Porsche Boxster 986.2 2.7
Discussion
cheers dude, give me a few weeks at least 
Little bit of tinkering this afternoon just so I don't feel like I've wasted the weekend not doing anything; cold out there..
Checked the front rads for leaf ingress, hardly anything collected in the front bumper so they must have been cleared out quite regularly in the past (or at least once recently!) Also checked the drain holes fore and aft which were clear too. Chris Denning mentioned if these get blocked the first thing that gets flooded is the main EMS which would be very bad.
Well as it's daylight I took a few more pics of the thing clean, I seem to have a limitless threshold for clean pics of my own car, I can only assume it drives most other people mad
The only other thing I did that I didn't get a chance to do last weekend were the floor mats. Not too dirty but some mud staining around Porsche emblem.
AG interior shampoo used with a bit of water and a stiff bristled brush to agitate. A wet vac to suck out the worst then a damp micro fiber cloth used in a twisting montion to pull the remainder of the grime out, they seem to have come up OK, left hand side of the cloth as shown was the side used to clean so some appreciable dirt removed
and cleaned (I'm not one to put stripes in the carpets as some do, maybe I should have)
No further plans for now, which I find quite vexing ha.. Oh I do have some Valetpro Black to the Future on order which will be used on the arch liners and exterior plastics after a scrub down with AD Citrus APC which is also inbound; so that's something I guess.
Little bit of tinkering this afternoon just so I don't feel like I've wasted the weekend not doing anything; cold out there..
Checked the front rads for leaf ingress, hardly anything collected in the front bumper so they must have been cleared out quite regularly in the past (or at least once recently!) Also checked the drain holes fore and aft which were clear too. Chris Denning mentioned if these get blocked the first thing that gets flooded is the main EMS which would be very bad.
Well as it's daylight I took a few more pics of the thing clean, I seem to have a limitless threshold for clean pics of my own car, I can only assume it drives most other people mad
The only other thing I did that I didn't get a chance to do last weekend were the floor mats. Not too dirty but some mud staining around Porsche emblem.
AG interior shampoo used with a bit of water and a stiff bristled brush to agitate. A wet vac to suck out the worst then a damp micro fiber cloth used in a twisting montion to pull the remainder of the grime out, they seem to have come up OK, left hand side of the cloth as shown was the side used to clean so some appreciable dirt removed
and cleaned (I'm not one to put stripes in the carpets as some do, maybe I should have)
No further plans for now, which I find quite vexing ha.. Oh I do have some Valetpro Black to the Future on order which will be used on the arch liners and exterior plastics after a scrub down with AD Citrus APC which is also inbound; so that's something I guess.
Stumbled upon a fellas channel in the US covering 986 ownership called Burner's Cars (recommended by our own Road and Race YT channel chap) A particularly interesting vid was
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7J4bhz9brg
detailing removal of leaves etc from in front of the air con condensers that collect in the front bumper. Something I've wanted to do but wasn't quite sure how to go about it.
So watched the vid last night and got started a few hours ago
car up for easier underside access
Burner's video was very clear so followed his steps
all very simple to disassemble
torx bolts on the underside of the bumper, rusted but not seized (greased before re-fitting)
removal of front slap panel cover
and bumper comes off very easily, about 20 mins faffing
leaves something resembling this
so the leafs in question. Good job to remove them; especially in winter as they can get wet/freeze/expand/crack the condensers
Removal of the condenser cowls to reveal the condensers and rads
plenty of build up, the near side seems to have had a wasps nest in it at some point
re positioning the condenser reveals build up in between the rads
and took the opportunity to clean the cowls whilst they were off
untreated drivers side
treated passenger side
drivers side much the same
lots of feathers in this one
and all done. put back together without an issue. It's all very nicely constructed and is very easy to work on.
I'm not expecting to notice any difference in cooling etc but I'm in no doubt that the cooling system will work more efficiently now that the obstructions have been removed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7J4bhz9brg
detailing removal of leaves etc from in front of the air con condensers that collect in the front bumper. Something I've wanted to do but wasn't quite sure how to go about it.
So watched the vid last night and got started a few hours ago
car up for easier underside access
Burner's video was very clear so followed his steps
all very simple to disassemble
torx bolts on the underside of the bumper, rusted but not seized (greased before re-fitting)
removal of front slap panel cover
and bumper comes off very easily, about 20 mins faffing
leaves something resembling this
so the leafs in question. Good job to remove them; especially in winter as they can get wet/freeze/expand/crack the condensers
Removal of the condenser cowls to reveal the condensers and rads
plenty of build up, the near side seems to have had a wasps nest in it at some point
re positioning the condenser reveals build up in between the rads
and took the opportunity to clean the cowls whilst they were off
untreated drivers side
treated passenger side
drivers side much the same
lots of feathers in this one
and all done. put back together without an issue. It's all very nicely constructed and is very easy to work on.
