mikesz

I recently did a suspension overhaul when I replaced my inner CV joints out of necessity.  Problem I am having is they cannot align it properly. Because of the lowered suspension and change in geometry the rear toe in is more than it should be. I have ordered a pair of rear control arms from TRS to allow for adjusting toe, hopefully. So now I am looking to replace the Meghan racing tie rods with something that will allow for greater adjustment for proper alignment of the front end. Does anyone have an experience/insight into this type of setup for the street? Can anyone recommend outer tie rods? Will stock factory ones work?

List of what was replaced:

All wheel bearings with *** units repacked with Hi Temp synthetic grease

All 4 struts/shocks with Bilstein B8's along with upper bearings/caps, bump stops, dust boots

All 4 springs with H&R 29779 Lowering springs (Blue)

All 4 lower coffin bars/ball joints with Meyle units

2 rear track arms with units from Vertex auto.

2 rear control arm/ball joint Meyle units.

2 front track arms not sure if Meyle or vertex auto.

2 Inner tie rods

2 outer tie rods with Meghan racing units, adjustable blue color

4 Drop links with Tarrett adjustable units

Eibach 26mm front swaybar along with bushings

factory 19.6 rear swaybar along with bushings

I have a 99 Tip. The shifter buttons on the steering wheel do not work and never did(I am third owner). I am told its probably the inhibitor switch. Has anyone replaced this? I am currently replacing the right inner cv joint and rebuilding suspension so I figured now might be a good time to replace that switch. I have one just looking for a DIY. 

I have a 99 Boxster base 2.5L with a tiptronic. I need to replace the right inner CV Joint, believe me! I have no intention of spending $800 for a complete new axle. My car has about 90k miles on it. I have searched the internet and all I can find is replacing the boots but not the CV Joint. I have found rebuild kits for around $80.  I am also considering replacing the rear axles with a used one from a car with lower miles than mine. I am a DIY and have done most of the repairs on the car myself. This includes:

1. replacing both coolant fans.
2. replacing/upgrading the brake booster with update kit to eliminate water issue this included draining/flushing/replacing brake fluid painting caliper and adding drilled rotors.
3. adding an S center radiator.
4. upgrade dash to a C4 996.
5. replacing seat motors and switches.
6. upgrade stereo/speakers.
7. upgrade to aftermarket exhaust.
8. replacing spark plugs/tubes/coil packs.
9. replacing engine compartment cooling fan/sensor.
10. replace front bumper with a 996 unit.

Some of the questions I have:

1. Are the TIP and manual transmission axles/CV Joints the same?
2. Is there a detained DIY for rebuilding the CV Joint if so can someone point me to it?
3. Are there differences between the axles between years? 97-99 cars, are they the same?
4. It seems like there is a difference between first gen cars 97-99 and post 2000 cars? is this correct? are the axles interchangeable? would I be better off getting axles for a latter model car?
5. Does anyone have experience with this repair? if so are you willing to discuss with me?

made the adjustment hope it does the trick.

Does anyone have the layout of the white guage plug for a 99 Boxster?  eyesite isn't what it was and I cannot see the numbers on the plug to know where to put the wires for the 4 stalk wire harness. 

I have a gauge cluster out of a 996 I want to install into my 99 986. The lcd panel to the far right the one with the clock is damaged and I want to get it repaired. Can anyone recommend a shop that can do this type of repair? I live in RI and am looking for a reputable repair shop. I have already installed the new oil sender and ran the wire to the cockpit. the cluster works fine otherwise I have plugged it into my car but the LCD screen is NG!

I want to change the cluster in my 99 986 tip to a comparable 996 type cluster. I already have an "early style" cluster from a 996 cabrio tip car. I have an eprom programmer and am trying to read the eprom off the 996 cluster. How can i determine which eprom chip i have so i can read it with the programmer? everything i have read says the chip is a 93c56 but there are many of these types of chips from various manufacturers. Also, when I select a 93c56 from the selection and "Read" is says read successful but the file data does not show the data on the chip. so it seems to read the chip but doesnt display the data.  I have a minipro TL866A eprom programmer using a laptop that is windows 7.

This info is just what I was looking for. Thank You, Loren and JFP! I think I will put this on my spring projects list. I live in RI and its getting cold. Time to put the baby away.

