1schoir

1.) Un-screw the one phillips head screw at top center of side air intake...

2.) The molded air duct and the intake grill are still attached by three delicate plastic tabs at the three points... The best way to remove this is gently insert your fingers through the grills into the intake at the points circled in red and gently try to free the tabs... All three points come forward towards you, but if one is stuck or gets caught it will break...

3.) Inside the drivers side air duct you will find a snorkle... The snorkle is added to most US cars for noise restrictions. Now this piece is attached by no screws or tabs, but it most likely will give you some troubles removing... The best way is to remove this, just grab a hold of the long snorkle (not the small dish on the end)... Now wiggle it from left to right and vice versa while pulling out towards you. This works, but might take a little effort.

4.) This is what the intake is going to look like after the snorkel is removed... Just carefully insert the three tabs back into their points... Make sure that all three are tightly in by pushing the airduct cover (not the grill)... Insert your 1 screw into top center of cover and you are done.

Juniinc:

Excellent DIY!

Your second and third photo show the litlle "dish" below and at the front of the snorkle... The fourth photo is not as clear. What happens to the "dish"?

Regards, Maurice.

There is a control module for the seat heating on the underside of each seat. It might be worth trying to switch them side-to-side.986_Seat_Heating_Control_Module.pdf

Richard:

Thanks so much for the crystal-clear diagram. I have to take out my seats to resolve my other problem (airbag light) anyway, so I will try the swap as you suggested to see if I can narrow down the cause of this annoying red light.

Regards, Maurice.

I'm planning on replacing my engine mount. I called to enquire about the part and the dealership person told me over the phone that the transmission adapter will also need to be replaced at the same time.

Can anyone confirm this? If it makes sense, I want to use the opportunity to replace hard to get to items and save on the labour....

Part numbers for both the engine mount and transmission adapter will be much appreciated as well :)

Thanks.

Clubhead:

If you are referring to the transmission brackets, part numbers are as follows:

986 375 084 03 Transmission bracket, right

986 375 083 03 Transmission bracket, left

As for the engine mount...

986 375 023 05 - up to and including MY98

986-375-023-07 - from MY99 on.

Cost for the motor mount, about $225 at Sunset. Or, you could buy an "improved" remanufactured engine mount (stronger than original) from "Pedro's Garage" over on PPBB... $75.00 with core, $125 outright with no core.

Regards, Maurice.

Eric,

Thanks for the calculator.

I see that the 225/45-17 has the least rolling speed differential from a 205/50-17. That would reduce any effect on ABS sensors and any gyroscopic effect on handling, but what is the effect of a 10mm tread-width increase on handling, if any? First, I understand that the standard front tire size and recommended inflation pressure on the Boxster, when paired with the wider wheel/tread, lower-profile and higher inflation pressure of the rear, is intended, along with the standard suspension and alignment settings, to reduce the tendency of the mid-rear engine, rear-drive car to oversteer. Second, what is the effect of mounting a wider than standard tire on the rim, both on the rim and on the bead and sidewall of the tire?

As I mentioned, the Boxster will be primarily my wife's car. She's a very good driver, but not trained for high performance, rear-drive handling, where the higher limits of the tires can be reached more suddenly and with less warning. Maybe we'll get her that training, but, in the meantime, I don't want to reduce the designed-in understeer safety margin of the car for her real-world driving.

At this point, after some more research, it appears to me that, among the tires theoretically available in the correct size, the Goodyear F1 GS D3 might have the least tread pattern, structure, compound, handling characteristic and wear differential with the Fuzion ZRi's on the back, so I might see if I can order a pair for the front and replace the rears with matching tires when the time comes. I have time with the existing fronts for a reasonable back order wait.

The other alternative I'm considering at this point is scrapping the Fuzions and replacing all four tires with a matched set of the relatively new Goodyear F1 All Season. This seems like it might be the safest route for my wife's daily use in a temperate 4-season climate, with winters where temperatures in the 30's are not uncommon and we have occasional ice and minimal snow.

Having lived in Salt Lake City until this summer, she's an experienced snow driver, but that was in a clapped-out Camry.

Thanks again.

