½cwt

Thought.  Set the alarm with one press, then jack up one side of the car to a decent height and see what happens.  Have the key to hand to disarm.  Repeat with two presses to lock and see if it triggers at the same height or not.  If not, valet mode disables the tilt too.

I used this:

Westspark 13.1ft 4M 8mm Butyl Rubber Sealant Sound Deadening Rope Caulk Tape for Car RV Windshield Headlight Door Black : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

You can peel it off the roll and make it nice and thin.  It then sticks well but if necessary in future you can get under it with a plastic scraper to remove.  Make sure it is thin and pressed flat well, or you have trouble refitting the door card - ask me how I know!  You'll also have loads spare off a roll this size even after doing two membranes.

44 minutes ago, Clarky2 said:

Unfortunately £1500 is a bit rich for me at the moment given some other expenses I've had recently and I hoped that a suspension refresh was something I could work up to.

The garage seem to be saying that if I could find a n/s shock they would fit it. Will they start calling out various other parts as soon as they start dismantling? All I am after at this stage is a cost effective route to an MOT to avoid laying up the car while I plan next steps. 

I'd allow for a drop link minimum and possibly an inboard bolt.  Plus the bump stop will likely be perished if original.  Also they may not split the bottom ball joint on the coffin arm without nicking the rubber dust cap....

Is the tank filled to MAX?  If so if you remover the plastic plate the the oil and water filler sit in you will see another cap with a U shaped metal piece on top.  Lift this up and run the car up to temp until the fans kick in to the second high speed at about 95°C.  Ideally park the car slightly nose down whilst doing this, or jack the rear up, which should vent the system.  Remember to flick the metal lever down once done and replace the plastic cover plate.  Check you water level regularly for the next few weeks as they can take some time to 'burp' through properly.

2 hours ago, Menoporsche said:

I remember a comment that said many 986 horns die as they are mounted in a way that allows water to gather and not drain. Remount at a different angle to avoid water gathering in future. I don't know the details.

Not so much that they collect water but the lower one in particular is in the airflow from the front right bumper intake.  They both mount on the same bracket and there isn't much space to do much different, alas.

11 minutes ago, Clarky2 said:

That's a very kind offer. It looks like a four hour round trip from Cambridge, but it could get me out of a hole and through an MOT.

As 1/2 CWT says it could easily become a false economy and I have started pricing up new front suspension, but I would rather take my time collecting the parts and making the right choices rather than being forced into potentially expensive mistakes just to get through a new ticket.     

Message me and I'll drop you all the makers of the Porsche parts or good aftermarket options to help avoid those mistakes. A lot of us have done the suspension on these 986s.

A bearing shell sheds incredibly fine white metal, not grains.  The oil from my Scooby looked more like mercury so it is a very fine paste almost.  The oil test will tell you much more about possible sources.

1 hour ago, nelmo said:

Doesn't look like anything to worry about IMO.

I had the big end shells go in a 4-cylinder Ford engine and it made a very obvious rattle - I'm sure our engines would do the same in that situation.

Likewise on a Subaru flat 4, it was knocking before silver was detected in the oil.

(Those Scooby engines are pretty bulletproof but this one had been well abused by a rally team as a receptionist car before I bought it cheap and ran it for 4 years...)

The cam chains and hydraulic lifters can rattle very briefly on start up as oil pressure rises. Any ongoing rattling that is much more than instantaneous is more of a problem.

Nope, still sets the alarm.

3 minutes ago, TROOPER88 said:

@Clarky2, I throw out shocks every week. 
 

Used shocks are no use to me whatsoever ever.

I think I have a set you can have but collection from Lower Sunbury, Surrey 👍🏻

Nice one Paul, if it gets him out of a hole for the time being.

@Clarky2 you must have a medium term plan to replace both and it is a lot of work to repeat in doing it twice particularly if you are paying for labour...

28 minutes ago, 832ark said:

I’ve ordered a sample kit from Miller which should tell me more. It does look to me like the surface white metal of a crank bearing. I’m guessing it’s probably a big end that’s started to break down. Hopefully I’ve caught it before it does serious damage to the crank etc. Are Hartech the go-to people these days or are there others I should talk to?

Hartech's reputation is solid, unlike your bank balance once you have been there.  For a full rebuild there are none better, for bottom end bearings only there may be more cost effective options.

Re engine numbers and IMSBs, I spent a lot of time gathering the data for the write up in the Technical section and they are from Porsche documents, either parts catalogues, service documents or Technical bulletins. I have no reason to believe they are not correct.

13 minutes ago, RedBarediver said:

I still have a rear left hand side shock and spring which I got from Steve Strange last year. I bought a set from him and replaced the right hand side which was leaking badly. That got it through the MOT but I shortly thereafter took it to Paul (Torque Boxster) and he did the front last year and the rear this year. Worth every penny.

