2000 Porsche Boxster 3.2S
Discussion
This all started around the end of last summer when I narrowly "missed out" on a 2.7 tip for £3000. It was a Cat N, but had FSH and a spare set of wheels, so I thought it would have been worth the gamble. I want to dip my toe into trying the odd track day and I figured that I wouldn't cry if this one blew up or I chucked it into the weeds.
Missing out on this one started the ball rolling and the thought process that I needed a 2 seater convertible (mid-life crisis material). I considered the usual iterations of MX-5, Merc SLK 350 (not many manual cars), BMW Z4 3.0 (again, not many manual) and even a Merc SL500. After discussing my plans with several people, it all came back to getting a Porsche. If I didn't gel with it, at least I would know and not keep wondering if I should have bought one when I had the chance.
Budget was around the £5k mark, so I knew that I wouldn't get a minter with no issues, but I wanted to get one that had been look after mechanically. It seemed that what I was looking for was hard to find. They were either high miles, beaten up, lacking a few refinements or a combination of the three! Not being in a hurry meant that I could take my time and not rush into buying something that didn't suit.
Then I found the one that I would buy. Arctic Silver 3.2 manual with 98000 miles. Lots of stamps in the book, plus a ton of invoices to document the history and the original bill of sale for just over £48000. It was advertised at 25% over my budget, so I squeezed as hard as I could and struck a deal pending viewing. I believe that you buy from the vendor as much as the car itself, and the seller was a car guy who showed me around the other stuff that he had and didn't try to hide anything on the Porsche. He didn't wash the car (it was fairly clean anyway as stored under cover) or try and hide anything. He was even pointing out things that might be worth looking into in the not too distant future as well as highlighting the rough bits that couldn't be seen in the photos.
So here it is......
IMG_3008 by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
IMG_3010 by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
IMG_3012 by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
IMG_3018 by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
It had a bit of a lumpy idle, but no misfire whilst under load or any other unwanted noises.
First job was to clean the throttle body and MAF sensor. It didn't look too bad and made absolutely no difference to the idle once cleaned. There was some oil in the intake, and not knowing a huge amount about these I decided to change the AOS, just in case. My first experience of finding out how little access there is to do anything, but not quite as painful as I thought it might be.
Still no change to the idle!
Time to buy a code reader. Diagnosed as a knackered MAF sensor. Ordered one along with all the bits for a full service. Changed everything, apart from the oil (still to do), and the idle issue is resolved with it purring like a kitten. Plugs are a bit of a pain to do, but not so bad once you work out that it is much easier with a bit of arch liner removed!!
A couple of fault free weeks pass until it decides to urinate on the drive. Very strange!! No overheating or strange noises, and no obvious signs of a leak in the engine bay. This could only lead to one thing, the coolant tank. I pulled the carpets out and there was liquid in the boot, bugger! Dried everything out, but couldn't see an obvious crack anywhere, there was a drip reforming on the bottom though. A new tank was ordered.
The things that I read said that it was a 3 - 4 hour job. I was feeling confident and decided that it would only take me 2 as I had done my research and knew where everything was that I needed to get to. I was wrong.
It took me over 2 hours to get all of the pipes in the engine bay separated, with the two metal pipes in the centre of the picture below being the most difficult. 22 years of not being apart meant that they were pretty much welded together (if rubber and alloy can weld?).
Untitled by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
I finally got it all out and was ready to put in the new one.
Untitled by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
Untitled by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
Buying direct from Porsche I wrongly assumed that it would slip into place with ease. It didn't. I was surprised to find that I had to cut out the hole for the dipstick tube and it didn't all line up perfectly. A little fettling and it went in.
The offending cracks.
Untitled by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
All back together, with no leaks, in a little over 4 hours total job time. It's all a learning process, so I'm not beating myself up about how long these jobs are taking.
Next job is to replace a couple of the spark plug tubes as I noted some leakage when I changed the plugs. The oil filler pipe sections across the top of the engine need replacing to as they have not survived the heat cycles so well.
I'll do my best to take photos and update when I do more work if anyone is interested. This is an ongoing project that I wanted so that I could get my hands dirty again after getting rid of my 300zx TT some years ago.
Missing out on this one started the ball rolling and the thought process that I needed a 2 seater convertible (mid-life crisis material). I considered the usual iterations of MX-5, Merc SLK 350 (not many manual cars), BMW Z4 3.0 (again, not many manual) and even a Merc SL500. After discussing my plans with several people, it all came back to getting a Porsche. If I didn't gel with it, at least I would know and not keep wondering if I should have bought one when I had the chance.
Budget was around the £5k mark, so I knew that I wouldn't get a minter with no issues, but I wanted to get one that had been look after mechanically. It seemed that what I was looking for was hard to find. They were either high miles, beaten up, lacking a few refinements or a combination of the three! Not being in a hurry meant that I could take my time and not rush into buying something that didn't suit.