Bob

Bob:

You might also want to consult the most recent Consumer Reports edition... They tested Ultra High Performance Summer and Ultra High Performance All Season tires a couple of weeks ago, and, while I don't follow CR when it comes to things automotive, there is some valuable information there.

They did not test the Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season, but, if I am reading their explanations correctly, they rated the performance of the All Season tires on a scale that can be used to compare them to the Summer tires.

For All Season, they rated the Falken Ziex ZE-912 and the Nitto Neo Gen ZR tires as their top performers among about 15 models IIRC. The price of the two aforementioned sets of tires are about 3/5's or so of the Goodyear All Seasons, but again, there is no direct comparison in that particular report.

Regards, Maurice.

MY97 base Boxster.

My passenger's side seat heater switch has the red indicator light on permanently, and does not vary no matter which way or how many times the switch is pressed. However, the seat does not heat up in all three positions.

In other words, there is one position where the light is on red and the seat does not heat up (so this should be the "off" position but the light is not "off"). When the switch is pressed again, it should be yellow but is red and the seat gets warm. Press one more time and the light is red and the seat is hot. Press off position and seat heater turns off, but light remains constant red.

I tried swapping the switch with the driver's side switch, then installed a brand new switch and still no joy.

The driver's side works as it should (i.e., off=no light, warm=yellow light, hot=red light. Any ideas on how to proceed?

Regards, Maurice.

To clarifiy further... The red light is NOT on when the ignition is off. It is on when the ignition is on or when the engine is running.

Any help appreciated.

Regards, Maurice.

I have a 2000 boxter and recently the blower fan quit working. The display works but no air. Also (and I don't know if they're related) the headlights quit working on dim. When I flip the switch to brights I get nothing, but If I hold back the turn switch for the manual high-beam, they come one. ??? I'm confused. Anyone know where to start?

Symptoms sure sound like all of the other weird electrical manifestations which all end up pointing to the ignition switch.

Here is a sample from the link below describing usual symptoms:

Symptoms of a broken switch include: breaking plastic sound while moving the key (one time), difficulty inserting or removing the key, unusual 'key feel' while turning the key, and/or the car 'thinking' the key is still inserted even when it's removed. In my case, the 'key feel' was different and my dash lights stayed on. Depending (reports vary), the car thinks the key is still inserted, so the lights, dash, fans, etc. still work. With the electrical functioning, even sporadically, the battery drains. It's important to pop the front hood before the battery goes dead, or you'll have to figure out the trick to getting it open. The door sill hood release won't work if the battery is dead!

Buy the Audi part ( about $35) and, if you are nimble and flexible, easy fix while being upside down looking up at the underside of the dash. You also need a tiny flat screwdriver. Here is the link for detailed instructions and photos: http://industryfigure.com/berkeley/Porsche...itionswitch.htm

Good luck, and let us know the outcome.

Regards, Maurice.

Maurice,

Got great answers but some info:

When I bought my 2.5L used I had similar issues and although I know I had the seatbelt fault I believe I saw the air bag (SRS) fault you mentioned. I'm trying to check my screenshots of the durametric to "back this up".

I bought the kit buckles and ground set too. I noted when I got everything apart that the ground wires appeared to have been done by the PO so I sent the kit back and installed the buckles. That problem never reared it's ugly head.

About the same time I replaced the horn issue with the bad bushings in the air bag frame. After that was fixed (which included disengaging the air bag lead) and putting it back on the "other error" never appeared again.

I don't have you answer but getting the air bag out is a 10 minute job. It may be worth checking the wires in that area for cuts/chafes. I don't recall how the circular spring wiring is in the Boxster but in my Saabs their failure has always triggers SRS lights. I've relplaced the twice in my Saab with 260K miles.

Shawn

Ohio

Shawn:

Thanks for the info. Will definitely check the wires for cuts/chafes as this most recent variety of airbag light only reared its ugly head about 3 months ago.

Regards, Maurice.

In series - so you disconnect the battery and put the meter in-line.

Dave, Loren:

Thanks guys!

BTW, my knowledge of things electric (aside from house wiring) can best be described as "electrically challenged"! LOL.

You guys have inspired me to go out and buy a basic automotive wiring and testing book.

Regards, Maurice.