I'm not expecting to notice any difference in cooling etc but I'm in no doubt that the cooling system will work more efficiently now that the obstructions have been removed.
Edited by squareflops on Monday 26th December 16:32
Very nice.
This is how a car should be looked after. I'm not quite as skillful but I am just as particular. I find it quite bizarre that someone's 'pride & joy' only goes for a basic service one a year, often bi annually.
Rarely a week goes by without me paying some attention to my car, often no more than just a thorough wash, but enough time to give it a good check over.
Well done
This is how a car should be looked after. I'm not quite as skillful but I am just as particular. I find it quite bizarre that someone's 'pride & joy' only goes for a basic service one a year, often bi annually.
Rarely a week goes by without me paying some attention to my car, often no more than just a thorough wash, but enough time to give it a good check over.
Well done
I like your Micra as well.
Did you have a Subaru at some point? Im sure I have a memory of a blue scooby being parked on that drive in another readers ride.
Nice work with the 986, been eyeing them up myself but got another year left on the FieSTa lease...can't wait to get back into owning something and faffing.
Did you have a Subaru at some point? Im sure I have a memory of a blue scooby being parked on that drive in another readers ride.
Nice work with the 986, been eyeing them up myself but got another year left on the FieSTa lease...can't wait to get back into owning something and faffing.
Rick101 said:
Very nice.
This is how a car should be looked after. I'm not quite as skillful but I am just as particular. I find it quite bizarre that someone's 'pride & joy' only goes for a basic service one a year, often bi annually.
Rarely a week goes by without me paying some attention to my car, often no more than just a thorough wash, but enough time to give it a good check over.
Well done
cheers bud This is how a car should be looked after. I'm not quite as skillful but I am just as particular. I find it quite bizarre that someone's 'pride & joy' only goes for a basic service one a year, often bi annually.
Rarely a week goes by without me paying some attention to my car, often no more than just a thorough wash, but enough time to give it a good check over.
Well done
I'm sure you're as skillful as I; as I'm not very good with a spanner either
indeed I baulk at the state of some peoples cars even superficially sometimes but no doubt it's just not some peoples focus 
Got to love a good wash, the boxing day sales aren't helping though, products may be reduced but still can't afford them
edc said:
Did you look to relocate the emergency front boot release whilst in there?
the who what now send nudes..crmax said:
You have bought a very nice car and you´re giving it quite a bit of love 
I like that, although I would never have the patience to do that. Selling the M3 to get a non-S Boxster is not the most obvious step, but sounds perfectly logical after reading your story 
cheers bud, ' I like that, although I would never have the patience to do that. Selling the M3 to get a non-S Boxster is not the most obvious step, but sounds perfectly logical after reading your story ' is as confident as I still am about about selling the M3 ha, it kinda makes sense; right? GTIAlex said:
I like your Micra as well.
Micra is still going strong, should be having a new clutch and drivers side outer cv kit soon, should make it quieter at leastGTIAlex said:
Did you have a Subaru at some point? Im sure I have a memory of a blue scooby being parked on that drive in another readers ride.
Yes bud that was mine. It was chavvy/had 15 owners but I loved it. In hindsight I should have really stopped at the Subaru and kept it, I absolutely loved it, maybe I'll have another in the future. 
GTIAlex said:
Nice work with the 986, been eyeing them up myself but got another year left on the FieSTa lease...can't wait to get back into owning something and faffing.
I'd recommend one. It astounds me the price of some at the moment. the early 2.5 litres about going for 2.8./3.5k, crazy for the car. The pre 2000 cars have the dual row IMS bearing also so on paper should be more reliable than the later single row M96 equipped cars. I'd love a budget early 2.5, just can't convince the mrs of the same thing 
There's an emergency boot release in the front wheel well. You'll need it to access the battery if it dies and you can't use the electric button. If your locking key is in the front boot then you won't be able to remove the front wheel to get to it anyway. If you have it somewhere more accessible then you won't have this problem.
