreciated!

99 Boxster

2.5L manual