Top man Loren. But is that with alarm activated or de-activated?? What i'm trying to ascertain is, what is the minimum current draw for my battery, locked car or unlocked car (locked away in garage so have the option)???

1schoir, make sure you connect it right though and have the DMM on the right setting, else you may get a spark or two!! :D

Dave:

What is the correct way to connect the DMM?

Regards, Maurice.

Hi,

I’m looking for someone in Orange County I can swap a part out with for a 1 minuet or so for a quick diagnosis (proces of elimination). My top misbehaves and I believe the problem lies with the tops "double relay".

Ya see the relay is 100 bucks and most places don't like to take electrical parts back and from what I know of my car, chances are only 50/50 that it’s my problem. Don’t get me wrong though, I’ve been pretty exhaustive in my attempt to hunt down the problem and it’s pointing to the relay, but my cars weird…posseced.

If you’re a Boxster owner, preferably 1999 or so, and wouldn’t mind letting me plug your “top relay” into my car just long enough to see if my problem goes away (or vice versa, I’ll plug mine into your car, see if it misbehaves), please PM me.

It’s harmless, quick, and worth a good cup of coffee and a scone (or the like) of your choice to me. Plus, I’ll show some great twisties if you like (yes, in O.C.)

Regards, PK

P.S. The swap can in no way harm any of your electronics. In the extremely unlikely event, I’d certainly cover any repair cost.

PK:

Can't help you with this one because I'm in New York, but I was wondering what your current symptoms are?

Regards, Maurice.

I use a current meter at the battery.

Thanks.

Regards, Maurice.

Depending on options about 40-60 ma.

Loren:

How does one accurately measure that current, and at what point?

Regards, Maurice.

Congrats! That's what I call jumping right in!

Maurice,

Beats the heck out of working, which has prevented me from much wrenching on my "new" car... :)

Anyhow, thanks for the hint about aligning the bottom of the brackets. I'm thinking when I get around to doing this that I'll press my photographer son and his camera$ into service and maybe make a diy page of it (it'll prolly take longer to format the page and photos than to do the regulator install).

Eric

Eric:

Excellent! Looking forward to reading that DIY! Tell your son, the more pictures, the merrier!

Regards, Maurice.

Thanks, guys, that helps a bunch. My driver's door is doing the "reduced retraction" dance, so I'll probably be putting in a new regulator soon.

I just went out and popped off the cover on the door handle using Maurice's hints, came right off no breakage. :)

Eric

Eric:

Congrats! That's what I call jumping right in!

Remember, before you unbolt the two nuts that hold the two regulator legs to the bottom of the door skin, be sure that on the inside you mark the position of the "feet" of the legs where they rest on the bottom of the door (with a Sharpie Marker or similar). You can almost see the "foot" of one of the regulator legs in the photo I posted above, just below the metal part that is below the yellow circle in the photo.

When you reinstall the new part, that will save you from having to adjust those legs back and forth, as they affect the inboard-outboard angle that the surface of the window adopts as it goes up and down.

Regards, Maurice.

the hardest part is removing the door panel (without breaking anything!).

Chris, got any tips on avoiding breaking stuff? What parts break, the little clip pins?

really, the only pieces that you need to worry about (and you don't *really* need to worry about them) are the interior door latch covers (the piece above the door handle). they have these little tabs that break very easily. the good news is that if you break them, they still fit securely - and it just makes it easier to remove them next time! ;)

i broke both of my door handle pieces, so i can't really give advice on how to be successful in removing them. :lol:

efahl:

I concur with Chris in that the interior door latch covers is the only tricky part.

I have had some repeated success in avoiding the breaking off of that little tab as follows: It helps if you press down HARD on that part near its top rear and then, after sticking the small screwdriver in from underneath to pull the bottom away at the front slightly, rotate that part up (while maintaining the hard downward pressure near its rear) by its rearmost section and it will come off without damage.

If you can visualize it, that little tab near the rear that is prone to breaking is a small right angle hook that faces up and, by pressing down hard, you are clearing the horizontal slot that it hooks onto before the upward rotation starts to rotate it away from the small horizontal slot.

Good Luck. Let us know how you make out.

Regards, Maurice.

