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The Master Cylinder Porsche Boxster Tips: Index  I have a Boxster S and my rear tires are wearing our really fast I lowered my Boxster and my rear tires are wearing out way too fast Convertible top failure and maintenance I'm at the track and my front tires are getting destroyed on the outside edges 98 Boxster and it has an interior rattle Boxster
suffered an intermediate shaft failure |
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| Q -
I have a Boxster S
and my rear tires are wearing our really fast. I had the springs
replaced with lowering springs and when the shop was done, they tried to align the car. They were
unable to get the rear toe adjustment within the normal range. There is no way to adjust the
original rear toe adjusters any further than they did without hacking up my car. I didn’t want to
drive it that way but I had to and my new tires were toast in 2,000 miles! What can I do? Chuck A - Wow, what a coincidence, I ran into this too! Calling Techart was the obvious first step but they were unaware of the problem. Since this did not work and modifying the car is not an option, what you are left with is the need for adjustable rear tie rods that have a lot more room to adjust than the factory allowed. Since the front tie rods have exactly the same taper as the rear toe links, replicating the inner bushing and mating it to a pair or front tie rods works just fine. Now you can have the lowest Boxster around and your tires will last a lot longer too. MC |
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| Q - I have a 99 Boxster and I have been reading about the convertible top failure
and the huge cost involved. Is there any way to prevent this? A - Interestingly, the factory does not specify ANY maintenance for the top but the dealer will gladly repair it if it breaks or sell you the parts to fix it for a princely sum. No thanks! “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I have found that parts of the top vibrate loose. When they do, the mechanism can get out of index, bind, and bingo, the game is over (and you lose). I suggest an annual inspection of the top to check for loose parts and a lubrication to keep things moving freely. Incidentally, when the top fails, the body sometimes bends. You can tell this has happened when the “clam shell” no longer fits flat. Autometric is the source we recommend for straightening the inner flanks of the car if this has happened to you. The youngest Boxster that I have seen with this problem was only two years old. I was stunned at such an early failure until the client told me that he had left a two liter bottle of pop in the back when he put the top down. Oops! $2,500 later, it was back to normal. MC | ||||
| Q - I take my Boxster to the track and my front tires are getting destroyed on the outside
edges. I took it to the shop for an alignment (twice) and I was told that the alignment is already
set at maximum negative camber. I know I could invest in camber plates or other parts to accomplish
the goal but is there any other way that is less expensive? A - Sure, I too like a challenge, and I tend to be thrifty. This task requires some creativity and engineering but it is not difficult. The range of adjustment is limited by the three studs on the top of the strut cap and the slots in the body. There is plenty of clearance between the inside of the spring and the body. You either need to move the studs on the strut cap or elongate the slotted holes on the body. The studs are the way to go on this project. Compress the springs with the proper tool, remove the tops and take them to a competent welder. The studs can be moved about 13 mm and this will give you the necessary adjustment. You cannot simply move them without building more strength into the spring perch that was removed during the modification. If your welder thinks like me, the strength added will be overkill. The only affected parts can be easily replaced if you ever want to go back to stock settings. MC Q - I have a 98 Boxster and it has an interior rattle that annoys me. I tracked it down to the screen that fits behind the seat in the hoop of the roll bar. Got a hot tip before I Gorilla glue it? A - Ed Sure Ed, get some Velcro and remove the screen. You will notice four points where rubber pads cushion the plastic piece against the roll bar hoop. They have gotten squashed over the last 10 years or just fell off. You
can replace the rubber pads with the “loop” part of self adhesive
Velcro tape (You won’t be using the “hook” part, just the loop.)
Once you clean the old goo off with alcohol, cut little rectangles
of Velcro to replace the rubber pads. The Velcro will be a little
thicker (more cushion) than the rubber pads. While you are at it, do
the drivers side. I promise the rattle will annoy you no longer and
they will snap in place with authority. Q - My Boxster suffered that broken intermediate shaft failure and I had the engine replaced two months ago. Today while I was on the freeway, it started to blow giant clouds of blue smoke then the check engine light came on. The engine still runs fine and I checked the oil. It is only ˝ quart low and there are no leaks (unlike the last time it croaked) I am ticked! After a $10,000 bill on the engine I want to burn this sucker. A - Such language! I am not an attorney, if you burn it you will need one now that everyone knows about your evil thoughts. But seriously, it is probably not as bad as you think, just another speed bump on the road of life. Porsche has updated a device called the crankcase breather assembly three times. My hunch is that yours has failed. They fail suddenly and dramatically but do no harm except for the smoke screen that you have been laying down and possible fouling of the spark plugs and OXS sensor.
The unit is located on top of the engine and it costs a little over a hundred dollars. Labor to replace it will cost a few hundreds but if you don’t drive very far after if fails (and how could you without attracting the authorities) it is likely that resetting the computer will shut off the warning light.
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