hi guys ..
i just tried to turn my 01 boxster and it s not turning on.. it s not a battery problem because the dashboard lights up , the radio works and i tried jumstarting it once but it didn t work.. any ideas on where to start or what might be wrong? i disconnected the battery then reconnected and still not working. when i turn the ignition on , no sound whatsoever is heard, the engine doesn t engage.. so basically nothing at all....
thanks guys

 

Could be many things! The battery could still be bad. It doesn’t take much juice to light the dash, or run the stereo, but to kick on the starter takes alot. If the battery is indeed good I would start with the clutch safety switch, or look into the alarm immobilizer.

 

My first guess would also be the battery... there are countless posts on here that start the exact same way... "my car won't start, its not the battery cause..." And 9 times out of ten thats exactly what it is. Water-cooled Porsches are VERY picky when it comes to how much voltage they take to get started... if your battery is even weak it'll be a no-go. Do yourself a favor and replace it with anything but an actual Porsche OE battery... they are absolute crap and usually only last a year or so. Something like an Interstate will give you much less headaches in the future. Goodluck!

 

i m going to try another battery right away .. thanks guys.. how about the starter ? could it be the problem?
i ll get back to you in 10 min

 

Considering your year, and probable mileage, the starter would be lower on the list of things to go bad. 150 for a battery is cheaper then diag at the dealer, that will probably result in a replacement battery anyways. If your batter is the original it is most likely tired. After a battery gets to that age most times having been killed once or twice, dead cells or decreased cranking amps result in a no start. Btw most times a jump start will not provide the enough amperage to turn over the starter depending on the state of the battery. An automatic charger is the best way to start a failed battery and can even help diagnose if the battery can take a charge or has a dead cell.

 

I had the same issue before, except I was stranded at an old fashioned burger drive in place where the waitresses come up to your car to take your order. As soon as we finished our lunch, I tried starting the car, and nothing but dash lights. Radio would even still work, but the car would not start. Turned out to be a bad battery.

Thing is, mine did jumpstart, so in your case, it could be that you didn't depress your clutch pedal all the way to the floor prior to starting the car or your clutch microswitch is bad. The switch is located near the clutch pedal arm (link below), and you can zip tie it, if want to bypass it: http://boxsters.addr.com/hacks/clutch_switch.htm

 

just changed the batteries and put a battery that is working well on a cherokee, 6 months old.. not starting yet ;(
any advice?

 

so no clutch for me...

 

Sorry, if that's the case, then it could be a whole host of other things... bad ignition switch, bad alarm immobilizer, starter, fuel pump? You might need to get the car to an independent shop or dealership.

 

too bad.. was planning on cleaning it and taking my girl out on valentine's ;(
i want to check the connections of the starter before calling the towing guy... where is the exact location of the starter cause i jacked the rear of the car and i don t see it , so i m suspecting somewhere in the front sorry for the ignorance !!! and google isn t of much help...

 

Some other easy things to check would be to check the fuses. I doubt your starter is the cause because they don’t typically just go out, they tend to get worse and worse, or have an electrical melt down but you never know. Another thing to try is putting the car in neutral rather then park, to see if that makes a difference when starting. Could be the neutral safety switch. There is also a Tsb for Boxster ignition switches. BTW I would doubt a jeep battery is the same CCA as the Porsche battery. Most batteries are not interchangeable. It sounds like you may be better off getting it towed to the dealer. Maybe the Porsche gods are mad you got an auto?

The starter is up top, you would have to take off the access panel under the convertible top. There isn’t much to look at. You can get a stuck starter to turn over by hitting it with a hammer, no joke! Not a blast but just some hard taps.

 

i had the car towed to the dealer after the long day ...
i ll keep you posted about what the real problem is ..
happy valentine to all.. taking my girl in the cherokee after all

 

I had the same problem it was the alternator....I took it to Autohaus and they diagnosed it ... Hope this works

 

hope it's something minor.

 

I had the same problem with my 99. Everything works like lights, radio and dash. When I turn the key, no sound at all from the engine or nothing turning over. I had to get it towed to the dealership and they found a problem with my remote keyless entry chip. They said its a bad chip pill in the remote so the car security cant recognize the key therefore thinks its not authentic key trying to start the car. It cost me $500plus to get a new key and to pogram the car computer to the new key. I only had one key so I had no choice.

Hope this helps