Aos change out
 

All excited to go out and change out my AOS. Jacked the car up and with all of the interference between the bottom of the car and the AOS, I assume I have to remove some of it. What exactly do I need to remove from beneath the car do I have to remove in order to swap my AOS. I've looked on youtube and this site, but everything I see shows it wide open. Help, before I am no longer in the mood to work on it (please).

See here

Porsche Boxster Air / Oil Separator Replacement - 986 / 987 (1997-08) - Pelican Parts Technical Article

There is lots of AOS DIY in Renntech ,986 Forum and here.
Suggest you start with a special tools list -Mayhew remote hose clamp pliers, very bright LED Inspection lamps ?
Also familiarize yourself with the parts you may break - brittle plastic hose clamps for example.
Inspect some of there fasteners and clamps off the car so you understand exactly where to pry/twist/rotate.
Be aware of the 'while you are in there' list - like leaky /cracked oil filler tube ,broken vac line connectors ,the "Y" connector in the wiring harness, replace trans oil ? The while you are in there list can be just as important as the AOS replacement.
Do you have a competent Indie in your area ? A first time effort at this job without a tall lift,correct tools and replacement parts could be counter productive?

Another good DIY:

Replace the Air/Oil Separator Porsche DIY

I say "good" because in my experience that word describes Pedro's write-ups. I've not actually used this one---got lazy (and busy) this fall and paid an indie to do it for me. :)

One of the hardest part to remove is the clamp on the flexible hose. Most that gave done it have been frustrated by it. This is what I did and made the job much easier.
Take a look at the new AOS. It usually comes with a new flex hose. I've done two if these and both times it came with a new flex hose. Go u dear the car with a sharp knife and cut the flex hose but be careful not to cut anything else. When re-installing I used standard clamps that you can use a socket to loosen or tighten.

You will save a lot of time doing it this way.

Thanks everyone who responded. Looks like I will give it a try tomorrow.

Flouese,

Just take your time and be patient, my first time I struggled somehow, but the second time (using the clamp pliers) it went much quicker, it helps to remove the throttle body along with the air hose to get more room.

Just ensure that the bottom hose it's fully seated into the block before releasing the clamp.

Good luck!

Armed and ready to go. Have my clamp pliers and a desire to get her back on the road.

Best of luck and let me go ahead and jinx myself. At 129K and 7+ years of ownership (purchased with 76K so may have been done), I haven't had to replace my AOS.

The puff of smoke you see tomorrow morning will most likely be me!

I changed mine last month...
 

Frustrating, I read all the DIYs and watched the videos. I'm not sure the difference in the years, (mine's an '03), but one of the DIYs suggested removing the rear wheel and tackling it from below. This did not help at all - it didn't provide any access to the AOS. I didn't cut anything but removed a lot. Had difficulty with some of the clamps. I think it took about 2 1/2 hours - but next time I think I can do it in one. Good luck, and think of all the money you're saving.

This was one of the first repairs I was faced with and I didn't have a garage I could work in at the time so I took it to my now indy mechanic. He did it for about 500 bucks with parts and labor. From what I understand it's not a diffI cult job it's just a pain. I'm good for a while but I'd consider taking it to him again for it