½cwt

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?

9 hours ago, bally4563 said:

The 5 speed responds well to new oil ( Getrag box ) however the 6 speed is the ( I forget at the mo ) different manufacturer total placebo effect possibly but have felt better for a oil change , and certainly can’t do any harm for 2.5 lt of 75/90 for £30 odd quid?

5 speed is a VAG Audi unit, 6 speed is Getrag.

5 hours ago, Norbert said:

I installed the typical ebay short shift kit (around GBP35). To be honest, I am not really happy with it. The shift is more precise but it is too stiff for my taste. Not really good for everyday driving. I never tried the 997 solution but I would look around there first. I think my clutch cables are fine. I can't see how this kit could damage it.

Clutch is hydraulic...

Two common causes of this are overflow from or damaged rear drains which comes down the rear bulkhead under the carpet, or failed door membranes which allow water from the bottom edge of the doors to then seep down under the carpet. (A third but less common possible place is from the scuttle into the heating ducts or from the heater matrix but tends to only affect the passenger side).

Needs a lot of thorough drying, ideally getting the carpet our of the car as you cant get airflow to allow the water to evaporate and that foam holed lots of water.  At least part lift and prop the carpet up and mop up any free water squeezing the foam as you go along and a dehumidifier is also helpful.  You will find this easier if you ate least get teh seats out (Female E12 Torx socket required)

It is really important to get to the source because if you allow the alarm module under the passenger seat to get wet and water damaged you are in for odd things happening and high three figures expense to fix it.

Getting a light colour to a darker colour is possible, black to something else is much less likely to succeed.  @RedBarediver possibly has a complete grey interior.

9 hours ago, ATM said:

I've seen some comments from people swearing that fresh fluid improved shifts. But I have never experienced that. In my view the only way it would make a big difference was if the old stuff coming out was complete doggy do do. I try to keep on top of fluids as its easy to do regularly at home. If you shift feels a bit stiff ghe new cables could help. Everything underneath these cars get turned into cheese by our wonderful climate here in UK. So if your cables are original then they are probably gunned up with crud and possibly a bit rusty inside too. I was thinking about trying numeric cables but I believe the stiff metal clips transmit a lot of gearbox vibrations into the c*ck pit. Where as the standard cables have plastic ends which are not as direct but much more civilised. 

9 hours ago, phazed said:

My 2002 986 has the original cables and are a little on the stiff side when cold but absolutely fine when warm. Something else on the list to replace.
I have heard that the 987 cables are different. I have a set in the garage and visually they look the same. Can anyone 100% confirm that they are different? 

As to oil? I agree with you above. Unless it is really, really old, new oil and improvement would be barely noticeable.

Either way on your opinions, however draining 90k mile 19 year old oil and replacing with new improved the change on my 6 speed 986 'box making 2nd much less baulky when cold.  Cable performance has nothing to do with the improvement when warming up, it is the oil in the 'box getting up to temp that improves everything, as it becomes warm it is more fluid in its correct operating temp range.  Cleaning and lubricating the cable ends and external linkages on the 'box also helps.

I have a 997/987 shift in my 986S. Easy direct swap and shortens the throw nicely and still all original parts.

From your pics on Flickr and if you are using a PC browser, right click and Copy Image Link.

6 hours ago, Paul P said:

"Pedantic as a service"

 the Foxwell does some coding as well - haven't got one so can't comment on what works - but I know it can do it - because I have had to unpick some "self inflicted outage" done by someone with a one who was playing with the coding of the front control unit in a 997.2. I also know it can't do all the coding required for Cruise on a 987 ( neither can Durametric - they both appear to lack "cluster" coding capabilities. )

OK, '.... to code reliably.'

iCarsoft and Foxwell will read and clear, you need PIWIS, or for some functions Durametric, to code.

2 hours ago, Langers said:

It was more the bullet holes and tear that were cause for concern.

Judging also by the state of the aircon facia, I don’t think the owner has spent much time in it with a duster or heard of Autoglym:

 

OK, fair point.  Possibly not a keeper more like an avoid that one!  Just trading on automatically expecting a limited edition premium.  Probably worth less than half the asking price.

TBH not sure there's much you can do about roof fold marks, other than not fold the roof.  If a smooth roof is required buy a Cayman.

5 hours ago, Nitro V8 said:

I had a Hayward and Scott exhaust fitted to Accord Type R what must be 20 years ago. That makes feel old!

Their service then was superb and their product and workmanship was excellent. Really pleased to hear they are still going and giving great service.

Great choice.

An Impreza, and 30 years ago almost in my case...

Weak or failing battery can certainly cause alarm triggers, as can a failed back up battery in the alarm unit itself.  Does the car start strongly or is the cranking laboured?  If the latter, get a new battery.  Go for a higher CCA and a 110 size rather than 096 size (you just have to move the bottom fixing bolt along one hole to take the sightly large size.

Head units can cause a parasitic drain but if done properly should be no issue.  The other possibility is that your alarm module under the passenger seat may have some damp in it.  These are prone to flooding as they sit at the lowers point of the floor pan and if you have is a leak (check bottom edges of door card and under the floor carpet for moisture), that is where the water builds up.  Damage could be historical too so pops the seat out (Female Torx E12 socket required) and open up the module to look for water damage.

58 minutes ago, RedBarediver said:

I still have a headlight restoring kit in my box of tricks somewhere and I have the number plate bulb in my spare bulb kit, but thanks for the offer. It's much appreciated.

On mine it was just corrosion on the bulb holder contacts when I lost a number plate light.