WC13

:blush: And I read through it TWICE to check for things like that!!!! I'll just blame it on the fact that I have my sleeping 10 month old daughter on my lap.... :oops: I guess that shows how much I REALLY need a BREAK!!!! :D

I have not been very pleased with my 2002 986S's brakes for some time. They feel a little soft. They stop fine, but the feel is not very firm. I have bled, bled, bled them and they don't ever get better. Since it is April in Indiana there has been a lot of rain lately. I was driving in the rain and hit a slick spot, the PSM kicked in, as it should, and worked perfectly. When I applied the brakes, they were there!!! Nice and firm!!! These are the brakes a Porsche should have!!! That led me to thinking.... last winter as I was putting some items in my front trunk I hit the break fluid reservoir and it cracked. I ordered the part and replaced it easily. Now to my question/thought... I am thinking that maybe during the reservoir replacement process I got air into the ABS and when the PSM kicks in it pumps the ABS and stiffens it up the lines, similar to how pumping the brakes stiffen the pedal. So... If I have the ABS bled with a PST2, this should fix the problem... correct? Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!

I switched to stainless lines about 2yrs ago. My next step is to go out and drive another Boxster for a straight comparison. Does anyone know if they made any changes to the brake system between a 986 & 987? Obviously it is easier to find a 987S to drive, but if the systems are different I will want to locate a 986S. Thanks for all the assistance!

I believe I have some brake problems. I recently drove a friend's 1992 968 and a new 328i and noticed how firm their brake pedals felt. I barely had to touch them and they slowed me instantly. The pedal on my 2002 Boxster S, on the other hand, feels more like my Nissan Murano's (or any other typical passenger car). I would call it squishy. I have to push down much harder to stop (It still does a good job stopping when there is enough pressure). This past weekend I did a complete fluid flush (ATE super blue) and installed & bedded new pads (Pagid Sport), so I know it is neither of these items. I am stuck! Is there anything else I should do? I am going to do some DE events this summer and would rather have firm brakes when traveling at 110+ mph going into turn 1! Any assistance is greatly appreciated!!! Thanks! Colin

The car listed in this post is a 2000, so that would be a 986. Timbo, It is a bar that is installed under the passenger seat when a Porsche baby seat is installed it has a seatbelt-like connection that deactivates the airbags. Here is a link with an example of one installed. http://www.gagme.com/greg/Boxster/hacks/babyseat.php

You will need a airbag deactivation bar. Porsche does not sell them separately from the Porsche child seat. At last check these ran around $650. I was able to find a just the bar on ebay for around $60, but I have seen them go anywhere from $50 to $250. Good Luck!

The car came with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. What I have found with the A/S tires is that they are good on the track, but not as good as summer tires, and good in the cold/snow, but not as good as winter tires. They are a good all around tire, which is what they were intended to be, but not a great tire for any specific purpose.

I have done track days and autocross in my Boxster and the only extra stuff I do is: 1) Inspect tires more frequently 2) Change brake fluid yearly (instead of every 2 years as Porsche recommends), or sooner if my pedal feels soft on track 3) Change oil more frequently (I believe Porsche now recommends every 15k or once a year). I change mine around 7k 4) Check brake pads for wear I check other items before an event (air filter, coolant, suspension, etc.), but have not found that they need anything between the 15k/30k maintenance.

I just had the same thing happen to my 2002 S. Only one had torn, but the other 3 were very hard. I have learned that the CV Boot is a vary common failure on the 6 speed transmissions because of the angle of the axles. I toyed with doing it myself, but decided to price it out as well. I have a good Indie shop who charged me $200 for labor for each axle. I provided the parts since I had already ordered them thinking I would do this myself. I ordered from Vertex.com. They had a boot kit (boot, clamp & grease) for about $10 each and if you need the CV joint as well it was $85 (I did not need the joint). So total for the replacement of all 4 boots was $440. This was worth it for me after doing some research and realizing all the work that was involved. Hope this helps! Colin

SPIRO, Sounds like this will be your first DE event. Are you going to be there this weekend (April 18 & 19)? If so, let me know. I am going to be there and we could talk more about DE in general. Putnam Park was my first DE track. It is very nice! LOTS of open space and run-off. CIR (Central Indiana Region) runs an excellent event! The only thing I did before my first event (besides going over the tech inspection list and making sure my car would pass tech) was change the oil (it was about time anyway), change the brake fluid (again it was time), and buy a helmet . That was it! I didn't even change the Pilot Sport ALL SEASON tires the previous owner had on the car when I purchased it. Some people talk about changing brake pads, but I wouldn't worry about that until you begin to do more events consistently. (My stock pads lasted for 4 years including 2 DE events @ Putnam Park). I would check your pads and make sure you have at least 50%-75% left on them. But I would not yet worry about going to track specific pads. My reason for this is because since this is your first event, you (most-likely) will not be taking your car anywhere near its limit. The stock pads and tires will be fine for this first session. If you become hooked and plan to do more events then you will want to look to better brake pads and tires. That is just my 2 cents. Others may have their own opinions and I would listen to them as well, then make a decision based upon your comfort level. DE events are meant to be fun and if you are worried about pads or tires you will not be having as much fun and then what's the point? The main thing is relax and have fun!!! Colin

Thanks Maurice! I have been searching this site and a few others to get info. For those that have done this, I have an estimate from an Indie shop for $230. In your opinion is it worth that? Thanks! Colin

The weather was finally nice enough to take change my transmission oil. :D It was very easy and the whine is gone!!!!! But I think I uncovered something else... I am fairly competent working on cars, but to this point have only tackled the basic maintenance. The attached picture is of the axle connecting to the transmission. It looks like the CV joint needs replacing. Is this the correct? If so, I was hoping someone on this site could let me know if this is something I could tackle or be better left to the professionals. Thanks!

robertd, I am experiencing this exact same thing. I was planning on taking care of it this weekend or next. About how long did it take you to complete this project? Thanks!

Thanks for the welcome! I have checked with this site often and usually found someone else had the same questions I have. There is LOTS of great advice on this site!!! Based upon the repair (replacing the fluid container) do you think that large amounts of air would have gotten into the system? Is there any way for me to tell? I did a complete fluid change, so there shouldn't be any air in the lines. Additionally, I also noticed that the clutch uses the same fluid. How would I know if there was air in the clutch line? Thanks for all your assistance!

Earlier this week my brake fluid container cracked (long story). I replaced the part and did a complete fluid change. I believed I was done. For the heck of it I looked in the Bentley Manual to see if there was anything else I needed to do.... It says "Brake bleeding on vehicles equipped with ABS/TC 5.3 and PSM requires the PST 2 to activate the valves in the hydraulic unit for proper bleeding." Since my car has PSM I assume this is something that needs to happen. Does anyone know why this is the case? What could/will happen if I don't have a PST 2 to complete the bleeding? Is Porsche the only place that has a PST 2 to complete this? Additionally, if this is the case, wouldn't that make it rather impractical for people who like to change out their brake pads for track events? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!