Too many Boxsters?

[78F350]

This thread is likely to be a confusing jumble of maintenance, repairs, and builds on a variety of cars. I have plenty of 986s and seldom focus on one for very long. I always think that in the month ahead I will have lots of time to complete projects, but it never works out that way. I'm hoping that for myself this thread will help me keep track of what I've done and what to do going forward. People who read it may find some tips and solutions to common problems, but all of that already exists on the forum. I'm not doing this for you, but you're welcome to jump in any time if you have questions or want to see what I'm up to.

2016 photo of the driveway:

[78F350]

Parts I'd like to sell. I'll try to keep this post updated with a few parts that I want to sell. I have boxes of parts from cars that are gone and usually have a parts car available to get more from. If you need a part, feel free to ask and I'll see what I have available.

Oil Cooler Adapter for '97
This is the adapter to put a later model or S model oil cooler on a 1997 engine. List price is now about $190 new.
Associated Part Numbers: 996 107 129 00, 996-107-129-00, 996-107-129-00-OEM, 996.107.129.00, 99610712900
"Porsche Heat Exchanger Mount Plate"

'Gently used' and fully functional. Comes with 4 New o-rings to install the adapter.
Your new oil cooler will need 4 more o-rings. Pretty sure the part numbers are 99970740940 (26 x 3mm) & 99970738940 (35 x 4mm), but I am occasionally wrong.

$75 shipped. USA addresses only.

[78F350]

Here's a summary of my current 986s. Most of them have names – a thing that my wife has always done with cars and now happens naturally as new ones arrive.

The 'Other', 2004 S Special Edition was a flood damaged car. When I got it, we had a pair of silver 1999s with red interiors that had license plates 'THIS' and 'THAT'. It just seemed natural to name the 2004 'OTHER'. I sold THIS and THAT a few years ago. It still feels right to have the license plate frame that says, “My Other car is a Porsche” ...because it is a Porsche.


The 'Vi-ster' is my wife's Boxster. Her name is Vi (for short). It's a white 2001 Tiptronic that I bought with a bad engine. I bought a collision damaged '01 as an engine donor which paid for itself when I parted out the rest of the car.


The 'Xbox' is a 2001 Tiptronic that I bought for $1,600 with a bad engine. I built it for the Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge in 2019 with a 2.5L engine and a nitrous system. It did well for my first time competing in anything like that and I finished in the top third of about 60 entrants. The 2.5L was in rough shape after that, but I still managed to run it in a HooptieX race in 2021 after pouring a bottle of head gasket sealant in. It got through most of the day before it seized. Now it has a 2001 2.7L engine back in it and is set up for off-road and back-road adventures.


The 'Frog' is Woody's old Rallycross car. He sold it to me after he had seized the engine in a race and generally lost interest in fixing it. I cleaned up the engine and found that it still had good compression. I put the engine back in and ran it for a full day of rallycross. The engine rattled like a coffee can full of rocks when I drove it on the trailer, but it was a great day. It's in my garage now with a partially installed 4.2L Audi V8 (AUX) that I plan to have done for a race day in mid July.


The '04 Parts Car' I bought in non-running condition with no key and the seller promising that they had filed for a lost title that they would mail to me. The title never arrived and I never paid them the remainder of the agreed price. I've sold some parts and used some parts on my cars. I'm not sure what to do with it now, but I have put parts back on and repaired it a couple times to run it in rallycross races when I don't have another car ready.


The Terrible '99 is the worst Boxster I've bought that wasn't a salvage car. My original thought was that I had everything it needed to make it back into a decent car, but then I found serious rust under the battery tray. I may still fix it or I may strip it for parts. It's low priority now.


I don't remember if 'Silver' is a 2000 model or 2001. It's a nice S model with a clean black interior and a bad engine. The engine actually runs well, but there's metal in the oil filter and a rod knock. I'm going to put a new filter in with some fresh oil and sell it really quick for a big profit!


...or take the engine from the blue 2002 S Aero Kit car that I bought last week and make it right again. 'Blue Aero' likely has a good engine. It was last registered in 2016. The the rear plastic window was gone. Wires to the immobilizer box under the driver's seat have been cut and the bare immobilizer circuit board was on the floor, badly corroded. When I managed to get the trunk open there was a full replacement immobilizer/DME/key set inside. I bought it for the Aero kit, PSE, wheels, and engine. There is no title for it, but it has a clean history and can be titled. As a roller to build up, it may be better than the Terrible '99.

