Andrew.M.Cox

I found another thread with some discussion on pushbutton setup. It looks pretty damn easy, especially for our race cars with all the wiring already exposed.

Lemming

That requires that the key remain inserted and turned on, so why bother?

Andrew.M.Cox

Why bother? Fair question, here's the idea... the key would only serve to place the RFID next to the sensor. The goal is to eliminate the need for turning over the ignition tumbler contacts, to remove a possible point of failure. So the key and ignition exist to serve the rule book and immobilizer, but the actual ignition happens at the push button.

Lemming

Agree if you do it they way mmuller did, but the link you posted still has the key in the ignition that must be turned and therefore the failure can still occur???

Gary R.

How often do the key electronics fail? Considering the car gets started about 1/10th as many times as a daily driver, I don't see this as being an important modification but maybe i'm missing something?

mmuller

Its let me down at the track and my car only had 37k miles on it. On early Boxster's, the actual ignition switch (not the part the key turns, the switch under all that) is a know failure point. I personally have had to do it on all 3 of the Boxsters I have/had owned. When it happens, no starting of the car and likely you cannot remove the key.

I have been let down once, but I will only let that happen once.

Also consider, it might only get started 1/10 of a road car, but (at least in my car) it has no windows and is never sealed up. That helps the switch to degrade faster.

DTMiller

The ignition switch in the 996 and 986 are identical and a very common point of failure (to the point that there can be as many as 2 or 3 ignition switch threads in the 996 forum at any given time; they seem to come in waves). More importantly for racecar purposes is that when the ignition switch fails all sorts of weird electrical gremlins are the primary symptom; lights stop working or won't turn off, windows go up and down by themselves, fuel door activator locks up, etc etc etc. Some of those systems are probably deleted in a spec boxster build but they literally occur without warning. If you can legally bypass that part, I can see it making a ton of sense. And, as happened with mine, when it fails it can result in either the key getting stuck in the ignition and/or not being able to start the car.

Gary R.

If it makes you slower I think I have found my problem and will get that sucker replaced today!

Andrew.M.Cox

I've got most of my wiring/fuses/relays reduced now. I'm nearing the point of tucking it all back together and mounting the fuse and relay panel. I'm considering putting the relay panel behind the glove box and the fuse panel nearby (maybe on the passenger side center tunnel). I've already got the immobilizer behind the dash. I've seen many pictures of this setup which makes sense for easy access. The wires might be long enough without having to make extensions, but they're a tangled mess.

Should I get a pin removal tool, like this Lisle 56500? Then, I could disconnect wires, untangle, and reroute more easily? Maybe even reroute all wires down the center?

Skip pin removal tool, mount the relay panel in the stock location, use an aftermarket fuse panel to simply snip from the stock fuse panel and rebuild in a new one?

mmuller

I used several Pin removal tools of varying sizes when I did mine. Makes untangling the wires significantly easier.

Word of caution - Do one wire at a time!

mjj0000

I didn't remove the pins ... I might have, but I didn't have a proper tool. If you do remove them, please report back and let us know how it went and what tool you used.

gyuill

I have done the same. The sensor ring around the key barrel that plugs in to the signal conditioning box simply slides off. You can glue the pill to the ring in the correct position and run the necessary wiring to a push switch. No losing the key, no failure of the ignition switch, able to remove the ignition mechanism saving a load of weight.

I rerouted my signal box and sensor ring to the front trunk, so I can prove to any scruit that the system is intact easily.

gyuill

What relays did you end up keeping? All I had left was the fuel pump and wiper relays, and I decided to eliminate those and fit switches instead. I now only have full speed wipers and no autopark and I can turn my fuel pump on at will so I can pump out excess fuel more easily.

mmuller

Mine is next to the immobilizer under the dash. My trunk isn't water proof, but under the center of the dash is

Provost Motorsports

As the pistol is usually not the problem.... the electrical part of the switch is the main failure point ....seems like a lot of work for a 20$ switch....just saying
We replace the electrical part of the switch all the time here for reasons mentioned above with great results.....