I've been having a pretty consistent big puff of "White Smoke" on startup lately,

eventhough the car's not been pushed hard prior to the last shutoff.

The smoke clears up in seconds, and no signs of it till the next startup.

Usually the ones that occur after a hard run would quit after a few days to a week, but this one's been stubborn.

And the engine sometimes stumbles at startup, and needs a second try.

Or it would stumble at startup idle until it "catches" and the rpm suddenly shoots up to where it's supposed to be.

Anyway, I'm suspectiing it could be the Air/Oil separator.

Called my independent mechanic, and he said if it was, that would be about a $900plus job!

He said being a Tiptronic, it would need about 8hrs labor (2hrs more than a manual), and the part itself is only about $100+.

Anyone done this before, and has any idea what the job costs?

Is a DIY too complicated?

Thanks! :cheers:

Cosmos:

To get a rough idea of what the job entails, check out the procedure as it applies to Boxsters as it also contains some very useful tips that will save you time and frustration if you decide to DIY on your C4S (e.g., cut the old bellows in half... buy the additional ancillary parts..., etc.).

Here's the link to Mike Focke's Boxster Pages AOS replacement: http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/airoilseparatorreplacement

Regards, Maurice.

MY97 Base Boxster, 16K miles (long story about mileage).

The airbag light has been on more than it has been off since I bought the car 2 years ago. Initially, I replaced both seat belt buckles with the recommended parts and reset the light with my Durametric.

I later learned of an updated (superceding) TSB (number 6924) which also recommends installing "service set belt buckle" (2 sets) and bought the two sets but have not yet installed them. When the airbag light goes on now, the Durametric reads codes as follows:

Fault Number: 21

Description: Ignition circuit, driver

Repair Infomation: This code applies to the driver airbag, and the connection between the steering wheel and the airbag.

If I reset it, it displays the same fault again within 1 second of pressing "clear codes."

Once in a while, in addition to displaying fault number 21, it will simultaneously display the following (the previous fault number 21 always pops up):

Fault Number: 45

Description: Belt buckle, driver

Repair Infomation: Driver side belt buckle may have been unplugged at some time, check connector to belt recepticle.

If I clear this fault code, it will not reappear for 5 or 6 miles.

The question is how to proceed? Do I first follow the steps in the TSB for installing the "service set belt buckle", which is essentially a set of ground wires, connectors, heat shrink tubing, etc. , and which are installed to create a better ground for the seat belts?

Or, do I first deal with the steering wheel ground issue? If so, how do I cure this apparent airbag to steering wheel ground problem?

Note: I removed the steering wheel and sprayed some DeOxit on the connectors I could see, but that did not resolve the problem.

Any suggestions or comments or photos of which ground is involved with the steering wheel much appreciated.

Regards, Maurice.

MY97 base Boxster.

My passenger's side seat heater switch has the red indicator light on permanently, and does not vary no matter which way or how many times the switch is pressed. However, the seat does not heat up in all three positions.

In other words, there is one position where the light is on red and the seat does not heat up (so this should be the "off" position but the light is not "off"). When the switch is pressed again, it should be yellow but is red and the seat gets warm. Press one more time and the light is red and the seat is hot. Press off position and seat heater turns off, but light remains constant red.

I tried swapping the switch with the driver's side switch, then installed a brand new switch and still no joy.

The driver's side works as it should (i.e., off=no light, warm=yellow light, hot=red light. Any ideas on how to proceed?

Regards, Maurice.

I am have the problem that the drivers side window only lowers a couple milimeters when opening the door. This is enough that the window does not hit the rubber on the top, but I want to address the problem on mine timing and not the cars. I can push the window down to the correct location and have researched on this forum that this is a regulator problem. My question is what goes wrong with the regulator? It appears to be no more than cables that guide the window up/down keeping it straight in the track. wouldn't this problem be more related to the motor/gearbox. I just want to be sure to order the correct part to fix this problem without having to disassemble the door 2 times.

JB:

What goes wrong with the regulator is that the outer (black plastic/rubber) sheath that the inner metal cable slides in actually stretches and crumples in conjunction with the "damper spring" located on one leg of the flat triangular metal regulator body onto which the motor is mounted. Also, sometimes the plastic sleeve that the damper spring presses against sometimes cracks or a small piece of it splits off.

