Boxster noob questions - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

sasha055 · 03-09-2010, 01:53 PM

Hi,

I have a couble of kinda silly questions, I tried searching the forum (and bing (yes I use bing) and didn't find any answers.) I don't have owners manual (it should be here soon)

1. I have a button for rear glass/mirror defrost... what it does? I have a plastic window on my 2k boxster
2. Clutch.. it's really stiff and takes very high.. if I'm at the stop light and I put in 1st gear, and keep the clutch pressed... my foot get's tired in 60 sec... is it normal?
3. Is there any way to adjust the clutch to make it lower/easier to press?

I know that first answer about clutch... "change it!" unfortunately I had a hard time convincing my wife to get a boxster (I won because it was so damn cheap) so spending 20% of car cost for clutch replacement is not an option unless clutch sompletly brakes..

Thanks
Sasha

blue2000s · 03-09-2010, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sasha055

Hi,

I have a couble of kinda silly questions, I tried searching the forum (and bing (yes I use bing) and didn't find any answers.) I don't have owners manual (it should be here soon)

1. I have a button for rear glass/mirror defrost... what it does? I have a plastic window on my 2k boxster
2. Clutch.. it's really stiff and takes very high.. if I'm at the stop light and I put in 1st gear, and keep the clutch pressed... my foot get's tired in 60 sec... is it normal?
3. Is there any way to adjust the clutch to make it lower/easier to press?

I know that first answer about clutch... "change it!" unfortunately I had a hard time convincing my wife to get a boxster (I won because it was so damn cheap) so spending 20% of car cost for clutch replacement is not an option unless clutch sompletly brakes..

Thanks
Sasha

1-The car is wired for the glass window in the optional hard top.
2-Typical sign of a clutch wearing out.
3-The force is not adjustable.

A Porsche is an expensive car, whether it was cheap to buy or not. Often the cheaper it is to buy, the more it will cost to get it in tip-top shape.

DANMKII · 03-09-2010, 02:15 PM

Not sure about #1, but I felt my clutch also catches very high (compared to my other cars). The clutch is BRAND NEW as well.

You'll get use to the clutch eventually

Quote:

Originally Posted by sasha055

Hi,

I have a couble of kinda silly questions, I tried searching the forum (and bing (yes I use bing) and didn't find any answers.) I don't have owners manual (it should be here soon)

1. I have a button for rear glass/mirror defrost... what it does? I have a plastic window on my 2k boxster
2. Clutch.. it's really stiff and takes very high.. if I'm at the stop light and I put in 1st gear, and keep the clutch pressed... my foot get's tired in 60 sec... is it normal?
3. Is there any way to adjust the clutch to make it lower/easier to press?

I know that first answer about clutch... "change it!" unfortunately I had a hard time convincing my wife to get a boxster (I won because it was so damn cheap) so spending 20% of car cost for clutch replacement is not an option unless clutch sompletly brakes..

Thanks
Sasha

Steve Tinker · 03-09-2010, 03:06 PM

2. Clutch.. it's really stiff and takes very high.. if I'm at the stop light and I put in 1st gear, and keep the clutch pressed... my foot get's tired in 60 sec... is it normal?

Why do you leave it in gear at the lights?? Why not just select neutral and release the clutch pedal.
If the clutch is as worn as you think & you want to maximise its remaining lifespan, give it a break - don't leave the car in gear while stopped, don't ride the clutch while stationary on an incline and don't slip it too much when taking off from a stop!
You may just prolong its life an extra few thousand miles.....

RandallNeighbour · 03-09-2010, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blue2000s

A Porsche is an expensive car, whether it was cheap to buy or not. Often the cheaper it is to buy, the more it will cost to get it in tip-top shape.

+1 on this. Sasha, you need to prepare your wife for the couple of grand you may need to spend on your Boxster every year for the first two or three years.

Pity you didn't find this forum and my web site (link below) before you plunked down your cash on that Boxster. It just might have saved you a pile of "I told you so" from the wife.

I take it you didn't get a pre-purchase inspection on the car from a seasoned Porsche tech. I didn't either. Live and learn I guess.

sasha055 · 03-09-2010, 03:56 PM

I usually don't keep it in clutch on traffic lights.. I learned from this forum that..
I gave an example to show how hard the clutch is...

As for inspection.. I did an inspection at Porsche dealership.. and all they found was:
1. Broken ignition switch (it was my first DIY)
2. Worn brakes and disks
But I have no history of car... and I didn't even dream of porsche before buying it..

