Wet Alarm

[midnight blue]

Hi All,

I am new to the forum and also a new Boxster owner. I bought my 1997 986 a month ago. It rained last week and my drivers side was flooded with 2 to 3 inches of water. The previous owner installed an aftermarket setup to operate the top and ran the wire from the battery compartment without sealing it which caused the flood.
My alarm got wet and I am unable to start the car. When I put the key in the ignition all the lights come on but when I turn it to the start position nothing happens. I was wondering if the alarm is bad can I buy a used one or am I stuck buying a new one from the dealer, I mean stealer?

Thanks in advance,
Ron

[angman]

Congratulations on your purchase and sorry to hear about the flooding. I am no expert by any means but I think there may be more sensitive electronics under the drivers seat that you need to worry about. I am sure more knowledgeable members will be able to contribute here.

[Big Red]

I had the same thing happen with the black box getting wet. Hopefully you will just have a dead fuse. I had to replace the black box$$. I still have problems with the fuse blowing about every 4 months. Dealer had to get new keys and everything. Make sure if you are drying it out yourself to dry out a sponge like material right by the box. The dealer I worked with did not and I think that is why my black box kills a fuse every now and then.

[midnight blue]

Hi Guys,

I had the car towed to a reputible porsche mechanic in phila. and he told me the drains in the front got clogged and caused the flood. He has had the car for over a week trying to dianose and has come to the conclusion that the alarm is bad and needs to be replaced for a total cost of around 3,000 dollars.
When I bought the car the interior looked like new with no signs of ANY water. I think what happened was he installed the aftermarket control for the convertible top to sell the car and that is the cause of all my problems.

Thanks for your responses,
Ron

[orange260z]

Hi Ron,

As a couple of the previous posters have mentioned the "black box" that controls the alarms system, the power locks & windows and the top I believe) is located in a well under the drivers seat.

A common cause of the flooding is a small tear in the big foam plastic "tray" that sits under the top system, collects the water from the top drainage system, and directs into the drains located roughly behind the B pillar. I had a small tear (likely caused by a twig getting caught in there when the top was put down) allowing water to drain into the passenger compartment instead of into the drain system. I noticed a dampness in the carpet behind the drivers seat.

I'd ensure that I've tracked down the source of the water, and completely dried out the carpet and underpad, before I replace any electronics. I'd hate to spend all the $$ only to have my blackbox crap out intermittently because I reinstalled it into a moist environment.

Good luck!

Orange 260z

[midnight blue]

Hi All,

Thanks for the responses. The Mechanic found the reason why the car had a leak. the person I bought the porsche from hotwired a cable from the battery to the top control unit under the dash as a cheap quick fix to operate the convertible instead of diagnosing the problem of the top not working.
The cable ripped the boot where he routed it into the compartment and the drain clogged and overflowed and flooded the car.
Thank god this was covered under my insurance because the fix is going to cost about 3000 dollars for the black box etc.
We are now trying to find the cause oof why the top was not working so we can remove the cable and fix the leak.

Ron

[ataim]

I had neglated to completey close my drivers side door and flood out the Alarm Control Unit. Once the ACU is flashed you cannot install it in a different car. Autobahn charged me 600 to intall a new ACU.