'02 Boxster S TLC.
 

Hi fellow 986ers, I've bought my first Porsche as a non-starting project car sight unseen via an online auction. I just couldn't ignore a lady in distress and when I first spotted it the auction was going to end within 60 seconds so I placed a bid just to extend it a further 10 minutes while I check out the listing. Naturally, all other bidders immediately disappeared without a trace and I win it! What could possibly go wrong eh??? :o

It's done only 78,500 kms and is a TipTronic in Seal Grey and black trim. It has the rear wind deflector and clear indicators.

No service history at all. I'm hoping to find a dealer that recognises the VIN and can fill me in. Probably a long shot.

There are lots of small parts that seem to be missing (I've yet to look in every nook and cranny), which is more of an annoyance than anything else. The frunk latch has been removed, presumably due to the battery alway sgoing flat because of the ignition switch, so that will need attention prior to me driving the car anwyhere.

It needs a new roof as the rear window is split and I really don't fancy stiching in a new one as it may look like rubbish and not have tension. I wonder if a burgundy roof would look good against Seal Grey?

The car has clearly been neglected for some time and my intention is to go right over it mechanically and evaluate where it's at (I'm a qualified mechanic, though I left the industry in '00). I'm also something of an amateur detailer and like a challenge so I'll be tackling the cosmetics as well which will include an attempt at paintless dent repair (my first) as well as scratch repairs and of course paint correction and leather rejuvination.

At this point I'm intending on turning the car over at hopefully a modest profit, but I've not yet driven it and I suspect that may all change very quickly once I get to know her a little better. Or I'll find it's a basket case and I'll be lucky not to lose money :-/

Number one challenge was to confirm why the battery was flat - I'd pre-diagnosed the ignition switch. This guess was on the money. In my eagerness to evaluate the car, I bought one from a Volkswagen dealer near work instead of online so I paid AU$100 too much it seems. At least I know it's not a Chinese knock-off I suppose.

Fully expecting it to now start and run, I was somewhat deflated to find that it cranks ok and almost starts, but not quite.

I also hear an alarming rattling noise from under the engine but thankfully that was some loose and missing exhaust nuts. Relief!!!

I check for spark which is ok and bridge the fuel pump relay and find that there's no change. I try some Aerostart - slight improvement but still no start.

I just spoke to Ivor in the service department at Porsche Centre Melbourne and was blown away at how willing he was to advise me. If that was a Ford dealer they'd have offered no help at all other than suggesting a tow operator to get the car to them.

Ivor has confirmed that the dash light won't come on at all if the key is not recognised and I would have trouble getting the key out again(!).

So it seems that we're ok there. He likes my plan to replace the plugs (AU$100 for NGK double platinums) and also suggested that I drain the tank and put in fresh fuel as I have no idea how long it's been stationary.

He warned me against using Aerostart again.

My gut feeling is good on pursuing the the bad-fuel angle so I'll be taking his advice ASAP.

What it's doing...
https://www.youtube.com/embed/muGvW7ziiZI

Pictures of what I've bought into...

http://i.imgur.com/vxtHLVe.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/v1r9RDe.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7zMKvo5.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/JCP6diG.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/SM2ByPE.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YeS6VFJ.jpg

Hopefully good news soon and plenty more updates to come!

Welcome to the Forum. That looks like quite a project, but you seem up to the task. At least it sounds promising when you crank it. Fresh fuel is a good start, also it won't hurt to give the MAF a cleaning. Have you checked it for DTC codes?

With the rear window split, you should probably make sure that the Central Locking Unit under the driver's seat has not been exposed to moisture. If you get to it before any major corrosion sets in, a good/careful cleaning can preserve it.

I have bought about a dozen cars from insurance/salvage auctions, three of them Boxsters. I have sold or traded all of the other cars and kept the Boxsters. Once you get it sorted out, it may be hard to part with.
:cheers:

Man you really got screwed, the steering wheel and pedals were installed on the wrong side. That will be very expensive to move :p

All seriousness aside

Welcome and it looks like it will be a great car
Tons of info and help here. You also should checkout boxa.net, its a similar forum, but UK based and may be helpful for cars with the wrong side drive. :cheers:

At very least, change the oil before doing anything else. You change all the fluids, Oil, Trans, brake flush, etc

Do a 60k mile service as well.