I was looking for cheap daily commuter.. and I went out to buy a Chevy Aveo... and ended up with my baby Boxster for same price

Thanks
Sasha

rick3000 · 03-09-2010, 04:25 PM

1 - There are heaters in the side mirrors that that switch activates for a few minutes, it will also activate the defroster on the optional hardtop and optional glass soft top upgrade.
2 - Don't leave it in gear at stop lights.
3 - No, get used to it. Give it a few weeks and you won't even notice. (Unless you are switching between cars a lot)

Congrats on the car, but like others said be prepared to spend some cash. It may have cost the same as an Aveo but it doesn't cost the same to keep running. For instance, yesterday I spent $350 on two new rear tires, thanks to a 10¢ nail in my sidewall. On a regular sedan I would spent around $200. (BTW it actually cost $500 since my alignment was off, plus tax.)

The Boxster is a great car, but they cost more than an Aveo to keep running (so brace yourself)!

sasha055 · 03-09-2010, 06:26 PM

Since we are on noob questions... can you guys give me a few driving tips?

I usually let go of clutch slowly (suck if you want to make traffic light race

)
If let go of clutch faster car struggles a bit and dies..

I try to keep it at 2500-4500 RPM (I slide closer to 2k in 2nd gear in stop and go traffic). There are times when I keep it at 4000RPM for 10-15 min.. is it ok? or should I upshift?

Any other good tips?

Also.. I noticed that today my car heated more then usually while staying in traffic.
How do I check if cooling fans are running or not? I read it might be a cause for that.

Thanks
Sasha

rick3000 · 03-09-2010, 06:39 PM

You need to work on your shifting if the car is dying when you let of the clutch quickly, compensate with more gas.

I normally cruise at around 2500-3500 RPM. Cruising at 2k or 4k RPM is okay, but I personally wouldn't do it for too long. Also, you can safely take it to just below redline when you accelerate (as long as the car is heated up the 180 mark) but don't cruise for long periods at a high or low RPM's if you want your engine to last.

The car will heat up in stop and go traffic. When you are driving air is getting pushed into the radiators and intakes, when you are sitting the air has to be sucked in, so the car will run hotter. If you want to see what I mean idle for twenty minutes and you will hear the fans come on. It is really nothing to worry about, unless you start getting past the third mark toward 250. It should stay around 180 or just above it.

Adam · 03-09-2010, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sasha055

Since we are on noob questions... can you guys give me a few driving tips?

I usually let go of clutch slowly (suck if you want to make traffic light race

)
If let go of clutch faster car struggles a bit and dies..

I try to keep it at 2500-4500 RPM (I slide closer to 2k in 2nd gear in stop and go traffic). There are times when I keep it at 4000RPM for 10-15 min.. is it ok? or should I upshift?

Any other good tips?

Also.. I noticed that today my car heated more then usually while staying in traffic.
How do I check if cooling fans are running or not? I read it might be a cause for that.

Thanks
Sasha

There's nothing wrong with sustained high rpms but your gas mileage will suck. Make sure engine is warm first too. Why are you driving at 4,000 rpm for 10-15 minutes....are you cruising at 100 mph? Back to the clutch thing, I would try another Boxster and compare it to yours. I don't know your previous experience with cars so I'm just going to throw this out there. The clutch is supposed to be stiffer than say the clutch in your typical 4 cylinder econo car so it's hard to say if it's just you or if the clutch is overly stiff. Have you driven many other performance sports cars with sticks? They don't have soft clutch pedals typically. On the temp and fans, if the temp isn't getting hotter than say 200 degrees then they are working. You should be able to hear the aux fan kick on in traffic on a hot day. Oh and welcome to the board.

sasha055 · 03-09-2010, 08:13 PM

Thanks for the tips,

4kRPM is in 3rd gear at 50-55mph..
Car is usually at 190 degrees.. and in traffic it heats up to 200-210...

I tried my firends 2009 solstice, his clutch is much softer and smoother (he told me something about hidraulic clutch?)...
btw 10 year old base boxster feels soooooo much better on the road that a brand new Solstice

his clutch and shifting though is much nicer and more responsive

Thanks again for tips!

Sasha

PS: I'm getting around 18mpg (but previous owner changed stock 16 wheels to 18's and I'm not sure he updated speedometer)

eightsandaces · 03-10-2010, 02:19 AM

Sitting at lights with the clutch depressed in any manual transmission is going to add unnecessary wear on the throw out bearing. You could try bleeding the clutch, my Boxster grabs high and so did my 944 even after a brand new clutch pack, exceptional feel comes with a cabled clutch, hydraulic, not so much....

