Spec Boxster Wiring Harness clean-up?

[Brad Roberts]

I managed to get the TexasSpec site back up and running tonight

[trygve]

"Cool", says the newest user.

[986FortyEight]

Originally Posted by Brad Roberts

I managed to get the TexasSpec site back up and running tonight

Woohoo!!! That's great news! Now the key is getting some of that activity/traffic level from the boxsterspec days back.

[986FortyEight]

Originally Posted by Jittsl

Michael, I just realized that you are in Austin. I'm in San Antonio. You are welcome to drop by any time and have a look at what I have done. Email me on Laurence.jitts@att.net if you would like to do so.

Laurie

That's very kind of you and i will take you up on the offer!
I used to live in Southlake about 3 miles from the Amonds and their porsche centric garagemahal. But now in Austin, things seems quite limited in terms of SPB racers. May just be getting to find the right venue!

[Jittsl]

Originally Posted by 986FortyEight

That's very kind of you and i will take you up on the offer!
I used to live in Southlake about 3 miles from the Amonds and their porsche centric garagemahal. But now in Austin, things seems quite limited in terms of SPB racers. May just be getting to find the right venue!

I know of at least one other Specbox in Austin but as far as i know I am the only one in San Antonio. look forward to seeing you here soon.

[Brad Roberts]

One of my customers just moved to Austin I'll be bringing his car out for events shortly.

He is CEO of fairly new startup so he doesn't have a lot of free time right now, but will when he starts to get a handle on the business.

He has been racing for 10 years. Started off in PCA TT, then moved to 944Spec where he won back to back championships, then moved to BoxsterSpec in 06, took 3 years off to run a large corporation in Shanghai, came back raced spec for one year, then won the 2012 POC BoxsterSpec championship

We *hope* to run in the top 10 with the Texas guys

I'll never forget the day Chris Amond called me "hey, what do you know about this BoxsterSpec thing"? lol This was mid to late 06. I've considered the Amond family "friends" since the mid 90's when they came to my shop one day in Arlington.

[986FortyEight]

So I've had no time to work in the car this
Past week but with a nice 75F this week-end I should be making some progress.
There are a few items (wires and such) I am not quite certain about so invite you to check this thread during the week-end as I will post a few pix and invite You to play "what is this and can I lose it?".
A good example is the one wire (looks like ground) that travels under the emergency brake and dives under the center tunnel through a rubber grommet. My guess is: ground to the fuel filter, and should probably keep that to be safe. The pix of most SPB builds out there show no wire there. Thoughts?

[trygve]

Originally Posted by 986FortyEight

...
A good example is the one wire (looks like ground) that travels under the emergency brake and dives under the center tunnel through a rubber grommet. My guess is: ground to the fuel filter, and should probably keep that to be safe. The pix of most SPB builds out there show no wire there. Thoughts?

You are correct, it's the ground wire for the fuel filter. I think Brad told me it's not necessary. And you'd think it would be possible to ground it under the car somewhere also. I just fed it cleanly to the nearby ground pin on the passenger floor pan (which on my car was never used for anything, unlike the driver side) so it doesn't get in the way of stuff on the driver side floor like the rails or belts.

I only have 1 cable running along the center tunnel now, and that's the thick cable that goes to the engine (probably the battery cable going to the starter?). Everything else that used to go down the tunnel channel is gone -- parking brake lever sensor, window & heated seat switches, oddments tray alarm sensor, ashtray light, etc., all gone.

[986FortyEight]

Originally Posted by trygve

You are correct, it's the ground wire for the fuel filter. I think Brad told me it's not necessary. And you'd think it would be possible to ground it under the car somewhere also. I just fed it cleanly to the nearby ground pin on the passenger floor pan (which on my car was never used for anything, unlike the driver side) so it doesn't get in the way of stuff on the driver side floor like the rails or belts.

