Engine won't turn over

[jji680]

My Boxster refuses to start. When I turn the ignition key, all the lights come on...but nothing happens. The dial shows that I am in "Reverse" although the lever is in Park. I have tried starting from neutral, but without success. Can anybody help?

[deliriousga]

What year, miles, etc.?

Possibly the ignition switch. It's one of the parts that seems to go out often and it causes all kinds of electrical gremlins....including no start. Also clean your battery posts and check the ground points for corrosion at least once a year. The Bentley manual has a nice layout of the ground points in it.

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

Ignition Switch is certainly a possibility, but I'm betting that it's your Shifter Support or Shiftlock Solenoid. Both these guys live under the Center Console, and both are prone to getting gunked up from Dust, Dirt and Grease. The fix is to disaasemble them, clean them up, and reassemble (best left to a Dealer).

The quick fix, so you can drive to the Dealer is to put the Ignition in the On position, depress the Brake, then depress the Lockout knob on the Shifter and go from Neutral to Park with some authority (it may take several attempts). When right, you'll see the Park light up on the Dash. Another symptom related to the same problem is that you won't necessarily be able to go to Manual Mode. The Shifter will go there, but won't be acknowledged on the Dash and the Steering Wheel Selector buttons won't work. This is because the Car is still in Auto mode.

This is the only problem I have had with my Boxster to date. A year ago the Dealer charged me $167.00 - no parts, just labor to clean and adjust it. Works the Business ever since. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99