New owner - what to tackle first
 

Hello everyone. I picked up an '01 Boxster yesterday with 34,000 miles on it. This is my first Porsche. When I buy a used car, I usually start by replacing all the fluids (engine oil, trans oil, diff oil), filters, and plugs/wires. However, most of the cars I buy have way more than 34,000 miles.

Without knowing the service history of this vehicle, is it necessary to go through all this with so little mileage? Are the fluids still useful, even if they are fifteen years old? I'm assuming the trans and diff fluid are original.

Anything I should definitely take care of right away?
Thanks.

With that low milage, I'd be checking out the IMS. I also have a '01 S and our engine has single row IMS. Mine had 118k when I purchased it and my IMS had been upgraded at some time to double. Hate to tell you this but 34K boxsters made of our vintage have a much, much higher occurrence of IMS failure than a the higher milage ones you see for sale. Best wishes.

Oh, BTW. Shocks, end links, coolant resivor, ignition switch, valve adjustment. Check all those too. Age without miles causes things like the struts on the bonnet and trunk to fail. Also the drive axle boots and motor mounts are very high wear items.

Right, and I'd change all fluids on that car, even the waterpump. There is no such thing as antifreeze that lasts 15 years, it also needs to go.

Brake Fluid flush and Oil change/filter at least.

Then take apart the oil filter element and inspect for metal, plastic and magnetic bits.

New engine air filter and perhaps the cabin air filter as well as they are all likely all original.

Be sure to get the recommended brand/type of oil, you will need 9quarts of it.

Be careful of striping the oil plug as its going into aluminum, so be gentle.

Also, take pictures, we want to admire another Porsche.

As for coolant, you should not DIY unless you have the right tools for changing it out. Its quite common for inexperienced with Boxster folks to incompletely bleed air out of the coolant system and cause further issues.

I would keep an eye on your oil filter for Magnetic bits which may indicate bearing issues but its only 1 in 10 of the single row bearing 986's that will ever have an IMS issue so don't loose any sleep over all the IMS hype. Just be on the lookout for magnetic bits in the oil at regular 5k miles oil changes. A magnetic oil plug is a wise investment to that end.

Wrong, 2001's swing both ways (single and dual), the only way to know is to pull the tranny and inspect the flange. See IMSRETROFIT.COM.

You didn't say that you'd had a PPI (pre purchase inspection) done on the car before purchasing it so if you haven't you may want to take it to an indie you trust, or is highly recommended by other Porsche owners in your area, and have a PPI (post purchase inspection) done. It will set you back a couple of hundred but you will then have a list of items of possible concern and recommendations of what to do next by someone more familiar with Boxsters.

Always do a full major service after buying a car with no service history - replace oil, oil filter, engine air filter, cabin air filter, trans fluid, brake fluid, coolant, spark plugs, and top up power steering fluid (its under the engine cover so it rarely gets checked).

Now, you don't have to do all of this before you drive it, but I'd do it sooner than later.

Wow, I'm honestly surprised at the number of replies I received. Sounds like this is a great community. Here are some pictures. All it really needs are new cup holders.

Attachment 20323

Attachment 20324

Attachment 20326

Attachment 20327

Attachment 20328

Great looking car.

Those things enumerated above are all good. I'm a cheap Yankee so I inspect things like air filter, etc... instead of automatically replacing.

I would inspect very closely the coolant tank in the truck, under the carpet on the side. Not just peek, but pull the carpet and a flashlight and really look, just to make sure it's not leaking.

Front motor mounts are a failure point on these cars. It's hard to see and is a small pain to replace. but it's probably shot.

Air Oil Separator (AOS) is another known failure point. It's really can't be inspected and I would think age is as big a killer of these as is mileage. When the car is running and you can't take off the oil filler cap, the diaphragm inside is prolly bad. A real PIA to change.

Oil filler line from the trunk filler to the engine. They crack.

Brake fluid flush. Color of the fluid tells all. Dark it's old and needs flushing, a nice clear amber color, it's prolly new-ish but still easy to flush.

Clean out the convertible top drains, Water in the cabin and under the seats is really BAD! Alarm computer is under drivers seat and will die if it gets wet.

There's lots of things to dd and good luck with the car!!!

drive the piss out of it...... most important

A good read on this site will certainly let you start your Preventive Maintenance replacement items List

DIYer or do you need a mechanic?? All those basics and fluids as DIYer aren't such an expensive list. From a shop, could be $$$$ BUT still good points to address.

Personally, I have gotten some level of comfort dropping my oil sump plate to see what is floating around in there. Each time I find nothing as well as my filter.
Hardest part is putting the right amount of sealant on.

I would add to the mentioned items, Convertible top Cleaning and treatment.

And Drive it
Wait wait wait - Don't turn the key until you do the IMSB

Hello,

if you don't know the maintenance status of the car i would change all fluids prevetatively. The fluids are 15 years old.

