ar38070

In the past there has been discussion of what plug to use and some concerns were mentioned about the Bosch Platinum +4 (part number 4417). I ran these in my car (1998 Boxster) for the last 30K miles after having run the stock Beru plugs for the first 30K miles. I have attached pictures of both plugs. I did not have any problems with the Bosch plugs. They appear pretty much what I would expect them to look like after 30K miles. YMMV.

So I finally fixed this problem and it did turn out to be the MAF. This is a 1998 Boxster with 61K miles. The OBDII readout of the Long Term Fuel Trims were 29.7% For those who have this problem in the future this is what I tried:

Changed the plugs

Changed the fuel filter

Used a bottle of techron

Searched for intake leaks

Checked the oil separator bellows

Checked the oil filler tube

After all this I did notice a slight improvement in the fuel trim numbers. They decreased to about 27% but I would still eventually get a CEL.

One other symptom was that the car would stall once when cold.

I then conned Trygve into letting me use his car as a guinea pig. I took MAF readings from his car at various RPM and got:

idle 3.6 g/s

2000 rpm 7.8 g/s

2500 rpm 11.4 g/s

3000 rpm 14.8 g/s

3500 rpm 16.2 g/s

4000 rpm 17.8 g/s

4500 rpm 22.3 g/s

On my car the numbers were:

idle 3.5 g/s

2000 rpm 7.2 g/s

2500 rpm 10.0 g/s

3000 rpm 11.7 g/s

3500 rpm 12.8 g/s

4000 rpm 15.0 g/s

4500 rpm 17.9 g/s

So my numbers were some 20-30% low. We then swapped MAFs and the problem followed the MAF. So I bought a new MAF, installed it and now my car reads:

idle 4.4 g/s

2000 rpm 8.0 g/s

2500 rpm 10.3 g/s

3000 rpm 14.0 g/s

3500 rpm 16.2 g/s

4000 rpm 19.4 g/s

4500 rpm 23.2 g/s

It was about 75 degrees during the first two readings and 65 degrees for the last set.

As posted previously the best source for the MAF appears to be:

http://www.autohausaz.com/catalog/lookup_p...FToken=80622876

The part I got even had the Porsche Part number (996 606 123 00) on it.

You can get a set of security or tamperproof bits (you need a Torx T20 security bit) here:

http://www.harborfreight.com

Item number 91310 for $7.

I would suggest that if you have an OBDII reader that you take baseline readings of your car so that if you have a problem in the future you know what your readings are for when the car was running properly.

I do not remember if there is a separate fuse for each seat. If so swap the fuses just to be sure that the fuse is good.

The only other thing that I can think of would be to disconnect the battery for a minute, hook it back up and see if that resets anything.

Are these full electric seats? Does the passenger seat work?

The bellows can be seen from under the right rear of the car. See pics (courtesy Doug Devetter).

Look under the hood.

The harbor freight jack that you reference is fine. FYI it is not a rapid pump. This one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Disp...temnumber=40105

is a rapid pump.

The nice thing about a race jack is that if you ever lower your car it will still fit under the jack points.

You do not need a hockey puck with either of these jacks as they both come with a rubber pad.

There should be vacuum on the oil filler tube though it should not be flattening as it is rigid plastic. Are you sure that it is the filler tube?

Guys, thanks for the help.  Where exactly do you apply the tape?  I took it to mean from the first post that the switch is underneath the plastic cover holding the IR sensors.  And where is the relay?

Can you tell I'm new at this....?

Jeff

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With the top unlatched put your finger in the hole where the hook of the latch goes. You can press the switch with your finger. You need a piece of tape about 1/4" by 1/2". You put the tape where your finger pushes on the switch.

I did this fix with a piece of double sided foam tape and a piece of brass shim. This worked for me for about a year. Then the problem came back much worse. That is when I took it apart as I mentioned in a prior post. It has worked fine ever since.

Check your oil separator. You can undo the line at the throttle body to see if there is oil in it. You can also have a look in the thottle body to see if there is oil there. There have been previous threads about this cause.

In a 987 you are basically screwed at this point in time as porsche uped the tire diameters and R compound tire manufacturers have not yet caught up.

I'm not sure of the offsets buy thats what the seller told me. If they are the stock 996 17 in wheels they all should be the same standard offset, shouldn't they? Thanks for the info.

Steve

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Front and rear offsets are almost always different.

If the suspension is stock the rears are okay. You may need a 5mm spacer for the front. Are you sure the fronts are 55mm offset not 50mm?

Yes it is the correct size. I believe this is only one size that is in common use. At least I have never seen a set of this type of bit.

I believe that this is the special tamper-proof tool:

http://www.etoolcart.com/index.asp?PageAct...ROD&ProdID=6591

I am looking at this too. Do you have a picture of where the leak was?

Use of N rated or non N rated tires is one of those religious things.

Use non N rated tires if you like them.

225/45-17 up front will reduce understeer and many people use that size.

No idea about the Falkens, though I see that there are several models of the Azenis so you probably want to say which model you are talking about.

Try this, you will need a Torx T25 bit.

Retract the top.

Pull off the covers for the IR sensors.

Undo the two torx screws that hold the latch receptacle in place.

Once you pull the receptacle down you will be able to see the top latch switch.

See if the switch is loose i.e. it moves around if you push it.

Assuming it does you will notice that the switch is held in place with two spring washers on plastic pins at each end of the switch.

Use a screwdriver or something and push the washers down. Over time these washers slip on the pins and allows the switch to move around.

Check to see that the switch is no longer loose.

Put everything back together.

Hopefully this fixes the problem. If it does not then you may have to replace the switch.

There is no exact value if what you are doing is corner balancing the car. The corner balance will depend on the weight of the driver with safety equipment, etc. Also, traditionally, when you corner balance a car it is done with a half a tank of fuel. Do a web search on "corner balancing" and you will find the info that you need to do it correctly. Also depending on how much you change the ride height, the alignment will be effected to some degree.

There is a starter interlock switch on the clutch. Makes sure that you are fully depressing the clutch and nothing is in the way like the floor mat.

Yes. There are kits available.

Recheck everything that you disconnected and make sure all is tight.

From your initial symptoms I would say that you have an air or vacuum leak.

Even with a disconnected MAF the car should start if all else is okay.

Check your fuses i.e. fuel pump.

A rear bumper cover runs about US$800-$1000 to replace and paint.

I have a DYI document. PM me with your email address if you want it.

If the car had been sitting for two weeks and your battery is a little weak (how old is it?) then the first start may have been weak. After you drove it to the garage the battery was recharged by the alternator so when they looked at it, it was okay.

Drive it every day for a few days. If it starts fine then do not worry about it. If you are going to leave the car sitting for over a week either disconnect the battery (so it does not drain) or get a float charger.