Then I found the one that I would buy. Arctic Silver 3.2 manual with 98000 miles. Lots of stamps in the book, plus a ton of invoices to document the history and the original bill of sale for just over £48000. It was advertised at 25% over my budget, so I squeezed as hard as I could and struck a deal pending viewing. I believe that you buy from the vendor as much as the car itself, and the seller was a car guy who showed me around the other stuff that he had and didn't try to hide anything on the Porsche. He didn't wash the car (it was fairly clean anyway as stored under cover) or try and hide anything. He was even pointing out things that might be worth looking into in the not too distant future as well as highlighting the rough bits that couldn't be seen in the photos.
So here it is......
IMG_3008 by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrIMG_3010 by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrIMG_3012 by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrIMG_3018 by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrIt had a bit of a lumpy idle, but no misfire whilst under load or any other unwanted noises.
First job was to clean the throttle body and MAF sensor. It didn't look too bad and made absolutely no difference to the idle once cleaned. There was some oil in the intake, and not knowing a huge amount about these I decided to change the AOS, just in case. My first experience of finding out how little access there is to do anything, but not quite as painful as I thought it might be.
Still no change to the idle!
Time to buy a code reader. Diagnosed as a knackered MAF sensor. Ordered one along with all the bits for a full service. Changed everything, apart from the oil (still to do), and the idle issue is resolved with it purring like a kitten. Plugs are a bit of a pain to do, but not so bad once you work out that it is much easier with a bit of arch liner removed!!
A couple of fault free weeks pass until it decides to urinate on the drive. Very strange!! No overheating or strange noises, and no obvious signs of a leak in the engine bay. This could only lead to one thing, the coolant tank. I pulled the carpets out and there was liquid in the boot, bugger! Dried everything out, but couldn't see an obvious crack anywhere, there was a drip reforming on the bottom though. A new tank was ordered.
The things that I read said that it was a 3 - 4 hour job. I was feeling confident and decided that it would only take me 2 as I had done my research and knew where everything was that I needed to get to. I was wrong.
It took me over 2 hours to get all of the pipes in the engine bay separated, with the two metal pipes in the centre of the picture below being the most difficult. 22 years of not being apart meant that they were pretty much welded together (if rubber and alloy can weld?).
Untitled by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrI finally got it all out and was ready to put in the new one.
Untitled by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrUntitled by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrBuying direct from Porsche I wrongly assumed that it would slip into place with ease. It didn't. I was surprised to find that I had to cut out the hole for the dipstick tube and it didn't all line up perfectly. A little fettling and it went in.
The offending cracks.
Untitled by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrAll back together, with no leaks, in a little over 4 hours total job time. It's all a learning process, so I'm not beating myself up about how long these jobs are taking.
Next job is to replace a couple of the spark plug tubes as I noted some leakage when I changed the plugs. The oil filler pipe sections across the top of the engine need replacing to as they have not survived the heat cycles so well.
I'll do my best to take photos and update when I do more work if anyone is interested. This is an ongoing project that I wanted so that I could get my hands dirty again after getting rid of my 300zx TT some years ago.
That looks nice, I like the colour combo and think you did well to get a 3.2 manual for that money. I sold mine last September on around the same mileage as yours is now - if it hasn't had done, I'd plan for a suspension refresh. You probably won't need to do everything and you might find some bits have been done already.
I think these are great cars - a bit pricey to run, but a great combination of enough speed, great balance and a great noise. Get a bypass exhaust for it too!
I think these are great cars - a bit pricey to run, but a great combination of enough speed, great balance and a great noise. Get a bypass exhaust for it too!
The coolant tank went on mine, hairline cracks that only opened up when water temp was up - looked at doing it myself and decided against it, local Porsche specialist did it who declared it as one of the most hated jobs to do on a modern Porsche
Seem to recall the Porsche specialist saying the coolant system was a really poor piece of design and even then (about 6 years ago) Porsche were on to about the 7th version of expansion cap. Owned many cars and whilst it was good to drive I never got remotely close to bonding with the S that I had
In todays market you managed to grab a bargain - hope it serves you well
Seem to recall the Porsche specialist saying the coolant system was a really poor piece of design and even then (about 6 years ago) Porsche were on to about the 7th version of expansion cap. Owned many cars and whilst it was good to drive I never got remotely close to bonding with the S that I had
In todays market you managed to grab a bargain - hope it serves you well
Quite a boring little update, but I now have a spare key! Always a worry to only have a single key for anything as I'm always thinking "What if?"
£250 lighter, but worth it for piece of mind. There were also 3 other keys that were still paired with the car, but these have now been deleted and the two I have are the only ones that will work.
Untitled by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
I've got the oil filler pipes to do next, which may or may not happen this weekend.
I'm already doing my best to not think about how much I am spending. It will be worth it to be confident with the reliability come summer.
£250 lighter, but worth it for piece of mind. There were also 3 other keys that were still paired with the car, but these have now been deleted and the two I have are the only ones that will work.