Hi 78', thanks for the interest.

No codes in it as it had a flat battery when I got it. I've checked a few times, and nothing's come up - yet. I'll clean the MAF tomorrow and try again. I'll also check the unit under the seat for moisture, it looked fine with a cursory glance, but I do need to delve deeper now...

...because, even with the fresh fuel and new platinum plugs that I just lavished on the poor thing, it's still not starting :eek:

It's 2am so I'm calling it a day and will regroup tomorrow. Thanks again for the ideas. :)

Hah! I'm not at all sure that I didn't get royally screwed!

You know - the oil smells so strongly of fuel it just may be contributing. Good thinking 99. Besides, I don't want that IMS bearing sitting in oil of unknown vintage any longer than it already has :cheers:

Welcome to the forum, looks like a small project, hopefully! Seal Gray is great color, and the dents don't look too bad. A new top is an easy fix. Take a look at Auto Tops Direct, they are the same company as GAHH. You can buy from their site or eBay. I listened to your video, and I am not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, but my guess is either no spark or no/bad fuel. New plugs and a fresh tank of gas sounds like a good start to me:cheers:

Upon reflection, and with significantly less petrol fumes in my lungs, it seems to be much more willing to skip along with semi-ignition compared to how it was with the old fuel and plugs. So for now I'm going to go with the theory that the amount of fuel left in the tank after I drained it, coupled with that remaining in the fuel lines/rail means that the 10 litres of fresh fuel that I put in is not quite enough to overcome the stale fuel.

So another 10 litres tonight and we'll see how that goes. After that, if it's still not firing, I'll be taking a close look at the alarm/central locking module under the seat.

Well my Boxster is now referred to as The Cheeky Imp - the additional fresh fuel made no difference!

So it's was time to get back to basics, but I'm not in the mood tonight.

So I inspected the under-seat Central Locking unit instead and it all looked 100% clean to me. As did the adjacent wiring. Carpet was dry so it appears that the horrid tape that was covering the splits in the rear window was doing the job.

http://i.imgur.com/0TSQgU5l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5YlLo1Al.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qJK3mCdl.jpg

Bonus pic of the double Platinum NGK plugs that I put in.
http://i.imgur.com/ByaLWZWl.jpg

As I mentioned, I wasn't in the mood tonight for problem solving so I started on the leather. Soaked the steering wheel and seats in Leatherique. LOVE this stuff.

Sorry for the bad quality pic, but you can see where the 'oil' has already soaked into the crevices in the background. This is verrrry thirsty leather so I'm hoping for an amazing transformation once it's nourished and clean.

http://i.imgur.com/SWnDAkEl.jpg

Back to the main game tomorrow!

'02 Boxster S TLC.
 

I removed the throttle body to check that it's opening slightly while cranking and it is.



I need to double check these plugs but got distracted over the weekend. I've ordered a Durametric unit in the hope that it pull out something worthwhile logged by the car's brains.



What distracted me - I began my dabbling in the art of paintless dent removal. I have to say, it's very rewarding! I've not really attempted the final painstaking part of completely levelling out the lumps and bumps, but I'm greatly encouraged by what I've managed to do so far.



Feature dent progress pics below. I had to stop at this point as I was running out of daylight and I've decided that I prefer having daylight to use for this job. But you can perhaps get the gist of how satisfying it is to gradually pull something back to where it's meant to be.



Before the first pull...

http://i.imgur.com/JmDTO3Fh.jpg



After the first pull.

http://i.imgur.com/CDHRyDeh.jpg



I then switched from a pops-a-dent type screw puller, to a slide hammer approach, hence the different hardware glued to the panel, ready for pulling.

http://i.imgur.com/wNm8Q5fh.jpg



http://i.imgur.com/iAH8onHh.jpg



Getting there!

http://i.imgur.com/54kKARGh.jpg

Looking good!
Where did you get the PDR tools?

Also what jack stands are you using? I see one in the pic and it looks different than ones I have seen

Thanks, the real test is to see if I can keep my cool during the final detail work. Time will tell... worse case scenario I've made the panel beaters job a little easier as they can go straight to filling any little defects that may be left. The objective is to not need paint though.

