Porsch-Uh Oh (More 986 content. Send help!)

Well now I've gone and done it! (I partly blame GRM for all the recent 986 threads.) For better or worse, I was the high bidder on this:

You're looking at its good side. It starts, but doesn't roll because the FR tire is wedged against the spring perch. Apparently, somebody stole the keys at the auction yard (likely the guy I bid against) so I'm in for even more trouble trying to get it off my trailer. 

I've never owned a Porsche before but figured this was the cheapest way to start learning. So...I have questions:

• Any good sources for parts?
• Anybody have experience with getting keys cut/programed?
• Any decent near-dealer level software available besides Durametric? (Would like to read/write modules)

I probably paid too much. It's still on approval so there's a small but non-zero chance it won't go through. Crap. What have I done?

Here's the bad side  

Looks fixable! What did you pay for it?

Also I'd lean on the auction house for the keys, they were present when you bid, so they're liable to provide them. 

I don’t have answers to your questions as I’m still new to the P car world. 

But welcome! They’re awesome cars

AAZCD on here got me a lot of the parts I needed out of his stash. Great guy to deal with and he know these cars.

BBC

In reply to Javelin :

I thought this too but I missed that the listing was recently updated to reflect the lack of keys. 

I'm hoping that I can get it decently nice for around 4k and learn some stuff along the way. 

In reply to enginenerd :

Point out that the listing was updated post-auction. I've bought a few cars at auction and have always been able to get the house to supply the keys.

Not a bad deal though! Engine has to be worth that easily, even as a 2.5/2.7. Find a silver fender and a used strut and knuckle and you may be good to go.

Get a cheap tram gauge and the under hood specs to see how square it is, or pay someone to do it for you.

Durametric is what you're going to want for software.  When you get it running, use Durametric to look at the cam deviation angles for an indication of IMS issues. Range 1, 2 ignition events tell you how much time it spent at and beyond the rev limiter and when the last event occurred.  Plus lots of other fun stuff.

Tyler H said:

Durametric is what you're going to want for software.  When you get it running, use Durametric to look at the cam deviation angles for an indication of IMS issues. Range 1, 2 ignition events tell you how much time it spent at and beyond the rev limiter and when the last event occurred.  Plus lots of other fun stuff.

Cool. Will check it out but don't love that the enthusiast license is limited to 3 vehicles and no coding. I'm assuming it's not capable of programming keys?

Looks like the headlights are intact, which is good.  Those can be pricey.  Pelican Parts is a good site with a forum for Porsche stuffs.  I was a member there when I had a 1978 911SC, and I learned a lot.  Read up about the IMS failure, how to diagnose it, fix it, prevent it, etc.  From what I've learned that's about the only issue with these cars, and it only affects some.  When the 986 came out some publications called it one of the best handling cars ever built.  And now with the prices getting so low, I've convinced my wife that she needs one as a race car once we move.

Welcome to 986s. It's a good guess that the drivetrain is good, unless someone ran into it in a storage lot.

Short of buying a Durametric, the Autel MD802 has been a good tool and works on a broad variety of makes. I'm not sure that it will read cam deviation though.

You have probably figured out that keys for these can be an expensive hassle.  A replacement key will need to have the original code tag with it and be programed at a dealership, or by someone with a 'PST-2'. Someone on the 986forum.com recently posted about buying a device to read and duplicate the transponder code, but details were pretty sparse.

I have two flood damaged Boxsters that I replaced the key, immobilizer, and DME (ECU) with parts from a similar car and they work fine, but could cause some issues with programming and repair if I ever used dealership service - the VIN and accessory info from the donor car is still encoded in the electronics. One guy had a terrible time, finding out that his ignition key was not a door key: http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/66387-unlockable-car-ignition-key-okay.html

For parts, I'm not an 'active seller', but I have stripped a few and may be able to help out with a few things. Feel free to message me. My favorite seller on eBay for Porsche stuff is QualityPorscheParts good prices and excellent customer service. The 986Forum.com classified section always has a few guys parting out cars.

Good luck with it, they are fun cars and not hard to work on once you get to know them.

In reply to AAZCD :

Great advice...thank you! I've really enjoyed reading your posts about the flood cars. I was curious if the immobilizer could be replaced with its companion key and didn't realize the DME is the module in charge. That may be a good option. So far I haven't been able to actually get a human at a local Porsche dealer service department to answer the phone, but I'm guessing a single key would be $4-500. 

I may take you up on that and message you about odds and ends once I am able to evaluate the car. 

Woohoo! Another one joins the fray! There are four or five recent Boxster newbs.

Made a dedicated build thread