If you want the shock and spring that is still in the garage you are welcome to it. But I would suggest you start budgeting for getting the whole thing properly done and renewed.

OP needs a front shock.... They are not the same.

52 minutes ago, Boxob said:

Ignition switch does affect lights  wipers etc. Back off the key slightly after starting the engine and they will work. A replacement ignition switch is cheap (£20ish) but fiendishly fiddly to swap over. 

It isn't that tricky to swap an ignition switch.  Beware most videos online are for LHD cars.  The barrel/lock/switch assembly is inverted for RHD cars so the process is a bit different, however small hands and good 'working by feel' skills are useful:

Definitely change the shocks in pairs particularly on anything that even pretends to be a sports car unless you can get a matched one of similar age/mileage from a breaker as you suggest.  (IIRC Steve Strange usually sells the shock and spring as one)  Bear in mind that the older one will be significantly softer than any new one and, unless you pay a King's ransom to Porsche for a genuine replacement, even a Bilstein B4 OE equivalent replacement may be a slightly different rating.  (I did all 4 on mine at the same time as well as most of the arms and the top mounts and opted for Koni Special Active OE equivalent spec shocks.)  Be prepared from some seized bolts, particularly the drop link/shock pinch bolt and it is a good time to replace the drop links and bump stops as a minimum, as these are usually as shot as the duff shock.  And once you've gone this far new top mounts, tuning forks and coffin arms also make sense.  It sounds a lot, but you have to take pretty much all of these off to do the shock anyway so why do and pay for it twice unless you are a DIYer who just wants the experience.

An Italian tune up before an MOT is a must, not just gratuitous fun.

Checking my Driver's Manual a double lock disables the interior monitoring (always automatically disabled if the roof is down), says nothing about the tilt sensor.

As access to car decks is prohibited on car ferries when they are at sea, the only certain course of action is to park it unlocked from what I can tell however this should have minimal security risk.

4 minutes ago, Geordie40 said:

Fitted new discs & pads all round, discs were very badly corroded on the inside which you cant see till you take them off!!

But the bloody handbrake shoes, whos stupid idea was it to use the springs & clips from hell, I have decided i will happily pay someone to change the handbrake shoes in future, took me 1/2 a day.

Im awaiting my Carnewal GT exhaust and an Aliexpress headunit so a busy couple of weekends if the sun ever comes out

Something like these 😱?

Handbrake shoes (this design is common on many marques) is one of those jobs that once you've worked it out takes minutes rather than hours the next time.

On 4/1/2024 at 3:57 PM, red rocket said:

Not actually doing any work today but got it up on the new Kwik Lift so I know that's all working properly now. Very impressed with the working height.

Looks great and easy to use.

I can help but think this is a great investment of £1200.  Man maths says so anyway and as they say 'Resistance is futile.'  I am trying to resist, but I do have a nice level drive...

There has been an up issue on the wings between the .1 (987 503 031 00) and the .2 (987 503 031 02).  The devil is in the detail in part numbers like this, the up issue could be just for a different spec of material (source, alloy, even thickness) or it could be a minor profile change.

The light mounting tray are completely different numbers.

1 hour ago, 986Jack said:

... plus, Type911 are just down the road if I need something quick.

 

and indeed on here @T911UK...

Welcome aboard.  Will be interesting to read your thoughts and experiences after the Alfas you've had.  Many of us 'enjoy' working on them as much as driving them but enjoy it in the way you prefer.  No question is too stupid, however some answers you might get can be, but above this is a helpful friendly place to talk Boxsters and more.

2 hours ago, pacificjuha said:

Cleaned the radiators as a each springtime task - maybe not needed next year, since I also installed a metal mesh to protect the radiators from leaves and maybe some stones... Same time painted the grey fins at the radiator openings to black to match the black mesh.

Changed brake pads to Ferodo Racing DS2500 pads all around. The old ones were OEM repalacement Brembo's and the rear ones were looking reeeeaaaal bad - maybe heat from track use had caused this?

Front ones were not that bad looking, but had only 1mm left before the sensor hole would have been exposed.

 

They are some properly cooked pads!

1 hour ago, phazed said:

Nope.

It has been a long project, put aside some time to red through:

2 hours ago, phazed said:

Fluck me! Is it worth it!

what are the advantages? Serious questions.

Have you seen what else he's done to the car???

1 hour ago, ATM said:

My 996 leaked from high pressure but was dry otherwise. So this could be a red herring. Don't put all your eggs in this basket.

Very valid point.

Looking as the entry points for the water try these options - Get some Gummi Pflege to apply to the rubber seals. If the membranes have been taken off or peeled back to access a window regulator or door latch they need new sealing tape.  Assuming they are undamaged, just not fully stick down, butyl tape can easily be had from eBay.  Helps soften and dry lubricates them so they seal better.  Also has you mirror ever been taken off?  Re-seating them badly can cause space for leaks too.

Finally does the door glass rise to the correct height when closing the door?