Go Back   986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners > Porsche Boxster & Cayman Forums > Boxster General Discussions

Post Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-13-2018, 01:07 PM   #1
Terrible Tuner
 
JakeSFHunter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Sacramento, California
Posts: 12
Garage
My Immobilizers story

I bought a 1999 Porsche Boxster (986) around 2 years ago and it didn't start. I found that the Immobilizers was wet and corroded so I found a used Immobilizers on eBay and after identifying the chip that stored the memory I copy pasted the original code from my Boxster into the used Immobilizers. Now my car runs and drives. The fix costed me around $200 USD.

I want to know who has run into a problem where water got into the cabin and then the car didn't start possibly due to the Immobilizers being done for.

I want to see if we can figure out how this system works and possibly get a few more Boxsters on the road.

Thanks for your time.


Last edited by JakeSFHunter; 09-13-2018 at 11:22 PM.
JakeSFHunter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2018, 07:55 AM   #2
Registered User
 
JamesVM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9
I have a 99 base as well. Last fall my drain up front on the drivers side fell through. Basically soaked my immobilizes in a pot of water for 2 months while in storage, and I didn’t know it. After removing it, cleaning it up as much as I could, the car starts, but I lost features. My courtesy lights don’t work, my keyless entry didn’t either. That’s all I’ve noticed so far. There was a guy who was repairing and waterproofing them, but I’ve yet to commit.
What are you thinking?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
JamesVM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2018, 08:13 AM   #3
Motorist & Coffee Drinker
 
78F350's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 3,653
Garage
Welcome to the forum.

If you do some searching, you will find that plenty of people have dealt with the problem and it comes up regularly. There are some professionals that rebuild or reprogram the units. A few people have the experience and tools to swap or reprogram the eeprom. Many have replaced the transponder, central locking unit, and DME with a matching set from another car.

In my most recent water intrusion event, caused by a clogged drain to the left of the engine, I was able to clean and dry the module before any permanent damage was done. Getting all the water out of the carpet padding was the most time consuming part.

Here's the worst one I've had. This car sat for about 6 months, wet. Once corrosion gets into the relays, you might as well replace the unit.
__________________
I am not an attorney, mechanic, or member of the clergy. Following any advice given in my posts is done at your own peril.
78F350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2018, 08:22 AM   #4
Registered User
 
JamesVM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9
Quote:
Originally Posted by 78F350 View Post
Welcome to the forum.



If you do some searching, you will find that plenty of people have dealt with the problem and it comes up regularly. There are some professionals that rebuild or reprogram the units. A few people have the experience and tools to swap or reprogram the eeprom. Many have replaced the transponder, central locking unit, and DME with a matching set from another car.



In my most recent water intrusion event, caused by a clogged drain to the left of the engine, I was able to clean and dry the module before any permanent damage was done. Getting all the water out of the carpet padding was the most time consuming part.



Here's the worst one I've had. This car sat for about 6 months, wet. Once corrosion gets into the relays, you might as well replace the unit.



Mine definitely didn’t / doesn’t look that bad lol, thankfully!
Would you be interested in dealing with mine? I’ll be by the car later today and can post a pic of mine. I’d like to just bypass it, but haven’t researched it yet


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
JamesVM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2018, 08:35 AM   #5
Motorist & Coffee Drinker
 
78F350's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 3,653
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesVM View Post
... Would you be interested in dealing with mine? I’ll be by the car later today and can post a pic of mine. I’d like to just bypass it, but haven’t researched it yet.
I probably can't do much for yours, but I highly recommend forum member 'Qmulus'. I'm sending you a PM with his contact info.
__________________
I am not an attorney, mechanic, or member of the clergy. Following any advice given in my posts is done at your own peril.
78F350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2018, 08:36 AM   #6
Registered User
 
JamesVM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 9
Quote:
Originally Posted by 78F350 View Post
I probably can't do much for yours, but I highly recommend forum member 'Qmulus'. I'm sending you a PM with his contact info.


Much appreciated


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
JamesVM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2018, 03:48 PM   #7
Terrible Tuner
 
JakeSFHunter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Sacramento, California
Posts: 12
Garage
This is how bad my immobilizer was.



It didn't work at all and the chip circled in red was the chip I tapped into and copy its memory onto the other used immobilizer's memory. The only problem I have now is the security system doesn't fully engage (maybe because the pigtail is partially destroyed). When locking the car the the alarm sounds twice, and the red light flashes twice every 10 seconds. Coincidentally my remote stopped working after a few weeks, light flashes but don't send a signal.

Regarding the immobilizer the chip can be soldered over to a different immobilizer or I can explain how I reprogrammed it, but there are professionals here (wish I knew earlier) who can do it better than me.
JakeSFHunter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2018, 05:29 PM   #8
Motorist & Coffee Drinker
 
78F350's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 3,653
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by JakeSFHunter View Post
... Regarding the immobilizer the chip can be soldered over to a different immobilizer or I can explain how I reprogrammed it, but there are professionals here (wish I knew earlier) who can do it better than me.
You did great and the $200 you paid is less than the pros usually charge.

As for your other security system issues, you could start another thread specifically about them, but do a good search first. I know that the 2 beeps and flashing light has come up a few times too.
I have not had to deal with that yet, but I remember reading about the ground for the radio causing some alarm problems after installation of an aftermarket system. Also make sure all the connections and grounds are clean for the immobilizer box. I have a harness I can scavenge for parts if yours has a corroded connector.

__________________
I am not an attorney, mechanic, or member of the clergy. Following any advice given in my posts is done at your own peril.
78F350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2018, 06:40 AM   #9
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Cozumel MX
Posts: 37
Quote:
Originally Posted by 78F350 View Post
I probably can't do much for yours, but I highly recommend forum member 'Qmulus'. I'm sending you a PM with his contact info.
Hi... I'm having some issues with my immobilizer too but live too far from a dealership for assistance. Was parked in a flood area and sat for a few days - got car started but windows, alarm and trunk locks are not working

I sent Qmulus a msg thru this board but have yet to hear back. Would it be possible for you to relay my contact info to him or PM me his email, FB, text or other way of getting a hold of him?

Appreciate any assistance.

Best,
Marty
Marty.D.Chacon@gmail.com
Attached Images
 
Marty97 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2018, 07:28 AM   #10
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Cozumel MX
Posts: 37
Just heard back from Qmulus, all set on this end.

Thanks../mc

Marty97 is offline   Reply With Quote
Post Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -8. The time now is 11:56 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page