2005 Boxster S
Discussion
Ok so Llandow was yesterday. The day was setup to run in groups based on ability/experience in the morning with 15 minute sessions for each and then moving to an open pitlane for the afternoon. I had signed up for the Novice group and got to ride with a friend in a highly modified E30 to get to know the track. For those that havn't been there its a very short track with only a few corners, which is great for novices because you get to really dial in a smaller number of corners.
Anyway, after two laps under yellow flag we were off. The group as I remember it had a bunch of MX5s and a focus ST170. The boxster immediately felt right at home. Any apprehension I had over setup (stock brake pads/fluid, fairly old road biased tyres) were quickly dispelled. The car felt poised and balanced in a way thats not always obvious when driving more slowly on the road. Grip levels felt high, and the power felt more than adequite. Overtaking the other cars in the class on the straights was drama free and the brakes never felt lacking. This I can only put down to the ability of the car, rather than the driver. There is one main braking area into the bus stop where I was coming in from the top of third (about 95mph) to around 25mph and the car did his about 15 times in the session with no signs of fade. The long gearing made sense, only needing second and third gear to cover the track at speed.
On the last lap before the cooldown the car started throwing an "alternator/battery" warning light intermittently. I did the cooldown lap and went back to the paddock, hoping that the alternator had just got hot and the issue would go away after cooling completely. To be honest, I hadn't realised how long we were out for and the car had done far more than I was expecting.
Anyway, long story short the fault didn't go away after cooldown. I took the bulkhead panel out to let the alternator properly cool and to inspect for obvious issues but no luck. None of our group had a multimeter to problem solve and I didn't want to risk running out of battery on the way home so ended the day after lunchtime.
Picture with roof down to get better access to the bulkhead area;
Annoying that it looks like I will have to put the car back into service position AGAIN to fix this. I suspect the alternator is cheesed but ill do some proper diagnosis over the next few days. It may have digested some fan belt fragments from the water pump bearing failure incident despite my efforts to vacuum them out. It also looks original, so may just be an age thing and the heat from the track just pushed it over the edge.
On the way home, the battery/alternator warning would go on and off seemingly at random. At one point on the M4 towards the end of the trip a brake distribution fault also came up, so I think/hope the car was running low on electricity and causing some other issues at this point. Thankfully that message was a one off and the car made the ~70 mile trip home with the roof down and the sun beaming so not a bad end to the day really. Overall I was happy that the car performed well and didn't leave me stranded afterwards.
Anyway, after two laps under yellow flag we were off. The group as I remember it had a bunch of MX5s and a focus ST170. The boxster immediately felt right at home. Any apprehension I had over setup (stock brake pads/fluid, fairly old road biased tyres) were quickly dispelled. The car felt poised and balanced in a way thats not always obvious when driving more slowly on the road. Grip levels felt high, and the power felt more than adequite. Overtaking the other cars in the class on the straights was drama free and the brakes never felt lacking. This I can only put down to the ability of the car, rather than the driver. There is one main braking area into the bus stop where I was coming in from the top of third (about 95mph) to around 25mph and the car did his about 15 times in the session with no signs of fade. The long gearing made sense, only needing second and third gear to cover the track at speed.
On the last lap before the cooldown the car started throwing an "alternator/battery" warning light intermittently. I did the cooldown lap and went back to the paddock, hoping that the alternator had just got hot and the issue would go away after cooling completely. To be honest, I hadn't realised how long we were out for and the car had done far more than I was expecting.
Anyway, long story short the fault didn't go away after cooldown. I took the bulkhead panel out to let the alternator properly cool and to inspect for obvious issues but no luck. None of our group had a multimeter to problem solve and I didn't want to risk running out of battery on the way home so ended the day after lunchtime.
Picture with roof down to get better access to the bulkhead area;
Annoying that it looks like I will have to put the car back into service position AGAIN to fix this. I suspect the alternator is cheesed but ill do some proper diagnosis over the next few days. It may have digested some fan belt fragments from the water pump bearing failure incident despite my efforts to vacuum them out. It also looks original, so may just be an age thing and the heat from the track just pushed it over the edge.
