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| Greetings from Planet LeftCoast (new user) DeathOrGlory - 9 years ago |
I'd like to introduce myself to the forum and briefly touch on why I'm here. I'm trying not to make this the typical recent signup freakout post...
I just picked up a 1997 Boxster and I love it. I can't stop driving it. I'm about to begin work on it on my own. I haven't really done anything to the car and have already put about 1000 miles on it. It runs unbelievably. I try to idle it as little as possible-- I usually turn the car on, leave my spot within 60 seconds, and keep the revs around 2200-2800 until the temp gauge gets around the middle, then I try to always keep it at around 3000 rpms at all times, at least, making a conscious effort not to let the revs drop below 2500 when shifting. Even when I have to go to the grocery store, I drive the car until it warms up and try not even to turn it off until it's warmed up. I've never redlined it, but I'll occasionally get the revs around 5000-5500. I also try not to engine brake, coast in neutral, lug the engine, and I always downshift when possible.
It idles a tiny bit unevenly right when I turn the car on, but as soon as it's starting to warm up, it idles as smooth as the viral Kim Kardashian lookalike's butt. So far so good. No mysterious noises.
First things first, I changed the oil-- decided decided to go with Motul 8100 X-Cess 5w40 as recommended by Jake Raby. Also used a Hengst oil filter. Getting the filter housing off without the Porsche tool was a little tricky, but the plastic cover is strong enough that you can get it off with one of those clamp-style tools that goes all the way around the filter. The only disadvantage of this is that I couldn't tighten the filter housing to 35 lb-ft or whatever was the recommended torque...
The oil is amazing. The engine runs noticeably quieter and smoother than before. All the lifter noises are all gone either at start or 3 minutes later. I highly recommend Motul 8100 X-Cess 5w40 in your Boxster. It's on the Porsche A40 list of approved oils. All Porsches say "Mobil 1 recommended for entire life of car" but I don't buy it. We all know of Porsche's extended partnership with Mobil 1, so they have a marketing obligation to say that.
I'm also planning to change the transmission fluid (Swepco 80w90, Red Line MT90 GL4, or Genuine Porsche?), coolant, and steering fluid. I also noticed that the only time it ever starts to run too hot is when I'm sitting in traffic, which I try to never ever ever do. So I'm probably also going to replace the expansion tank, MAF, AOS, and anything else I might be missing that could go wrong with the cooling system. The LN Engineering low temp thermostat will probably go in there. I've also heard good things about the TuneRS DOF flange and oil hose. I may opt for that over the LN ceramic bearing. I haven't yet checked if the radiator fans work-- hopefully they do. Other than this minor flaw, the car has had no cooling issues at all.
So far, I'm in love with the car. It's now just under 136k miles, it's A LOT of fun to drive, and I plan to keep everyone updated with the maintenance. I haven't yet addressed the RMS/IMS stuff yet, and I'd like to replace the clutch even though it feels like it's good for a little while. I saw in the service manual that there was "major" maintenance done on the car at 60k miles at Carlson Porsche in Palo Alto. I'll probably give them a call to see if they have the details of that. Could be a good thing.
The only other issue I can think of is that the power top isn't connected. It has some easily-fixable body damage on the side. It has a salvage title, but seems like there's no damage to the frame. It was $2200 in Northern California. I'll NEVER sell it!
I have yet to see an oil leak anywhere in the engine.
Any recommended projects? I'm planning to go down the list in Wayne Dempsey's Boxster book on Pelican. It all depends on those coups though...
2.5L 986 - pastel yellow - hergestellt in Deutschland
I'm workin' on it!
[postimg.org]
----------------
"I have no idols. I admire work, dedication, and competence." -Ayrton Senna
"When you see you've become part of the cycle of generations, you lose your ego in the process, because you ain't nothin' special.." -Joe Strummer
I just picked up a 1997 Boxster and I love it. I can't stop driving it. I'm about to begin work on it on my own. I haven't really done anything to the car and have already put about 1000 miles on it. It runs unbelievably. I try to idle it as little as possible-- I usually turn the car on, leave my spot within 60 seconds, and keep the revs around 2200-2800 until the temp gauge gets around the middle, then I try to always keep it at around 3000 rpms at all times, at least, making a conscious effort not to let the revs drop below 2500 when shifting. Even when I have to go to the grocery store, I drive the car until it warms up and try not even to turn it off until it's warmed up. I've never redlined it, but I'll occasionally get the revs around 5000-5500. I also try not to engine brake, coast in neutral, lug the engine, and I always downshift when possible.
It idles a tiny bit unevenly right when I turn the car on, but as soon as it's starting to warm up, it idles as smooth as the viral Kim Kardashian lookalike's butt. So far so good. No mysterious noises.
First things first, I changed the oil-- decided decided to go with Motul 8100 X-Cess 5w40 as recommended by Jake Raby. Also used a Hengst oil filter. Getting the filter housing off without the Porsche tool was a little tricky, but the plastic cover is strong enough that you can get it off with one of those clamp-style tools that goes all the way around the filter. The only disadvantage of this is that I couldn't tighten the filter housing to 35 lb-ft or whatever was the recommended torque...
The oil is amazing. The engine runs noticeably quieter and smoother than before. All the lifter noises are all gone either at start or 3 minutes later. I highly recommend Motul 8100 X-Cess 5w40 in your Boxster. It's on the Porsche A40 list of approved oils. All Porsches say "Mobil 1 recommended for entire life of car" but I don't buy it. We all know of Porsche's extended partnership with Mobil 1, so they have a marketing obligation to say that.
