LemmyCaution

On the way home tonight, 1.5 miles from home, my 1999 Boxster lost power. Electrical power is ample but the car will NOT turn over. No drama with the engine - I coasted in gear, no odd noises (except lack of noise), no spilt fluids, high temps or strange smells. No CELS. In fact CEL does NOT light when ignition is on. While waiting for AAA, I connected my laptop and fired up Durametric software. It does not see the ECU - what aside from an ECU failure could it be? While waiting, I did some searches for 'lost power' at Renntech.org (with my trusty ATT card) and found tons of posts about lost radio codes. Any ideas? Ignition Switch? ECU? Relay? Fuse? The fuel pump fuse is okay - checked that but that would not explain why it will not turn over. Now that it's home, tried spare key to no avail. Bypassed the clutch microswitch - no love there either. Need help troubleshooting before I tow it off to Dutch Treat - . Thanks

Does this apply equally to 1999 Boxster? I have a 2004 PSE installed but have not installed the electronics and wish to do so.

FOLLOW Up: For some reason, I thought that the stalk assembly should be pushed back closer to the instrument panel. The opposite is the case. Again thanks - all is well again with my 9yr old Boxster. What a great car!

Thanks for the great reply - I figured out as much last night while I had insomnia. The new Airbag/horn unit arrives in the morning - I'll tackle this then. Looking down through the windscreen, it's obvious that the stalk unit is sitting too far out on the column and that I was in too much of a hurry to notice before I buttoned things up. Thanks again.

OK - the left turn indicator started sticking and the right turn signal wouldn't 'stick' so, I ordered a new 4 - stalk assembly. Years ago, I added OBC to the car so I'm familiar with the process. This time though, I had a problem. Before removing the airbag control unit, I taped it so that it wouldn't lose orientation. Upon reassembling, I forgot to remove the tape from the 'airbag control unit' AND worse, for some reason the wheel doesn't tighten down as close to the stalk assembly as before. After buttoning everything up and testing, I turned the wheel right, then left with resistance and bad, (really bad) noises. Upon removing the airbag assembly, I discovered that I had severed the horn/airbag connections at the connector to the black airbag control unit. I disconnected the airbag unit - ordered another from Sunset and put things back together. Now, I have no horn, no airbag, a steering wheel that is sitting about 1/4 inch too far out from the instrument panel and makes a clicking noise when turned to the left. Everything else is just perfect. My assumption is that somehow, I did not seat the stalk assembly correctly and that it is keeping the steering wheel from snugging down as close to the assembly as it should. Does anyone have any wisdom/experience to share before I ruin a brand new airbag control unit?

1 - uphill pass, first into 2nd 33mph max 2 - POV - 1st going before going into 2nd 3 - uphill pass first gear only POV is a little soft but, the sound is good. We were losing light and I neglected to tell my operator to mind the focus ring because we were shooting with autofocus OFF. I've had the GHL for around 18 months and have enjoyed it (especially overly sensitive car alarms in its wake) but, high resonance between 2700 and 3200rpm makes it tough for an urban daily driver. In the next week or so, I will be replacing it with a 2003-2005 PSE. The GHL replaced an original PSE which is missing a tip. The PSE sounded great but was a little quieter with no resonance. I look forward to the new setup and will post a video when I get it installed. Link to video (Windows Media Player) GHL on 2.5 (not sure this will play in Quicktime) if it doesn't, try this: Play in Browser

Glad I saw this - I saw your other post about needing to 'mod your PSE' and was going to suggest that bypass pipes were needed. I have a 99 and it comes standard with the equivalent of bypass pipes - only 1 cat per side hence, the original sports exhaust sounds good. I've just bought a 2003-5 PSE to replace my GHL (before my neighbors revolt). The PSE sounded good - the GHL sounds awesome and would be fine for a track car but it's a little over-the-top for a daily driver. Check under my user name for links to the GHL on 2.5 video. Thanks to you Rodger,A4EP and Loren, the installation should be a breeze - I'll post a video after I'm done.

Thanks again all for the support and ideas! And CJ, Robert at Dutch Treat is great. He was recommended by another of my local Porsche buddies. I got out for a little over a grand including an oil/filter change. The drive shaft was $663. To reiterate, he said it's the first he's seen broken like that and that it was apparently fatigued for some time. He noted the discoloration around the break (kind of hard to see but, it's there)

great price I think It is a good price - ROW030 lowered the Boxster approx 3/4inch in the front and 1/2 inch in the rear. In 40,000 miles and 5 years, it has settled out a little more - approx 1 inch in the front 3/4 in the rear. I think the 996 stats are the same. Ever notice 9x6 Porsches at speed? The front end tends to 'sit up' a little. Lowering the front a little more than the rear corrects this tendency. I assume the purpose is to prevent lift and provide a little more downforce on the front. Make sure you get it installed by a good alignment resource - the guy I use here in L.A. does what he calls a 'moderately aggressive' street setup. It gives crisper turn-in and a little more negative camber in the rear but not so much as to negatively impact tire wear. See if you can find someone locally who has this setup and go for a ride/drive. OTOH, I don't think you'll be unhappy and you can always go with something more aggressive later - you're going to need the stabilizers anyway. If you want to get 'tweaky' you can get the GT3 stabilizer.

