986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post - Just picked up a '97 with a laundry list of issues! Steering, locks, CELs, etc!

brainles71 · 01-06-2019, 07:47 PM

Issue 2 could be the ECU is dead but more likely is the door lock actuators are dead and need to be replaced. After 22 years of use they fail. I had one fail in my 5 year old VW Jetta. They get constant use and its an aggressive action.

I had to replace the door lock actuators in both doors on my 97 when i bought it. Have a look through my post history in the DIY section i posted a while ago about using a VW door actuator. Its the exact same part just without the Porsche part tax.

I would make that priority one as theres no point in fixing the steering, CEL, soft top if it gets stolen because you can't lock it.

I bought a new lead acid battery from Porsche 6 months ago and haven't had any issues with phantom battery drain but YMMV.

01-06-2019, 07:47 PM	#3
brainles71 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 22	Issue 2 could be the ECU is dead but more likely is the door lock actuators are dead and need to be replaced. After 22 years of use they fail. I had one fail in my 5 year old VW Jetta. They get constant use and its an aggressive action. I had to replace the door lock actuators in both doors on my 97 when i bought it. Have a look through my post history in the DIY section i posted a while ago about using a VW door actuator. Its the exact same part just without the Porsche part tax. I would make that priority one as theres no point in fixing the steering, CEL, soft top if it gets stolen because you can't lock it. I bought a new lead acid battery from Porsche 6 months ago and haven't had any issues with phantom battery drain but YMMV.