Not car content this update but garage. Not even really an update but I feel like bookmarking the day
Decided to do a few things that had been bugging me for a while. Id always put off doing the job mentioned below up until now as domestic household electrics are not my forte; but.. the position of my garage light switch has been the focus of great annoyance for a while. It is, or was at the back of the garage so I'd have fight my way past the car in the pitch black during night time to get to it. Conversely when leaving the garage I'd need to switch the lights off then walk down the left hand side of the garage in darkness - so I moved the light switch.
This sounds incredibly simple and to the vast majority of you guys I'm sure it is but as I said I wasn't that confident, the potential to set fire to the garage wiring or electrocuting myself has always made this job more than I was willing to tackle. But f
k it, how hard could it be? They're just wires.
So I popped to Screwfix and picked up
10m twin & earth 2.5mm cable
tower cable clips for above
a box of splice line connectors to connect old twin and earth to new
chocbox to house the connectors
a 600mm spirit level
a bench vice
before I started I killed the power to the garage and stripped off the old cable clips to the existing light switch. I then removed the face plate of the switch and was greeted by
At this point I realized there were 2 cables going in to the box not 1 (did I mention I don't know much about wiring) so this doubled the amount of work I had to do and also doubled my chances of fking something up. This photo and some others served as a map for when it went back together and I clearly labelled both cables 'In' & 'Out'.
I joined the two cables with the splice line connectors (these seem very sketchy as they remind me of scotch blocks used to bodge ICE wiring in my old cars many years ago but they came recommended by an electrician so ... cool)
Cables partially run and chocboxed
so tucked the wires and secured along the garage wall then re positioned the switch box with a rawlplug and self tapper.
right next to the door
I checked, double checked and triple checked all of my connections before turning the breaker back on and saying "brown = live, blue =neutral" about 100 times whilst looking at the wires to make sure I'd got everything right. I do prefer the old system of red = live, black neutral as the initial letters were different whereas now using the harmonized system both start with B so it's harder to differentiate if that makes sense. Good job I'm not an electrician
So that's done, all lights still work and the garage hasn't burnt down yet so I'm taking that as a win.
In addition as mentioned earlier I renewed my ancient wooden spirit level with a much lighter one. And something I've found wanting for a few times in recent months; a vice. The one from Screwfix is about the cutest little vice I've ever seen, smaller than most I've used in the past but it fits the size of the garage well and I'm unlikely to need anything bigger for what I have in mind. It works well in as much as the jaws clear the bench to allow for long items to be held vertically without interference, not all do it appears having done some research before purchasing.
I did mess up a little with the fixtures. I measured the bench drop at 55m and bought the 70mm 8mm bolts with large washers and nyloc nuts. All good right? No. I forgot to take into account the height of the vice itself so the bolts came flush with the bottom bench
Thankfully I had a flat wood drill bit so instead of going back to Screwfix and having buy longer bolts I just drilled up into the bench support and countersunk the nuts
and all fitted, isn't she just the cutest thing
In other news I'm half way through moving the air tools from the LHS side of my back board to the right as I seldomly use these. In their place on the 'main' side of the backboard I'm waiting on 3X clip strips that will allow me to mount more every day items like screw drivers, spanners, sockets and alike; I'm getting tired of going in and out of my tool boxes every time I need something.
Not sure whether to mount the breaker bar and torque wrenches horizontally or vertically. I'm sure I'll figure it out
Decided to do a few things that had been bugging me for a while. Id always put off doing the job mentioned below up until now as domestic household electrics are not my forte; but.. the position of my garage light switch has been the focus of great annoyance for a while. It is, or was at the back of the garage so I'd have fight my way past the car in the pitch black during night time to get to it. Conversely when leaving the garage I'd need to switch the lights off then walk down the left hand side of the garage in darkness - so I moved the light switch.
This sounds incredibly simple and to the vast majority of you guys I'm sure it is but as I said I wasn't that confident, the potential to set fire to the garage wiring or electrocuting myself has always made this job more than I was willing to tackle. But f
k it, how hard could it be? They're just wires. So I popped to Screwfix and picked up
10m twin & earth 2.5mm cable
tower cable clips for above
a box of splice line connectors to connect old twin and earth to new
chocbox to house the connectors
a 600mm spirit level
a bench vice
before I started I killed the power to the garage and stripped off the old cable clips to the existing light switch. I then removed the face plate of the switch and was greeted by
At this point I realized there were 2 cables going in to the box not 1 (did I mention I don't know much about wiring) so this doubled the amount of work I had to do and also doubled my chances of f
king something up. This photo and some others served as a map for when it went back together and I clearly labelled both cables 'In' & 'Out'. I joined the two cables with the splice line connectors (these seem very sketchy as they remind me of scotch blocks used to bodge ICE wiring in my old cars many years ago but they came recommended by an electrician so ... cool)
Cables partially run and chocboxed
so tucked the wires and secured along the garage wall then re positioned the switch box with a rawlplug and self tapper.