On the way home, the battery/alternator warning would go on and off seemingly at random. At one point on the M4 towards the end of the trip a brake distribution fault also came up, so I think/hope the car was running low on electricity and causing some other issues at this point. Thankfully that message was a one off and the car made the ~70 mile trip home with the roof down and the sun beaming so not a bad end to the day really. Overall I was happy that the car performed well and didn't leave me stranded afterwards.
That's an interesting bit of feedback on the cheaper units. I'm not sure if that gives me more or less confidence in them - it sounds like a easy fix but having such a simple issue with a unit that is quite complicated might not bode well for the long-term.
Glad it's working well for you though, I'm not sure I can handle the risk. At the moment the charging issue is keeping me busy so I'm putting off making a decision even though I promised myself I would order the audio stuff this month.
It seems the voltage measured at the battery fluctuates in line with the fault on the dash (around 14v when light is off, around 12.5v when it's on). It took a few minutes of driving to start throwing the issue today, so it feels like a heat thing. Once it was having the issue, even sitting at idle the voltage wasn't holding constant. The revs drop slightly when the voltage increases.
Although it's feasible it's a poor contact somewhere, this really feels like an alternator problem. I am planning to pull the alternator tomorrow and either replace it or take the old one somewhere for test/repair. There is somewhere half an hour from the house that deals with these things and has good reviews. Cheap eBay versions are available from about £100 and I can't say I'm not tempted to give that a go if a repair would be more.
Glad it's working well for you though, I'm not sure I can handle the risk. At the moment the charging issue is keeping me busy so I'm putting off making a decision even though I promised myself I would order the audio stuff this month.
It seems the voltage measured at the battery fluctuates in line with the fault on the dash (around 14v when light is off, around 12.5v when it's on). It took a few minutes of driving to start throwing the issue today, so it feels like a heat thing. Once it was having the issue, even sitting at idle the voltage wasn't holding constant. The revs drop slightly when the voltage increases.
Although it's feasible it's a poor contact somewhere, this really feels like an alternator problem. I am planning to pull the alternator tomorrow and either replace it or take the old one somewhere for test/repair. There is somewhere half an hour from the house that deals with these things and has good reviews. Cheap eBay versions are available from about £100 and I can't say I'm not tempted to give that a go if a repair would be more.
Yes I did see that Sony unit. As you say, not the biggest screen etc but the volume knob is a great feature. Unfortunately I am using android at the moment and it doesn't support android auto, which basically rules it out 
Spent a few hours wrestling with the alternator. This job could either be the easiest (if the unit is new) or the worst (as it was). The job basically hinges on hammering a small bush out of the alternator to get clearance to remove it. The bush was corroded in place and wouldn't budge. I was close to cutting the alternator flange to get it out but with some brute force the thing did come out.
I've damaged the bush hammering it and the whole unit looks original (Bosch) so I've ordered a new unit. I did go for a cheaper pattern part. We shall see how good it is, I'll hang onto the original and if the cheaper replacement looks super shonky or packs up get repaired.
Spent a few hours wrestling with the alternator. This job could either be the easiest (if the unit is new) or the worst (as it was). The job basically hinges on hammering a small bush out of the alternator to get clearance to remove it. The bush was corroded in place and wouldn't budge. I was close to cutting the alternator flange to get it out but with some brute force the thing did come out.
I've damaged the bush hammering it and the whole unit looks original (Bosch) so I've ordered a new unit. I did go for a cheaper pattern part. We shall see how good it is, I'll hang onto the original and if the cheaper replacement looks super shonky or packs up get repaired.
Ok so new alternator fitted and car seems happy. I've not driven it far to be fair. Ended up taking a few hours to remove but about 10 minutes to fit. That bush being free makes all the difference!