Untitled by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrI've got the oil filler pipes to do next, which may or may not happen this weekend.
I'm already doing my best to not think about how much I am spending. It will be worth it to be confident with the reliability come summer.
Nice job on the coolant tank! Mine gave up the ghost on Alston hillclimb a couple of years ago and had to be recovered.
What's with the wire / connector which appears to be secured to a loom with a cable tie? Something done during tank replacement?
What's with the wire / connector which appears to be secured to a loom with a cable tie? Something done during tank replacement?
Japcreation said:
Japcreation said:
Good question, and one that I don’t know the answer to. I’ve not unplugged anything, that is exactly how I found it. Something that I planned to chase up/find out further down the line as it seems that everything is working.
I think I've figured out what it is, but need to confirm something first...Here's a pic of my first 986's engine bay - this is an early '00 on a V plate:
DSC_0629 by ash_ashy_mo, on FlickrCould you take a picture of your engine bay from a similar angle?
On Saturday I decided to tackle the oil filler tubes that run in the engine bay. Figured that it would be fairly straight forward and only take 60 - 90 minutes. Unsurprisingly, I was wrong. I'm gaining knowledge and putting my time to good use, so it's not all bad, and I managed to keep all of the skin on my hands again!
Here is where it started
Before we start by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
Partially stripped out with the throttle body and intake tubes removed. I also took out/moved the AOS pipe and the vacuum pipes that join to the Y piece.
Stripping out by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
There was one bolt that was a complete PITA. You can't get a socket to it as it's partially blocked from above and access from the side isn't the easiest. A ratchet ring spanner won't go on as the bolt behind is too close and sits higher than the bolt holding the filler tube in. A C spanner was the only way to go with minimal space to move it. Perseverance was the key!
Awkward bolt by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
All out and ready for the new ones to go in.
All removed by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
The old ones where you can see the splits in the flexi pipe.
Old oil filler tubes by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
Nice new clean tubes ready to go in.
New oil filler tubes by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
New one in place
New one in place by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
New one in by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
Both parts in and connected.
All connected up by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
All back together and a little cleaner too.
Back together by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
Here is where it started
Before we start by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrPartially stripped out with the throttle body and intake tubes removed. I also took out/moved the AOS pipe and the vacuum pipes that join to the Y piece.
Stripping out by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrThere was one bolt that was a complete PITA. You can't get a socket to it as it's partially blocked from above and access from the side isn't the easiest. A ratchet ring spanner won't go on as the bolt behind is too close and sits higher than the bolt holding the filler tube in. A C spanner was the only way to go with minimal space to move it. Perseverance was the key!
Awkward bolt by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrAll out and ready for the new ones to go in.
All removed by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrThe old ones where you can see the splits in the flexi pipe.
Old oil filler tubes by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrNice new clean tubes ready to go in.
New oil filler tubes by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrNew one in place
New one in place by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrNew one in by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrBoth parts in and connected.
All connected up by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrAll back together and a little cleaner too.
Back together by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrEdited by Japcreation on Thursday 21st April 15:41
I also had a go with a bit of (Meguiars) trim detailer on Monday to see how black I could get some of the grey bits. I don't think it's come out too bad, but I'm sure that it will fade again after a few washes.
Before by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
After trim detailer by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
Before and after by Alex Hawkes, on Flickr
Before by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrAfter trim detailer by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrBefore and after by Alex Hawkes, on FlickrJapcreation said:
Apologies, I've only just seen the request for a bay picture. I'll get one next time I'm in there!
No apologies necessary.The photos you have posted have confirmed what I suspected - yours is an early 3.2 without a secondary air injection system.
Japcreation said:
You can see the vacant SAI pump bracket at 6 o'clock in the photo - right at the bottom below the middle runner of the driver's side manifold.The mystery plug is for the SAI pump, which your car doesn't have. From my understanding, the pumps were fitted in UK cars from 2001, however the wiring harnesses were made 'ready' for this. It appears they were simply zip tied away at the factory for cars which didn't have SAI systems.
I had wondered what that bracket was for too, particularly as it seemed like it was made for something specific to bolt on.
One less thing to worry about if I don't have one to go wrong!
I might do the leaky spark plug tubes this weekend and then that will be all of the mechanical and oily bits done............for now.
One less thing to worry about if I don't have one to go wrong!
I might do the leaky spark plug tubes this weekend and then that will be all of the mechanical and oily bits done............for now.
You're 'saving' a small fortune doing it yourself.
My 2002 986 needed a host of work to get it back to par, but Porsche pricing made it uneconomical for me.
Sadly, I had to move it on... great cars. Preferred it over the 981 it was replaced by.
Best of luck, and keep the updates coming...
My 2002 986 needed a host of work to get it back to par, but Porsche pricing made it uneconomical for me.
Sadly, I had to move it on... great cars. Preferred it over the 981 it was replaced by.
Best of luck, and keep the updates coming...
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