I just picked what looked like the best option off eBay - cheap chinese stuff. AU$205. Ideally I'd have a thousand dollars worth of rods to be able to push the creases out with greater accuracy. That way I'd need to do a whole lot less tapping back, if that makes sense.

http://i.imgur.com/YwIflei.jpg

I've had those jack stands for years, they're not exactly heavy duty, but their rating is more than enough for use with a car. Wouldn't recommend them on a truck though!

I'm still waiting on that Durametric to try and get on top of the non-start issue.

In the meantime, fresh air and cabin filters have gone into the car, along with engine oil and filter. It's good to get that nasty oil out of the engine - it's been sitting in that long enough!

No more dent pulling as yet, though plenty of massaging oil into the worn sections of the seats.

Finally pulled my finger out and sorted this out - the spoiler hard up against the bootlid and at a weird angle rather than flush with the lines of the bootlid and bumper.
http://i.imgur.com/yBgWutCh.jpg

At first I assumed it was something amiss with the retracting mechanism, but soon spotted that it didn't seem to be mounted at the rear - it was just sitting on top of it as you can see in the below pic.
http://i.imgur.com/BaR6rSil.jpg

So I drill out the three plastic rivets holding the front edge
http://i.imgur.com/KY2yhurl.jpg

I re-mount it by clipping it onto the rear edge first, then re-rivet it at the front, using standard metal pop-rivets for now.
http://i.imgur.com/IYEdiMTl.jpg

Voila! Thoroughly satisfying :o
http://i.imgur.com/FCumFPCh.jpg

Great post, I have a resurrection post going to in the general section.

If you jump the fuel pump relay you must hear the pump run. If not you have a bad fuel pump.

You have spark, so the crank position sensor is good.

Mess with the fuel pump and see if it's just seized from sitting, s few gentle taps with a rubber hammer.

Plus, as has been pointed out, the steering wheel is on the wrong side. That may be the root of your problems...��

'02 Boxster S TLC.
 

Thanks re "great post", much appreciated :)

Fuel pump is definitely doing it's thing, I used it to drain the tank, though I have no gauge to confirm what pressure it's capable of. Still, seems unlikely to me that it's the cause as the plugs get plenty wet.

I received what turns out to be a counterfeit Durametric so am returning that and sourcing a genuine unit now. AU$500 is rather a lot, so I hope it helps!!! The local(ish) dealer service guy suspects that one of the cars brains has lost the plot due to a negative polarity or the like from the last owner. He want me to get it towed their so they can spend a couple of hours diagnosing the problem for me. May be a better option, still undecided, as I'll likely want a Durametric at some stage down the track anyway and if it helps me diagnose it then it will have paid for itself.

Did some more dent removal and started on an attempt at a (major) scratch repair.

I knocked off half a dozen small dings well enough that I can't find them again now, and I almost finished the large one on the drivers front guard - I've decided it doesn't pay to spend too long on a single section as a fresh look another day seems to be a wise approach.

Still, a before and after on that large one;


Before;
http://i.imgur.com/JmDTO3Fh.jpg

After;
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11...f13430e359.jpg

I'm further encouraged by my results thus far.

I'll be sure to check out your thread when I can get to my PC jcslocum [emoji106]🏼

You certain you have spark???

Check the CPS and does the tach needle move when you turn it on and crank it??

I'm also very tempted to buy one of those dent puller kits. CAn a complete dumb-ass learn to use it?? Our car polished up really nicely but id let down be dents and dings:

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i1...psxkhnvilt.jpg

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i1...psnlsfdomi.jpg

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i1...psohduzwlf.jpg

We have a few like that all over....

'02 Boxster S TLC.
 

If you have an affinity with metal, you'll get 90% repairs in no time. Just watch as many YouTube vids as you can, collectively they give enough away that you can fumble through a couple of dings and learn quickly - the key is to stop and consider the unwanted tension within the panel and soften that with some taps prior to the pull. The last 10 percent is half time & patience and half experience. If I was smart I would have first practiced on a discarded panel! There's one ding in the drivers door that I'm not sure I'll ever get the waves out of as I got it wrong.
In the pull by pull pics in my earlier post, my second pull should have been my first one as it effectively released the tension.