Aso excitingly I made a decision on head unit. I ended up buying the incartec adaptor (so no need to run new wires from ignition live) and fitting kit. Bought a cheaper JVC unit (KW-M560BT) as it was heavily discounted from Halfords. Overall cost for kit and headunit was similar to the AliExpress unit. First impressions are that the sound quality is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the cdr24. I am very happy with the sound quality now and the android auto seems to work flawlessly and quickly.
The lack of volume knob is somewhat offset as the JVC units have gesture recognition, basically you rotate your finger vaguely on the screen and it turns the volume down. A big downside is that the feature doesn't work when the screen is showing android auto. If you click on the home screen at any time it will still play music and the feature will work. Not ideal but might be useful
Photo of setup, nothing that's not been done before
Aso excitingly I made a decision on head unit. I ended up buying the incartec adaptor (so no need to run new wires from ignition live) and fitting kit. Bought a cheaper JVC unit (KW-M560BT) as it was heavily discounted from Halfords. Overall cost for kit and headunit was similar to the AliExpress unit. First impressions are that the sound quality is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the cdr24. I am very happy with the sound quality now and the android auto seems to work flawlessly and quickly.
The lack of volume knob is somewhat offset as the JVC units have gesture recognition, basically you rotate your finger vaguely on the screen and it turns the volume down. A big downside is that the feature doesn't work when the screen is showing android auto. If you click on the home screen at any time it will still play music and the feature will work. Not ideal but might be useful
Photo of setup, nothing that's not been done before
Ok another update.....
Finally had a new windscreen installed. The little chips and scratches made driving into the sun difficult and frankly dangerous. I used the windscreen cover on insurance to keep the cost reasonable. I had read the stories of poorly fitting non OEM windscreens and now have one of my own...
Im not sure if its clear from the picture, but the whole edge of the glass is exposed and not covered by the seal!
To be fair, ive contacted the company and they are looking into sorting it out. They have requested measurements and are checking other screens to see if they can fix this without going OEM. I have suggested that this may be the end result anyway and the chap I spoke to agrees. I am happy to use a non-OEM windscreen providing the fit is good, however I doubt they are going to be able to achieve it.
In the meantime the screen is clear and visibility makes a huge difference to my enjoyment of the car.
Ive also fitted some new bits;
-New rear boot strut (wouldnt hold up the boot under the slightest breeze
-New fuel filler cap (the cord thing was broken)
New little stickers for the doors. Before
After;
New mudflap thing. Before;
After;
Also had a go at fixing the scratch on the door handle that has been there since I bought the car. I am really NOT happy with the colour match and hence havn't bothered trying to get it smooth. I raised it with Chipex who have provided a modified colour to fix the issue quickly and without fuss. I've yet to try the new colour but have been impressed with their responsiveness to the issue.
Before;
After;
Otherwise the car is good. The new but very modest stereo setup still really impresses me - its genuinely punchy and makes the original setup (even with newer speakers) seem like a joke.
Tyres are getting near the wear limits on the back (RE050A, 265/35R19) so I am looking at options. I will probably go with MPS4S based on reviews but am open to suggestions. Ive looked into it a bit and the N rating thing seems silly since you either buy a really old design that was rated for the 987 or a newer one that wasn't. The MPS4S only seems to get rave reviews as a road tyre, including on 987s so im struggling to consider others but am open to suggestions.
These will be by a considerable margin the most expensive tyres ive ever bought at circa £300 each due to the large size so im intentionally overthinking it.
Finally had a new windscreen installed. The little chips and scratches made driving into the sun difficult and frankly dangerous. I used the windscreen cover on insurance to keep the cost reasonable. I had read the stories of poorly fitting non OEM windscreens and now have one of my own...
Im not sure if its clear from the picture, but the whole edge of the glass is exposed and not covered by the seal!
To be fair, ive contacted the company and they are looking into sorting it out. They have requested measurements and are checking other screens to see if they can fix this without going OEM. I have suggested that this may be the end result anyway and the chap I spoke to agrees. I am happy to use a non-OEM windscreen providing the fit is good, however I doubt they are going to be able to achieve it.
