New Boxster owner-giving out 1 free item!

[jjanari]

Hi everyone,
I'm a new owner of an '02 boxster base; fulfilling a life-long dream of porsche ownership. It has a tick under 90K. I bought it knowing that is needed some work, mostly just maintenance. I bought it about a month ago and since then have done the following:

1) changes plugs/plug tubes/o-rings (the latter due to leaks)
2) cleaned throttle body (which remedied the bad idle surging)
3) new air filter
4) cleaned MAF (actually wasn't really dirty like I've seen on other cars)
5) changed front rotors/pads
6) replaced rear tires
7) thoroughly cleaned interior

It still has some sorting out to go, but it's a 3rd car for me (fortunately)

To celebrate my new membership , I've decided to give out a free item to one local atlanta member (or anyone willing to come to atlanta to pick up this $12 part ) Basically, I had to replace the ignition switch. Once I got under the dash, I discovered that the PO already upgraded to the new style lock mechanism/switch (the '05+, i think?). the switch is different, so I have an unused switch from the old style lock mechanism that's free to any local atlanta folks (just come pick it up).
btw, this is a great board with a lot of good info.
-Jimmy

[Perfectlap]

Funny you should mention this, I recently started to notice that the car will often only start on the second turn of the key. Is this a sign of a fading switch?

[idheaton]

Hey Jimmy,

check you pm...

ian

[jjanari]

Idheaton gets the prize.

fastlap,

I'm not so sure about whether your problem is switch-related, but I noticed with mine that the key would not spring back after engaging the starter. also, it would take a couple of turns before it would start. problem solved w/the new switch. the nice thing about it (despite buying 2 switches ) is that they're one of the few p-car parts that aren't too expensive. (maybe because the switch is now made by audi)

[urban_legend]

Man, you are making look bad. I have had my 2001 a couple of months and only got around to a wash and vacum - but a little tougher to get anything done when it is still sub-zero in MI.

Would appreciate any tips as I have a project car as well.
Curious what you paid. Seems like a good time to buy.

[bkiersz]

My wife was just asking me when I was planning on getting mine out of storage. As badly as I want it out I am going to hold off. Hard to think about it when it is 30 degrees out. I lived in Chicago for three years, and while I don't miss the traffic I will say that I do miss the road conditions. Of course, you have to pay a toll every mile and a half, but at least you aren't swearing every time you hit a dolphin-sized pot hole (I've never heard of anything referred to as "dolphin-sized", so I thought I'd try it out).

Say what you want about Michigan. We may not have decent roads, or a robust economy, or decent politicians, or a good football team...wait where was I going with this?

[jjanari]

yeah, I'm fortunate compared to my northern folks. we had our annual snow day this past sunday (a whopping 1 or 2 inches). we're suppose to have 70+ degrees this weekend.

the fact that my garage is heated (since it's part of my basement) helps too.

as far as tips are concerned:

really check out the websites for DIY guides. that helped me out as I don't have any service manuals. if you want to go the service manual route, I would get the bentley. I had one for my e36 bmw and it was great, nicely written, good pix, etc.

also, the old adage, "the right tool for the right job" definitely applies. I've got a host of tools, so working on the boxster has been straightforward (so far, at least ). this car seems to like 10mm fasteners, allen head bolts, and torx bits, so make sure you've got a good assortment of those. I get most of my tools at sears.

The biggest improvement I did, driveability wise, was cleaning the throttle body. when I got the car, it had a very bad vibration at idle as the tach hunted (fluctuated) by a few hundred RPM. cleaning the TB w/a good TB cleaner did wonders. I didn't even remove the TB (like some folks did), but simply removed the plastic intake. btw, it's a lot easier to remove the intake and reinstall it while the engine is still warm. that simple cleaning removed about 90k worth of black carbon gunk.

I also flushed and filled the coolant. I suspect the coolant was original (is the orig green?); either way, the coolant that i drained looked pretty clean. it's suppose to be lifetime, but that's probably not realistic. I refilled with havoline extended life.

I did need to fashion a special tool to remove the spark plug tubes (a tip I got from speaking to my local porsche service dept) since the other tricks on the net didn't work for me. changing out the plugs was very easy (a lot easier than my flat 4 wrx motor!)

[vath2001]

Where did you get the front rotors and brakes? I've been pricing full sets... this will be a fall project for me.

And I'm plan to bring it out on the first day of Spring... if there's no too much snow.

[suburban99]

I also just fulfilled a lifetime dream of owning a Porsche.
I bought a 1997 as a project, So far I have removed front engine mount, diagnosed a missfire as
variacam solenoid (hopefully) parts on the way, repaired the blower fan, changed the serp belt bearings. . Make sure you check out
Sunset Imports for parts. Their prices are about half of what I pay in Canada.

[tamarsha]

Originally Posted by jjanari

I also flushed and filled the coolant. I suspect the coolant was original (is the orig green?); either way, the coolant that i drained looked pretty clean. it's suppose to be lifetime, but that's probably not realistic. I refilled with havoline extended life.

I have never looked into a coolant flush on my '03 with ~40k. I was under the impression that the only coolant we could use was some super special fluid that for $45 a gallon must be made from the milk of a virgin yak.

What is the story here? Can we use conventional coolant in the 9x6 as long as the whole system is flushed?

[FTD]

coolant info from Mike Focke's web site:
Porsche claims their coolant is Lifetime, but don't believe it. It is simply a silicate and phosphate free Glycol based coolant. This should be changed every 5 years/150k mi. (whichever comes 1st) in order to provide maximum corrosion protection. It is the organic carboxylates which breakdown after this interval.

Instead of buying the super-expensive Porsche Coolant from the dealer, Zerex Extreme Life 5/150, Texaco Extended Life, Shell Rotella® ELC Extended Life Coolant, UNI-GARD 5/150, Mercury Extended Life Coolant Anti-Freeze, all meet or exceed Porsche Coolant requirements and are much cheaper. Use of any other type coolant is not compatible with the system and can form a gel-like substance if mixed with the proper coolant which can then obstruct flow, create hotspots, blow up your engine, etc.



Mike Focke's antifreeze
info

[jjanari]

I got most of my parts, particularly the brake pads/rotors from pelican. The pads (pagid) were around $80?? and have the hole for the wear sensor already, which I ended up re-using. the rotors were zimmerman and were about $130 for the pair, iirc.

I changed the serp belt too and that was the easiest belt change I've ever done b/c it's so accessible once you remove the inspection cover.

You're right about the coolant to the extent you can't use regular old prestone. If you look at some of the sites, like mike focke's, he talks about other non-porsche coolants you can use, which are much cheaper. the Havoline coolant I got is a phosphate-free, silicate free extended life and much cheaper (i.e around $14 at o'reilly's).

suburban, I too have a lot of sorting out to do, but it least it's winter, right?
although today it's sunny and in the 70s so I should probably pick up the pace.