As the stretching and crumpling progress, you get less and less of that magic 1/2 inch retraction. More often than not, it will happen in sudden small steps or even in one sudden step. This is also sometimes combined with a stretching of the inner metal cable.

Here's a photo of one variation... The crumpling of the outer sheath.

The red circle shows the crumpled outer sheath. The yellow circle shows a "normal" outer sheath at another location. Disregard the metal clamp/contraption. I devised that to repair my regulator. It only worked for about a month. Not worth the effort, IMO.

Your description sounds like a bad regulator. The motors rarely go bad in comparison to the regulators.

Regards, Maurice.

Thanks Maurice......

Just what I needed!

TAH:

You're most welcome. Let us know how you make out.

Regards, Maurice.

Not sure if there are two microswitches or if the inside and outside handle "trip" the same switch.

Anyway I got this diagram somewhere (can't recall) and if I had the second page I'd have the switch part number.

Anyone recognize the source of this?

Tah:

If you are referring to part #14 in your diagram, the part numbers are:

996 613 125 00 driver's (left) side

996 613 126 00 passenger's (right) side.

The diagram is from the Porsche Parts List Catalogue. Mike Focke, on PPBB.COM, has an explanation on how to access it, as follows:

Get a parts list (called the "PET") by going to https://techinfo.porsche.com/ and select "Country-USA", select "Workshop Information", Select "Genuine Parts Catalog", select "Catalog 20" "986 Boxster" and download. This will give you a 400 page .pdf file from which pages can be printed as needed

Regards, Maurice.

Eric:

Try copying and pasting this link, it has excellent instructions and photos:

http://www.ecoutez.net/boxster/door-panel-removal/

Regards, Maurice.

Just got a call back from the dealership. Quote to fix the problem is $295 labor and about $200 parts!

I wasn't able to download the pictures from the door panel removal how-to, any alternative to that link?

Thanks

When I was negoiating with the dealer he mentioned that there was some CF in the car, but I had no idea of the extent of it. When Loren ran the option codes for me, it showed that all the CF work along with the aero kit was all done by Porsche as a special order item. Obviously, I'm extremely pleased with how this deal turned out. Althought this was a "long distance transaction"....it's a definite success story. So this is an example of how an eBay transaction can be a positive experience.

Chuck:

Congratulations on your good fortune. It looks like you turned an obviously devastating experience into a completely positive one. Your new ride is outstanding.

BTW, what is the color? Is it Midnight Blue?

Regards, Maurice.

I've read a few threads about this problem but my symptoms are a little different so here goes.........

When I open the Driver door the window will drop the 13mm (per Bentley) and then IMMEDIATELY go back up. The Bentley manual is woefully inadequate on helping with this.

First let me stop anyone who will say "you need to replace the regulator", don't think so. Why? Well the windows drop the appropriate amount when disengaging the top, they both also go up and down just fine. The regulator is doing what it's being "told" to do, when it's told to do it.

In the Bentley this 13mm drop is referred to as "comfort open" & "comfort close"

Here's what I'm thinking.........

The computer is being told the door is opening so it drops the window. Then the computer is being told the door is closed so it raises the window immediately. What I can't figure out (yet) is what tells the computer this. Are there tiny switches in the latch mechanism and one of them is sticking?

I will solve this, but who knows how much time it will take. Anyone with a little more knowledge in this area who can help?

Thanks, Tim

FWIW: 97 Boxster

Tim:

Here is a decent photo of the microswitch that is tripped by pulling/releasing the outer door handle (driver's side door) :

I hope it might give you some perspective.

Regards, Maurice.

Hello,

I’d like to do 2 things with my top.

1, Disable the speed restriction for operating the top.

2, I’d like to disable the handbrake requirement (I’m just not that lame).

Surely someone’s done a hack like that,. Anybody now of a thread? Or done it? (I’ve searched allover, can’t be that complicated)

Thanks, PK

PK:

Do a search on the PPBB archives, and enter a search for posts by Pedro, then select "by username". He revisited this hack about 3 months ago, and it was super simple.

If you can't find it, post again and I will look for it.

Regards, Maurice.