[BRAN]

Most impressive collection of Boxsters, each with a very special story and purpose. I totally get it...especially the part with unfinished projects
As I don't have much space to store cars, if have to go the opposite way...creating a swiss knife Boxster for all purposes


-= the Boxster, the most versatile Porsche ever created =-

[78F350]

Thanks Bran -and of course I love how yours has turned out along with the bike.

Sunday was a day off and I planned on working on the Frog. Saturday evening I got a call from my 'pretty much son in law'. The Prius had broken down on the turnpike about 90 miles from home. He was going to have my daughter pick up my code scanner/diagnostic tool to see if he could fix it and drive home. Instead I had him send me his location and I went to get him with my trailer. A thunderstorm was approaching when I arrived on scene at about 10 pm. We loaded the car on the trailer without delay and headed home as the rain started. I got home around midnight and just left the Prius on the trailer.

Sunday... The Prius had the 'Red Triangle of Death' indication. It would start for a moment, but not run for long. I managed to drive it off the trailer and did a diagnostic. P3193 “Decrease in engine performance (out of gas)”.

The hybrid car had died on the turnpike because it had run out of combustion fluid. It also had a code for a hybrid battery fault, but it turned out that it was just low and it reset after I fueled the car and went for a 20 minute drive. I informed my 'pretty much son in law', who is a dealership mechanic, that it was fixed and ready for him to pick up. It's not uncommon for Prius owners to run out of gas and think there is a serious problem when they see the Triangle of Death. I've heard of a few people who bought them, not running, for almost nothing and 'repaired' them with a couple gallons of gas.

Working on the Frog... The engine is in position in the car with the cradle, but not bolted in yet. I'm working on the plumbing for cooling and power steering. I had some good tubing and hoses on hand that would have connected most of it together, but I used them on the Xbox last month. Sorting through what remains, I could not make good connections. Now I've ordered a flexible 48” stainless hose with some clamps along with a couple fittings that should fill the gap. After I have it in hand and work with it, I may order more and replace other hoses currently in the car.


The car currently has an electric water pump. It cooled well with the 2.7L engine, but it makes a noise that sounds like a failing bearing. I plan to delete that pump and see how well the stock pump on the 4.2L engine does. If it needs more cooling I'll play around with a BMW electric coolant pump wired to a standalone PWM speed controller. That could be manually adjusted or set to other input signals to adjust flow.

For power steering I have the cut off hoses from the Audi that I think I can connect to the Boxster hoses with some barbed fittings and clamps. The other part I need to add is a fluid reservoir. I have a few on hand from various cars, but still need to decide where to put it. I don't think I really need power steering, but since it's all there except hose connections I might as well get it done.

In the end, not a lot done on the Frog on Sunday other than making a few engine compartment adjustments for fitment and tracking down a few wires. I probably won't put more time into it until Friday evening after the coolant tubing arrives.

[78F350]

I just bought Meir's Faultless IMS Tool and a Single Row Pro IMS kit from LN's blemish & return stock. I plan to put the bearing in the engine from the Blue Aero car before I install it in the Silver S.




I still don't know the exact status of the engine, but it turns by hand with good compression and the oil and filter look good. That project probably won't get started until the Frog is moved further along.


If the Blue Aero already has an upgraded bearing, I will probably put it in the '04 SE since I haven't got around to doing that one yet.

...and now I'm thinking I may get a couple rear main seals and a tool for that too. If anyone has a decent RMS Tool for about $35 (the eBay price for the cheapest one I'd trust), let me know. I've used PVC pipe once before and I'd rather have a proper tool.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by 78F350

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...and now I'm thinking I may get a couple rear main seals and a tool for that too. If anyone has a decent RMS Tool for about $35 (the eBay price for the cheapest one I'd trust), let me know. I've used PVC pipe once before and I'd rather have a proper tool.

You are trying to buy a $450 tool for $35? Good luck with that..................

[78F350]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

You are trying to buy a $450 tool for $35? Good luck with that..................

Is there more rocket science to it than getting it smooth and even at 13mm? I'm not looking to get a top end LN tool and have seen quite a variety. I'm thinking of a tool like on either end of this pic that pushes it fully to depth by evenly tightening the bolts.

[JFP in PA]

And if the tool isn't correct to install the updated PTFE seals, they will promptly fail, as more than one of my customers has found to their chagrin and my benefit. The factory tool installs it correctly, first time, every time in just a few seconds......

[78F350]

The one I did years ago was much as described here with a coupler: https://www.renntech.org/topic/43336-m967-polyvinyl-chloride-rear-main-seal-installation-tool/

I did it myself because after paying a reputable shop to do it on a 1999 along with the IMS for $Thousands, it was leaking again a year later. A great shop, but after that and many years of being around aircraft mechanics, I'd usually rather face my own mistakes than trust a random professional.