Yes that is what I am talking about "1" in the photo above. It looks very easy in the picture 2 bolts but reality is much different and I wont even attempt it without doing some serious research.

Has anyone replaced an inhibitor switch on a 986 tip car? I have a 99 tip and the "M" mode doesn't work. the thumb switches on the steering wheel do not work at all. So I bought an inhibitor switch and got underneath the car to see how to replace it and it looks pretty ugly.Looking for info/advice procedure on how to do it. I can see it when I get underneath the car but lots of "stuff" in the way and don't want to do this without some research beforehand!

I finally installed the center S radiator had Precision do the welding. It was the path of least resistance and still within my budget. took me less than a day to complete the install.

I completed the install of the 3rd radiator a couple of weeks ago. I had precision weld the adapters onto the pipes. they did a great job and installation took me little less than a day

there is a kit that is available that seals the brake rod going from the cockpit to the booster. I put one on my 99 when I realized my brake booster had water in it. I chose to replace the booster and master cylinder while I was at it. its not an easy job but better than paying $800 to the dealer. I can tell you there is NO WAY you can install the kit without following the TSB exactly. Also, when I did mine rather than replacing the aluminum bar that goes from the brake pedal to the booster I used a dremel to machine away the "ridges" on the bar rather than replacing the complete bar.

here are the pics the wire is Red with a brown(or yellow?) stripe. I have the manual which is the same schematic as Loren gave me but i cannot find that wire. I am trying to figure out where it connects to.

finally got the gps antennae in. I thought replacing the coolant fans was difficult! I loosened the infrared sensor but did not remove the screws completely and removed the horseshoe on the dash. 

I am trying to do this now also. So the IR Sensor in the middle of the dash will POP out if I squeeze from both sides to compress the attaching tabs a little bit. Once I do this I can snake the wire down behind the radio to attach it to the back of the radio? My GPS antennae has a magnetic base.

here is the picture the brown wire in the lower left hand picture has a clip on it my car does not have this clip the wire is not attached to anything. I will have to post from another computer.

doesn anyone know where the brown wire in the lower left hand corner connects too? trying to post a pic anyone know how?

I actually contacted BBS and got a response quickly. I have taken apart 1 wheel and will start polishing it up this weekend.

Yes, Loren. But cannot find a shop near me. Maybe when the PCA starts meeting in RI someone there can recommend a shop.

Hi All, I have recently purchased a set of rims (picture attached). From what I know these are BBS 2 piece rims available on the GT3 and optional on the 986 Boxster.  I would like to clean them up a little and so want to take them apart to polish the lip. the black centers are in great shape.  If I remove the 12pt star bolts on the outer part of the rim should the center come off?  I got the bolts off but the center black part wont budge. I am considering some PB Blaster to loosen it up. I dont want to damage the wheels. I am looking for advice/experiences with these wheels. yes i know they will be a PITA to clean on a regular basis.

thanks all for your help. the schematic below was a big help. fortunately the pieces were not damaged as I had thought. Somebody painted over them!

anyone know where i can find a schematic of an 03-04 boxster rear bumper with diffuser? I am looking for the aluminum trim pieces. One of mine is damaged and want to find out how much to replace it. I am looking for the schematic so I can check on price for new part.

thanks JFP. I think I am going to use Pedro's method its the easiest solution.

I have the complete assembly center radiator ready to bolt on. I also have both left and right feed and return hoses and pipes from an "S" the pipes/hoses that are visible in each wheel well. The question I have is if I remove the existing hose/pipes from the radiator to the main coolant pipes that run down the center of the car will they fit? I have read the S pipes are larger for more volume but are the differences the hose/pipes in the front wheel wells? Also, assuming the S hoses/pipes can replace the existing base pipes/hoses what is the easiest/least painful way to go about replacing the pipes/hoses? Do i need to remove the coolant fans to get to the claps on the radiators? I thought that by getting the S pipes/hoses I would have a cleaner and easier install but not sure that is the case. Seems like the install described in Pedro's DIY with the copper fittings would be easier but don't want to start cutting anything until I am sure what fittings I would need. I replaced both coolant fans last year and that was a PITA! So i don't want to take that all apart again.