pk2

Your mechanic doesn't quite make sense me. If it controls the idle with no ac, why not with the ac. The DME I beleive is responsible for all sorts of engine compensations. Id guess its electrical, whatever trips the DME to compensate for the a/c drag on the motor, isn't. You'd kinda halve to have a wiring diagram to figure out whats in the circut.

PK

I'd argue that if you have one dicey one, replace it and forget the rest. If I read between the lines above, they don't all go at once but, maybe years apart?

PK

2X, goldenwarior. I've got the same. Mine apparently started with bird sxxx. I have 2 and they keep spreading. Started out the size of a coin and are now about the size of a grape fruit, Nip them in the bud now if you can. Though if goldenW. is correct "This can be caused by either some contaminate left under the paint" they may keep springing up.

Regards, PK

Fair question. Obviously there's lots information on this forum because lots of people (except vwicary) asked the same question. Pretty seductive isn't it. Who wouldn't want plugs with 14 diamond tipped tritanium-baloniunm electrodes - save gas, increase hp, get more chicks, etc, etc.

I don't use them because my cylinders are already plenty, plenty hot. I'd guess even in a normally aspirated Boxster with it's 11:1 compression ratio ( high compression equals higher heat) is already pretty toasty. (a normal car is probably about 9:1 or less)

Every one who walks in off the street should be tested at the door for their knowledge of recommended spark plug heat ranges before they're let in. You probably should also know the type of threads of the factory recommended plugs Bosch brags about (nickle plated rolled threads ssshhh).

Regards PK

P.S. Every cheap bolt or screw in Home Depot has "rolled threads" as opposed "cut threads". Strong yes, also the cheapest way to go.

Ditto RFM (I'm just a hanger on, agree with every body)

Bearings, like the ones in all the spinney things on your motor. can easily be noisy on cold starts especially in a cold climates...& after a really cold night, it is probably nothing to worry about. yet. A Slightly loose belt is pretty high piched and kind off chirps somtimes. That will go away once warmed up to.

PK

I would not buy the axels. For 750 your getting the axel itself which is a dumb iron bar, 4 cv's you don't need , because you would know it if you did. Even if you do have a bad cv, replace it and leave the others alone (unless a single cv cannot be had).

Regards, PK

Are you overheating? I always thought they came on individually But I can't be sure. There are only 2 place for relays I know of and the one closest to the fans is above the fuse box. Someone else will have to tell yo which one(s) it is (they are).

PK

If it turns out that you indeed have bum coil again after just a few weeks (months, whatever), you'd have to be remarkably unlucky. I'd think that the coil failures are symptoms of something upstream.

As to your larger question, same deal . You may even have something even more systemic. The cars are usually lots of fun when they don't blow up. You might want to Identify all the exact conditions that are present when it craps out. Then follow them to a logical conclusion. You have already mentioned two. You said it "can't tolerate a few days off... literally 4-5 days?" . There's a condition and there is a solution. What happens in 4-5 days? Your battery can take a hit for one, (so what might that do), fluids settle, squirrels start messing around in the engine bay? etc. etc.

"ran fine for 5 mins." Another solid condition. What happened then? The engine is probably fairly warmed up, things expand and shift a bit...(maybe a couple of frayed wires move, touch and short...what does it effect.). Your motor has made numerous electromechanical adjustments to fuel and Air and who knows what else in f mins.. Maybe one of those electromechanical do-dads trips it's mechanism the wrong way into something else...

Guess what I'm saying is, from what you say, all your repairs may just be treating symptoms not curing the real problem. When you fix the real problem, life will be grand. And as far as German engineering, BMW & Porsche's are blast so they're doing something right, but some stuff is mind boggling, ridiculously bad.

Regards, PK

Getting the level right is as prescribed in my manual is laughable... I just invented somthing every body uses allready. Just get a cheap little fluid evacuator and make a little hard elbow at the tubes end that extends down 11mm. When the pump starts sucking air, your done.

Though It's crude, one method I heard of has to take th prize; do some geometry and figure out exactly where and how high to jack one side of your car opposite the fill plug. When it starts to spill out, it should be very close. To really be accurate you'd probably need to figure a way to male your angle is pretty exacting.

I've seen whole race teams running third party gear oils. Ist and 2nd always seems to show up abnormalities when cold. I am going to guess that these racing oils are dialed in to really outperform Porsche juice under track conditions when all is good and hot. Porsche probably compromised they're formulation to shift smoothly at cold temps to the detriment of high temp, high stress performance situations. It's a trade off, just like a suspension, seat padding,etc.

Regards, PK

Marice put me on the right road 2 summers ago. I did quite a few illustrations and photos to communicate my confusion. If you do a search with my alias and the topic 2 summers ago you might find some pieces to the puzzel. The 5 buck cd manual has a pretty good detailed drawing to.

Regards, Peter

Well, your windows shouldn't go up to about 3 inches from the top with top down. Since3 you say it's straining, that's weird. Almost seems like the circutry is reversed somehow..

PK

chu77 - google for softronic

pk - ask the guy at softronic how much he can get out of the 3.6. the 3.6 it's different from the old boxster 2.7 engine. the 3.4 it's similar thou.

Sergiu

Thanks sergui,

I Was surprised to hear that the 3.4 suffered some of the same ailments as the 2.5's and the like. I assumed that the 3.6 suffered the same but your saying not. Good.

I have my little 2.5's hp upped about 40-50%. But with all it inherent flaws, it's gotta let go sooner or later. I'd like to have a back up & plan that is a little more stable. If I hear you right, a 3.6 should be an inherently a more robust platform. I'm surprised though at the relatively modest hp gain I would get. If I did the something similar to what i did to my current engine, even if I settled for much more modest 25-30% hp boost, that would be GT territory.'

