alpine003

Just an FYI, coupe has the ecu in the same location under the rear top cover.

What the OP describing with the behavior of windows going on randomly is a sign of a short either in the alarm brain box or some connectors that's gotten wet under the carpet that is connected to the alarm. The clicking he's hearing are the onboard relays going off and malfunctioning due to the short caused by moisture.

I would disconnect the alarm and actually open up the alarm box just to make sure. It's very easy to take off the cover(6-7 clips). Also when you disconnect the connectors, you will immediately be able to tell if the connectors are wet or corroded.

I recently went through a similar situation, good luck.

tarzancoe

Insurance would cover it with no penalty. Have a shop remove carpet, etc.

barlowdo

alpine003, Can I get the cover off the alarm box while it is still mounted in the car? I see two push in plastic tabs on the side pointing toward the steering wheel and a circular piece of white tap that needs to be cut to get the lid to separate. I assume similar push tabs on the other sides.(maybe not on the plug feed through side).

tarzancoe, I got his in the rear valentines day morning, it was not a claim on my cars insurance and was completely paid for by the other party but from past experience insurance companies keep tabs on your car even if it was the other persons fault.

Plus they might say it is "Flood Damaged".

I think maybe the Valentines day accident jostled some of the broken pieces of plastic cd case around which than caused the overflow of water during the rain storm.

Sort of the "war was lost for want of a horse shoe nail" or however that story goes.

barlowdo

If my pic gets uploaded correctly the red arrows point to where I think the push tabs are on the one side and the green arrow points at the white tamper sticker.

knfeparty

Try to get ahold of user marky522; he is a porsche tech who says that boxster and cab owners come in in droves with problems like this after heavy rains. Apparently there is a linkage in the soft top somewhere, like a ball cup or something, that wears out and pokes a hole where it shouldn't, allowing water intrusion and ultimately problems with the alarm and other systems.

barlowdo

I tried posting a pic of the alarm computer standing on edge and some water that dripped out of it but apparently I have already exceeded my quota of uploads by 31 kbs

Anyway I was attempting to get the cover off the computer so I could view water or damage by water. I did not expect to find any since it looked so dry on and around the computer.

I was working on getting the last clip loose when out came the complete computer. Not sure what I did but it was than easy to tip it on end and that is when i saw the water drips come out.

I now have it sitting on edge to help get any additional water out.

I still did not succeed in getting the cover completely off. It looks like one of the wire bundle connectors is keeping it on.

knfeparty, Thanks for the info on the linkage wear.

barlowdo

The cover is off and plenty of evidence of corrosion.

On the Black relays is a dirty white line that more then likely indicates the level that water got to in the alarm computer. It even is at an angle which probably corresponds to the angle the car was parked in the parking lot.

I found corrosion on both sides of the board. On the top populated side there were two areas where there was excessive corrosion.

I got out my Radio Shack tuner cleaner and my CRC contact cleaner, cue tips, small artist paint brush with bristles cut short, some paper towels and my large lighted magnifying glass and went at it.

I found that the Radio Shack cleaner worked much better then the CRC which surprised me.

It all cleaned up nicely and I would post before and after pics but assume I still can add pics because of the quota.

I am now letting it dry. It may or may not work. It was mostly working before I removed it but I have no idea how much additional corroding took place before I actually got the board out of the car. Also there could be issues inside the enclosed relays.

I need to check how much one of these boards cost. I looked on Ebay but no one was selling any Board called an "alarm" board.

I found a Alarm Module on Ebay:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/ceo8o94

Unfortunately it Includes ignition switch, keys, the Alarm Module M535, and Engine computer. The prices are not outrages at around $600.00 but what concerns me is I don't want to have to swap out my keys and so on. I just had a second electronic key made up about 4 months ago.

My Alarm Computer M535 has part number 996.618.262.01 the one on ebay that I have included the link to ends in .03 not .01 and I am not sure if they are compatible or not.

The ECU that is included in these packages - do I have to use it to keep the electronic parts compatible or can I stick with my present ECU?

I guess the main question is - Can I just use the Alarm Module M535 that is included in these package deals and not use the rest?

Hopefully I don't need a replacement M535 Alarm Module but I still don't know until I hook mine up again.

I just checked dcAutomotive.com and they sell the M535 separately and the one displayed is the same number as mine. Apparently I have to ship them my unit and a key and they program the new unit for me. Cost is $750.00

So I guess I have answered some of my own questions.

Barn996

I like your tenacity. GL with a fix.

Hurdigurdiman

Best is to put the dry Alarm module back and try things again. See what works. You may be worrying unnecessarily right now. IF thing's are still wrong you can get a Porsche Garage who have the correct testers to check the alarm module out. Only Porsche dealers have the PS2 tester which is needed for a correct diagnosing. I was having trouble with my alarm module (which had slipped back into new car delivery mode). For less than $100 they tested it and rectified all the problems I was having by returning the module into the correct mode for the car. I am telling you this so you don't go and splash out on a new or used module if not really needed. Porsche will tell you if the module is repairable or not. Then is the time to splash out. It would be wise I think to spend that small amount with Porsche. If one is needed, you don't HAVE to buy from Porsche or even let them proceed with the job. At least you will know for certain what is needed for you to complete the job. GL with your DIY ing.

barlowdo

Barn996,

Thanks for the words of encouragement.

Hurdigurdiman, Good idea on my local dealership running the diagnostiics.

Mark I

I second the posts from Barn & Hurdi. Hang tough & GL!

alpine003

As hurdi said, I would try drying out the alarm completely and make sure your floor and carpet and any connectors below them are COMPLETELY dry. Also check the onboard fuse on the alarm and also all the fuses in the fuse box.

If you're unlucky and the above doesn't work, you'll have to buy the exact alarm part # but headaches won't end there. Each alarm is coded to the original ecu so a dealer will need to program the new alarm brain to your ecu. But then obviously, your keys won't work with the new alarm and will need to be recoded as well.

Forget about getting a ecu, alarm, key combo from another car as that will still have the original car's vin assigned to it so you might have issues during emissions test or when you're trying to sell it.

Unfortunately you'll probably have to have the dealer do it or an Indy that knows how to do this sort of thing that has a pst2 device.

There is an alarm ecu specialist that does these repairs too(IIRC in FL) but those services run around $800 IIRC.

barlowdo

After cleaning the circuit board I reinstalled it in the "Well". I took the car on some test runs and even had a nice 914 or 916 following me. I kinda thought that was a good sign.

I drove it to work today. I have not tested the lock mechanism but seats move, windows work, door lock switch lite is no illuminated.

Car started this morning after having battery hooked up all night so at least if the board is causing any residual battery drain it is a slow draw. Also the top did not decide to go up and down on its own.

OF course locking up the car will be a big test which I avoided since of all things the Jeep Commander Oil light came on last night as I was dropping off the better half while sharing cars. So I decided to take the chance and drive the 996 until I have a chance to narrow down why the jeeps oil light came on. It has happened with other jeeps we have owned so I am pretty sure it is just the sending unit acting up since oil level was fine. I hear no low oil internal engine sounds and light went out as soon as I cycled the ignition.

alpine003

Consider yourself lucky and congrats on getting the car working again.

Hurdigurdiman

That's good news. Always lock your 996 via the fob even unattended in your own garage. Believe it or not but that action takes less out of your battery then it would if the car was left unlocked. You should get two flashes on the front lights after one click with the key fob on locking the car and no beep from the horn to say all is OK. A beep from the horn says something is open. You need a fully charged battery at all times for things to work correctly on these cars especially the cabriolet.