New problem and now I'm really getting frustrated

[jcslocum]

I have been working to get the Boxster ready for Allie to take to Inspection. In VA it has to be inspected before it can be registered. The horn didn't work and would blow the fuse and the wipers worked but would not park. We worked on the wipers first and the relay was what was bad. I had a new one from Woody and popped it in and all returned to normal.

The horns were harder. I took apart the wheel to see if the wires were shorted. Then I put a resetting fuse in to see what was happening to that side of the wiring. I could hear the relay click and then bang, the fuse would pop. So, I got under the front of the car and began fooling with the 2 horns. This revealed that BOTH horn units were shorted and blowing the fuse. I left them unplugged and the fuse was no longer blowing and when the horn button (air bag) was pushed I could hear the relay click. Buttoned up the car and decided to go for a quick ride. Once on the road and settled in, I noticed that the dash was not working. No dials moving at all. Stopped on the road, grabbed my flashlight and checked fuses, nothing blown. Continue on back to the shop and begin to look at the area around the fuses and relays where I had my big fat hands. Nothing loose or moved.

I was sitting in the car switching it on and off as I checked things to see if the gauges started working, nope dead. I pull the dash up and check the 3 connections, all tight. Now my frustration is getting to me.

I fool around in the car and under the dash for a little bit more, get in and try one more time to see if anything was going to come back to life and now it's really dead. The car won't start. No cranking, nothing. I think the alarm has gone into disable mode.

Here is what does not work now:

Engine will not crank
Windows do not go up and down
Dash is still dead
Dash lighting does not come on
Rear trunk does NOT open with remote
Remote no longer works the locks nor is there any flashes from the thing on the dash. Remote flashes like normal
I think the interior lights no longer come on but not certain I remember 100%
Power locks do not work

What does work:

Idiot lights on dash come on with key
Wipers Work
Headlights work
Windows drop when opening the door 1/4"


I have no idea what has happened nor can I figure out how to get that car back to life.

There is NO water in the car. It has been inside the shop for months. Battery is fully charged.

I hope someone can shed some light on this.....

[Bootlegger]

Ignition switch? Many of the electrical issues start with the ignition. Do a search and you'll see what I mean. Keep us posted.

[dghii]

+1 for ignition switch but I haven't heard it creating the issues you're currently experiencing.

What works right now?
Lights
Radio?
Climate control?
Anything?

[dghii]

Never mind last regarding lights

[jcslocum]

Ignition switch has been replaced in the past 2 months and is working fine.

No radio installed yet.

Climate control is working

Top will not work

Any other suggestions?

[Steve Tinker]

Sloco ... A couple of observations:
1) You obviously have battery power as some of the accessories are working.
2) Looking at the stuff not operational, it points to the anti theft control module under the passenger seat. There is a 15A fuse in the module which could have blown.
3) There is a "current distributor" located high on bulkhead in front of R/H seat. It contains 50A & 80A fusable links controlling ABS, onboard computer networks (2), power windows, ignition and engine electronics. Note that this distributor is supposedly non serviceable, but if a fuse link has ruptured, it may cause lack of voltage further down the line.
4) Have you checked the fuse board (L/H side footwell) for voltage, as in 12v on the incoming side of the fuses?
Your big hands have pulled / pushed something out of kilter while jiggling about - it started when you blew a temp "resetting" fuse for the horns.....

[Eric G]

What voltage does your battery read on a meter...not the gauge?

[jcslocum]

Battery reads 12.6. Dash does not work so no readings for anything there.

Fuse IN the alarm unit??? What evil genius designed that.... THis is for every year of the 986?? We are fighting with a 2000.

Fuse panel has been fully checked and has 100% continuity.

I have ordered the Durametric software to see if it talks to the alarm unit.

I will test more things and see if they work. I have disconnected the battery too, Left it off for 30 minutes while I sat and pondered how much I'm beginning to hate this car after all the love I have shown it.

[78F350]

[jcslocum]

Ooooo thanks for the photo!!!! Wicll check that later. I guess the seat is gonna come out.

[Smallblock454]

Seat has to come out.

Well, i think the problem was that you've disconnected the alarm horns. Replace them with working ones and check the immo fuse.

Regards, Markus

[jcslocum]

I think the actual horns are separate from the alarm horn. But, I did go back and plug the horn in again and it was the same but already was dead. Recall that fuse has been blown since day one of ownership. So, I have to pull the seat, re-check the fuses and relays.

[jcslocum]

So, I got to the shop today and had a go at the alarm/immobilized. Well the good news is that the car is alive again! Woo Hoo! Its no longer a mooring anchor.

I pulled the seat, got the alarm unit out of the 2 zip lock bags I have it secured in, pulled the fuse which tested good, but the legs were no longer shiny, so I replaced it. I unplugged both connectors checked them and plugged them in securely. Placed everything back in the zip locks, ties it all up tight and set the seat back down. I pulled in my new Duarmetric cable, fired up the software and had about 30 alarm faults, cleared them and the it all started to work again. Interior lights came on and the car cranks and starts. The dash is still dead but hell, as Meat would say, 2 out 3 ain't bad.

Tomorrow we return to the dashboard episode to see if that can be bottomed out. New horn works too!!

[jcslocum]

Ladies and Gentlemen, the results are in!!

The dash cluster was BAD and not the wiring. I pulled some hairs out trying to figure out where the fault was and in the end, just had to throw some parts at it. Woody was kind enough to help in the adventure and sent me an AUTO cluster which has a low value to test with, just in case it let the smoke out. Well, I plugged the auto cluster in and it immediately worked! So I pulled that out and put the other used cluster I bought in and it works better than the old one. The outside temp readout works now too!!! That never worked and I assumed we didn't have that on our car.



I'm more than thrilled with this as I don't have to chase wiring or a failed computer or something. I have no idea what caused this to happen and will no longer think about it...

Thanks again to WOODY!!! buy your used parts from him. itsnotanova on here.

[Wallace River]

Wow, I feel like I just won the lottery reading about this! Congratulations!

[Tcar]

Originally Posted by jcslocum

Ladies and Gentlemen, the results are in!!

The dash cluster was BAD and not the wiring. I pulled some hairs out trying to figure out where the fault was and in the end, just had to throw some parts at it. Woody was kind enough to help in the adventure and sent me an AUTO cluster which has a low value to test with, just in case it let the smoke out. Well, I plugged the auto cluster in and it immediately worked! So I pulled that out and put the other used cluster I bought in and it works better than the old one. The outside temp readout works now too!!! That never worked and I assumed we didn't have that on our car.



I'm more than thrilled with this as I don't have to chase wiring or a failed computer or something. I have no idea what caused this to happen and will no longer think about it...

Thanks again to WOODY!!! buy your used parts from him. itsnotanova on here.

So does the milage on the new cluster reflect the car's milage or the car that it came out of?

[jcslocum]

No it does not. I will have to figure out how to resolve that. The Carfax does show the current mileage and I marked the back of the new cluster with date and current mileage on the car.