Thom1

How do I troubleshoot alarm sensors on compartments? Do I remove the center console to reveal the lock sensor? How about the trunk lid sensors? Can I adjust them up or down, tight or loose, then set alarm to check for that beep?
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I cannot find an alarm relay on PET5. Is there something other than the alarm brain drawing on PET? Does anyone know which relay(s)could be defective? Is there an identical relay that I can switch to test it? With the 928, replacing relays often solves problems.

The false alarms typically sounded within 5 minutes when the horn fuse was removed. Since I fixed the horn, the false alarm sounded at about 9 and 15 hours. This scenario played out at times before the horn started shorting.

Is there a way to troubleshoot false alarms without taking it to the dealers diagnostic machine? Has anyone solved false alarm problems?
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raffi

hi thom, I'm not sure about the center console or rear decklid, but on my 99 996 I had a problem with the trunk locking mechanism. I realized this after I opened it up since I was getting a chirp after locking all the doors. it is pretty simple to get to that sensor in the trunk compartment. is the light going on in your trunk when it is open? tell me if you get stuck at a step trying to get to that sensor, i figure the 996 is same as your boxster.

Loren

The most common problems are the microswitch on the center console door and the front trunk microswitch.
To get to the center console microswitch you will need to remove the center console.

The nice thing about your dealers PST2 is that it will tell you exactly which one is triggered. Then they (or you) just replace it.

Thom1

Raffi and Loren:

Thanks for the tips. Yes the 986 and 996 appear to share many identical components. The 986 board does not get much traffic.

The lights come on when I open trunks. Is there a way to test the microswitches?

How do I remove the center console? I know the shifter **** and boot pull straight up. I see 2 screws under the ashtray. What else?
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Loren

Send me your email address (privately) and I will send you some info...

Thom1

Hi Loren,

Thanks for the help. I sent you a private message. I just limit exposure on Rennlist, etc. of my email address to avoid viruses and junk mail.
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Thom1

Thanks for the help so far. I am about ready to take it to the dealer’s diagnostic machine. I suspect the microswitches/sensors for the trunk latches, center console compartment, and infrared passenger compartment sesnsors. I don’t even want to think about the convertible top sensors yet.

I held the center console compartment microswitch lever at varying depths while setting the alarm. This caused the compartment open warning chirp to take a couple more seconds to sound sometimes. I pushed the front hood latch farther closed, and the alarm chirp did not happen for a while. I don’t see anything conclusive. The symptoms are not consistent. Can I disconnect a sensor at a time, avoid the chirp, and isolate the problem?

Is there a way to test sensors without the diagnostic machine?

Where are the connectors for the hood switches? If I pull the compartment liners, will I see the connectors? Will pulling the connectors with the battery attached cause a permanent dash light indicator?

How do I remove the infrared sensor cover? Do the oval covers pry out? Otherwise, how do I get to the 2 screws?

How do I remove the center console? I know the shifter **** and boot pull straight up. I see 2 screws under the ashtray. What else?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
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raffi

Thom, when i dealt with the front hood, i took the latch apart and you could see the microswitch, it is a tiny plastic button clear with bluish tint. I asked earlier if your trunk light was on because i guess this button is responsible for turning light on and off when open and closed and also sensing a locked compartment. i suppose your light would have burnt out in the trunk already if it was constantly on due to not closing properly but try pushing that button and closing the car while button is compressed, i guess you can do that with the other microswitches too, but i havent seen those. I dont understand how you attempted to diagnose the problem by pushing hood latch farther closed.

Thom1

Yahoo!!! I went to the dealer. They sent me to the Boxster specialist before for my new wheel key. He was using the PST2. I told him about the false alarms and airbag light on. He hooked up the Tester, and got rid of the airbag light in a minute or two. He saw lots of hits on the radio contact to ground. We started talking about making an appointment or buying the stereo release tools,… As I was about to go, I asked if he would just pull the radio with his tools. He did. He found a piece of tape on the bottom right side that was worn through. He put 3 layers of masking tape over the old tape. Slipped the radio back in, put the face plate back on,… presto chango,… no more chirp.

He said that the hood microswitches usually won’t activate compartment lights upon failure. He was not sure if they defaulted to open when disconnected. So, if the microswitch were disconnected the chirp might sound anyhow. I guess that with the PST2 in hand, you don’t need other diagnostic methods.

Raffi,

Thanks again for the great tips. To push the front latch farther down: Open hood, looking rearward, with a screwdriver - push down the latching mechanism on the left beside the main slot. This simulates the u shaped bar going down through the slot as in when the hood is closed. A piece on the right also closes into the slot. Push the right piece down farther to simulate a tighter hood adjustment.

I tired simulating adjustments on latch mechanisms to see if an adjustment would solve the problem. I would hold the latch mechanism and/ or microswitch lever in various positions, and activate the alarm. I was hoping that an adjustment would get rid of the chirp.
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raffi

glad to hear you solved the problem thom, just hope that your airbag light doesnt come on again, i think i remember you saying that you triggered it when removing the seat. if that was the case it should be ok. but mine just came on by itself (so it was probably the seatbelt receptacle) and after a few hours after the dealer reset the light it came back on. i just removed that bulb and will change the receptacle when i have to take it in for something more serious.

Thom1

Hi Raffi,

As Loren said above (Thanks again Loren for all your help!), the PST2 can pinpoint causes of sensor/microswitch errors. The mechanic knew within 2 minutes that I had airbag errors from the 2 seats and the steering wheel area. (I removed all of them and reconnected the negative battery terminal while removed.) I imagine that the seat belt receptacle (known problem area) would show up uniquely for either side. The dealership service managers have directed me to talk with the mechanic before. So, I just went straight to him this time. Perhaps you can do that. When he was able to shift the PST2 over to my car, he did. We diagnosed my problems, and turned off the airbag light within 3 minutes. Since they did not fix things right last time, see if you can get 3 minutes on the PST2. Then you may be able to order parts and fix it yourself. Or, if you already know that 1 or both is/are bad, fix it. The dealership should at least give you a courtesy PST2 check.
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Cuda911

Ooops... meant to start a new thread for this. It posted here by accident.