I'm also planning to change the transmission fluid (Swepco 80w90, Red Line MT90 GL4, or Genuine Porsche?), coolant, and steering fluid. I also noticed that the only time it ever starts to run too hot is when I'm sitting in traffic, which I try to never ever ever do. So I'm probably also going to replace the expansion tank, MAF, AOS, and anything else I might be missing that could go wrong with the cooling system. The LN Engineering low temp thermostat will probably go in there. I've also heard good things about the TuneRS DOF flange and oil hose. I may opt for that over the LN ceramic bearing. I haven't yet checked if the radiator fans work-- hopefully they do. Other than this minor flaw, the car has had no cooling issues at all.
So far, I'm in love with the car. It's now just under 136k miles, it's A LOT of fun to drive, and I plan to keep everyone updated with the maintenance. I haven't yet addressed the RMS/IMS stuff yet, and I'd like to replace the clutch even though it feels like it's good for a little while. I saw in the service manual that there was "major" maintenance done on the car at 60k miles at Carlson Porsche in Palo Alto. I'll probably give them a call to see if they have the details of that. Could be a good thing.
The only other issue I can think of is that the power top isn't connected. It has some easily-fixable body damage on the side. It has a salvage title, but seems like there's no damage to the frame. It was $2200 in Northern California. I'll NEVER sell it!
I have yet to see an oil leak anywhere in the engine.
Any recommended projects? I'm planning to go down the list in Wayne Dempsey's Boxster book on Pelican. It all depends on those coups though...
2.5L 986 - pastel yellow - hergestellt in Deutschland
I'm workin' on it!
[postimg.org]
----------------
"I have no idols. I admire work, dedication, and competence." -Ayrton Senna
"When you see you've become part of the cycle of generations, you lose your ego in the process, because you ain't nothin' special.." -Joe Strummer
| Weclome to the board, DeathOrGlory Guenter in Ontario - 9 years ago |
Sounds like you're already feeling at home in your Boxster. Anyone who really enjoys driving will agree with you that they are a blast to drive.
We'd love to hear a little more about your car - colour, options etc. ....and pictures, we always like to see pictures.
Good idea to get those fluids changed and get the maintenance done. At 136K miles, it should have had the second major maintenance (at 120K miles) done, so good that you're getting some of those items replaced. If your engine is overheating in traffic, likely one of the cooling fans is not working. It's easy to check. With the engine warmed up, turn on the AC and go to the front of the car and listen for the fans running at the radiators at each side.
You're doing the right thing by warming it up slowly, taking it easy. However, once the engine is up to operating temperature, there's nothing wrong with taking it up to redline from time to time (also known as an Italian tuneup). That's what these engines are built for. They're not happy lugging around at low RPM's. On top of that, you're getting into the real Symphony in Flat Six once you get above 4200 RPM.
There's no advantage to coasting in neutral. In fact, it saves gas to coast down in gear. That way fuel is shut off to the cylinders. Besides saving gas, it also saves wear and tear on brakes and you're also ready to accelerate, if necessary, without first having to shift it back into a gear.
OK, looking forward to those pictures.
We'd love to hear a little more about your car - colour, options etc. ....and pictures, we always like to see pictures.
Good idea to get those fluids changed and get the maintenance done. At 136K miles, it should have had the second major maintenance (at 120K miles) done, so good that you're getting some of those items replaced. If your engine is overheating in traffic, likely one of the cooling fans is not working. It's easy to check. With the engine warmed up, turn on the AC and go to the front of the car and listen for the fans running at the radiators at each side.
You're doing the right thing by warming it up slowly, taking it easy. However, once the engine is up to operating temperature, there's nothing wrong with taking it up to redline from time to time (also known as an Italian tuneup). That's what these engines are built for. They're not happy lugging around at low RPM's. On top of that, you're getting into the real Symphony in Flat Six once you get above 4200 RPM.
There's no advantage to coasting in neutral. In fact, it saves gas to coast down in gear. That way fuel is shut off to the cylinders. Besides saving gas, it also saves wear and tear on brakes and you're also ready to accelerate, if necessary, without first having to shift it back into a gear.
OK, looking forward to those pictures.
| Re: Weclome to the board, DeathOrGlory DeathOrGlory - 9 years ago |
I have a '97 Boxster in Pastel Yellow. Base model (I don't think they made the S yet, did they?)
This is the car covered in frost one morning. Bear in mind that I live just outside of San Francisco.
This is some of the damage it came with, hence the absurdly low price tag.
This is the car on the day I bought it-- Thanksgiving 2014. Happy black friday to me.
2.5L 986 - pastel yellow - hergestellt in Deutschland
I'm workin' on it!
[postimg.org]
----------------
"I have no idols. I admire work, dedication, and competence." -Ayrton Senna
"When you see you've become part of the cycle of generations, you lose your ego in the process, because you ain't nothin' special.." -Joe Strummer
This is the car covered in frost one morning. Bear in mind that I live just outside of San Francisco.
This is some of the damage it came with, hence the absurdly low price tag.
This is the car on the day I bought it-- Thanksgiving 2014. Happy black friday to me.
2.5L 986 - pastel yellow - hergestellt in Deutschland
I'm workin' on it!
[postimg.org]
----------------
"I have no idols. I admire work, dedication, and competence." -Ayrton Senna
"When you see you've become part of the cycle of generations, you lose your ego in the process, because you ain't nothin' special.." -Joe Strummer
| I'll be the first to say it Roger987 - 9 years ago |
Boxsterra - 9 years ago |
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