auto spoiler not going up
 

Hello all,

I have an 02 base and the rear spoiler isn't going up automatically at all when I reach the magic speed of 75. If I manually raise it and then slow below 50 it will retract the way it supposed to. It just won't go up. Is there something I'm missing. I'm not getting a soipler-realted malfunction light either. Any help diagnosing this would be much appreciated before I have to take it to the dealership.

Thanks

Jeff

I would recommend a search on the site as I am sure it has been discussed. Out of curiosity, how have you been able to tell it hasn't been working?

well, we were out looking at property with my folks who were following me most of the time. I asked my dad after we had stopped and I asked him if he ever saw the spoiler up. He said "no." Between there and the next stop, I manually raised the spoiler and when we stopped he said he saw the spoiler go up and then down when we came to a stop sign.

Then on the way home, I looked over my shoulder and couldn't see the spoiler.

Jeff

This brings up the question, (I was gonna say "raises the question", but the pun made even me cringe), but why did Porsche put the manual switch in such a damn outta the way location? Why didn't they want the owner using the thing manually?

Hi,

The Spoiler uses a separate Relay for Deployment and Retraction. They are #3 and #9 (#10 on '97MY) respectively in the Rear Relay Panel.

I suspect you have a bad Relay. Reverse these Relays and see if the malfunction doesn't reverse itself too. If so, replace the Faulty Relay. If not, report back. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Thanks Jim,

I was hoping you'd reply. I'll give it a shot and report back.

Jeff

Hi,

The Original '96 Boxster didn't have a Spoiler Switch at all. Then Owners complained that the Spoiler acted as a Tell-Tale for the Police, because they read magazines too, and knew that a Boxster with raised Spoiler was exceeding 75MPH (121KPH). The Switch was added to eliminate self-incrimination.

Porsche doesn't want the Owner raising the Spoiler manually at speeds other than where it was designed to function. With the Spoiler extended, you increase the Drag on the Car considerably reducing the Range (MPG). So to discourage this, they placed the Switch in an inconvenient location.

At Speed, the added stability outweighs any concerns of increased Drag. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Jim, I've got one of the earliest boxsters made. In fact, mine is so early it does not have an external temp sensor that all the mid year 97 cars came with. Yet I have a spoiler switch... and while 97's were sold in 96, there was not a 96 model to my knowledge.

Are you sure the first boxsters came without the spoiler switch located in the fuse box area?

Hi,

The Boxster was introduced in Europe a year b4 they were exported to the US. These cars lacked the Spoiler Switch.

Btw, is your car Uusikaupunki or Stuttgart built? The reason I ask is I have an article which states that production at Valmet began with the '98 MY, but I thought they produced them from the start...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Just out of interest.


I had a new battery installed 3 weeks ago. Now every time the car has forward momentum (from 1kph upwards) the spoiler now rises and does not go down until the car stops completely.

Doesnt really bother me but is a bit strange.

Cheers.

Steven

Another .02 cents worth: I noticed the awkward manual spoiler switch and asked the Porsche factory rep in Zuffenhausen about it. His answer roughly translated as "We did that so you can wash it"! Makes sense to me...

are you sure you were going the right speed for the spoiler to pop up?
about 70 or so should do it...its not gonna come up at low speeds.


smagerstein,
that is weird, should definitely not do that....i wonder what made it act up like that..

I did not even think about the European introduction a year before we Americans got the car... there's a lot of wisdom in that. Get the huge issues worked out locally before you export. Sure wish they'd fixed the RMS and intermediate shaft failure issues out before they sold the cars to foriegners.

You know, I haven't a clue as to where my car was made. I do have my VIN number handy though. If you can tell me where to look on it I will report back as to where it was made.

Hi,

The 11th digit is either a 'U' - Uusikaupunki, or an 'S' - Stuttgart...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

dj,

I am pretty sure :) I was above the required speed for it to raise as most of the driving was on the freeway.

Another question, when I manually raised the spoiler I thought it was supposed to stay up until it was manually retracted? I know I manually raised it on the freeway, and when I came to a stop, it retracted automatically. What's up with that?

Jeff

The spoiler can't increase drag THAT much...

On my recent trip to Phoenix from Austin and back, I averaged around 78mph, and 31mpg.

It's an S... born in Stuttgart then. What does that tell you about my car?

Hi,

Well, it's not what you got with it, but what you would get without it.

It's about a 900 mi. trip from Phoenix to Austin. For each MPG you gained, you'd save approx. 1 Gal. of Fuel (or approx. 3%) - that's not insignificant, especially if the Drag costs you 2 or 3 MPG or more...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Hi,

It was built by a Moroccan Guest Worker... ;)

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

lol

mine is all german too :)

the spoiler should go down by itself as soon as you go under 30 or so, so by the time u stop it should already be down...
mine acts up like that sometime too....weird design if you ask me