My Red '97

[78F350]

I've been enjoying the car, taking care of a few little things as I get time. I made a short video of what a failing water pump looks like while I was doing a replacement. For a replacement pump, the people I trust all recommend a Pierburg pump. Water pumps are not a part that you want to shop for the cheapest....

https://youtu.be/Q8DOomefcSA

[dghii]

Enjoyed your thread!
I believe you are 100% correct in the fact that trying to get the car back close to 'perfect' will not result in a potential sale where you'd make any money. I like your approach to just make a nice DD, taking care of maintenance items along with repairing the typical Boxster issues.

Thing is, these cars are too much fun and actually very reliable. Looking on CL for what $2,500-$3,500 buys you, these cars are just standouts!

I've owned and still look at Miatas, old Alfa and Fiat Spiders but know that at the same price point, the Box is a no brainer.
Enjoy your car!

[78F350]

Today I got the AC working. The clutch bearing on the compressor was worn out. The proper thing to do in this case is to take the car to a shop and have them install a new compressor, then evacuate and recharge the system. In my case, I've got a couple old compressors on the shelf from cars that I've scrapped and I figured there was nothing to lose by taking about 30 minutes to just swap out the clutch. Cost me nothing, no gasses were released to the atmosphere, and the AC works great now.


Next I took a look at the front suspension. It has felt a little loose. With the front jacked up and wheels off the ground, I rocked the wheels. There was obvious play at the ball joints. The rest looked pretty good except for the left strut being covered with greasy dirt. I decided to go ahead and use parts from a 2002 S on it. I thought of transplanting the whole wheel carrier with the strut, but I want to go back to the 16" wheels on this car and I don't think they fit well with the S model brakes.


Now that I have those springs and struts on the front, I probably need to swap the rear springs as well to keep it all balanced.
Future work; I want to figure out why the power steering isn't working. There's plenty of fluid and no obvious problems with the pump or leaks. I don't really mind the ride with manual steering, but I don't like having it broken unless I know why.

[PaulE]

Nice! What is the hearse used for? Your day job?

[Qingdao]

Originally Posted by 78F350

Future work; I want to figure out why the power steering isn't working. There's plenty of fluid and no obvious problems with the pump or leaks. I don't really mind the ride with manual steering, but I don't like having it broken unless I know why.

Pressures ok?

Low pressure:
First place to look is regulator. Then pump vanes (IE replace the pump)


High pressure:
Obstructions (like a kinked line)



I'm partial to the 17" wheels. IMPO its the perfect balance between small and large with plenty of room for good brakes.

[78F350]

Paul, I took the hearse in a trade for a Cayenne that had a blown air strut and was coming due for a bunch of maintenance. It's a 1977 Cadillac. It runs and drives well and is pretty simple to work on. For now it is mostly a mobile storage container. Future plans are to redo the interior (which is rough) and use it for weekend trips, touring around state parks. I had originally though it could be a decent tow vehicle, but it's really not built for that.

Quingdao, I haven't started troubleshooting the steering beyond looking for leaks, topping off the fluid, and listening to the pump. I'll have to get a look at how to test the pressure – that sounds like the best next step.

For the wheels, I already have 20”, 18”, and 17” on cars and I agree that the 17s are the best all around size. The 16s are great for a daily driver and a good ride, but not what I would want for a track day.

One more little annoyance I want to fix is the SAI pump. It works fine, but it is noisy and runs the cycle twice. My other cars aren't as loud and the pumps don't seem to run as much. My guess is that the internal filter on the air pump is clogged with dust. I'll replace it, then pull it apart and get a look.

[PaulE]

Nice on the hearse, will you camp in it when you tour state parks, a little scary. What tire sizes are you running on the 17's for track days? I've got a set of 17's and a set of 18's, all with the OEM tire sizes. I've done my limited HPDE's on the 18's as I figured the 225 cross section on the 18 inch fronts would feel better than the 205 on the 17's.

[78F350]

Originally Posted by PaulE

What tire sizes are you running on the 17's for track days? I've got a set of 17's and a set of 18's, all with the OEM tire sizes. I've done my limited HPDE's on the 18's as I figured the 225 cross section on the 18 inch fronts would feel better than the 205 on the 17's.

A few years back I got a set of used Toyo R888s from Steved0x that were 225/45/17 in front and 255/40/17 in the rear. They worked well. I've since replaced them with Nitto NT01s in the same size.

There's some good tire discussion if you search that size for the front.

[PaulE]

Originally Posted by 78F350

A few years back I got a set of used Toyo R888s from Steved0x that were 225/45/17 in front and 255/40/17 in the rear. They worked well. I've since replaced them with Nitto NT01s in the same size.

There's some good tire discussion if you search that size for the front.