I only have 1 cable running along the center tunnel now, and that's the thick cable that goes to the engine (probably the battery cable going to the starter?). Everything else that used to go down the tunnel channel is gone -- parking brake lever sensor, window & heated seat switches, oddments tray alarm sensor, ashtray light, etc., all gone.

Got it. I agree on the comment regarding grounding in the direct surrounding of the filter.

So when removing all the security stuff (alarm horn, dash LED,
Sensors...) is there anything special that needs to be done in order for it to not
Become a Problem or is the immobilizer just needing to see the key code and nothing
Else matters?

[Jittsl]

I ended up completely eliminating the immobilizer but prior to doing so it came down to only nine wires (from memory) that absolutely had to be there and they were earth and power wires (switched, unswitched and delayed -terminal 86??), a few wires that ran up to the sensor coil at the key and a couple that ran back to the ECU. All the others that came from various sensors or to hardware were redundant.

If you read down the list of them on the wiring diagram in your Bentleys you'll pretty quickly be able to put them into three buckets:-
1) going nowhere (ie you've already removed whatever was on the other end)
2) going god knows where (ie disappears into the ECU for unknown reason)
3) going somewhere obviously required (ie power, earth, decoder etc.)

1&3 are easy to deal with and 2 i tended to leave alone. If you get to the point where you don't know what you are cutting it might be worth cutting one at a time and checking you are still operational in between.

[Kroggers]

Originally Posted by Jittsl

I ended up completely eliminating the immobilizer

Any more details on how you did this, I thought the car would not start if you remove the immobilizer from the car?

[Jittsl]

There is a company here in Florida called the ECU doctors who can remove the immobilizer function from the silver box that contains the ECU. I have no idea how they do it but it allows you do away with the immobilizer box and ignition key altogether (two less things to o wrong and a few pounds saved). Brad may be able to explain it better.

[Kroggers]

Originally Posted by Jittsl

There is a company here in Florida called the ECU doctors who can remove the immobilizer function from the silver box that contains the ECU. I have no idea how they do it but it allows you do away with the immobilizer box and ignition key altogether (two less things to o wrong and a few pounds saved). Brad may be able to explain it better.

So all you do is send them your ECU and they do some magic to it? Or does it do away with the complete relationship between the parts - so they could do it to any ECU that you then install in the car?

[Jittsl]

Yes. You send them your Box and they do something and then send it back. Or they can send ou a modified one (as they did in my case). After modification there is no longer a dependency on the immobilizer at all. Mine could be fitted to any 2.5 986 and the car would start.

[986FortyEight]

Eric from HRG in California got DQ-Ed for the season after scrutineering saw the Immibilizer was gone and the ECU was no longer factory.
Of course he also had a start button and the whole steering lock was gone.
I guess you just need to make sure your local scrutineering will be ok with that mod.

[Kroggers]

Originally Posted by Jittsl

Yes. You send them your Box and they do something and then send it back. Or they can send ou a modified one (as they did in my case). After modification there is no longer a dependency on the immobilizer at all. Mine could be fitted to any 2.5 986 and the car would start.

What did they charge you for the new box?

[Jittsl]

Honestly can't remember but it wasn't cheap. Drop them a line. If you can't find them Let me know and I'll find their details.

[Jittsl]

Originally Posted by 986FortyEight

Eric from HRG in California got DQ-Ed for the season after scrutineering saw the Immibilizer was gone and the ECU was no longer factory.
Of course he also had a start button and the whole steering lock was gone.
I guess you just need to make sure your local scrutineering will be ok with that mod.

Mine also has the lock etc missing but I've had no issues with PCA s far. I also tend to finish fairly low down the order so I don't think anyone is too concerned about my car having any great advantage.

[986FortyEight]

Here is the link to the thread where Eric goes over the process:
Steering Lock & Push Button Start

[Kroggers]

Originally Posted by 986FortyEight

Here is the link to the thread where Eric goes over the process:
Steering Lock & Push Button Start

Cool, thank you...