Boxster won't start

[jijioz]

hi

i have a boxster S 2000 Model automatic gear and tiptronic

few days ago i found some leaked water under both the seats and i had it dried out

everything was working perfectly till today morning when the car started after 2-3 tries

now when i turn the key nothing happens i only hear few clicks

everything works fine: Alarm - door locks- electrical windows and all dashboard lights

i already changed the battery as well just in case but nothing changed it totally refuses to start (at least to crank)

Switch is brand new (changed it at my local porshe dealer few month ago)

Any suggestions?

thanks guys in advance

Edited January 9, 2010 by jijioz

[jijioz]

Just a quick update

after several hours and tries it started fine and everything is working

i need to see if it will start tomorrow.

[txhokie4life]

Just a quick update

after several hours and tries it started fine and everything is working

i need to see if it will start tomorrow.

they water event and this non-start could be unrelated -- but you can check the

IMMOB connector under the seat for corrosion.

By what you described it seems unlikely to be the contributor, but worth looking

at anyway.

Maybe fuel pump or related to fuel delivery.

Might also be the starter solenoid.

mike

[ahkew27]

You might try cleaning the battery post and then make sure the connection is good and tight. The clicking you here could be the starter trying to pull in, but the voltage is to low.

Edited January 9, 2010 by ahkew27

[pk2]

The immobilizer is and was and is definitely in peril . They can get wet inside and dry out enough for lt do run. I would take it out and open it up, make sure it's dry inside because if not the water will eventually wreck it. Then you need to find out how the water got there. The most common route is the result of plugged up drain pipes/holes on the left and right of the engine, under the clam shell. I'd run not walk on this one. The immobilizer and programing is not cheap.

The clicking, if it were from the engine bay could be a bad ground (or less likely a drained battery). Moisture can aggravate this, check the battery first, look for fuzz around the terminals, also the ground strap to the starter .

Removing the immobilizer can be really easy if you don't min d making a short incision behind the seat. BUT GET IT and dry it OUT AND FIND THE Leak.

Regards, PK

[txhokie4life]

The immobilizer is and was and is definitely in peril . They can get wet inside and dry out enough for lt do run. I would take it out and open it up, make sure it's dry inside because if not the water will eventually wreck it. Then you need to find out how the water got there. The most common route is the result of plugged up drain pipes/holes on the left and right of the engine, under the clam shell. I'd run not walk on this one. The immobilizer and programing is not cheap.

The clicking, if it were from the engine bay could be a bad ground (or less likely a drained battery). Moisture can aggravate this, check the battery first, look for fuzz around the terminals, also the ground strap to the starter .

Removing the immobilizer can be really easy if you don't min d making a short incision behind the seat. BUT GET IT and dry it OUT AND FIND THE Leak.

Regards, PK

actually just pull the drivers seat --the IMMOB sits in a recessed area that is not covered by

carpet. Then you can check the carpet area as well as the ground connection. The immob

is easily removed. It can then be opened easily and checked for dampness and corrosion.

I found that if that ground connection is corroded or loose -- you get no crank action either.

New IMMOB and keys programmed is ~$550-$650 depending on number of keys and if

the wires need cleaning. The programming of the IMMOB and Keys can only be done at

the dealership.

Also when you check the drain plugs - check the shell that drains into those plugs to see

if they have been compromised. If the top ever slipped out of its tracks, it can slice

those trays and then water will seep under the carpet into the padding.

The carpet is water resistant from the top. So any moisture under the carpet stays there!

mike

[jijioz]

Thanks for the reply guys

now the car is starting fine and i have no electrical problems.

i found that the water was stuck under the carpet and i removed it all

the leak was the result of a glogged plugs and now i opened them both sides.

i am just worried about removing the immob coz i cant reach it in a clear way.

it looks dry when i touch it under the driver seat, is there a diagram or drawing on how to remove the seat?

thanks a lot

Edited January 10, 2010 by jijioz

[ppbon]

To remove the seat, just remove the two Torx bolts on the front of the sliders.

Then, disconnect any wiring harness and take out the seat.

I highly recommend that you open the IMMOB and liberally spray the insides with Isopropyl alcohol.

You can even dunk the whole thing in a large plastic bag and fill with alcohol.

The alcohol will absorb all the water and then will evaporate leaving all the components dry.

I've done this quite a few times with flooded cars and it has been successful.

Happy Boxstering,

Pedro

[jijioz]

ok i ve done everything and removed the seats and even renovated the seats with new leather in the process

the immob is tottaly dry and i sprayed the inside just in case.....

now the car starts sometimes and sometime there is no crank at all

all electrical functions are operating perfectly i did not notice anything unusual

Can it be another reason? (i noticed that the car starts early morning when it is cold?)

[jijioz]

Thanks pedro for you reply earlier

i just have a question after i visited your garage web.

is there any electronic part which is easy to fix (i can fit it myself) which can increase the performance of my Boxter s?

thanks

joe

Edited January 15, 2010 by jijioz

[ppbon]

I'm afraid there are no easy-fix performance upgrades for these cars.

They are already very well tuned and many "upgrades" end up detuning the car and having a net loss.

Also, remember that anything you change in the intake/exhaust has to be remapped into the ECU otherwise the car will work against that modification by trying to bring the parameters back to spec.

Most of the time our cars have plenty of power. We just need to learn how to drive them to extract the maximum.

Many people don't like to drive the car in the upper revs, but theta's where the power is.

We don't have the big displacement which equals torque, so we need to use the revs to keep max HP when tracking/AX'ing.

Happy Boxstering,

Pedro

[txhokie4life]

ok i ve done everything and removed the seats and even renovated the seats with new leather in the process

the immob is tottaly dry and i sprayed the inside just in case.....

now the car starts sometimes and sometime there is no crank at all

all electrical functions are operating perfectly i did not notice anything unusual

Can it be another reason? (i noticed that the car starts early morning when it is cold?)

hmmm -- check to see if there is corrosion on the bolt that connects ground to the bottom of the car.

Also check to see if there is corrosion on any of the wires in the connectors to the IMMOB.

I have had the connectors off -- I'm told that the wires to the connector with the white lock "bar"

can actually be removed from the connector -- but I have not done that before.

They are supposed to be able to pull these and check for corrosion.

for drying

Another possible way is to get some Ready-Dry and place it in a bag with the IMMOB or whatever

esp if you have opened it to insure no water is in there.

mike