• Motor oil - 8 litres

• Transmission / Diif. oil (is one unit). You need a special Transaxle oil.

• Coolant - 22.5 litres. You need a special Si-OAT coolant or you have to flush the complete coolant system (OEM is BASF Glysantin G40); while you are there i would check radiators, water pump, thermostate

• Brake fluid - and don't forget to bleed the clutch while doing that

• Steering fluid - check - it's Pentosin CHF 11S

• Sparks - change if you don't know how old they are. Should be replaced every 6-7 years, even if you drive not a lot

My recommendation: Don't use fluids that are not approved by Porsche for that car. I've onced used another brand of transmission fluid with the right specs. Now i know that was not a good idea, because this oil is a transaxle oil for transmission and differential.

Search this forum for detailled infos.

Have fun with your new toy…

Regards from Germany. Markus

Thanks all. I plan to DIY everything I can. I'm a fairly experienced amateur mechanic. I also always use oem parts and fluids, when available.

Do I really need to worry about the IMS bearing at this point? I planned to inspect it whenever the clutch went, assuming the oil filter is free of metal shavings that might indicate an issue. Does the problem affect the dual row bearing as much as the single row?

Somewhat related to that, does anyone know if I can take the trans out with regular floor jack stands...what kind of clearance do I need?

I'd start by doing a compression test, leak-down test, oil filter and pan inspection, oil analysis, tire wear and date of manufacture determination. Break pad thickness measurement and rotor measurement. Belt and hose inspection. Assuming all this wasn't done as part of a PPI.

After that, with some data, I'd know the real condition of the car.

Then do everything specified in the 90k miles service. It is the most comprehensive. I'd do the AOS because it is plastic and fails with age, water pump because they fail (use the OEM one and a Porsche M96 compatible coolant). Motor mounts, trans mounts because they are rubber. This is a 15 year old car regardless of miles driven.

Next I'd find the most experienced M96 engines internals shop around hopefully LN approved. IMS kit research. IMS bearing and RMS gasket replace. The AOS and mounts are best done at the time of the IMS.

Oops, we haven't gotten the suspension inspected and at least aligned to street specs favoring tire wear by someone who sets up Porsches for the track. I say that last because they will know how settings affect handling and wear rather than just dialing in to somewhere within a rather wide spec.

Good luck. Loved both of mine. Maintained them well and they were utterly reliable, far beyond the Hondas of the era (I had 2 of each in the same time frame).

DIY Resources/Websites
 

Congratulations!

Have owned my 2000 S for nearly one month now and have found this forum and rennlist invaluable.

In addition to the Owner's Manual,

the Bentley's Service Manual (service updates here: https://wiki.bentleypublishers.com/display/tech/Publishing+Updates+Index;jsessionid=15ACF1448EADC0 2E8010F731E676AC53#PublishingUpdatesIndex-Porsche,

101 Projects by Dempsey as well as his website Porsche Boxster 986/987 (1997-2004) Technical Articles | Pelican Parts, (instructions online nearly identical to book but I bought it on amazon anyway because I like books)

Pedro's Garage DIY Projects
(Install Front Engine Mount Porsche DIY)

and of course YouTube.

Live on Okinawa (Japan) with no dealership on island and have found ordering online as my only option. Sunset and Circle Porsche consistently have the lowest prices on OEM Porsche but I've ordered mostly through Circle and Pelican (and a few items on SierraMadre) as they ship USPS and Sunset does not.

Suggest reading from several sources including forums before ordering or starting any DIY's.

Lots of info in IMSB but I like this particular one for a comprehensive but concise overall picture of the IMSB problem.

Single Row Pro IMS Retrofit Installation from Revolution Porsche - Revolution Porsche

Good Luck and Welcome to the Boxster world.

Respectfully,
Mitchell

When to enjoy
 

Wow all that for a car with 35k? Sounds like fun!

Sir, As my indy has said countless times" drive the car"

Your on the right track. While your doing fluids check the rubber condition of the engine mount. I would also recommend you buy the workshop manual and 101 things to do to your boxer.

Autos Also Age with Years not just Miles (Kilometers)
 

As chaizy mentioned below, a 2001 is 15 going on 16 model years old.
Car parts don't just age with miles, especially fluids, plastics, rubber, and other moving parts such as frunk and trunk shocks.

A couple more.
 

Get a reader and pull codes if you haven't already. This will let you know if you have to fuss with the AOS or chase down a vacuum leak.

Change serpentine belt. Replacement is inexpensive and it probably has the original which will be starting to dry rot at 15 years. Plus it is one of the easiest jobs to do.

Pull the plugs and check them. They should be changed every 30K.

Tires might be real old. Check the tire dates. If they are over 8 years old buy new. If you like to drive hard, change them if they are over 6 years old.

Flush all fluids. Air cleaner. Cabin air filter.