gweers

I just bought a 2000 Boxster S and am feeling like a kid on Christmas morning. There are a couple things that I have noticed since driving home (driving above 55) that I am hoping someone might have an answer for. First I am going to call the local Porsche dealer (that isn't very local) and find out what the last thing that was done. The last entry into the manual was at 65k, it now has 95k. Now for the questions, above 60 mph, there is a shimmy in the steering wheel that increases as the speed increases. I have installed new tires and the car does not drift. Second question, after driving at night with the lights on, I turned the car off and then turned the lights on and the right headlight would flash every 5 - 10 seconds. I turned the switch off then back on and no headlights. Pushing forward on the bright switch did nothing but pulling back on the switch would turn the brights on. Last question, would you take it the dealership and have them completely check it over? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Gary

Macster

Absence of drift is not proof positive the alignment is ok. In fact it is not unusual for a perfectly aligned car to drift cause the tires are very sensitive to road surface imperfections and the natural camber and crown most road surfaces have. Unless you can find the car has had a proper alignment done recently you might consider having one done.

Were the tires you just replaced worn evenly side to side and across the tread faces? If so you can possibly put off the alignment at least until you try some other things to address the shimmy.

First, buy a good tire air pressure gage and make sure all tires have the proper air pressure. Check when they are cold. Go by the numbers in the owners manual or inside the gas filler tube lid. IIRC it is 29psi (front), 36psi (rear).

I assume the tires are ones that are recommended by Porsche for the car? N-rated? And installed by a qualified shop that did a proper and correct load force balance?

If the air pressure is correct and the tires are the right brand and style and were mounted/balanced correctly then an alignment could be called for to eliminate that as a cause. At the same time the tech will/should check for any steering, suspension items that may be worn or possibly damaged. In fact, unless you had this done before you bought the car you might want to have the car gone over front to back, top to bottom to check for things that might need attention.

Get an owners manual and read up on servicing schedules and based on what you know the car had done recently vs what should have been done work to bring the car's servicing up to snuff.

And search for Mike Focke's web pages for some good info on what these things can be.

Can't help you much with the lights. The headlights don't work fully if the engine's off. The brights will I think still work though.

Sincerely,

Macster.

sjfehr

The stiffer wheels on the Boxster will transmit all sorts of road surface right to the steering wheel. I'll get vibrations in by Boxster that I don't notice in other cars. The new highway they built near me shimmys all over the place- I'd only worry about if it happens the same way on very different roads.

It's normal for your low beams to be VERY dim when the car is off but the headlight switch is on; it's an anti-battery-drain feature. It's not normal for only one to be on or either of them blinking, though. Check your headlight assemblies to make sure they're both fully set in place; remove them and reinstall them if necessary. There might be a wiring issue somewhere, but I'd check this first.

gweers

Thanks for the info. The shimmy happened with the old tires and with the brand new, recommended brand and pressure all the way home. I will take it in and have the alignment and suspension checked. As far as the lights, I believe it has to be the switch because if the normal beam and bright do not work (switch controlled I think) but the momentary bright switch does work (does not require the light switch on). Does that sound possible or am I totally off base.

Macster

Alignment then if you are sure the balance/et al is ok.

Do the lights work ok with the engine running? Low beams? High beams? Fog lights? Parking lights? Turn signal/side marker lights?

If not then it could be a headlight is not fully inserted into the headlight's receptable or one or both are incorrectly installed. These can be tricky to get back in right and secure.

If the headlights are installed ok nice and snug/secure, then the cause could be possibly the headlight switch. I can't recall reading of this going bad but I could have missed something. Rare regardless.

A more common failure and one that accounts for various seemingly unrelated symptoms is the ignition switch.

You need to follow a process of elimination to at least ensure one or both of the headlights are not incorrectly installed. Check both. Even if one appears to be working ok.

Not sure how to then eliminate or differentiate between the headlight switch and the ignition switch. Wiggling the headlight switch while turning it to its various settings and noting the light behavior I guess one way. Doing this with the ignition switch -- just short of starting the engine -- is possibly one way to id the ignition switch if the headlight switch test turns up nothing amiss.