\

Thanks I'll go to 225/45 17's when the 17's are due for replacement, which will probably be due to age before tire wear! At my ability level summer performance tires are all I need on the track.

[78F350]

I've been spending my 'garage time' other cars and just driving Red for a while. A few issues have cropped up that want attention.
Running the Toyo track tires on the street has encouraged me to push the car a little harder. The extra stress finished off any support left in the engine mount. That does not feel good accelerating out of a corner. I'm sure that the center is completely detached now. I only have one good mount left on the shelf, so it's time to buy a couple new ones. Thinking of the Powerflex Polyurethane bushing.



The fuel gauge is starting to fail. It randomly drops to empty while I am driving. I need to pull the assembly out of the tank and see what the issue is. Not urgent, but important.

Urgent: The horn started going off at random times. Yesterday at a stop light it started honking and would not quit. There I was in the middle of town at a traffic light in my little red Porsche honking at 'everyone'. Finally, I grabbed the airbag and held it just right and the horn quit. It is not an uncommon problem on the old 4-spoke wheels. I fixed it last night.

The rubber bushings that mount the horn bracket wear out. The sagging bracket causes the contacts to meet and honk the horn.


With the bracket removed I filled the worn bushings with a silicone sealant and put a weight on it to reverse the sag while it dried.

[itsnotanova]

Let us know what you think of the Powerflex bushing. I had a wevo in my street boxster and didn't like the interior noise it created.

[78F350]

I replaced the engine mount today with the Powerflex poly bushing. It was easy to assemble after pressing out the old bushing.


I was really impressed with how bad the old engine mount was. It was bolted to the frame with the wrong fasteners, missing a bolt on the engine, and completely worn out. I was fortunate to have all the correct parts on hand to reinstall it correctly.



Powering out of corners it felt wrong, but I am truly embarrassed that I drove on it as long as I did. Of course it feels a lot better now. I'll report back in a couple weeks how it compares to the standard mount.

[Ronjoy]

Originally Posted by Qingdao

I love this too much. LOL

Would look appropriate sitting next to a bugeye Sprite

[Ronjoy]

Originally Posted by 78F350

I replaced the engine mount today with the Powerflex poly bushing. It was easy to assemble after pressing out the old bushing.


I was really impressed with how bad the old engine mount was. It was bolted to the frame with the wrong fasteners, missing a bolt on the engine, and completely worn out. I was fortunate to have all the correct parts on hand to reinstall it correctly.



Powering out of corners it felt wrong, but I am truly embarrassed that I drove on it as long as I did. Of course it feels a lot better now. I'll report back in a couple weeks how it compares to the standard mount.

This is really a great thread, your abilities are impressive.

[Ronjoy]

Originally Posted by 78F350

I've been enjoying the car, taking care of a few little things as I get time. I made a short video of what a failing water pump looks like while I was doing a replacement. For a replacement pump, the people I trust all recommend a Pierburg pump. Water pumps are not a part that you want to shop for the cheapest....

https://youtu.be/Q8DOomefcSA

I certainly appreciate your knowledge and thread. I’ve learned a lot just following you. Thanks

[78F350]

Thanks for the comments Ronjoy.

The most recent work has been replacing the fuel sending unit. I had an odd problem where when I first started the car the fuel level reading was good, but then it shortly dropped to empty with the warning light flashing. If I turned the car off and back on again, it would read normally for a moment, then drop again.

I pulled the pump and sender out of an '01 parts car gas tank. You access to the top of the tank by removing the battery and battery tray. Here's the whole DIY on PelicanParts: https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/22-FUEL-Fuel_Pump/22-FUEL-Fuel_Pump.htm
The pump was easy to remove with a slight twist from the empty gas tank of the parts car, but Red was full. I decided to leave the pump and just swap out the sender. To separate it from the pump, I just had to pop two hoses off and one wire connector. The hoses and wires extended above the tank. Installation was simple without having to reach down inside.
Here's the old sender and the top of the gas tank before I reinstalled the battery tray.

[78F350]

I sold Red a few months ago. A friend of mine bought it to be his daughter's first car. When I sold it I volunteered to fix the power steering when I had time, since I had all the parts of the system available and I didn't want them to have to pay a shop to do it.
In doing this, I broke two important rules: Never sell a car to someone you know. Never promise to do anything to a car after it is sold - as-is is AS-IS.

Coordinating a time that was good for both of us took a while. Finally I had a couple days off when the car was available and made arrangements. Shortly after arrangements were made, the radiators on my wife's Honda Element and my Toyota Sequoia both started leaking. The new radiators arrived the day I planned to work on Red, so I pushed it back a day and spent both of my days off working on car maintenance in my little garage which is like an oven on a Summer afternoon.

...anyway, here's my tips on replacing the PS pump in a 1997 Boxster:
https://youtu.be/PUaNAE048u4