Thoughts? I'LL check out softronic.

Thanks again, PK

Well if "intermittently" means one (door handle) will work and other won't (on the same door), or vice-versa, that's one story.

If intermittently means that on occasions neither works at all, but at a another time, they both work (same door), that's a different story.

This bit of info would help alot, me anyways. But I have run. right now.

PK

edit__________________________

Maurice nailed it. If you have some feel feel for electricity, with Maurice s input you know what you need to sort it out. If you don't, you'll be stabbing in the dark but, you'll have the amo to point a regular mechanic into the right direction...quickly and inexpensively.

PK

There is just 1 switch for both the inside and outside door handles?

PK

Nothing really wrong with a window replacement if you find the right place. Have a friend who is excruciatingly anal with and has done lots of these many times. shop in Torrance (pm me if you want). According to him, the rull of thumb it your top will last about twice as long as the window in so cal. The window last about 3-4 years. Chances are really good that your window was ready , set and primed to let go anyway.

Personalty, I hit that half way mark last year (window went, top fine). I'd have given my eye teeth to get a new one for $80. All I'm saying is that the fact it was an "accident" is dumb luck. Within the next 6 month it would have gone just puting it up or down or some other s___ luck. You would be stuck with the whole bill.

Regards, PK

Without a wiring diagram that's tuff. A DMM (digital multi-meter) also helps much if you know how to use it. Your problem is most likely a bad connection. There is one at every stop in the circuitry. It probly makes a dozen stops including at the the little black security box under your seat, switches in the handle, the top latch, fuse, relay(?), and god knows where else.

Without a diagram kinda shooting in the dark. You can start with place you know there is a connector, just unplug and replug them , jiggle it around and see if anything happens. You might get lucky.

Regards, PK

They look awful similar. All I can give you is a little rule of thumb in design for efficient manfacturing, whenever you can, use the same part in 2 or more applications and you've made some very significant strides in streamlining your production by reducing part counts, equipment set ups, SKU's, inventory's, tooling cost, etc etc.

Were it a car from any where but Stuttgart I would say absolutely they are identical. Porsche can be pretty clever about these things, (just look at the front half of your car), they also seem to make some outrageous blunders. I'd take the seats out and have a good look. Porshe probably sells a rt. and a lft but the difference may be insignificant.

Regards, PK

It could be a gappeing air leak. But Lorens right, get the codes.

PK

The best engine management it's the original DME; the one you have - you can remapit; no other box will take over the whole thing; you can add a piggyback to run some af the functions(injectors, variocam), but I think it's better to find a good tuner to remapit; on 3.4 you don't have a lot of "hidden" power; the 3.6 you can get more from remapping. The turbo kits shoud come with their own piggyback to control the boost.

good luck,

Sergiu

Sergiu.

What Kinda of hp can milk out of a normally aspirated 3.6 (rempaped)? Are the the same design as the little squiirt Boxter motors with the same problems? Can they handle a turbocharger?

THanks P,K

Just get th ID (inside diameter) (Cut of the stretched end off to measure original size)I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't buy it at Oreilys or something. Maybe even home depot.

If you cant get it there, try a real hardware store like McFadden dale In CA Or theres a biggy online can't recall (a little help) (mcarsrs (?)). THe only thing is it should withstand maybe some alcohol (a martini) PK

Regarding the frozen stud - the other possible explanation is that corrosion is contributing to the bond between the stud and its hole - the uneven heating with a torch fractures this bond so that even if you wait until all is cool again you may find the stud has loosened.

Ya, that makes sense to, a little expansion and contraction to break things loose. I've done it myself several times and just don't remember it requiring much finesse, like trying to heat the bolt and not the block or vice vera. Maybe I'll find something to try it out on tomorrow.

PK

All of above. If all else fails, cheat. run a new wire from your taillight to the plates light socket.

PK

Beelzy, So no reason doubt you, what your saying is is the steel of the stud or whatever has a different coificient of expansion and by extrapolation , contraction. So, an different alloys s'pose that makes sense. So your really getting the magic when the heat is taken away. I get it, although, if you had a bolt and a matching nut, it probably wouldn't work would it.

Loren: If that combination works, and it obviously does, this is a fine thing. Ironically, rolled threads are kind of commodity grade, usually nothing to crow about,( though they can be a a little stronger). Cut threads are the cat's meow, in some applications anyway. The nickle is half way through the chroming process (copper -> nickle -> chromium). Maybe, it's an ingredient of antifreeze compound, or just tears away because it's a lot softer than chrome.. who knows, they work

Regards, PK

Well, That kinda says it all, some how slippery or maybe shrinks. If it loses torque it's sure to loose more. I swear I don't know what was holding mine in. the weight of my wrench handle was enough to make the first turn. Guess I was I just lucky to catch them before they fell out.

Thanks, PK

Thanks,

Ya, I wasn't very old when I asked the wrong question and got a long doctorial disertation on bi-metalic springs.

Just musing but I remember in my youth using a torch to remove broken studs from blocks, among other places, Yankee steel on steel. It worked but. now I don't understand. If the stud expands and the whole in the block expands...a zero sum gain at best. But back to just a little off topic , worse, is the whole in block going to expand every which way, counteracting whatever the little whole wants to do, and lets say, the hole has got an expanding sparkplug in it...double trouble.

MOD you can delete this if like, no hard feelings, just thinking aloud,might be a better question for science class on Monday .

Regards, PK