Perfectlap · 03-10-2010, 06:57 AM

some experts on here have indicated that keeping the RMPs below 3K while cruising may not be so good for the car. Higher pressures allow the oil to do a better job. I used to keep it at 2K to save gas on the highway but no more.

I've put 65K miles on my clutch and its toast. I'm waiting for my indy Porsche mechanic to get find time for the job as well as getting the updated RMS seal and IMS upgrade from LN Engineering. I'm also considering replacing the axle boots.
This is not going to be a cheap job...
I would strongly encourage you to put a away some money each month in an interest bearing account rather than paying for an aftermarket warrantly. Major maintenance and some unexpected but routine repairs on this car can easily cost you the price of the car due to the cost of parts and specialized labor. Also, try to replace something big each year once the mileage starts getting up there (over 70K). Waiting for parts to die can backfire if they all start to go at once.

RandallNeighbour · 03-10-2010, 07:01 AM

Perfectlap makes excellent points and his advice is spot-on.

Save back $1500 one year for doing your wheel bearings. They usually go out somewhere in the 75k range.

Save back $1200 for a clutch sooner than later.

Save some money and buy a set of metric tools to start doing work on your car yourself. You'd be surprised just how easy doing a brake job is on our cars, even if you have to change out the rotors (which only last through 2 sets of pads and should not be turned, by the way).

I don't drive my car every day and it costs me about $1500 a year to maintain. My door lock assembly on the passenger side just crapped out on me and there's no way to lock the car now manually so I had no choice but to replace it.

sasha055 · 03-10-2010, 08:20 AM

It's getting a bit overwhelming...

What are the wheel bearings? What are the symptoms? Can it be done DIY?
By DIY I mean car raised on jacks in my garage

and I'm the only guy around

I'm a car noob and boxster will be my training car.
I'm planning on changing engine mount, fuel filter and spark plugs (doesn't look very hard from predro's instructions) as well as brakes and rotors when the time comes.

I also wanted to do clutch DIY.. but there are no guides (and I need my laptop with step by step pictures when doing something) and it seems that it's almost impossible without a lift.

Thanks
Sasha

Samson · 03-10-2010, 08:45 AM

I've had my '01 for two years/8k miles, and maintenance over that period of time has been around $600 (oil changes, cooling system flush, plugs, belt, fuel filter, brake/clutch flushes). I also purchased new tires and had it aligned for $850. That's it.

My point here is that these aren't guaranteed to be expensive, or that you need to spend a grand or two a year to keep it on the road. Sure, mine has lower mileage than most, but for now, it's a really cheap car to own.

I do agree that putting a few grand or whatever aside for a bad day is a good idea.

A good investment is a Bentley manual.

rick3000 · 03-10-2010, 08:50 AM

The Boxster is an easy car to do most things on, because it is built so well and there are so many guides. However, the reason you can't find a clutch DIY is because it's a big undertaking, and requires a lot. You're best bet is to leave that one to a mechanic.

If you are getting overwhelmed, search for information. Look here, on google, on renntech. You'll most likely find answers. I also agree with putting a few thousand away for repairs and investing in a Bentley Manual.

Perfectlap · 03-10-2010, 09:51 AM

Clutch DIY? wow that's balls. A guy on another forum just did the LN Engineering IMS upgrade without a lift all by himself. He literraly had a big block of wood under the car with jack stands! Took him about 20 hours of wrench time.
LOL I won't even get under the car to change the oil...

stephen wilson · 03-10-2010, 10:16 AM

Why does doing a clutch take balls? Though I agree, it's not a good first project for those who don't have much experience working on cars.

jcb986 · 03-10-2010, 03:30 PM

Most of all the maintenance you can do yourself, with patience. The clutch is not that hard...you remove the rear bumper skin, the exhaust, and cables plus the rear motor mount. You, of course need tools and the only one you will need to buy is the engine support and that one you can get for about $50 bucks at National or Harbour Freight. I assume you have a jack, jack stand and metric tools. Plugs are snap, oil very easy, fuel filter no problem, engine & cabin filters no problem, serpentine belt is real easy. Brakes, rotors, wheel bearing easy. The real time consumer is the clutch replacement since you need to remove your axles. Now, with the engine back exposed replace the rear main seal. Some guys are changing out IMS bearing but you really need to know what and how do it plus more tools here. Best of luck on your DIY's.