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Old 07-19-2010, 02:24 PM   #1
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 23109VC
my sound is more of a "chirp" than a squeek.

it warmed up here recently and the sounds totally stopped.

i took the car out the other night and it was cold out - and I heard it a couple times. so I'm thinking it may be something temperature related???

where I live right now it's in teh 80-90s at day, but cools up to 60s at night... so big temp diff oin the evening... I mostly noticed the sound in cooler weather.. it's still very quiet.. but you heqr this chirp at very slow speed when I pull away and give it power.

Assuming this IS the loose spark plug problem - can I reach them all from the top of the car or do some need to be accessed from the bottom and can I do it with a standard spark plug socket or is there a special porsche tool for this?

I"ve taken the engine access panel off - that's no problem. I have repalced spark plugs plenty of times on OTHER cars...never did it on the boxster and honestgly don't even know if every single spark plug is easy to access..

before I go pull the cover off and try to tighten them all - i thought i'd ask here - is it relatively easy to get to all of them? i'm off of work this week so I've got time to look into it and try to fix it myself...

i'm also thinkign of tackling my window regularor...the driver's side is going bad...

Mine has access in the back tire wells, a small door panel. The access isn't the issue the plugs are very deep, you need a long extension and a flexible link, I also use a rubberized plug socket. Make sure to use extreme caution not to cross thread. Mine was making the noise, it has not since I serviced the plugs, I'm confident it will solve your problem.
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Old 07-21-2010, 12:02 PM   #2
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is this sometehing I can realistically do m yself or would it be better to let my mechanic do it???

i'm going to take it in in the near future to replace my engine mount - uit's cracked and I have the 3k vibration....

maybe they can easily do this when it's in for the bearing?

I have no problem opening up the top and getting access but I only have basic hand tools..I have a large socket extension and the little flex thing that lets you go in at an angle... is that what you mean I need ??

or is there a special porsche tool / flexible socket attachment??

is the standard spark plug socket attachment the right one to get onto the boxster plugs? sorry if that's a stupid question but i've never even looked at mine...
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Old 07-21-2010, 05:48 PM   #3
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Stumped on Intermittant chirp

I posted someone else's video/audio clip of spark plug chirp in the above post...
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Old 07-21-2010, 07:01 PM   #4
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okay, I listened to that sound file of the spark plug chirp..

my chirp noise sounds VERY similar to that one in terms of the actual noise - but the chirping in that video is 100x more prevalent than mine..the car in that video had nonstop chirping as it idled... my car ONLY makes ONE brief chirp at very low speed when I pull away from a stop or slow speeds...i hear a very brief "chirp" and then it's gone...

sometimes it doens't do it... but when it does chirp, you hear it..and I know it's therte..and it didn't use to do it..so something is worn / wearing out / such that it's making this intermittent chirp noise...

if my spark plug is "barely" loose..woudl it make tjhe sond only under certain conditions..such as mine..like pulling away from a stop... ??

and also - is thsi somethign I can fix witgh regular hand tools myself or do I need a mechanic with special porsche tools to tighten the spark plugs?

can all spark plugs be accessed from the engine bary or do you need to get at them from whels wells and remove the wheel liners??? thanks. i have no frickin clue how to get to them...
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Cars:
2007 MDX - Wife's mommy mobile
2006 RL - My daily driver
2000 Boxster - Ocean Blue Base 5spd on Black Full leather. 18" wheels and M030.

Boxster mods I've added: Rear speaker kit, Painted Calipers, Painted Bumperettes, Painted Center Console, 987 Shifter Assembly, 3 Spoke Steering Wheel, Clear side markers, 03+ rear lights, de-snorkeled.
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Old 07-22-2010, 12:44 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 23109VC
okay, I listened to that sound file of the spark plug chirp..

my chirp noise sounds VERY similar to that one in terms of the actual noise - but the chirping in that video is 100x more prevalent than mine..the car in that video had nonstop chirping as it idled... my car ONLY makes ONE brief chirp at very low speed when I pull away from a stop or slow speeds...i hear a very brief "chirp" and then it's gone...

sometimes it doens't do it... but when it does chirp, you hear it..and I know it's therte..and it didn't use to do it..so something is worn / wearing out / such that it's making this intermittent chirp noise...

if my spark plug is "barely" loose..woudl it make tjhe sond only under certain conditions..such as mine..like pulling away from a stop... ??

and also - is thsi somethign I can fix witgh regular hand tools myself or do I need a mechanic with special porsche tools to tighten the spark plugs?

can all spark plugs be accessed from the engine bary or do you need to get at them from whels wells and remove the wheel liners??? thanks. i have no frickin clue how to get to them...

Dude,


Don't be nervous, it's going to be OK. You will need a metric hex (allen) wrench for the two fasteners on each coil. A long extension, a flex joint and a plug socket. You can either access the plugs from underneath the lower pan or the wheel wells if so equipped, (I'm not sure if other year models have them).

The wheel wells are the easiest and hey if you are worried, don't replace the plugs, just tighten them a bit and check for the noise. I don't have my Bentley manual in front of me so I don't know the plug torque, what I can tell you is if you work without a torque wrench, don't horse on the plugs, snug is good for test purposes.

good luck, report back

Last edited by eightsandaces; 07-22-2010 at 12:46 AM.
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Old 07-22-2010, 10:00 PM   #6
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...and yeah, it doesn't have to be all the time to be the same issue. The time it happened to me, the plug (s) became slowly more loosened until it sounded like the video; however, in the beginning I only heard it at low speeds just after I was using the clutch. You can imagine the $$$ thoughts I was suffering.
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Old 08-07-2010, 09:40 AM   #7
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okay , update. I have NOT tried to tighten the plugs... I've been so busy with work I hae hardly even had time to drive the car... it has sat for the past three weeks.. finally yesterday i took it to work / back.

I had the top down and noticed that the squeek was about the same, but this time, I noticed it m aybe once or twice when I went over a bump... before..it had only really done it when I was pulling away from a stop...

i swear I hear the teh same chirp noise when I hit a section of rough pavbement, and I was off the gas... which made me think maybe it's something in the suspension???

or the spark plug loosening thing could be it too and it is just getting looser?
__________________
_____________________________
Cars:
2007 MDX - Wife's mommy mobile
2006 RL - My daily driver
2000 Boxster - Ocean Blue Base 5spd on Black Full leather. 18" wheels and M030.

Boxster mods I've added: Rear speaker kit, Painted Calipers, Painted Bumperettes, Painted Center Console, 987 Shifter Assembly, 3 Spoke Steering Wheel, Clear side markers, 03+ rear lights, de-snorkeled.
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