While I understand that the $512.13 tool from LNE will do it in seconds correctly every time, the economy is not there for me to buy one to do two engines. The $100 ones can probably be used incorrectly, but it seems like a step up from the old PVC method. The one I think I want is a simple 3d printed version: https://www.ebay.com/itm/385580879017? For a $30 seal and an afternoon of labor I could make mistakes a couple times before I'd be telling myself I should have gone LN. Does that make any sense?

[JFP in PA]

All depends upon how you value your time, and the LN tool is actually the factory Porsche unit, which if I am not mistaken, they rent out. And if you notice, I was the moderator over at RennTech, and still am.

I've have actually done the seal using PVC pipe, and it can work if done carefully, and then checked afterwards with a digital depth gauge. More often than not, pulling in with the bolts, however, resulted in a crooked seal that had to be thrown away and replaced. The factory tool consists of multiple parts, one of which bolts solidly to the crank first, and then mounts the second component that holds and inserts the seal, totally eliminating any chance of the seal not being dead straight in the case opening. Other aftermarket one-piece tools also lacked the factory tool's method of holding the seal still in its protective cover while doing the installation, preventing any dirt or fingerprints, which will definitely cause leaks and can actually be more of an issue than getting it in at the wrong depth. This tool was designed to be as "idiot resistant" as possible, and having watched trainee techs use it, I really think that Ray Charles could have installed the PTFE seal correctly with this tool, first shot.



Here is a 5 min video on how the tool works: https://youtu.be/7OAoVbATCsc

Another issue is that there was a run of engine cases that are always going to leak due to a machining issue that caused a minute out of round situation, and there is a "go/no go" tool for checking for that as well, as that problem cannot be corrected without engine disassembly. At one time, Porsche dealers were told to replace the engine is the tool found it out of concentricity.

[Homeoboxter]

The installation in the video looks pretty slick. As for me, since I only have only one Boxster (and sometimes I think that`s way too many) I would definitely not invest into a $500 tool for a seal job that can be done with a home made tool if done carefully. For you though, with 8 Boxsters? I`d reconsider

[78F350]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

All depends upon how you value your time, and the LN tool is actually the factory Porsche unit, which if I am not mistaken, they rent out. And if you notice, I was the moderator over at RennTech, and still am. ...

Thanks for taking the time to go more in-depth. I have always valued your advice and sought out your posts when looking for the most correct way to get something done. Now I will most likely find a tool to rent or borrow when it comes time to replace the seal.

I always love the videos like that Bentley that are to the point and include torque specs.

[78F350]

I received the stainless steel flexible coolant tubing yesterday. It looks like it will work, but it's not an impressive product. It flexes and holds a shape, but it looks like a tight right angle will stress it. The couplings are awkward, but should function if installed with care. I checked out some videos on YouTube and it seems to be a popular choice to replace the radiator hose in old Chevys. I expect I'll replace it with good silicone after the rest of the car is sorted.


On the way to work this morning with the top down a storm front was rapidly approaching. A great excuse to park in the hangar.





While there, I treated the leather and swapped out the spoiler cap with an Arctic Silver one. The original spoiler has cracked tabs and almost came off on the highway.




The to-do list on 'Other' includes: Paint the spoiler the correct silver, Replace the S on the trunk, Replace the noisy left radiator fan, and have an upholstery shop re-do the leather on the dashboard. ...none of it urgent.

[BruceH]

Love the shot with the storm clouds, matches the silver

[78F350]

I've had a couple 1970s BMW motorcycles in the garage for the last week for maintenance and projects. R60/5:


The Frog will be back in this evening and I'll work on getting the engine swap finished hopefully in time for a July 23rd rallycross. I am to the point now where I need to stay focused on that until it is done.


Woody sold me his old PST2 and I got it working well again with some parts from another antique laptop.


When the Frog is done, I think my top priority will be getting the 3.2L engine from the Aerokit car and putting it into the Silver S. After that's done I'm considering swapping the wire harness and drivetrain from the '04 parts car into the Aerokit car. That will be a bit of a mess due to the differences in model year (7.2 DME vs 7.8 and other various equipment differences.). I hate to strip out and scrap them both though and although it's a lot of work I should have everything needed at hand.

[78F350]

If I was any good at this stuff I'd be done with the engine swap in the Frog.

