AOS Replacement

[xoldavex]

Is access to the AOS different on a 2000 Boxster 2.7 with Tiptronic, than on one with a manual transmission? All the posts I read say replacing the AOS is "a piece of cake", "...did it in 2 hours", "did it all from the top." But it was all I could do, even after removing the skid plate, to see the clamp on the bellows. The connections on either end of the J-tube were not visible. I could get a wrench almost on the bolt that holds the O2 sensor connector, but could not move my hand because of the tight fit.

And besides all that, the post with all those great pictures is gone.

I've worked on cars and I've got into tight places before, even on Chrysler products, but I'm stymied on this job.

By the way, where does that j-tube go, what is it's purpose, and why is the new one rigid rather than corrugated and configured differently?

[Cassiebox]

Is access to the AOS different on a 2000 Boxster 2.7 with Tiptronic, than on one with a manual transmission? All the posts I read say replacing the AOS is "a piece of cake", "...did it in 2 hours", "did it all from the top." But it was all I could do, even after removing the skid plate, to see the clamp on the bellows. The connections on either end of the J-tube were not visible. I could get a wrench almost on the bolt that holds the O2 sensor connector, but could not move my hand because of the tight fit.

And besides all that, the post with all those great pictures is gone.

I've worked on cars and I've got into tight places before, even on Chrysler products, but I'm stymied on this job.

By the way, where does that j-tube go, what is it's purpose, and why is the new one rigid rather than corrugated and configured differently?

Replacing the AOS is not a piece of cake but it's not hard either - mostly just messy.

As your experiencing, it's a PITA getting the right access. I'm not 100% sure about doing it on a TIP vs manual but I've heard they're not much different and on my '99 5spd it only took about 1.5hrs once I knew exactly what I was looking for.

Hardest thing IMHO was turning my arm just right to reach the two 10mm bolts strapping it to the engine. Once those are free, you're in good shape. If you don't have the snap-ring (?) pliers for the bellow clamp, don't worry about buying a $10 tool. I think you're better off just slicing the bellow in the middle and remove it from the top once the old AOS is out. Then reach down in and grab the bottom part of the bellow left on. Again, w/out the snap ring pliers, just use a worm drive clamp on the new one as recommended. It'll only be $1 and is easier to reassemble w/ this anyways as opposed to the snap ring clamp. Here's a good set of instructions (I used them) w/ pictures from Mike Focke's pages....

http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/airoilseparatorreplacement

(you might have to refresh a few times to get all the pictures to show)

Once you pull the right rear wheel, grab a flashlight and look up in to find the bellows. It's easy to trace (not necessarily see) from there...

Good luck!

[1schoir]

Is access to the AOS different on a 2000 Boxster 2.7 with Tiptronic, than on one with a manual transmission? All the posts I read say replacing the AOS is "a piece of cake", "...did it in 2 hours", "did it all from the top." But it was all I could do, even after removing the skid plate, to see the clamp on the bellows. The connections on either end of the J-tube were not visible. I could get a wrench almost on the bolt that holds the O2 sensor connector, but could not move my hand because of the tight fit.

And besides all that, the post with all those great pictures is gone.

I've worked on cars and I've got into tight places before, even on Chrysler products, but I'm stymied on this job.

By the way, where does that j-tube go, what is it's purpose, and why is the new one rigid rather than corrugated and configured differently?

Although I have no direct experience with a Tip AOS replacement, I have also read that it is somewhat more difficult.

I definitely agree with Cassiebox' method of cutting the bellows to get better access, and with using a worm gear clamp (stainless). Those two tips will save you from lots of aggravation, with the same result.

Regards, Maurice.