PLEASE HELP WON"T START need to be in NYC ini 2 hrs!!!

[Brucelee]

Any chance it is flooded?

Try to push and HOLD the accelerator pedal down while cranking the starter. Give it a chance maybe three or four times.

DO not PUMP the accelerator.

Good luck

[bull27]

I knew something was strange as soon as I first tried to start it, it usually fires right up. I did hold the accelerator down and it didnt do anything. The absolute only thing I can think of is that some thing got wet that should not have because of the extreme downpouring yesterday while being driven on the highway. What other things could be wrong with it if the engine wont fire?

[donv]

The simple answer is that with a well maintained modern car, rain should not cause any problem. That said, you obviously do have a problem, so...

The two traditional paths to follow in this situation are spark and fuel.

Spark - are the sparkplugs firing? Best checked with a capacitive tool you clip around a plug wire but it sounds like you might not have something like this. You could also pull a plug wire and hold it off the plug a little with a dry rag (to avoid a nasty shock) and see if it sparks while someone else cranks the car. However, the design of the boxster engine is going to make this difficult to do as the plugs are way down between the cams, see this diagram.
If the other end of the wire can be pulled at the distribution end, you may be able to check there.

Absent any of the above, you could simply check for loose wires and trapped water.

Fuel - you did check to be sure you have gas, yes? You may want to try a small amount of starting fluid (available at AutoZone, etc.) sprayed into the air cleaner inlet to see if that gets the engine to fire. If so, you problem is fuel related.

No matter what, I expect you will be late to NYC or have already left in someone else's ride. Hope it turns out to be a minor issue with your car.

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

Porsche acknowledges that the Boxster can experience problems with rain entering the Engine through the Air Intake. They released a TSB - 7a/97 2425 on it as well as a modification to the Air Box. In it they state:

• "Concern: Water entering the left-hand air guide and air cleaner housing.
  
  Situation: Engine misfires during driving, rough running, poor starting.
  
  Information: Water can enter the air cleaner housing via the air guide when
  the vehicle is driven in unfavorable weather conditions, e.g. during rainstorms. This can cause engine misfires and rough running. These problems do not necessarily occur during these weather conditions; they could show up later on. Please ask the customer if the vehicle was driven in these weather conditions.
  
  Modification:
  
  1. A gasket between the outer left air guide and the body seals out water.
  
  2. A deflector is fitted on the air cleaner intake opening, and a water separator bowl is fitted on the air cleaner housing.
  
  3. The formerly used water shield support in the flow
  duct has been omitted."

I suspect this is what has happened to your Car. My wife (Mrs. MNBoxster) is in New York this week for the Barclay's Golf Tournament and when I spoke with her last night she said the rain came down in torrents.

It should dry out and function normally. If a huge amount of water was injested, there could be more serious issues, so I would have the Car checked and I would look into having the modification performed. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99