A busy day on the Boxster!
Discussion
I thought this might be of interest, as there seem to be a limited number of folks looking after their own cars, so for some it might be nice to see what's under your boxster - and others might be able to add some pointers or tricks that could help out!
I bought my boxster in August and it has mostly specialist history, although that seems to have waned since mid-2010 (when it had a LOT of work done at Malton) to local garages and a DIY oil change. Bearing this in mind, I decided that I wanted to give it a good going over, and have opted to spend my budget on parts and do the labour myself.
I am in the lucky position that I can (with a bit of forward planning!) borrow a lift at a mate's garage, which is exactly what I did today (taking a day of my paternity leave to have some daddy time!). I started at about 10am with a big pile of bits for a service:
and a pair of coffin arms for the front (I had a bit of a high-speed shimmy, so this seemed like the right first step)
first step was to get the car on the lift and get access to the top of the engine - which was nice and easy, by lifting the back end of the hood, removing the storage box, carpet and the engine cover which looked like this:
Giving easy access to the air filter (on the n/s)
it was then time to go underneath to drop the oil and filter, which was easily done on the bottom of the engine:
The next job was a little fiddly (and I think would have caused much swearing if it was being done on axle stands!), which was changing the plugs - the removal of the coil packs needing some patience!
But they looked ready for doing (and I thought I'd upgrade to Iridium plugs for an extra fiver or so):
Next, it was time to move forwards - and go for the fuel filter, which is buried under the shielding and between coolant pipes on the underside - so once under the covers, you are met with this:
With that done, I moved up top to do the accessory drive belt, which meant tipping both seats forward, removing the carpet and a series of 10mm bolts to give access to the front of the engine, where you need just a 24mm spanner to release the tension on the belt to remove and replace. The belt was definitely ready for doing, with significant cracking to the ribs.
I did the pollen filter under the front scuttle panel (but didn't take pictures) and then it was then just a simple(!) matter of replacing the coffin arms, which were quite straightforward to do - interestingly, the old ones didn't appear too bad either in appearance or feel of the bushes and joints.
So with all that done, it was time to recheck levels and take it out for a test drive. First impressions are that it feels much sharper, and the steering has gained a fair bit more feel, so I think the arms have done the job, also the engine feels smoother. So it's taken me a long day, but I think it's been well worthwhile to have made a good improvement to the car, and also let me have a good check over everything so that it's ready for a trackday or two later in the year! There are still a couple of jobs to do - I ordered rear ARB bushes, but they hadn't arrived in time, I also plan to get the geometry checked and change the brake fluid before going on track.
I found it interesting comparing working on the boxster to my other cars, particularly my previous MX5, and I would say that there is nothing that I've done today that couldn't be done by someone who has a bit of knowledge and a good manual - but that it would definitely be made much more straightforward when you have access to a well-kitted workshop with a lift!
Hope this is interesting - I guess if you've made it this far, then it must be!
I bought my boxster in August and it has mostly specialist history, although that seems to have waned since mid-2010 (when it had a LOT of work done at Malton) to local garages and a DIY oil change. Bearing this in mind, I decided that I wanted to give it a good going over, and have opted to spend my budget on parts and do the labour myself.
I am in the lucky position that I can (with a bit of forward planning!) borrow a lift at a mate's garage, which is exactly what I did today (taking a day of my paternity leave to have some daddy time!). I started at about 10am with a big pile of bits for a service:
and a pair of coffin arms for the front (I had a bit of a high-speed shimmy, so this seemed like the right first step)
first step was to get the car on the lift and get access to the top of the engine - which was nice and easy, by lifting the back end of the hood, removing the storage box, carpet and the engine cover which looked like this:
Giving easy access to the air filter (on the n/s)
it was then time to go underneath to drop the oil and filter, which was easily done on the bottom of the engine:
The next job was a little fiddly (and I think would have caused much swearing if it was being done on axle stands!), which was changing the plugs - the removal of the coil packs needing some patience!
But they looked ready for doing (and I thought I'd upgrade to Iridium plugs for an extra fiver or so):
Next, it was time to move forwards - and go for the fuel filter, which is buried under the shielding and between coolant pipes on the underside - so once under the covers, you are met with this:
With that done, I moved up top to do the accessory drive belt, which meant tipping both seats forward, removing the carpet and a series of 10mm bolts to give access to the front of the engine, where you need just a 24mm spanner to release the tension on the belt to remove and replace. The belt was definitely ready for doing, with significant cracking to the ribs.
I did the pollen filter under the front scuttle panel (but didn't take pictures) and then it was then just a simple(!) matter of replacing the coffin arms, which were quite straightforward to do - interestingly, the old ones didn't appear too bad either in appearance or feel of the bushes and joints.
So with all that done, it was time to recheck levels and take it out for a test drive. First impressions are that it feels much sharper, and the steering has gained a fair bit more feel, so I think the arms have done the job, also the engine feels smoother. So it's taken me a long day, but I think it's been well worthwhile to have made a good improvement to the car, and also let me have a good check over everything so that it's ready for a trackday or two later in the year! There are still a couple of jobs to do - I ordered rear ARB bushes, but they hadn't arrived in time, I also plan to get the geometry checked and change the brake fluid before going on track.