right next to the door
I checked, double checked and triple checked all of my connections before turning the breaker back on and saying "brown = live, blue =neutral" about 100 times whilst looking at the wires to make sure I'd got everything right. I do prefer the old system of red = live, black neutral as the initial letters were different whereas now using the harmonized system both start with B so it's harder to differentiate if that makes sense. Good job I'm not an electrician
So that's done, all lights still work and the garage hasn't burnt down yet so I'm taking that as a win.
In addition as mentioned earlier I renewed my ancient wooden spirit level with a much lighter one. And something I've found wanting for a few times in recent months; a vice. The one from Screwfix is about the cutest little vice I've ever seen, smaller than most I've used in the past but it fits the size of the garage well and I'm unlikely to need anything bigger for what I have in mind. It works well in as much as the jaws clear the bench to allow for long items to be held vertically without interference, not all do it appears having done some research before purchasing.
I did mess up a little with the fixtures. I measured the bench drop at 55m and bought the 70mm 8mm bolts with large washers and nyloc nuts. All good right? No. I forgot to take into account the height of the vice itself so the bolts came flush with the bottom bench
Thankfully I had a flat wood drill bit so instead of going back to Screwfix and having buy longer bolts I just drilled up into the bench support and countersunk the nuts
and all fitted, isn't she just the cutest thing
In other news I'm half way through moving the air tools from the LHS side of my back board to the right as I seldomly use these. In their place on the 'main' side of the backboard I'm waiting on 3X clip strips that will allow me to mount more every day items like screw drivers, spanners, sockets and alike; I'm getting tired of going in and out of my tool boxes every time I need something.
Not sure whether to mount the breaker bar and torque wrenches horizontally or vertically. I'm sure I'll figure it out
Get yourself on to garge journal if your not already. All the ideas you could ever dream of.
http://www.garagejournal.com
http://www.garagejournal.com
MOT passed today with no advisories which is nice.
Also garage related I received the clip strips so arranged the tool board slightly better
Bottom left on the board are commonly used spanners/extensions/ratchets and next to the breaker bar/torque wrenches are the two most used wheel nut impact sockets labelled porsche and nissan.
You'll notice the 6mm die grinder from Draper on the far right, it really is a tiny thing, just about as big as my hand. I should have ordered some bits at the same time really - I still have no idea what I'm ever going to use it for
Also garage related I received the clip strips so arranged the tool board slightly better
Bottom left on the board are commonly used spanners/extensions/ratchets and next to the breaker bar/torque wrenches are the two most used wheel nut impact sockets labelled porsche and nissan.
You'll notice the 6mm die grinder from Draper on the far right, it really is a tiny thing, just about as big as my hand. I should have ordered some bits at the same time really
- I still have no idea what I'm ever going to use it for Edited by squareflops on Saturday 7th January 16:53
Bloody hate threads like these, they make me feel like I should just buy an old boxster and then make me feel worse that I'm too lazy to tidy my tools - I could really do with a run of clips on a board like you have.
Ok I have a few children to prevent me doing things (bloody things need constant attention!) but I really do shame myself sometimes with my inability to spend half an hour clearing my stuff up out there!
In summary you're an asshat, but I like your car and tidy garage!
Ok I have a few children to prevent me doing things (bloody things need constant attention!) but I really do shame myself sometimes with my inability to spend half an hour clearing my stuff up out there!
In summary you're an asshat, but I like your car and tidy garage!
Sorry AU I guess having kids potentially dents the motivation to do these tertiary bits n bobs! The clip strips really are useful though and provide a quick fix for mounting what you need most. Recommended.
I spent about 20 mins flicking through the best garage thread on here and that provided all the inspiration I needed!
cheers dude haha, I'd recommend doing both things you mentioned above though!
we're lucky to have garages, make the most of them!
I guess having kids potentially dents the motivation to do these tertiary bits n bobs! The clip strips really are useful though and provide a quick fix for mounting what you need most. Recommended. I spent about 20 mins flicking through the best garage thread on here and that provided all the inspiration I needed!
cheers dude haha, I'd recommend doing both things you mentioned above though!
we're lucky to have garages, make the most of them!
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