Hi everyone,
I own a
2011 Porsche Boxster (987.2)
. Today, while opening the convertible top, I noticed some unusual noises. Along with the general strange sound, there is a distinct
"knocking" or "clunking" noise
coming from the area of the roof motor/transmission.
I’m trying to understand the source of the noise. Has anyone encountered this specific issue before?
I have a few questions:
Is this something that can be fixed as a
DIY project
, or is it a complex job?
Does this sound like a failed
transmission gear
or perhaps a broken
plastic ball joint
on the pushrods?
If anyone has
YouTube videos
or guides showing how to diagnose or repair this, I would greatly appreciate it.
I'm trying to decide whether to take it to a professional shop or if it's a simple enough fix to do myself.
Thanks in advance for the help!
*Sorry, I couldn't find where to upload a video so I attached a link.
https://files.fm/f/tu3eeynvry
As initial diagnosis, if the top is operating I would doubt it is a broken plastic ball joint as one or both would probably not allow the top to function, opening and closing. A broken ball joint on one side would cause the top to open unevenly, sagging to one side or the other during operation. The ’clunking’ you are hearing sounds like a few missing, broken or ground down teeth on the transmission gear in the drive. At some point, it will most likely get worse, leading to eventual failure and the inability to open or close. If it happens mid-opening or closing you will need to pop the ball joints off the arms and manually finish the opening/closing. Mine went bad on my ‘08 and I considered DIY’ing it but it is a fairly difficult job, with limited access to all the mechanisms. And even once those parts are replaced, the syncing of the two sides can be a task. Getting both sides to operate evenly, and the proper setting for the clamshell to close perfectly with no gaps can be frustrating. I went to my indie to avoid the headaches. But it can be done if you have lots of patience, maybe a helper, and avail yourself of some of the tutorial videos on YouTube. Good luck.
If I understand you correctly, we’re talking about the transmissions. As I understand it, there are two of them—one on each side—and they can cost around £1,000 each. I looked on YouTube and saw that inside each transmission there are several gears. I think I can handle this and do it myself, but my question is: how do I know whether to buy just the gears (I saw there are metal/brass ones which are more durable) or the plastic ones? Or should I just buy the complete unit? Is there a video that shows in more detail what to expect if I decide to go for it on my own? Thanks a lot for the help!
The transmissions have a plastic gear that is cracked. They are not very hard to replace but time consuming.
There are some nuts that you need to remove that you will not see and have to remove and install by feel. The left side transmission has a limit switch with an electrical connecter that is hard to remove and install. remove it and install it before you install the transmission. The top usually lines up easily you may have to play with the clamshell. I adjust the right cable to align with the left due to the limit switch. Once the transmission is out the gears are very easy to replace. Replace both gears at the same time. I got the plastic gears from
Pelican Parts
they have a lifetime warranty on the parts. The biggest problem I had was getting the 17 or 19mm. bolt that hold the arm to the transmission. It was very tight and I couldn't loosen it. I also had to R&R the left side because I couldn't get the electrical connector on after I installed it.
Bernie
And when it comes to choosing between metal or plastic replacement gears, it is strongly advised to not use the metal gears. The initial thought is that they will not wear, crack or break as easily as plastic, but they are made of plastic to be sacrificial. The transmissions are geared to produce a lot of torque and using metal ones that do not break under stress will bend the scissoring arms of the top mechanism, causing far more damage, probably needing complete replacement. $$$
Yes, I read about it a bit, I'm not going in the metal direction exactly because of what you said, I'm really afraid it's not easy to replace the sprockets. I saw a video on YouTube, it took him an hour+ to replace, he took it apart a few times I couldn't figure out why, maybe directions or something like that but it was exhausting
Reminds me of the water pump impeller Schrodinger’s cat of metal versus polymer. I always go with whatever the
Porsche
engineers used, sometimes those parts are upgraded by
Porsche
anyway.
OK guys, I did some research, refurbishing a unit like this on one side, if I live in {expensive country😖} it could come as a new mechanism, I was thinking of going to a disassembly shop, I have family in the UK, where are there disassembly shops with the option of shipping within the UK
I usually buy parts on design911, do you have any other sites that you buy from?
Thanks
