In reply to Adrian_Thompson :
That's a fair answer. I think the 911 I'll be driving is flappy paddle gear box but idk for sure. Thats still about 1 or 2 months out. I really want to drive a boxster though at some point, because I'm curious how I'd like it. Certainly on my list of e46 replacements in the next year, thats for sure
Long overdue update. I spent the summer DDing it every day, nothing except an oil change. I still love the car. As happy as I was to get back into the Volvo a few weeks ago and have three pedals again, that novelty is already over. Sorry folks, for DD duty in traffic I'll take two pedals every time.
I even managed to take it up North a couple of times. For those in the region, M119 the 'tunnel of tree's' is a famous road in Northern Michigan. I got to blat up and down there after the main tourist season was done and so managed to exhibit a suitable lack of adherence to speed limits and road markings. So, just with DDing. Driving as fast as is prudent, make that faster than most people would consider prudent, I had a great time with the auto in manual mode.
So then, on to removing the carpet. Bugger, what a bitch. Seriously I think I have 6-8 hours just to remove the carpet from a two seat convertible. The process isn’t in theory too complicated. Remove the seats, remove the module(s) beneath them, remove the various kick panel trim, remove the gas pedal, remove the center console then remove the carpet. That last one, the center console is the real bitch. There are all sorts of fasteners hidden beneath, under, behind other bits of trim and things underneath. My biggest issue was figuring out how to remove the shifter assembly. Inevitably every on line how too was for manual cars, I mean who the hell is stupid enough to DIY an automatic Boxster except me? Eventually posting a Q on Boxster forum I found how to remove the shift knob. The manual just pulls off, but the auto requires you to remove the button, then a clip, not lose a spring etc. then it comes off. Because the center console was such a bitch, along with time being sucked up prepping one of our rentals for re-leasing after the last tenants moved out, time has been hard to come by. So for over a week the carpet was loose except for that center console, it was folded back and more water was sucked out.
Once the damned carpet was out I have it hung over some saw horses dripping dry. I can now see why I didn’t notice it for so long. On the under side of the carpet some of the molded in foam is 1½
” thick. It can hold an immense amount of water before it gets to the surface and is noticeable, especially with a floor matt on top of it. Even after all the sucking and drying, at least a further couple of pints have dripped out in the last few days.
The next thing to do will be to evaluate what damage has been done to the electrics. There are warnings about not turning on the ignition with the seats unplugged from the car. Apparently it can trigger a warning light for the restraint system that’s hard to ever clear again. So my first plan is to plug everything in, roll it outside and gingerly turn on the ignition. Then if all is OK I’ll try starting it and go from there. Then I’ll clean out the vent line, sit in the empty car and get someone to turn a hose on and point it all the way around the edge of the top, windows etc. and see if water is coming in from anywhere else.
One thing that may have saved me is the fact that I always back into parking spots. As both my driveway and where I park at work have a slight slope to them, that means the water was draining forwards while the module under the seat is at the back. We will see. Wish me luck.
It may be a couple of weeks before I make it back to the car as there are other higher priorities for my time right now.
Out at last, out at last, thank the flying spaghetti monster it's out at last.
The Germans sure seem to over-engineer everything...
I feel your pain, I had a similar issue with our '06 Rav4 and an a/c drain that was clogged up in the HVAC assembly. Again, the combination of thick padding and a Huskyliner floormat masked the issue for a while. Thankfully, I was able to pull up the carpet and padding pretty easily, and then drained the water out. The next step was removing the driver's seat and running a dehumidifier in the car over the weekend to really dry things out.
In my case, I was lucky and the only collateral damage was the blower motor and blower motor resistor. The water was stuck in the HVAC system, and on hard left turns you could hear it sloshing around in the system, and ultimately over the blower motor, which would spray it around.
I think I'll be a little more paranoid about checking that water is actually dripping out of the drain hose after that fiasco. Fingers crossed that all the electronics modules are good once you've dried everything out!
