Porsche Problems

[P-51 Mustang]

Hi, I seem to have ALOT of problems with my 2001 box. The alarm system is faulty and goes off all the time, the oil separator is bad so it puts out clouds of smoke on every startup, and I just got a CEL that I hooked up the obd2 and found to be the MAF sensor, and the 2 of the cats are bad. Is this normal, like do other boxster owners have this many problems or is it just me??? I am begging to really hate my car.

[JackG]

What's the history of the car? How many miles? It seems the ones that are bought a few years old with very low mileage on them, then are driven normally, can develop a few problem. These things need to be driven. They are not garage ornaments.

Do you have anything hanging from your mirror? There's a motion detector that is enabled when the top is up, so anything dangling could move and set it off. Otherwise maybe a bad door/hood/trunk/console switch.

[tboyer]

Originally Posted by P-51 Mustang

I am begging to really hate my car.

"begging" LOL, you posted issues that all us experience, nature of the beast. Here's my suggestions:

1. Replace your air filter (not K/N), remove any built up debris within the air filter box
2. Clean your throttle body
3. Replace the AOS, suggest professional assistance here
4. Alarm going off when? Top up or down? Parked where? Does the alarm engage on its own or only go off after being engaged?
5. Clean/Replace MAF and replacing O2 sensor R/R are some of the easiest DIY projects Tons of resources available on this forum
6. Check for vacuum leaks, broken connections, hoses, etc....

The box is very sensitive, most issue can be resolved with a good 'ol hands on get dirty attitude. If this is a new car to you, I can tell you I've had two and both have needed 3 - 5K in service work each within the first few months of ownership.

[dcporsche99]

Hey P-51,

Sorry to hear about your problems with your car. But, you're definitely not alone. You've picked one of the best forums to ask for help. Many of us here have gone through and/or are currently going through very similar issues. But, I do have to say that your current issues, as you have written them down, are all DIY projects (not sure about your alarm issue, but all the others are definitely DIY as long as you are mechanically inclined (even just a little bit) and willing to take it all in stride).

I was pretty scared to touch my car at first, but learned to respect it even more after I took the time to learn to take care of the issues myself. For the issues that I couldn't get done on my own, I made sure I had an experienced Porsche mechanic on hand when I needed his help. It can get pricey, but if you ask on the forum, you can find very good deals just by word of mouth.

Here are some links that might be helpful:

1) O2 sensors replacement: Requests for DIY Project Guide and Mike Focke's website below

2) AOS replacement: http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/airoilseparatorreplacement

3) MAF: http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/checkenginelightcausedbymassairflowsensor

4) Alarm Issue link: http://986forum.com/forums/search.php?searchid=403312

5) Definitely invest in a Bentley Manual (Porsche Boxster Service Manual) for your ride ($100 or less - check flea bay and/or I think one of the guys (nickg) on the forum was selling his book): might be selling my car so have extras to sell) and/or download a complete service manual from one of Mike's Focke's links.

6) An experienced Porsche mechanic: Find your local mechanic/porsche specialist


Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Jump]

I see that the car had 57,000 miles when you bought it and it probably has well over 60k today. That is quite a few miles for a car like this to not expect to have any problems. Did you get a PPI before purchasing it?

I've had my 2002 for 1.5 years and haven't had to put a penny into it other than an oil change. But, it only had 5000 miles when I bought it.

[porsche986spyder]

I have an 01 that I bought with 48K on it and the only problem I had with mine was the dreaded RMS leak. It wasn't to bad so I waited to have the clutch replaced and had it all fixed at once. I now have 60k on it with no other problems. Just make sure you keep up on the maintenance. It is possible the past owner neglected his car. The problems you described are at least fixable and won't cost you a fortune if you just fix them one at a time. Invest in a good after market extended warranty. Not so sure about Warranty Direct after some one here psted they had problems with them so look around fore a good one.

[P-51 Mustang]

Wow thanks for all the help guys! Im going to look into some this and see what I can get done, Im most likely going to start with the smoking problem. I am going to put the new oil/air separator in it and see what happens. Thanks again!

[RandallNeighbour]

Clean your MAF before you replace it... this may make the ECU read the system fine and it will then say your cats are A-OK. The cat readings are based on before and after results from the O2 sensors, which work in concert with the MAF.

Some of the forum guys have had great luck with cleaning the MAF (do a thread search to find out what they used to clean it and how they did it).

Just in case you don't know about Sunset Porsche in Oregon, they sell Pcar parts at wholesale plus 10% plus shipping and no tax. MUCH cheaper than your stealership's parts counter, I assure you.

I had to sink about 3k into my old boxster the first year I owned it. Then I drove it from Houston to Northern California and back, and took many other long-distance trips without one single problem.

Fix it up a little, and this car will give you far more smiles than you spend in dollars, I assure you