New Boxster S owner
 

Just sticking my head in here to say hello as i'm a new member on this board and wanted to say its great having these online resources to aid in keeping my car up and running.
I bought a 2000 Boxster S, 3 weeks ago, Ocean Blue with just over 40k miles on it (68000kms). So far i've done the brakes, emergency brake cables, AOS, Sparkplugs and tubes, belt, CV boots, coolant tank and just yesterday started taking apart the intake to clean the crap out of it.

When i picked up the car everything was fine until on day 3 i started reving it a bit and it started to smoke like mad on left turns only.... how bizarre was that... so as i was reading i figured AOS... changed that still the same, changed oil and filter (thought maybe level was too high) still the same... until i read about the cylinder head extractor pumps... so i figured it was a pump gone bad since the pump on the 1-2-3 side sits at the rear right making left turns oil swish to back of right cylinder (and conveniently the vent to the AOS is directly above it)... anyhow to make a long story shorter... I put the car on the hoist to check the pump only to realize when the flashlight hit it, that the pump was installed backwards! The pumps for left and right are the same but one has to pay attention to the markings on the extractor pumps for proper orientation. Anyhow loosened the bolts, flipped the pump, went for a run 6500rpm full throttle, stop left turn full throttle and NO MORE SMOKE! Wow I still cant believe some schmuck installed a pump backwards. The good thing there is no knock, smooth and steady idle... changed the oil again, just in case and all is good.
As i was digging in there i noticed the Oil Level Sender unit under the driver side intake tubes was leaking through the plastic of the sender unit; so i ordered a new one for 60 bux... and just realized that to get it out one has to dismantle the entire air intake from the block on the drivers side OMG.

So after not even having the car for a month, I think i've had a good intro into ownership and the few rides i did take so far were quite enjoyable... I just want to make sure the car is perfect before i have to store it away for the snowy season here :(
All i can say thank goodness i have a mechanics background and my online resources (such as this forum) or this would cost me a fortune in labour bills at the shop.

Thanks for this great forum...

Cheers,
Heiko

Welcome to the forum and great job troubleshooting!! All that work in three weeks? Wow... Looks like you can already help others on this site. Looking forward to seeing more posts from you.

LOL.
I was thiking the same thing.
Don't you have a job? Or you just don't sleep at night? :D

Hahaha... Hmmm talk to wife... she opened the door last night and I'm laying over the rear fender, half into the engine bay with the manifold removed and she says "what are you doing out here still... are you coming to bed, it's after midnight" and thats not the first time i heard that in the last few weeks...
When stuff leaks or doesnt work, it drives me nuts until its fixed... Anyhow once i get her all done i will post some more pics, but here is the cleaned engine bay and a side view with the 18's mounted - Not bad for 12 years old I think :)

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1349874701.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1349874782.jpg

Hat's off to you! Nice work and great Box.

Thanks Litespeedp - i'm hoping to get all the previous owners dirt off so I can add my own :)
Cheers,
Heiko

Wow! Can you tell me what you did to get your engine looking like that?
It looks like you cleaned the top side of the engine case??? How?

You have a lift???? Nice! Oh and welcome!

Very nice but is that dust is see on the end of that hose?

Tricolor - yes there probably was still some dirt, but i've had to take all the intake manifolds out since and now its really clean - LOL

JayKay - Spray it down from the top with 'Castrol Clean All' then take a garden hose
with the nozzle off and just use normal water flow to rinse everything off without any mist or spray etc... dont worry the dirt comes off easy. It might take a second spray/wash or even a soft
brush on the plastic pieces to get the heavy grime off (but the castrol works great). After
that warm it up and wipe off all the visible water (dont worry the rest will dry). Once its dry
get yourself a can of silicon sray (I use a very light silicon spray - not the 3in1 brand its really greasy) and spray down the entire bay and all... give it a few min then wipe off the excess and the rest dries off. The silicon spray protects all the plastic, rubber etc. Works like a charm...
(just dont use a pressure washer etc as you will get water into your electrical contacts etc - they are made splash proof - not water proof - lol - and you dont want to get any spray inside the car when the roof is partially open... just normal water flow from the hose)
H