P.s. What a rewarding colour you have! The improvement is amazing...

'02 Boxster S TLC.
 

Yep, tacho needle moves when cranking. It had spark though I do remember thinking that the spark was coming and going a bit when cranking - I put that down to the setup of my test.



Sorry, but what's the CPS, and how do I check it???

'02 Boxster S TLC.
 

I've been trying to find time to keep moving on this, it's been difficult with kids and the business.



I managed to pull another half a dozen or so small dents out of the boot and roof cowl last weekend. I'm very happy with the results on the small ones, the large ones not so much...yet.



And I have just ordered a genuine Durametric unit.

Oops, hadn't finished that last post, had a browser issue :-/

One thing that I've been avoiding sharing is that every panel on this car has been keyed. I know, poor little Porka right? It looked so sad sitting there, all unloved, how could I not try and sort it out?

Anyway, I've been testing my intended method for cleaning up the scratches as well as I possibly can - without resorting to paint. My fuel filler cover has been my test patch.

Before...
http://i.imgur.com/tBaG6QNl.jpg

After. It looks good from this angle...
http://i.imgur.com/k8SfzZol.jpg

But with the light on it, you can see that the process of polishing out the sanding marks has taken out more touch-up paint that the surrounding paint.
http://i.imgur.com/UGJ0ikyl.jpg

So I'm planning to try again, this time using clear coat and leaving it to dry for a week before sanding and polishing. I can't make it look worse, so I've nothing to lose!

I finally made the call and ordered the Durametric, it's a nice unit and likewise for the software.

It arrived today and there's a very suspicious code and persistent there. If I clear it, then it reoccurs as soon as I crank it.
http://i.imgur.com/b0x0zcil.jpg

I hope to post good news once I've sourced a replacement crank angle sensor.

This is what the windscreen trim looks like on my car. It seems that it's always looked this way, but I'm not 100% sure. I don't much like it but I thought I'd check here before changing it just in case it's a highly valued rare option or somesuch!

http://i.imgur.com/k3mEtJEl.jpg

I think that I recall reading somehwere that it was supposed to be 'Platinum' coloured, the same as the badging on the boot???

I'd like to take that coating off to expose something less drab. Should I not?

Facebook group reassured me that the finish had deteriorated so I attacked it with 0000 steel wool lubricated with some clay lube.

Pic shows the improvement (on the left!). I'm happy that I tried this. Recommended.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...a296c0f1e5.jpg

I figured out the paint code for the silver details within the cabin - L4W9.

The glossy silver details are usually referred to as Alumalook.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...4b04055d1c.jpg

I sprayed a pencil as a test, including clear, and it's bang on. So I can definitely say that the paint code for Alumalook is L4W9!
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...f3cbb4cccc.jpg

I'm considering colour coding the roll hoops to the exterior, and doing the console in Alumalook. I think that any combo will look much better than it does now so I'll not overthink it.

Oh, I also broke a roof mechanism pushrod on the weekend - and due to impatience I paid 5 or six times too much by buying the pushrod from Porsche - they wouldn't supply the broken plastic section on its own. At least install is easy.

Finally, I replaced the crank angle sensor today as the Durametric was showing me a code but, *sob*, the car is still not starting. I'm rather annoyed as I shouldn't have jumped at a simple code - the taco was moving. I got overexcited at having a code for a known weak component that would cause a non-start. Stupid. At least it wasn't too expensive.

I'll pull a plug when I get time to take another look. Back to basics...got lazy.

Check for fuel in the rail. Or give it a huff of starting ether in the intake and see if you get fire...

Here is what the 'Aluminum Look' roll hoops, console and A/C surround will look like if you do it. Notice the ignition surround as well. Good luck with your project.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1450195424.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1450195535.jpg

Thanks again for the suggestions, all welcome!

I've had a heap of pressure in the rail when I 've checked previously, and this morning there was a bit of a development when I had another go at starting it. It was cranking very fast and after I stopped cranking, it actually ran for a fraction of a second - it sounded very much like it was flooded and I saw black smoke. Progress!!!

A too-rich scenario does make sense as it tends to give an optomistic kick when first cranked, then it settles into a fast crank.

I was on my way to the office and was suited up so couldn't delve deeper. I really need to take a day off to take my time and work through this. Having a baby in the house and a baby in the garage is not a good life choice, but I'll get there.