First off I hate the engine cradle that I had built. I've had it since 2017 and this is the third car I've tried using it in. Long story, but I had a local fabricator make it based on a picture and a cut-out engine compartment to fit it to. It almost works. I thought that this time I could do it, but the engine sits too high for the shifter cables to reach. Shims, spacers, hammer, no, no ,no. Grinder, torch, and welding required and at this point I'd rather pull it back out and start fresh.


A couple cars with the same engine swap have used a bracket attached where the AC compressor was mounted and bolted that to the stock 986 engine mount. Much simpler and proven to work. That's what I'm going to do now. ( https://sites.google.com/view/boxsterv8swap/home )


First, before I pull the engine out again, I'm going to finish up the wiring harness. Today I got six wires connected. Yay. Not much of an achievement. What happened was that I found a mistake in my notes from 2019 and decided to go back through and continuity check all of the planned connections to make sure that the red wire with the violet stripe from DME D9 was indeed supposed to connect to the Audi ECU pin 73 through the white 10 pin connector, pin 10 with a yellow/violet wire. On and on... No more concern for the July 23rd deadline. Just keep the garage AC running, listen to good music and let it all get done when it gets done.

Looks like I'll use the '04 parts car once again. I'll spend a day stripping it for weight and use the doors and trunk lid (spoiler) from the Frog. She's gonna be ugly, but I'm going to have fun and might be closer to 'competitive'.

[78F350]

I had a good rallycross day with the '04 Parts Car. No spins and I managed to keep at least two wheels on the track the whole time.


My times were not awesome, but not terrible either. Every run had places that I can improve and I did improve through the day.

There was one minor oops at the beginning of the day. I took the car for some laps around a dirt circle. It's a good way to get a feel for when the wheels are going to slide and how the car will react. After completing some laps I couldn't resist going for a splash in a mud puddle. It was deeper than I thought. I had to walk a half mile to get a friend to pull me out.


The car ran a little hot for the rest of the day due to mud that hardened in the lower part of the radiators, but not to overheating.


While there, I picked up some Hoosier tires for The Frog that Woody sold me and had relayed with another rallycrosser from central Texas. -the brand new tires are in my tow vehicle


Monday, I spent about two hours cleaning the undercarriage and radiators. Ready for the next time I race it ...or ready to pull parts from for the next project.

[78F350]

On Tuesday I got the Blue Aero car to run -on starter fluid.


I wanted to try out some solder heat shrink connectors to see how easy they were to use and how well the connection worked. Both of the connectors for the immobilizer box had been cut off from the wire harness on this car and that gave me about 80 wire connections to try out and practice with. It actually worked. *After I corrected where I had soldered the brown wire with the black stripe to the black wire with the brown stripe.

The car cranked and showed no codes, but didn't start. I suspected a fuel problem. There was fuel in the rail, but not much pressure. I doused the air filter with starting fluid and it started right up and ran for a moment. With a few more tries, it clearly was not getting fuel.


I removed the battery, battery mount, fuel hoses and wires, then pulled the sending unit and fuel pump out of the tank. The hoses from the fuel pump crumbled as I moved them. Clearly this is not worth trying to use or repair.


If anyone wants to give me a 'good condition' fuel sending unit from a 2002 - 2004 (earlier models are different), I'll take it. For the moment, I don't think I need to work on getting it running better. I am satisfied that the engine does run and will be good for the Silver S. Soon, I'll be pulling it out and prepping it for the swap.

[Homeoboxter]

Originally Posted by 78F350

On Tuesday I got the Blue Aero car to run -on starter fluid.


I wanted to try out some solder heat shrink connectors to see how easy they were to use and how well the connection worked. Both of the connectors for the immobilizer box had been cut off from the wire harness on this car and that gave me about 80 wire connections to try out and practice with. It actually worked. *After I corrected where I had soldered the brown wire with the black stripe to the black wire with the brown stripe.

The car cranked and showed no codes, but didn't start. I suspected a fuel problem. There was fuel in the rail, but not much pressure. I doused the air filter with starting fluid and it started right up and ran for a moment. With a few more tries, it clearly was not getting fuel.


I removed the battery, battery mount, fuel hoses and wires, then pulled the sending unit and fuel pump out of the tank. The hoses from the fuel pump crumbled as I moved them. Clearly this is not worth trying to use or repair.


If anyone wants to give me a 'good condition' fuel sending unit from a 2002 - 2004 (earlier models are different), I'll take it. For the moment, I don't think I need to work on getting it running better. I am satisfied that the engine does run and will be good for the Silver S. Soon, I'll be pulling it out and prepping it for the swap.

The same thing happened to mine, these lines don't like to be sitting in gas for 20 years. If you find some high quality fuel line that you can fit on the pump it should be salvageable. Probably the rest of the unit is fine.