I found it interesting comparing working on the boxster to my other cars, particularly my previous MX5, and I would say that there is nothing that I've done today that couldn't be done by someone who has a bit of knowledge and a good manual - but that it would definitely be made much more straightforward when you have access to a well-kitted workshop with a lift!
Hope this is interesting - I guess if you've made it this far, then it must be!
well done that man 
agreed there aint too much on pistonheads with regards to diy's & with the traffic this will be lost in a couple of days
perhaps a sticky might be in order mods? if it was there people might be more inclined to put stuff up there & less inclined to twine about how much their car is depreciating
agreed there aint too much on pistonheads with regards to diy's & with the traffic this will be lost in a couple of days
perhaps a sticky might be in order mods? if it was there people might be more inclined to put stuff up there & less inclined to twine about how much their car is depreciating
Thanks for all of the positive comments - I didn't know what kind of reaction I'd get as there isn't much DIY in this section - I guess that's partly down to the value (or depreciation!) of other models! It is certainly interesting for me to prove that there's nothing mythical or scary about working on a Porsche, and that you can do a good job, but you just need to take your time and have a good manual or tame mechanic handy! The aux belt was certainly much easier than the 2005 Celica that my mate was working on today.
I forgot another job for the list too - I need to change the MTF, but I'll brew up something special for that, as my day job is developing transmission fluids!
Oh, and MTR - not quite sure I'm my wife's hero, having abandoned her all day (but just think about the money I've saved, eh!).
I forgot another job for the list too - I need to change the MTF, but I'll brew up something special for that, as my day job is developing transmission fluids!
Oh, and MTR - not quite sure I'm my wife's hero, having abandoned her all day (but just think about the money I've saved, eh!).
Nice write up Browno. I know what you mean about the coil packs! Not sure if you did this but here's a tip for anyone doing this job their self. Before removing the allen bolts pull the dust cover back on the connector and unclip it and then remove the coil pack. When fitting the coil pack do the same in reverse i.e. put the coil pack on and tighten it in place and then plug in the connector and push the dust cover back into place.
I see you used NGK spark plugs. The advice I've always received is to stick to Bosch or Beru on a Porsche engine. The inference being that NGK are not reliable but I don't know if there is any substance behind that?
I see you used NGK spark plugs. The advice I've always received is to stick to Bosch or Beru on a Porsche engine. The inference being that NGK are not reliable but I don't know if there is any substance behind that?
Hi noticed you changed the coffin arms,did you make sure the car was on its wheels before you tightened up the through bolts (there are little dipples,one on the arm and some on subframe which should line up ),if you tighten up the bolt with the suspension hanging down,it will over twist the rubber,causing early failure.
Chris
Chris
Nice thread.
browno said:
not quite sure I'm my wife's hero, having abandoned her all day (but just think about the money I've saved, eh!).
First thought as I read you were doing it on a paternity day, chances like this will disappear as the months tick by so make the most of it! Good luck with the car and new family.
Thanks again for your comments! Glad I'm creating some interest, and some good tips coming through!
I tried the first coil without disconnecting, but then changed tack for the other 5, so that's definitely good advice! Also interesting comments on NGK - I haven't seen any comments on that, and have always used them in my cars, so will see how I get on with them.
For the coffin arms, I had read about loading the bushes, so did that - although interestingly, it was thought to be a bit of an old wive's tale by both the mechanics there, so we'll wait and see (maybe I should have tightened one unloaded as an experiment!).
I definitely thought it was worthwhile getting the day in during my paternity, but hopefully it won't be my last - this is baby no. 2, and my older son loves the boxster - insisting on getting the roof down in all weathers, so I've got to keep it in good safe condition for him anyway
!
Going to use what's left of my brownie points on Sunday heading down to the autosport show, so getting my car fix this week!
Anyone else got any good DIY tips or tales to share - would be interesting to hear. Perhaps a wiki with DIY tips would be a plan to share tips and experiences?
I tried the first coil without disconnecting, but then changed tack for the other 5, so that's definitely good advice! Also interesting comments on NGK - I haven't seen any comments on that, and have always used them in my cars, so will see how I get on with them.
For the coffin arms, I had read about loading the bushes, so did that - although interestingly, it was thought to be a bit of an old wive's tale by both the mechanics there, so we'll wait and see (maybe I should have tightened one unloaded as an experiment!).
I definitely thought it was worthwhile getting the day in during my paternity, but hopefully it won't be my last - this is baby no. 2, and my older son loves the boxster - insisting on getting the roof down in all weathers, so I've got to keep it in good safe condition for him anyway
!Going to use what's left of my brownie points on Sunday heading down to the autosport show, so getting my car fix this week!
Anyone else got any good DIY tips or tales to share - would be interesting to hear. Perhaps a wiki with DIY tips would be a plan to share tips and experiences?
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