Comments on: Porsche Boxster Repairs

By: james

james — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:24:24 +0000

Hi,
anyone’s porky being suffering from:
>poor/rough idling
>stalls at traffic lights
>engine management light on
>engine management light flashes

I’ve done lots of research on this and I’ve talked to more mechanics then a I care to remember – hallelujah – PRAISE THE LORD -I’VE FIXED THE PROBLEM…

I changed the following – because porsche mechanics said it would be either:
>coil pack issues – REPLACED – still rough
>MAS – air flow meter – REPLACED – still rough
>Oil breather pipe and circuit – REPLACED – still rough
>Service – REPLACED – still rough

The answer was – THE BATTERY……
I changed the battery as it went dead a few times and i thought starting in the winter seemed a little difficult so I replaced the battery for £84….

IT NOW RUNS LIKE AN ANGEL… if you have rough idling on a porsche boxter – try the battery first. When they tested the old battery they said it was fine – but it wasn’t..

Pleased to say it all works fine and no lights on the dash.. hope this helps anyone else out there in porky land..

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:49:33 +0000

1998 Boxster with triptronic
Had the tranny rebuilt. It will upshift fine. Downshifts properly sometimes but most of the time it does not downshift till I come to a complete stop. If I switch to manual it would downshift properly. Sometimes it will downshift properly. Sometimes when I am coming to a stop I can see the shifting go from 5 to 4 then back to 5. Some reason it shifts back up. Any suggestions??

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:58:43 +0000

The most likely causes, in order, are: mass air flow sensor, oxygen sensors (either of the 2 in front of catalyst), idle bypass valve.

By: ken

ken — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:50:06 +0000

I have a 1999 boxster. It periodically will not start and, at times, stall while driving. The car will turn over but no gas seems to be getting in. Recently, it has had new plugs and an oil change. The worst incident was when I accelerated at a green light and all the lights on the panel went on and the car died in the middle of intersection. Fortunately I had enough inertia to coast to side of road. I have taken it to one mechanic and I went out and bought a fuel pump relay but this did not correct it. What on earth is going on?

By: Sheri

Sheri — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:27:56 +0000

Thank you, Carlton. Do you know of any good mechanics in the area (zip 08753)?

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:46:31 +0000

Oil leaks won’t cause any performance issues. The repair will mostly be labor taking the covers on and off to replace the gaskets. The gaskets themselves are relatively inexpensive. The rear main crankshaft seal is notorious for failure on these engines. They are a bit more labor intensive. Hopefully you don’t have that issue.

As far as the mechanic not fixing leaks, that’s idiotic. They should fix whatever they are paid to fix that is broken. Find a different mechanic.

By: Sheri

Sheri — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:05:22 +0000

Hi, I need some input I love my 2000 Porsche Boxster but not sure what to do. I noticed I had some oil spots in my driveway so I brought it to the local import repair shop to be checked out before my extended warrenty expires and he told me I have a leak from my valve gasket seal, o-ring seal and oil net. Since I am a girl do you think he is feeding me a line? So I asked him how much to repair it and he said he does not fix leaks! I only have a few small oil spots and the car runs fine. Thoughts?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:11:32 +0000

Thanks! The fault code did go inactive on its own.
One more question and I’m done. Promise. The Porsche (1999 boxter) has water in front boot area, and also behind the drivers seat. Its been raining a bit lately and car was outside for a few days, but it is more than just a bit damp, its really quite wet.. in front boot – it was a puddle! Behind drivers seat is quite damp… Any ideas what this might be?

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:54:43 +0000

You will need to clear the fault code with a code reader. It may eventually go inactive on its own, but I’d go ahead and read the code and then clear them.

As for the other lights, they are most likely from microswitches that are not being properly depressed. The switch where the top latches to the windshield is particularly trouble-prone.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 04:54:16 +0000

Thanks! The car is working again – just needed the new beru coil, but only thing is now the ignition / engine light is still on. Any ideas on how to fix that? Also either the roof light or boot light is always on. Maybe its just a faulty fuse?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 03:33:44 +0000

Thanks guys! I have already tried the spark plugs with no joy, but now just bought a new Beru coil, so will try that. The engine light comes on too – so hope thats normal for this issue.

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:31:59 +0000

You could swap coils between cylinders to see if the miss follows the coil. If it’s not ignition, the. It is probably eith the mass air flow sensor or the EGR valve/canister.

By: Ted Shrader

Ted Shrader — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:59:37 +0000

Sounds like a bad spark plug to me. If there is no light showing up for the Air Mass Sensor, then I would change all six plugs with good ones.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 06:01:11 +0000

Hi guys, girl needs help – I bought a second hand porsche (1999 Boxter) a few weeks back but have trouble now as the car is driving rough, won”t go over 20km hr, and engine test tells me its running on 5 cylinders. I replaced the spark plugs as they were original, but the condition is still there. I am about to replace the Beru Coil in cylinder one, but wondered if anyone else can tell me what the problem might be? Cheers!

By: David

David — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 03:15:41 +0000

Update on my 2003 Boxster S. The oil/air separator failed catastrophically when at the mechanic. It has been replaced and the car is now running well.

By: ifeanyi chikwendu

ifeanyi chikwendu — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:44:16 +0000

I bought a new central lock control module with remote control for Porsche boxster 1998 model.I then used it to replace the old one which was faulty, but the car refused to come on although the ignition is working. Please your candid assistance is required.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:17:32 +0000

Tony, I’m not sure if you are saying that you found a particular car that has problems or are considering a Boxster in general. If you are looking at one that has problems, avoid it. They are very expensive to fix. Moreover, there are quite a few Boxsters out there that have good milage and no mechanical problems. Many owners “trade-up” so look around for the best you can find within your budget. Have a qualified mechanic it out. Many will say they know Boxsters but will, later, ask you where the engine is (happened to me twice).

Be prepared for maintenance costs (including choosing a summer tire vs. an all season tire). There is a regular schedule that you should adhere to. If you take your car to a dealer for maintenance, a good one will remind you via the mail.

If you do buy one, you WILL enjoy driving it. Putting the top down and cruising is like a mini vacation. The manual is more fun to drive. Auto-crossing the car is more fun than I can describe. If you are unfamiliar with auto-cross, look it up on Youtube. It will teach you the limits of your car and of your driving skill level.

Notes: It’s rear wheel drive so avoid driving in snow, particularly in a hilly area. Make sure that you keep your battery charged if you don’t plan to drive the car for a while. On the older models, you will have difficulty getting to the battery to jump-start the car.

By: Tony

Tony — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:13:37 +0000

I read, what you write from Boxster. I looked after on the internet,and found a lots of problem whit it. What do you think, will I buy a Boxster or leave it? Oh,and I’am not rich.

By: Santiago

Santiago — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:09:24 +0000

To all,
I have a similar problem and have tried almost everything. My problem is slightly different.. When I try to start it up (on a hot day, I live in Miami and it is difficult to start it at noon), it cranks and cranks, and I have to give it gas until it eventually starts but it makes a weird screeching sound like the starter is sticking. A huge amount of white smoke comes out at start up. Then if I let go of the gas, it dies down again. Once the engine gets going a couple times, it normally runs fine. It seemed to be some kind of vacuum leak, especially since it makes a vacuum hose leak sound when I turn it off. Have not found any leaks though.

I keep getting P1126 (Oxygen sensing adaptation, lower load range, cyl. 1-3) and P1124 (Fuel pump relay output stage, changed the relay and nothing) codes which seem to mean nothing because no mechanic knows exactly what part is causing it since they have tested the oxygen sensors. I have been stomped. Started checking out the carbon canister, the moved over to the air injection system. This is a very unique system. Where in other cars, there is a clear EGR valve (which tends to malfunction by either staying open or closed). This EGR valve supposely regulates how much exhaust is recirculated back into the system, and a wrong amount would cause idle problems. It would also cause that white smoke as well. The EGR valve symptoms tend to be confused for MAF sensor problems. The clear difference is the white smoke and what only seems to be like a clogged exhaust. That is the case for other cars. For the Porsche, there is no clear cut EGR valve. The air injection system is very complicated. There are check valves, change over valves, etc., but no EGR valve. If this EGR valve equivalent is determined, and I can clean it, unjam it, or replace it, I’m sure the problem would be fixed. It’s just crazy because no dealer or mechanic knows what’s wrong and every time they just make some shit up and charge me up the ass, so I stopped taking my car to the mechanic and got a service manual.

I also think it could be the air pump, the secondary air injection system, or the carbon canister. Too bad each one is $1000+, so I haven’t bought any of them since it might not solve the problem. Would be nice if Porsche actually knew something about the car the designed.

Someone at Porsche once told me that the EGR valve was called the EVAP canister purge valve. My guess is that once I change this it will be fixed. I will let you all know later this week.

By: Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 23:03:09 +0000

Yes, it has the E-gas electronic throttle, starting in modle year 2000. You can test by pressing and releasing the throttle pedal with the car turned off. You’ll hear a sound behind you in the engine compartment if there is a cable moving the throttle. Otherwise, with an electronic throttle, you won’t.