Sincerely,

Macster.

gweers

Both headlights worked ok to begin with and both stopped working at the same time. Ever switch position works on the headlight switch with the exception of the headlight. The fog lights work and interior lights work. If there is power going to the headlight switch to work the fog lights wouldn't that eliminate the ignition switch? The curious thing is that the lights (both) flashed a couple of times before they stopped working. They didn't flash at the same time. Working a leak in the windshield washer container, I think iis the grommet to the windshield pump. Fixing an easy things before tackling the tough stuff. I thought maybe the two were related because I had a low level light for the washer and filled it up. It began leaking from just forward of the front door and that is when the lights stopped working. No blown fuse so I guess they had nothing to do with each other.

racer

95K miles is a lot. If the suspension is still factory original, it could be indicative of wear items, like rubber bushings, shocks etc.

imho, any car with close to 100K miles is due for a "refresh" or at least the budgeting for refreshing. Suspension components, clutch (if not already done), motor mounts all come to mind.

If the dealer is too far away, i would look for a closer independant. At your mileage you are way beyond any factory warranty work, so I am not sure it would be worth the extra time/cost premium. If not a member, consider joining PCA and learning about what the local region has to offer (programs, local shops, etc)

As mentioned, grab a copy of an owners manual if your car didn't come with one. Also, a Bentley publishers "boxster" maintance book is great too.

sjfehr

The headlight switch and ignition switch are both VERY common failures. There are a number of contacts in the headlight switch; any one contact can be causing issues. If you're up for it, you can disassemble the switch and troubleshoot with a multimeter; I fixed mine with a bit of sandpaper. It's not made to be disassembled, but if you carefully pry up the tabs, you can do it.

Macster

I've budgeted for a refresh of various items but so far have not had to refresh them. 234K miles and on original suspension, steering, clutch. Replaced one (front) motor mount that tech found the rubber had cracked.

The car stays aligned and tire wear very even and as good as ever.

These cars are pretty well put together and while there can be an early failure of some steering or suspension component I prefer instead of just replacing them at a fixed miles determining what's necessary to replace then replacing that.

Sincerely,

Macster.

gweers

I guess some of you thought I went into this purchase with my eyes closed but I have owned many high mileage sports car (this just happens to be my first porsche). I plan on having the suspension checked next week and have purchased a ignition switch from a salvage yard for $35 so I can eliminate that from the headlight equation. I will have to wait til next week, when my manual arrives before I can figure out how to pull the headlight switch without damaging anything. The salvage yard cut it out of the dash so I can experiment with removing the salvage switch to figure out the process. In a couple of month, after driving the car for awhile, I plan on jacking it up and doing the $1450 90k check myself. I bought this car because I love and miss driving sports cars but more because I miss working on my car. Thanks for all the help and support.

sjfehr

Oops- the ignition switch is an audi part (4A0905849B) and is only $9 new. The one cheap part on the car! Too cheap, really. I WISH they used a $35 part; maybe it wouldn't break for so many people. Even if you don't need it now, it's good to keep on hand, though, so you don't have to wait for one to ship if you need it (like if you can't turn your car off because the switch broke).

The headlight switch comes out easy, no gymnastics required: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=3131

Ignition switch requires a bit of gymnastics, but is not hard either:
http://industryfigure.com/berkeley/P...tionswitch.htm

gweers

I didn't get an ignition switch, I got a headlight switch and two wind blockers that go into the roll bar for $35. Thanks for the headlight switch instructions. I hope I don't have to replace the ignition switch. Speaking of the ignition switch, I have one complete key and a key fob without the metal key portion. Is it possible to replace the metal key without buying a remote control fob?

sjfehr

I'm pretty sure you can; your local dealer will have to do it, though. FYI, there's a similar shimmy thread in the 996 forum: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...om-dealer.html

Stearmandriver

I believe if you pull the **** for the light switch outward (did you know that it does this?) you will find a pin or detent that gets pressed to remove the ****. Then there is a thin nut that holds the switch in. I don't have the manual in front of me, but I think that is the procedure.

gweers

I was not able to work on the car this weekend, had to go to Florida with the family. It is like opening up the package and not getting to play with it. Waiting for the grommets and pump for the headlight washer to come to fix the leaky washer reservoir so I will work on the lights tomorrow. When I get the washer reservoir fixed I can get the wheel back on and tackle the shimmy. Thanks for the insight on removing the **** on the headlight switch (my manual has not arrived).