The problem you are having is due to the shocks 'sweet spot' being outside of that of the HR springs. Basically the shocks are not able to control the stiffer springs. Read this -from PCA Panorama 996 Standard and Sport Suspensions Analyzed The article is a clear, concise analysis by Russ Dickerson, Bob Gagnon, and Mike Schatz of modern Porsche suspension geometry, physics and how the two interact. I found it very helpful in understanding how the suspension works and how to meet my needs - an aggressive but compliant system for my 986 everyday driver. I have ROW 030 on my Boxster (Porsche Rest of World Sports Suspension) . Before I installed it, I drove 3 other well prepared cars one with Eibachs and US ROW shocks, one with Gemballa coilovers, and one with H&Rs and stock shocks. The latter rode as you describe, the Gemballas were just too severe for Los Angeles's mean streets and the Eibach car was too low - I couldn't navigate my garage apron at all or (easily) the parking lots in Beverly Hills where I work. To each his own- in other words, try to drive a number of different variations. I honestly don't know anyone who has installed ROW030 and was unhappy with the choice. I do know two who wanted something more radical and eventually installed coilovers (with the heavier ROW 030 stabilizers). I look at it this way: Who other than Porsche knows how to make a better handling Porsche for the street? The coilovers you mention and the PSS9s are great for track. If I ever retire the Boxster to Garage Queen/Track car, I will go with coilovers but, for now as a daily driver, ROW 030 is perfect for my needs. If you decide to 'mix and match' make sure that you upgrade the stabilizers (sway bars) either with ROW 030 or the heavier, adjustable GT3 stabilizers. Hope this helps - there's nothing better than the first few drives on familiar roads in your newly modified Porsche.

Thanks for all of the support - sorry I couldn't respond sooner but, I've been swamped with work. This morning, I had the the car pulled out of the parking garage, placed in the end parking spot on the street where it was then put on a flatbed to go to Dutch Treat (thanks for the affirmation CJ). People complain about Boxsters being too common in L.A. - the upside to this is that both of the drivers immediately said "Oh Good you have the towing eye". The flatbed driver had just the right size planks and already had four cloth straps ready for the wheels so no need to fuss over loading the car. Robert from Dutch Treat just informed me that it is a broken axle joint - Not sure if it is on the shaft side or not - and that normally results in a clunking noise. CV joint boot remained intact masking the problem further. Thanks again - I'm driving a rented Murano which IMHO is ugly as sin but is really fun to drive especially in the rain with AWD except that it reminds me never to buy a car with non-HID lamps.

Sounds like MAF. When my MAF failed, twice, the car wouldn't accelerate properly. It gave no CEL light either. The MAF? Either you didn't understand my post (the subject line is not very descriptive - my apologies) or you have a great sense of humor! The engine runs great. No problems there - it is a mechanical problem somewhere between the business end of the crankshaft and the wheels. Gearbox/clutch etc.

Thanks Glyn - Hopefully one of my independent resources schedules will open up in the first few days of the new week. I would take it to my dealer but they will not install an aftermarket clutch kit/lightweight flywheel if in fact it is the clutch. I hope it is not the gearbox/transaxle. The clutch splined center attachment to the friction plate doesn't look all that robust on these clutches.

FYI I've posted this on PPBB and have had some responses. 1- Yesterday, accelerating at approximately 75% from a stop in first gear, there was a moderate pop from the rear and the car began to lose speed. It felt like an old Alfa I had that used to pop out of first when I didn't fully engage the shifter in the gate. There were no other sounds and no 'burned clutch' smells Fortunately, I was almost at my client office so was able to coast/ push car into lot. 2- Engine revs freely - no issues 3- Shifter feels normal 4- Clutch pedal feels normal, there are no strange sounds when using the pedal with engine running or not running. 5- Can push car back and forth when gear appears engaged (tried 1st, 2nd and reverse) there are no unexpected sounds. It is quiet. 6- CV joints appear to be intact - and besides, there's no noise. 7- Cannot verify whether clutch is engaged or not. Can shift into all five gears - engine running or not, clutch 'engaged' or not. So - has this happened to anyone else here? I'm thinking clutch failure of some sort or input shaft. Any thoughts about what it might be? Also - need independent service recommendations (West L.A. - car is in Beverly Hills, I live in Playa Del Rey) as I don't think I'm to tackle this myself. I spoke to Marcel at Swiss Motors - any feedback on them? I've heard good things about Dutch Treat too. I have an on-going relationship with Pacific Porsche but, given that it may be the clutch, I may be interested in non-dealer recommended mods. Thanks in advance

