| Welcome to our 996/Boxster Technical Articles section. We've gathered a vast collection of useful articles to help you perform many repairs and upgrades on your Porsche. Save money by doing your own work and perform the repairs using the information we've provided here. Can't find what you're looking for? Try our Search Engine at the top of the page, or hop over to one of our Technical Bulletin Boards - focusing on the 996, Boxster, and more! If you'd like to support the site and submit your own Technical Article, contact us here! |
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| Engine & Clutch |
| Boxster Oil Change| Bob Tindel shows you how to save $100 by not taking your car to the dealer, and changing your oil yourself. It's easier than you would think! |
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| Time To Rebuild? - Part I & II| Wayne Dempsey outlays the tests and evaluations that you should perform on your engine before deciding it's time for a rebuild. |
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| Installing the MSD Ignition System| Pete Dubler offers up a review of the procedures needed to install the MSD system into your car. |
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| Rendezvous with a Dropped Valve Seat| View the carnage from this disaster. Warning, the photos contained within are not for the faint of heart. |
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| Ignition Troubleshooting Checklist| Mikko Kosonen has compiled a neat list for owners of all cars to check when they are experiencing problems with their ignition systems. |
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| Fuel Injection |
| Modifying the Boxster On Board Computer| Yoseif Whiteman has figured out how to activate your Boxster computer, that is normally disabled by the factory (expensive option to turn on). |
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| DME Troubleshooting Chart| Got a problem with your Motronic System? Check out this chart for problems, and component locations. |
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| Exterior |
| Boxster Roof Transport System Installation| Ever wondered whether the Porsche Roof Transport System was worth the $$$ Check out Mike Rentner's installation and overview of the product, and decide for yourself! |
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| Boxster Bra Installation| Bob Tindel shows us the basics for protecting the paint job on your new Boxster.. |
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| Door Sill Installation| Protect your paint and keep your car looking sharp with new door sills. 15-minute installation makes these a snap! |
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| Detailing your Porsche| Bob Tindel has spent many hours detailing his 911SC and his new Boxster. Here he shares his hints and tips. |
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| Alloy Wheel Painting| Lawrence Bonkowski shows us some steps and tricks for getting a great looking alloy wheel paint job. |
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| Exhaust, Heating, and Air Conditioning |
| Exhaust System Upgrades| Bob Tindel offers his review of the GHL stainless steel mufflers offered by Pelican. |
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| Electrical, Headlamps, and Gauges |
| Boxster Litronic Headlamp Upgrade Installation| Mike Rentner gives us the low-down on the installation of the extremely popular factory Litronic Headlamp Upgrade for the Boxster. |
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| Integrated Garage Door Opener| Greg Gulik shows us how he took a plain vanilla garage door opener, and integrated it into the buttons on his Boxster's center console. |
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| Integrated Valentine One Radar Detector| Greg Gulik again shows us a neat way to integrate the Valentine One radar detector (or any detector) so that it's always on, and not hogging the cigarette lighter. |
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| Installing your own Rear Speakers| Prior to the release of the Rear Speaker Kit from Porsche, Greg Gulik added his own inexpensive option to his Boxster. |
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| Rear Speaker Kit Installation| Bob Tindel does it again with an excellent tech article on this inexpensive and easy stereo upgrade. With more than 30 pictures to guide you through the process! |
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| Starter System Troubleshooting| Here's a great guest article by James K. Thorusen that describes in detail the problems and solutions for troubleshooting your starter system problems. |
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| An Easy and Inexpensive Ignition Cut-Off Switch| Here's a little trick that will disable the ignition system on your car, preventing your pride and joy from being stolen. |
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| Brakes |
| Painting your Calipers| Once you detail your calipers, no one will be able to tell the difference between your stock ones and the lobster claws of the big reds. |
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| Bleeding Porsche Brakes| Another tricky process. Here's a couple of hints and tips gathered from some good and bad experiences in brake bleeding. |
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| Miscellaneous |
| Jacking up your Boxster/996| Bob shows us the best way to jack up your car without damaging the undercarriage in the process. |
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| Affordable Porsches| Originally published in GrassRoots Motorsports magazine, this article chronicles the affordable Porsche options available for you to acquire. |
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| Tire Size Calculator| Ever wondered what the exact dimensions of tires are for your car? Plug in the confusing tire size (ex. 215/60/16), and it will give you physical dimensions. |
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| Hot Rodding Your Floor Jack| What can we say, Tom Sharpes has way too much time on his hands... |
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| Home Toe-in and Camber Adjustment| John Rogers offers a neat article with specs on adjusting your toe-in and camber with homemade tools. |
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| Porsche Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI)| Paul Lighthill offers a very comprehensive guide to the pre-purchase inspection of your new Porsche. |
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| The Physics of Racing Series| Brian Beckman offers one of the best explanations of the physics of racing and what you need to do to achieve better performance in this 12-part series. |
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| Street Dyno!| Recording the ignition spark pulses into a wave file and processing it using the software can give a pretty accurate HP/Torque rating for your engine. |
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| All About Gasoline| Here's a document that explains everything that you may have ever wanted to know about gasoline. This covers everything from formulations, to smog tests, to octane ratings. |
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| All About Motor Oils| Ever wondered about the formulations of motor oils? This document explains the differences, and the formulations, and why which one is best for your car. |
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| Making Sense of Synthetic Lubricants| Don Stevens offers some insight on the facts, myths, and trials of synthetic oil in automobiles. |
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| Transmission Final Drive Computer| Here is a little program John Rogers wrote to do some speed vs RPM calculations after he did a rally a couple of months ago. It's pretty fun to play around with. |
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| Porsche Air Conditioning Frequently Asked Questions| Here is some expert advice and information on the early Air Conditioning systems installed in Porsches, as well as some history of the aftermarket units. |
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| Building an In-Dash Air-Mixture Monitor| Gabriel Pennella offers a great article on building a monitor that you can use while driving to fine-tune your performance. |
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| MIG Welder Maladies & Bodywork Book Review| Kyle Ehler offers some advice on MIG Welders, and some opinions on some bodywork books. |
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| Rekeying Porsche Locks| Have two or more keys on your key chain for your Porsche? Missing a key to one of your locks? Rekey your locks with our tech article, and carry a lighter load on your keychain. |
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| Rice's Ramblings, Part I| Lee Rices offers tech tips and suggestions on spark plugs, CATs, installing later-style gauges in early cars, and buying new tires. |
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| Rice's Ramblings, Part II| Lee Rices offers tech tips and suggestions on emergency breakdown kits, replacing the 911 fan belt, and stopping squealing disc brakes. |
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| Welding Primer & Review| Many thanks to Mike Cooley and John Dunkle for writing this primer on welding. Check it out if you're interested in learning more about 'the black art of welding. |
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|  | Got more questions? Join us in our 996 and Boxster Technical Forum Message Boards, and ask a question to one of our many automotive experts. |
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