In reply to dj06482 :
Thanks. The good news is I have an almost 100 year old Sears and Roebuck dehumidifier that works like a champ. It's been doing it's thing, but couldn't coupe with the water that had been adsorbed by the foam. I placed the modules on top of it while it was running for a few days once I got them out. Fingers crossed.
My 06 Cayenne would block its AC drain every year. I'd find out going around a cloverleaf onramp and get cold, cold water dumped onto my right foot.
Fixing was easy, I straightened out a coat hanger, wrapped some tape around the small hook end and pushed it through the AC drain. Then blew air through the drain with my air compressor. Still had to to do it every year tho...
In reply to docwyte :
I read this last night and my brain register Cayman not Pepperwagon. This is giving me hope that it really is just the AC drain though.
Another late update and call for help from the Boxster experts.
So, as I said up thread, last fall the drivers footwell got so full of water I was having electrical issues. Once I got the seats and carpet out I had nearly an inch of water in there. From here and other places I thought/assumed it was the AC drain had become blocked.
Well, winter happened, I was doing other things and didn't finish it. I was also having someone sew in a new leather panel to my drivers seat bolster.
Well jump forward to now and spring is fast approaching and I want my car back. So I'm out in the garage, I find the AC drain line in the passenger footwell. I pull it off and can easily blow through it and out the bottom of the car. It's certainly not blocked. I can also poke back up into the heater box so it's not blocked that side either.
So. Two questions. First, if the drain in on the right, how is water supposed to drain into the drivers (left) footwell? Second, and more important, do you have any other ideas where the water is coming in? Search has failed me.
Off back to the cold garage to work on re-fitting the seat cover, I hope that when I come back in for my next cup of coffee you geniuses have some suggestions for me.
Below are a couple of pics of the heater and hose, just to make sure I'm working on the right thing.
Thanks all
Have you tried writing to one of the PCA tech chairs? Those guys can be incredibly helpful.
Woody said:Have you tried writing to one of the PCA tech chairs? Those guys can be incredibly helpful.
May do if it comes to it. Right now I'm following up on the soft top drains per a tip from 986.com forums.
Thanks
There are the standard drain tubes which it sounds like you're on top of, could also be a leaking door membrane, or (I had this, very annoying) water can run in through the wing mirror if it's not sealed up correctly.
So, it's back together and running but with a few snags along the way.
First was the accel pedal. IT's a largish self contained unit that slides into a cut out key hole on a panel on the toe board. It slides in place then a single M6x0.8x60mm machine screw goes through it into a captive nut on the same panel as the large key hole. Except a bit of carpet fluff got in there and as I tried to tighten it it cross threaded. It's a bitch as even with the seats out the steering wheel and a lot of other crap get in the way, plus you are trying to reach behind the carpet to feel where it is at the same time as you're trying to push the carpet and pedeal into place. So after cross threading I tried to re-tap the nut but no joy. Then I tried to put in a Riv-Nut, but there wasn't the depth for it to go in. In the end I bought some stamped/extruded J nuts, carefully squished the clip part in the vice and managed to get it all done. Major bitch though.
The offending screw with accompanying extruded J nut that save me. 
Then I put the rest of the interior bac together, including my partially re-trimmed drivers seat to repair the worn out and torn side bolster. BAd before picture from 3 years ago. It was completly torn by the time I got it fixed.
After the repair. I still have some more work with a heat gun and steamer to pull out the rest of the wrinkles.
Now, a separate post for the issues I have.
First I now have an airbag warning light. I was aware of the risk of that if you turned on the ignition with the seat modules unplugged, even though this car is old enough not to have seat airbags. I was really careful, but I forgot when I needed to open the roof. I think the only way out of this is to go to the dealer to clear it. Major bummer with the current (lack of) employment situation.
Next is a spare connector under the passenger (right hand) seat. I can't find where it goes and I'm sure it was connected to something in November when I took it apart.