Yeah right and Boxsters are chick cars... Sorry I didn't see your post sooner. There are plenty of us driving cars with twice and 3 times the mileage on the original MAF. That said, MAFs do go bad but, MAFs can be cleaned (I use CRC MAF cleaner) with electronics cleaner. Replacing the MAF is quick and easy and only $300. In my experience, techs recommend this kind of repair because it's easy money, works 50% of the time and when it doesn't work, it's the beginning of a nice $1000 relationship. Call it cyncism or call it experience - your choice.

Think of the suspension as a system - the dampers have a sweet spot - the springs have a sweet spot. Mixing dampers and springs will bring different results. The overall result might be just fine however, you may find that the dampers do not 'control' the springs at the limits of compression/extension. See http://www.pca.org/panorama/sample_article_3.html ROW 030 is a system. The linked article -though it relates specifically to 996 - explains the integration and design of ROW030. The physics and modifications to the 996 and 986 suspensions is exactly the same. There is lots of other information at PCA.org on the subject as well as here and on PPBB. I've had ROW 030 since 2001 on my 1999 and after 50,000 miles (car has 62k), the suspension has settled-in nicely. Check PPBB archives for my many posts on the subject. Here's a comparison of wheel/fender height: ROW 030 is the black car on the left. Since the front is lowered more than the rear, the car as a more aggressive stance, and at speeds over 60 or so, I would assume that downforce on the front end is slightly greater. With the standard suspension, at speed, the front end will rise slightly. I live in Los Angeles - our streets are in serious disrepair - ride is much firmer than stock. Some harshness is noticeable on rough surfaces but not enough to offset the benefits. ROW 030 is a must have if you seek a performance biased street Boxster. IMHO YMMV etc.

FYI - the part number for the 'clips' (the water intake and outlet hoses) that I mentioned is: 996-106-425-02 - $3.16 cents from Sunset. As noted, the hose clips on my car were very brittle and broke when removed. For $3.00, they should be replaced along with engine mount or fuel filter.

What Loren said - Becker's website: http://www.beckerautosound.com/

I saved my old mount and will repair per your example - thanks for all the help and encouragement!

:cheers: After 2 weeks of procrastination and deliberation Wednesday evening, I finally took time to replace my engine mount and fuel filter. There's a more complete post at PPBB.com - I posted it there as Craig's post is on PPBB. The support bar was really helpful: Placing the clamshell in service position was easy - The reverse was not as I was pretty brain-dead at this point. The extra time installing the bar was worth it in terms of safety and control. In my mind, jacks are for lifting and lowering only. The bar also allowed greater control over the process of lowering the engine to remove the lower bolts from the engine side of the mount. Knowing what to expect makes it so much easier to work on this car. Thanks to this thread and especially Craig (WA)'s post on PPBB, Stefan, ToolPants etal for posting their experience here.

I'm still on the fence about using the floor jack- Did you open the access panel behind the seats to access the upper bolts? I'll be interested to hear how your repaired mount works. The original mounts look a little 'fragile' when you consder the forces that it needs to control.

Thanks for the notes Stefan - Question: Apparently - though I have not confirmed this - Porsche also recommends using an engine support bar (mounts between the gutters of the engine compartment access bay). I'm not sure I would trust my abiliity to lower my floor jack slowly and accurately enough to drop the engine 1 inch. It tends to drop fairly quickly and I've seen recommendations against using a bottle jack. Am I being paranoid? Suitable support bars are available for $75 or so from a number of sources. Thoughts all?

Thanks Gundo - Renntech Rocks! doesn't it? My greatest concern is removing the system particularly loosening the clamp bolts - any thoughts on applying penetrating oil/wd40 etc?

Jeff, while I understand your rage, you need anger management! Burning your Boxster hurts only you - not anyone else. (sarcasm warning) :jump: I just spoke to the welder and he's aware of the surge protectors and also of the possibilities of pitting that you mention. There's only one correct way to do this. All of the comments have been really helpful. It's like zen: There's right action and 'not to do'. Being inherently lazy, I was looking for the E-Z way. Being inherently anal though I prefer doing things the correctly. Right action is that I will pull the PSE and take it to the shop. There are just too many risks to do it any other way. Or as Todd said - Cheap Insurance. Thanks again for returning me to the path of righteousness. :notworthy: