Project 2000 Porsche Boxster - SOLD and GONE! 😥

[Hawkeyethenoo]

The work was carried out by https://performance-porsche.co.uk/

Pete's MOT is booked in for Tuesday. My local friendly MOT man is closed. Means I'll need to brave it out at ATS. Hope the ABS light behaves itself.....

Enjoyed reading your thread. They're great cars. I sold our SLK230 to buy Pete'. Zero regrets.

BTW. He's not the 'S'. Just the 2.7. Someone put the badge on, but he does have the Brembo calipers which I think came from an S?

I did upgrade? the rear lights to aftermarket yins. Gives the rear a much more modern look. He's been on a Sorn since Nov. All going well back in service next week.

P.S. No A/C on this car to worry about and it isn't missed, just less to go wrong!

P.P.S. Mileage is nearing 150k.

 

[Out Run]

Good luck with the test!

Re the calipers, if it.’s the red Brembo’s, they are from an S. Nice - and not cheap - upgrade.

I have some sitting in a box, destined for my MR2 turbo, one day.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

3 minutes ago, Out Run said:

Good luck with the test!

Re the calipers, if it.’s the red Brembo’s, they are from an S. Nice - and not cheap - upgrade.

I have some sitting in a box, destined for my MR2 turbo, one day.

They're red. A previous owner clearly loved Pete' as they spent many thousands and thousands - IMS - RMS - valve gear - PS hoses etc. etc. I have receipts for over £30k! What the car cost new in 2000.

Main reason I bought it even though it has slightly higher mileage it has been cherished.

 

[Out Run]

6 minutes ago, Hawkeyethenoo said:

They're red. A previous owner clearly loved Pete' as they spent many thousands and thousands - IMS - RMS - valve gear - PS hoses etc. etc. I have receipts for over £30k! What the car cost new in 2000.

Main reason I bought it even though it has slightly higher mileage it has been cherished.

 

Excellent stuff! Can’t beat a car that’s been looked after in such a way. Mileage wouldn’t have concerned me, either. It sounds well sorted. I’ll have to look at the rest of your thread, mate.

[SiC]

1 hour ago, Hawkeyethenoo said:

Main reason I bought it even though it has slightly higher mileage it has been cherished.

Mine is cat D but I bought it despite that because it's cherished. I'm blowed to know where I got damaged. Given Porsche parts priced, it probably was a cracked bumper or something that wrote it off. 

Brembo calipers are on all. S got bigger discs and red calipers along with lower and harder suspension. 

I quite like having climate control on mine. Aircon is a bit weak and could do with a regas though. 

[SiC]

There has been a puddle on the left hand side of the front bumper for the last few weeks. I originally put this down to rain running out and dripping.

 

However it hasn't rained for the last week. Checked the coolant tank.

 

It's completely empty. Darn, it's never drained that much out before. Must be the left hand coolant radiator leaking. Explains where my coolant has been going. Unfortunately TADIS.

 

Let's have a look how much replacements will be.

 

HOW MUCH???!

 

What about aftermarket?

 

That's a bit more reasonable. They also do a package with two Hella rads for £180 - because when one goes the other side is apparently usually not far off.

 

With my tools not here and Lockdown closing my local garage, there isn't much I can do about it. So I decided to give it a wash.

 

Always comes out alright after a quick wash.

 

Shame the garage floor is still very tacky and needs a few weeks to dry properly. I don't really want to put it up in my new storage bay yet either until I get this coolant leak sorted.

[Peter C]

Did you remove the front bumper and clear out muck that accumulates at the bottom of the rads? Once the muck gets wet, it causes the rads to rot.

[SiC]

59 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Did you remove the front bumper and clear out muck that accumulates at the bottom of the rads? Once the muck gets wet, it causes the rads to rot.

No I haven't yet. Was my intention to do it early this season. However I'd be surprised if enough crap had built up in 12 months since you last did it, to rot it out. Maybe I'll get lucky and find it's a split hose or failed clamp, rather than the radiators?

Replacing the rads doesn't look a very hard job thankfully. I know these cooling systems can be a bit of a nuisance to bleed though. Pretty much like every other mid engined car really. Long hoses and a lot of coolant - 22 litres iirc. 

[Peter C]

You’d be surprised how much crap gets in there, especially leaves. Despite the limited miles that I clocked up during my ownership, I removed the bumper every six months and always found enough muck to make the process worthwhile.

[SiC]

Had some time to look at this today. Don't have my tools especially my jack but had my trusty Halfords big socket set.

First off to check the boot and the coolant reservoir.

Pretty much dry in there. Not totally dry but that's because I spilt water when topping up the reservoir.

Anyway bumper came off easy enough. Some fastenings are missing, but enough to hold the bumper on.

This car has a category D marker against it. However I can't see any damage on the front end. All the fastenings, especially on the crash beam looks untouched out of the factory.

Water on the floor is where it's been peeing out the bottom over the last few days.

 

Anyway let's carry on. The radiators have a funky rubbery plastic duct on them.

5 torx screws and it was off. Air conditioning condenser lives on the front

Two bolts and a bit of prising got it off. Notice the bend on it. Maybe something hit the front and broke the bumper - which caused the cat D?

A little bit of crud at the bottom.

Top doesn't really have any crud really but it's where it's leaking. Especially in the corner on the top right.

It's running down the front of the radiator to out the bottom.

Other side isn't leaking but is deteriorated.

When I say deteriorated, I mean like this:

I'm going to have both rads replaced as a precaution. Just 20 years old radiators in an exposed area have taken their toll. At least it isn't the air conditioning condensers. More expense and regas to replace them than the radiators. My mum had the condensers replaced on her Cayman - £600 at an independent garage.

[Split_Pin]

Thats surprisingly palatable for a pair of Hella radiators, think you can DIY that?

[SiC]

5 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Thats surprisingly palatable for a pair of Hella radiators, think you can DIY that?

100%. I just need my breaker bar, jack and stands back so I can get the wheels off. Rest can be done with a standard Halfords socket set. 

Guides online recommend cutting the hoses if you want to save a bit of time. Saves trying to get those factory pipe clamps off while there is a radiator in the way and rubber pipes fused to the plastic. 

This car is actually generally pretty easy to work on for most stuff. Only awkwardness is the engine bay on top. Apparently underneath the engine bay is a lot easier though. Being a flat six, most stuff you need to access on the cylinders is accessible from the bottom. Apparently even a headgasket is DIY'able with the engine insitu. I'd rather not that one though ... hence changing both radiators before all the coolant suddenly leaks out one day. 

If you don't go OEM Porsche, most of the parts prices are quite palatable. Just some parts that an arse to change or been through many design revisions (like the coolant tank) it's thoroughly recommend to go Porsche branded. Most of the parts are shared with the 996 (the equivalent year 911) which helps on parts prices due to commonality. Makes me more inclined to think about getting a 996 911...

[Split_Pin]

Not as intimidating as I thought then! It doesn't sound a million miles away from old Audi ownership as long as you opt for quality aftermarket.

Will look forward to seeing how you get on.

[SiC]

I should get some camera gear/decent microphone and finally start doing some videos. 

[SiC]

Update time!

As per News24 I've got a shiny new garage that I can work under a roof in. This is good as I have plenty of stuff to be getting on with the Boxster. Little tight in the garage though.



Car up in the air. Had a bit of trouble trying to get to the jacking point and the place to put the stand. Jack got in the way and nowhere to put the stand down. Found some advice online to jack the rear end to put stands on the front. As the car is so stiff, you can do this and easily get the car high enough to put the stand underneath. Neat.


First job is to get the radiators out. I wanted to do this before I ordered the parts so I could get parts as I needed to. Guides online said to cut the water pipes to make the job easier. However this was completely unnecessary. Jubilee clips are going to need replacing though as a bit rusted up. £11 each for genuine Porsche! Decided to order some genuine British made Jubilee clips for half that each.


After undoing the wheel arch liners, air ducts and pipe clamps, the rad came out. Usual fight with the rubber pipes seizing onto the metal pipes but we got there in the end.


Then repeat for the otherside.


Radiator fan resistors are prone to failing on these and not cheap to replace - £100 each side. Tested these and thankfully both mine report the correct resistance (0.5 Ohms).

Now a bit of scope creep. Another problem area on these Boxsters and similar aged 911 is the water pumps. They either fail as the plastic impellers break off or they seize up and take the aux belt out. Both usually happens suddenly without warning. Reports of pumps lasting 40k miles but then others saying they're on 170k with the original pump. Reading through the extensive history file I don't see any mention of it being changed. Admittedly not an item on the standard Porsche service list but one recommended.

So I decided to take a look. This entails getting to the belt which on a mid engined car is a bit different procedure. Thankfully Porsche made this easy.

Seats forward.


Carpet out.


Cover off.


Inspecting the pump it feels smooth but you can't tell if impellers have broken off. There is no history of the belt change but there is history of Porsche dealer services where it should have been changed. This belt is genuine Porsche branded and seemed in good condition.

Either way, I ordered up replacement radiators, water pump and belts. I've previously bought coil packs but didn't buy plugs. So threw a set of them in too. Rads I was tempted to get a set of eBay specials for nearly a third less, but relented and got these Hella Behr ones instead. Incidentally the ones that came off are branded Behr and the separate metal mounting cage is Behr too. So almost certainly OEM. Porsche OEM rads are £450 each Vs £115 for Behr branded.

So what did non genuine Porsche Radiators, water pump, belt plugs and a couple of clips come to?


Gulp!

So with the last order that comes to £1100 just for parts alone I've spent on it. Admittedly I didn't need that water tank (£250) but I'm tempted to fit it as a precaution. This seems a lot but it has more parts because 6 cylinder both in terms of coolant, spark plugs + coils, oil capacity, etc, etc. And it's a Porsche.

Is this worth it on a 20year old Cat D write-off Porsche? I think so. Most of this is maintenance now due and some of which has been deferred from doing low mileage for the last 10 years too. Also all these bits should resolve the cooling system, which is the biggest weak point on these era Porsches and to be honest really any mid/rear engined car.

Also I'm saving an awful lot doing this myself. Just imagine what it'd cost if I got a dealer to be doing this. No wonder the file is full of dealer bills costing £1000 or £2000 every alternative year.

I still need to get an oil change service done, air con regas (works but noisy and lacking), top mounts fitted and 4-wheel alignment done. I'll leave all this bits to a Porsche specialist though and will book it in once this lockdown eases off a bit. Probably a good £500-£600 there though.

Tyres on the rear are getting low too and it could do with the front discs replacing not too soon. Both I'm hoping can be done later in the year though.

It does mean that this Boxster is completely sorted as one could ever be. Shame it has the category D write-off marker always against it to take the shine off. But it's still a cracking car and I throughly look forward to getting that roof down then going for a jolly good spin.

Next update will be refitting rads, water pump change and maybe fitting that hideously fiddly water tank. Then the fun of trying to bleed it. Many recommend getting a vacuum bleeder ... so more tools needing to be ordered!

[SiC]

Incidentally speaking to my mum, she mentioned that her Cayman water pump started leaking at 58k miles. Local independent Porsche specialist replaced it. Came to £340 with a genuine pump and labour. Makes me feel better spending £450 on more parts to fix more things. 

Rest of the bill was replacing coolant pipes that were starting to corrode, tie rods, four wheel alignment and fix a rattling exhaust.

This is a car she's owned from new, garaged and always kept on top of maintenance on. Fact of life of owning a proper performance car from a premium marquee. Other similar brands aren't actually to dissimilar. A mate was telling me that some suspension part for his Elise S1 cost £80 the first time he bought it. 10 years later the same part was £450+ as Lotus had to remanufacture it in limited quantities.

Funny thing is, it kind of makes me want a 911 more? You realise that they aren't hard cars to work on and also most of the parts you take off have 996 at the start. 996 is the model number of the 911 that is the same generation of Boxster that I have. So essentially the repair costs isn't going to be too dissimilar to what the Boxster is. Except of course some of the stuff is harder to get to due to the transmission and engine orientation. Bizzarly it's actually easier to have the engine pointing forwards on the Boxster for access.

Of course no way could I afford to run this car with my others if I was taking this to a dealer or even an independent.

[Split_Pin]

This car will always be worth spending on IMO. The marker is irrelevant, a sign of something that is properly maintained and repaired both reactively and on a preventative basis will be worth way, way more than another that has been neglected.

Plus dark blue soft tops with tan interiors are for winners ?

[Split_Pin]

This is my neighbour's one, I don't think it's been on the road for quite a few years.

[SiC]

19 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

This car will always be worth spending on IMO. The marker is irrelevant, a sign of something that is properly maintained and repaired both reactively and on a preventative basis will be worth way, way more than another that has been neglected.

Plus dark blue soft tops with tan interiors are for winners ?

True but unfortunately many people will be put off by that marker. Of course only a problem if I ever come to sell. Just needs the buyer with the right mindset. Unfortunately the marker will always limit the pool

 

6 minutes ago, The Mighty Quinn said:

So much car for the £££. Really, a Boxster S 3.2 is a 911 at a half/third of the price. A 996 is just too expensive - £12,000 only for the engine to go pop. At least there is an escape route with a Boxster.

Most of the problems they had, have killed many of them - stuff like the D-chunk, bore scoring and IMS. IMS is a non issue anyway as you can get that done for £1500 at a specialist and so can factor it into the purchase price if it hasn't been done. 

Even though the 924/944 is a cool looking car, now they've gone up in value I can't see why you'd want to buy one over a 6-cyl Porsche. 

 

2 minutes ago, Claire84 said:

A really nice set up of you got there SIC.  One i'm quite jealous of.  My MG slides into my double garage beautifully because it's such a little car, but you've got everything laid out a lot better.  I think I need a rethink!

Only because I've just moved in and set it up! Keeping my working spaces tidy is an ongoing battle. Next thing is to get a roller door in. I can then bring cars straight in the middle rather than having to turn in on entering. 

[SiC]

Anyone know what these are also called? Design911 have them on backorder. 

They fix to the end of the fan to stop it moving. I have enough to put it back together and hold it there but would be missing one, as one rotted apart. 

https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_Info/99916607702.htm?pn=999-166-077-02-OEM

[SiC]

2 minutes ago, The Mighty Quinn said:

The price disparity between the Boxster and 996 is bizarre - there just isn't really anything between them and the average 20 year old 996 is nothing special to look at. Early 996's ought to be £5500-6000 imo.

Middle aged men can't get their second wife young kids in the back in a Boxster, thus go for the 911.

End of the day a 996 is always going to be a 911 and despite being the unloved one, will have that sticker associated with it. Boxster/Cayman is just another side Porsche in many fans eyes. 

996 turbo looks ace though and for me was the cool 911 to have (along with the GTs). Just not as affordable as the standard 996 and despite no IMS issues, has even more expensive engine out problems. E.g. coolant manifolds letting go suddenly. For the turbo money, I'd rather be in a Vantage instead. 

[SiC]

14 minutes ago, The Mighty Quinn said:

A mate of a mate recently ordered a new Cayman (2.0 four cylinder) in a Turquoise blue and it looks stunning. For 40 odd grand though it should be.

Too VAG and refined for me. The 986/996 and early 987/997 is about when the interiors transitioned from a flimsy low volume manufacturer, to mass market refined. To me after that era lost the classic Porsche feel. Newer ones would be great as a daily driver but as these cars for me are extra toys, I'd rather have the older classic Porsche feel. 

You can just feel the stalks on this generation will snap off in your hand if you push too hard. (I think @Kiltox being a built company director managed to break his  )

Has that same old school unrefined clicky feel that many older British cars had. Unlike modern switch gear where they literally have someone as a job designing a uniform click.

Likewise there isn't a sea of plastic, but instead leather covered plastic. Leather may be sold as to give a upmarket feel but it also because it's expensive to get injection moulding deficiencies out and only really get those costs back in higher volumes. 

Even the driving position isn't infinitely configurable. Reach on the steering wheel is the only adjustable part. Seat rises and falls but still limited on movement. Tall people struggle to fit. The wheel itself is refreshing devoid of a myriad of switches - unlike modern wheels.  

To me it's as close to a classic Porsche that you can get while still being affordable to both buy and run. 

[SiC]

15 minutes ago, The Mighty Quinn said:

Standard VAG BMW speed clips. I'm trying to think what and where else they fit.

They're like speed clips but they don't hold a screw in. Radial pivot clip, spring fastener, etc all describe it but don't bring up any mixed sets on the usual outlets. Probably a German name that doesn't readily translate.

 

3 minutes ago, Claire84 said:

I've longed coveted a 996.  My neighbour has one squirreled away in his garage which he not only saves for best but simply doesn't use enough.  I see it maybe three or four times a year.

Shame. For me, the seats in the Boxster (same used in the 996) fit my body shape perfectly. I slide around less and much better supported than the seats in out A4. I could quite happily do big miles in a 996 as a daily driver. 

I'm tempted to use this as a daily driver but tbh I only drive to the train station (before lockdown) and I don't want the shiny mostly undamaged paintwork ruined by doing that. Same with nipping around to the shops. I'll let the Laguna be ruined for that. Long distances tends to be motorway and the A4 being diesel + cruise is cheaper & easier for that too. 

Thus for me, these cars will always be toys. Nice days where the sun is shining (cold or warm) where you can lob the roof down as much as possible. 

[SiC]

Despite ordering the parts on Monday, they didn't arrive before the weekend. Irritatingly design911 website said it was all in stock but when I enquired on the order status, some of the small clips were on 10-14 days backorder. Argh.

Anyway got on with replacing this ignition switch that doesn't always unlock out. Usually it's the ignition mechanism but the switches are known to break. As the switch is only £20 and the whole mechanism is £180, it's recommend to try changing the switch first.

The switch is accessible up in the foot well but access is tight. A duct is in the way but that just pops out.


Connector simply pulls off. This reveals the screws to be undone. Except on the LHD cars they point down but RHD point up. Joy.



Next was to remove the air vent to get to the top of those screws. Three screws and remove the knob then a good tug.


Took the rubber surround off the ignition switch. The guy who cut the leather must have had a blunt blade and a hangover! This is what I mean by Porsche being low volume manufacturers and have to get away with trim hiding stuff like this.


The vent is now held on with clips and a good tug removed it.


Another duct in the way. Single Philips to remove.


Can see our prize. It's the black unit with red anti shake glue on.



These undid with a flat headed bit by fingertight thankfully. Switch pulled out.


Old Vs new


New one fits in only one way. Rest is reverse.


So the old switch...
Taking it apart became clear what was wrong with it.


The loose black nylon impregnated plastic piece was affixed here.


Quite clear what's wrong with this part...


Incidentally talking of parts bin, the interior light always has been loose. I took it off earlier and the clips broke. Anyone happen to have one of these spare?


More likely someone could have one than you think...


Apparently used on the Peugeot 205 and others of a similar generation. Made me chuckle that it's not just Peugeot and Citroen branded but Talbot too.

[SiC]

Parts came today. Hella rads made in China - pretty sure the £69 eBay specials wouldn't have been much difference tbh. Oh well. Rads came double boxed and undamaged.


Had grand plans of making a video documenting it and all that. Ended up tonight instead challenging myself to actually get it done in an evening. Hence not many pictures either.

One thing I bought recently was this 2 tier trolley from Amazon. As someone who always looses bits, this trolley has been ace. I can line all the bits that have come off or to be fitted and then wheel it to where ever I'm working. Just need to make some dividers to separate the left, middle and right of the car.


Rads went in mostly uneventfully


Condenser on the right side was bit of a pain to line up with the fixings in the new rad. Took a bit of persuasion* with a pry bar to get it into place.


Bumper was a right pain in the arse to get on. The cages for the rads I loosened up, which put the bottom and arch liner fixings all out of kilter. Got it on eventually. Even if I did manage to put a scratch in the left hand side near the wheel arch. Darn. A dab of touch up will hopefully hide it.


Started at about 8:30pm and done by 12:05pm - including dropping the car down.

Next job will be to raise the backend, drain remaining coolant and change the water pump. While I'm there, I'm going to change the plugs, coil packs and fuel filter. Bit nervous about the fixings in the aluminium engine. Especially as not sure how long the water pump has been on there. Possibly since the factory. When the engine was rebuilt by OPC in 2007-ish, there is no record of a water pump change. So possibly original and why I'm getting it changed out.

[The Moog]

I am loving the trolley - Might have to get one of those for myself .

[loserone]

the lights are only around a tenner off ebay, I bought one the other week

[SiC]

1 hour ago, snagglepuss said:

I am loving the trolley - Might have to get one of those for myself .

After looking around a lot, I found this was the best value and is the one I bought: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07TGQHR9H

There are cheaper ones on eBay but they have much smaller casters and so don't move across the floor smoothly. 

Machine Mart do them too but are twice the price. 

Also considered this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07TBGH48M

Not as pretty being made out of recycled plastic. But if the specs are to believed, capable of taking small engines/transmission on it. 

[SiC]

Cracked on with this again yesterday evening. Need to stop going to bed at 1am, not good for my long term health.

Back end jacked up. Not Porsche recommended place but everyone does it here.


Coolant drained - hex bolt in middle of photo.


Belt off


Genuine Porsche


Didn't look in bad condition at all


Water pump


Water pump off. The gasket on these are made in two sections. When doing just the pump, you break off the other section. This says to me the pump is likely original out of the factory. Or replaced when it had a rebuild at a Porsche dealer around 36k when it had IMS problems and the bearing+shafts replaced.


New shiny pump with gasket on


Useful tip I got from Car Wizard on YouTube to hold bolts on to sockets to stop them dropping out when fitting


New belt on.



Filled with some Mannol coolant. Probably have Porsche enthusiasts scream at me for not using genuine coolant. However this is £23 for 20litres and genuine is £12 per litre. Yeah...


Ended up putting in 10litres. Probably about right as I wasn't going for a full system drain. Full system is around 17 litres. Just hoping I get no air locks or similar. These mid engined Porsches are a bit notorious for being a pain in the arse to bleed. Didn't run up last night as it was late and I didn't want to wake the whole street up.

Got on to replacing the plugs and coils.

Quite easy on these but that also means they are quite exposed to environment being at the bottom and exposed.




Old plugs initially I was surprised at how worn the electrode was to the new ones. However googling NGK platinum plug images and it looks like they are like that new. So possibly that badly worn. Hard to tell.



Cleaned out another plastic panel that is a mudtrap. Thankfully they galvanized these properly but I can see these sort of areas being right trouble in 30 to 40 years time.


This was the mess left from just removing the panel.


Later today I hope to do the other coil packs and then fire up to bleed the cooling system. I'm hoping with the arse in the air, it should be easier to bleed. Many recommend using a vacuum bleeder but the official Porsche service manuals make no mention of it. So I'm hoping not to have to. Those bleeders aren't cheap, even in generic Chinese red boxed tools off eBay they are around £70 for a full set. Once that is done and if it goes all ok, I will replace the fuel filter that is mid section.

Then drop the car down and go for a drive!

[Tickman]

Making good use of the new garage there.

Changing the doors for a big single is going to make a massive amount of difference when you get round to it.