In the meantime the screen is clear and visibility makes a huge difference to my enjoyment of the car.
Ive also fitted some new bits;
-New rear boot strut (wouldnt hold up the boot under the slightest breeze
-New fuel filler cap (the cord thing was broken)
New little stickers for the doors. Before
After;
New mudflap thing. Before;
After;
Also had a go at fixing the scratch on the door handle that has been there since I bought the car. I am really NOT happy with the colour match and hence havn't bothered trying to get it smooth. I raised it with Chipex who have provided a modified colour to fix the issue quickly and without fuss. I've yet to try the new colour but have been impressed with their responsiveness to the issue.
Before;
After;
Otherwise the car is good. The new but very modest stereo setup still really impresses me - its genuinely punchy and makes the original setup (even with newer speakers) seem like a joke.
Tyres are getting near the wear limits on the back (RE050A, 265/35R19) so I am looking at options. I will probably go with MPS4S based on reviews but am open to suggestions. Ive looked into it a bit and the N rating thing seems silly since you either buy a really old design that was rated for the 987 or a newer one that wasn't. The MPS4S only seems to get rave reviews as a road tyre, including on 987s so im struggling to consider others but am open to suggestions.
These will be by a considerable margin the most expensive tyres ive ever bought at circa £300 each due to the large size so im intentionally overthinking it.
Ok so new tyre day today. Went with MPS4S with a decent deal from ATS Euromaster, worked out at £530 for the rears. I had removed the wheels from the car and cleaned all of the old weights & residue before getting the new tyres fitted.
Then applied some autoglym ceramic detailing spray to keep the brake dust from sticking and voila;
I wanted to take it for a drive and get some fuel, but the car made an almightly clunking/scraping noise. I had bought new wheel bolts that were 5mm longer than stock previously and only fitted replacement wheel bolts to the left rear when putting these wheels on. I assumed this was the problem and returned to stock. The issue remained so the car was jacked up again and it was clearly a handbrake issue.
One of the handbrake shoes had separated from the backing and caused some carnage within the brake drum. I assumed a fitting kit with all necessary bits would be cheap and easy to come by (as it has been on other cars) but unfortunately this isn't the case. The main damage is to one of the springs that holds the shoe in. These small and simple parts appear to be around £25 each!
The non-mangled one;
I seem to remember buying a fitting kit for the E46 for about half this that covered everything for both sides! Strange thing is that the adjuster is about £6 (which seems good value). Replacement pagid shoes seem to be about £30 (again, seems reasonable). Its annoying to have the drums apart and not replace everything, but replacing all of the springs etc would be another ~£200 and I cant justify that when they are not broken.
So car is going to be off the road for a few more days until I can get this fixed, which isn't too bad timing as the weather looks like being rubbish for at least the next week.
Then applied some autoglym ceramic detailing spray to keep the brake dust from sticking and voila;
I wanted to take it for a drive and get some fuel, but the car made an almightly clunking/scraping noise. I had bought new wheel bolts that were 5mm longer than stock previously and only fitted replacement wheel bolts to the left rear when putting these wheels on. I assumed this was the problem and returned to stock. The issue remained so the car was jacked up again and it was clearly a handbrake issue.
One of the handbrake shoes had separated from the backing and caused some carnage within the brake drum. I assumed a fitting kit with all necessary bits would be cheap and easy to come by (as it has been on other cars) but unfortunately this isn't the case. The main damage is to one of the springs that holds the shoe in. These small and simple parts appear to be around £25 each!
The non-mangled one;
I seem to remember buying a fitting kit for the E46 for about half this that covered everything for both sides! Strange thing is that the adjuster is about £6 (which seems good value). Replacement pagid shoes seem to be about £30 (again, seems reasonable). Its annoying to have the drums apart and not replace everything, but replacing all of the springs etc would be another ~£200 and I cant justify that when they are not broken.
So car is going to be off the road for a few more days until I can get this fixed, which isn't too bad timing as the weather looks like being rubbish for at least the next week.
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