I know there are a couple of 986/996 people on here who may know, but I'll also head over to 986 forums to ask them.
Final issue is the biggest. It drives great, but I can't select manual shift mode on the auto. I pull it across to the manual mode, but it still shows D on the (dash LED) PRNDL and the buttons on the steering wheel do nothing. I assume I must have missed plugging something in under the center console, but I don't know what. As it's an auto there's not much available on line, people don't seem to DIY auto Boxsters much. I think I may just have to take it all back apart again and look.
BTW, No, I don't believe it's the same mystery connector under the passenger seat though.
Well, I still need help. I've pulled the center console out and I don't see anything missing. HEre's a shot of the shifter, in 'M' rather than 'D'. You can see the micro switch is engaged for manual, but it's doing nothing. I even tried jumping the swith. No joy. Any ideas? I really need help here?
thx.
im pretty sure you brown pass seat connector is for a baby bar/airbag deactivation device and if your car doesnt have that bar installed it will not be hooked up to anything.
cant help you on the shifter though
I have an Autel MD802 and have reset the 986 airbag light with no problem. It cost around $200 and works on a broad variety of makes and models.
I can probably help you out with the remaining issues, I have the full (16 binder) factory service manual and piles of parts.
I'm browsing on my phone right now and will read through a bit more tonight on my PC. Feel free to message me what's left to fix and I'll look through tonight. With all the 986 Boxsters I've had, I've dealt with just about all the normal issues.
I can confirm that the wire pair under the passenger seat is for the child seat deactivation bar - no connection needed, just secure it to the ground bundle.
('78F350' on the 986Forum)
Adrian - is that a corporate shifter mechanism? Any Audi or VW that might use that same piece? (lots of VW forums out there)
In reply to Agent98 :
It's very similar, but different in that the other VAGs of that vintage shifted the tiptronic gears manually with the lever. The Porsches use the lever to change mode, and manual shift only on the steering wheel.
So, I posted some shifter info on the other forum, but let me put this here as follow-up on the under-seat connector issue:
From the PelicanParts Tech Articles, Child Seat Installation
Cool, thanks AAZCD. Good to know on the connector. Now to track down the shifter. I'll head over to the other forums too.
Agent98. Thanks, but as AAZCD said, it's a Porsche specific part with a 996 part number. FYI, you can easily tell that from the B pillar forward the 986 and 996 are the same car. So, so, so many of the parts I've taken off, replaced, handled, seen on this thing are all 996 part #'s
Adrian said:
FYI, you can easily tell that from the B pillar forward the 986 and 996 are the same car. So, so, so many of the parts I've taken off, replaced, handled, seen on this thing are all 996 part #'s
Because it's much better for the psyche to have 911 parts on a Boxster than to have Boxster parts on a 911.......
AAZCD/78F350. So I followed up on checking your pin #13 suggestion from over on 986 forum. I've posted over there too. I've checked the continuity from both sides of the microswitch to pin #13 both with the ignition on and off. No joy. So, is there a connector between the two points to check?
I can get a look at the diagram tonight and post anything useful. From the shifter, it should go forward to the dash, then across to the left side. It will be part of the big bundle near the base of the door that feeds along the left side to the trunk. There will be a connector in the trunk, then on to the TCU.
I'd suggest starting at the shifter. Does one wire at the switch connect to ground? With the switch 'on' do both sides ground? Is the harness plugged in to the shifter? I don't think it is in this pic:
No, nothing is connected to that side. You can see the black wire going to the other side that is plugged in. Is there something else that should be in that side? I didn't think so at first, but neither side is connecting to ground right now.
Look for the harness/connector. It is probably forward of the shifter and may have been tucked up under center dash console. Could it be under the carpet? There's also a 4 pin connector that was used for a telephone connection that is usually down there, -ignore that. I'll see if I can find pics anywhere. I drove an '01 tip today, but I don't want to pull the center console. 
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