And I dearly miss having access to an oscillascope :( And being able to speak to the previous owner would be damned handy too!

It looks like yours is Seal Grey too? Great to see the pics thanks - and well done on the tweaks - these cars really are a lot of fun! Yours reminds me of the concept's interior.
http://i.imgur.com/DpO0wC7.jpg
(pic credit to Boxster Buyers Guide - Boxster Owners Guide)

I'm definitely going to go silver on the console as that looks brilliant on yours and it ties in with the rest of the S interior. The roll hoops I'm still undecided and probably always will be!

http://i.imgur.com/ICVVEtth.jpg?1

Pulled a plug and it seems to me that it certainly has both fuel and spark. Too much fuel it seems - but when I pulled the fuel pump fuse and gave it a few good cranks it settled down into a normal speed crank as the fuel supply dwindled, but it didn't fire at any stage. I'd expect it to at least run for a moment or two as it transitioned from too much fuel to too little.

It's such a disadvantage to be trying to sort all this out with no knowledge of the cars history. Anyway, that's what I signed up for so no point whining about it ;)

To ease my frustration I did a spot of detailing in the frunk, replaced a blown headlight bulb and repaired the wiring to a front indicator. I also replaced the rear and side indicators as they had faded to white on the rear, and the side indicators had clear bulbs in them so they were flashing white - which is no good in Aus!

Getting the car moving under it's own power was a key part of getting this thing sorted out in a reasonable time frame. So I'm tired and annoyed at the moment, I will come back to this another day.

I'd bet sorting the CPS will get the car started.

I replaced the CPS a couple of days ago and.....no change.

I cleared all the codes and got a range of them come back. I'll clear them all again when I get time and document it.

I'm tempted to throw a key/immobilizer/DME set at it just to get a known good set in there.

My car is actually Arctic Silver and the Silver inside really complements the exterior. I also painted my rear bumperettes to match the body. Here is a shot of the rear and a side shot as well. I think the roll hoops tie in great with the humps as well http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1450542854.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1450543364.jpg

Looks brilliant, a must do for your colour combo.

Sorry I missed where you had replace the CPS...Just saw that you had ordered it!

Oops, duplicate post.

Well I took a couple of hours off work and pulled the plugs.

The two front plugs are pitch black with soot - so firing, presumably with too much fuel. It was one of these that I used to test that the car had spark back on day one.
One of the others from each side is almost completely clean and smelling of fuel - so not firing and has fuel.
The remaining two, one from each side, are what I'd call normal.

I did a quick test on the coils with a Ohm meter and they are all the same. The two outside terminals have zero resistance, and no other pins registered infinite resistance. That seemed odd, but they were all the same so I'll take some more time soon and check spark swapping out each coil one at a time on the one cylinder that I can see while cranking the car. If they are all firing when connected to that plug, I'll move my testing to one of the other plugs.

I'm somewhat encouraged as if the car has two cylinders not firing and another two flooded then that would explain why it's not quite starting. Hopefully I'm looking at a couple of faulty coils and some dodgy injectors - that's a huge guess of course.

Wish I could help....

Maybe a smoke test to check for vacuum leaks?? Might be why it's rich on some and lean on others.

You getting anywhere with this???

Thanks for checking in. I'm standing here next to the car reading my multimeter's manual to understand if it can give me a millisecond reading on the injectors, or just a duty cycle.

Today I confirmed that all the coils are firing across a 2cm gap. I confirmed one side of the car that this is the case no matter which connector I plug the coil into. So I'm confident that it has spark on all 6 cylinders.

I'm toying with the idea of taking off the manifold to inspect it, as well as to hopefully be able to see a valve moving within the inlet port which I can hopefully use to check the timing of the cams. I doesn't look easy though...

And have also been doing a job that no one should ever have to do...
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...6c09ad8087.jpg

And also derived a bizarre amount of satisfaction detailing one particular spot on the car.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...d9a9792283.jpg

I received the decals for my calipers so that's now waiting for me to get time.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...1131715345.jpg

Here she sits. Still!
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...a5efa0649b.jpg

p.s. 2016 is 75 minutes old here - HAPPY NEW YEAR!