Rui725

I was hoping perhaps getting it down to a fixed position and leaving it as such. only one position is controlled by the electronics anyways. I'll update this when I figure something out.

sweetness. Gonna that seat out over the weekend. But man, of all problems who would've thought the seat adjustment would make a porsche undrivable.

Hi all,

Got myself quite a doozie here, and its related to the driver side seat. Only the back recliner portion is electronic, everything else is manual adjustment and the back recliner handle just broke off and the back position is way too high rendering it unsafe to drive. Now, there was a pre-existing problem before the handle broke off and the recliner would not go "down" and will only go "up". The switch was still intact though. the fact that it still goes up means the motor is still ok. Is there a way I can manually get my seat to recline back down so its drivable again? The whole handle is still intact but the bottom portion of the switch is still intact and its just swinging lose with a evident nudge for where the top portion of the switch used to be. The seat itself is fine, I really hope I don't need to get a new seat just because of this!

Have cleaned the throttle body and Idle Control Valve?

AND... even thought you have no CEL - you should have the fault codes read. Look for pending faults.

The pending faults pointed to the 02 sensors.

I should've asked to have the throttle body cleaned, if i knew how to say it in mandarin! will have to look at the faq for that sometime

Sorry, O2 sensors are after the fact - what are the pending fault codes?

hmm, the mechanic didn't tell me. I'll have to ask him again.

Have cleaned the throttle body and Idle Control Valve?

AND... even thought you have no CEL - you should have the fault codes read. Look for pending faults.

The pending faults pointed to the 02 sensors.

I should've asked to have the throttle body cleaned, if i knew how to say it in mandarin! will have to look at the faq for that sometime

ok, results

MAF fine, fuel pump fine.

a set of O2 sensors completely dead.

does this sensor play a part in the rough start ups and gasoline smell in exhaust on cold start?

I haven't seen any of this sort. MAF maybe, but not O2?

I was just on the phone with the mechanic and he menitoned that there are some pending fault codes but they were "too messy" to pinpoint a problem?

No CEL.

He's testing the MAF now, I'm thinking to just changing it. The car is over 10 years old and still using the same original MAF. Its going to be replaced sooner or later.

Any smoke at start-up?

Sometimes an RPM bounce can mean several different things, including the MAF. But it can also be a vacuum leak, a dirty throttle body, a bad AOS, or even a combo of all.

When my fuel-pump went, it didn't start. It would turn over, but it wouldn't start. As what I've gathered here on the board, the fuel filters are pretty hardy.

The cheapest route at the moment, would be to clean the MAF and the throttle body. If it clears up, but returns, replace the MAF.

I replaced my AOS b4 any symptoms such as lots and lots of smoke appeared. Cleaned the throttle body and the MAF at the same time as well. Had no error codes to speak of, but the RPM bounce went away.

You can DIY the MAF/Throttle Body/AOD yourself, but I would let the mech. do the Fuel Pump as it is located in the fuel tank.

According to some info I have, a fuel pump will fail earlier if the fuel tank is ran too many times at a low level.

No, there is no smoke on start up. But the exhaust smells of gasoline on start up and goes away after it warms up. Could possibly be the fuel pump, but what is the definition of "ran too many times at low level"? Below half? 1/4? To be honest I usually don't add my tank to full when i'm at the station.

Hi all,

My 1998 986 has been experiencing start up problems when the engine is cold. To be exact, the car has to be left over night without being driven. Symptoms:

1. rough engine start

2. Lights on the dashboard blinks (like a shortage of power)

3. no power when I hit the gas (moving it out of the garage).

4. If left undriven for 2 or more days, the RPM will bounce up and down and feel the car lose power when trying to warm up. and then it'll shut down completely.

5. These symptoms usually go away after I restart the car 2-3 times.

6. Once the car is warmed up and driven, it drives perfectly. any subsequent restarts after the engine has warmed is perfect.

7. No check engine lights have popped up.

The car is in the shop at the moment. The mechanic guessed it was either 1. fuel injection pump or 2. MAF. 3. Fuel filter?

Any postulates? I'm guessing the MAF as a CEL was on for it 2 months ago, but I decided to let it go to see if the light would pop up again. The car also has a history of O2 sensor CEL's. I know I'm not provding any error codes, but from these symptoms i'm hoping I can find out what is possibly wrong.

-Rui

If the water pump failed, there would have definitively been dashboard full of lights and didn't have that.

I just called the shop and the diagnosis:

i don't know how to say the name of the part in english but I can explain the function.

there's a part that controls the flow of cold water into the engine vicinity ( i think thats how it translates to) that bursted. anyone know what this part is called?

You said a quick fix and over charged. Out of curiousity, what we're you charged for the heater valve?

around 90USD. The whole fix with service plus coolant came out to be 230USD

cars stored during the winter then taken out to drive,and driven slightly hard = death.

its like freezing a glass cup. then instantly dumping hot water into it.

I think from this experience, I also have a new appreciation for convertible tops.

Imagine, with AC randomly blowing hot air mixing with the lingering rancid smell of fresh vomit with no open top.....

great words! and yes, tomorrow will be a better day =).

one thing i didn't add that is important:

On my ride back on the flatbed, i saw a totaled Boxster S on the highway. We pulled over and called another tow truck for it. Despite these small problems, I don't think anything is as catastrophic as a car wreck. I hope the driver finds peace with himself. Thinking of that I can see the glass as half full.

to keep this short, this will be in listed, in order of events.

1. shortly after replacing heat control valve, my CEL comes up, but i have a feeling its the o2 sensors again.

2. i meet up with my old college friend for one drink. I drove him home but he didn't tell me he was freaking plastered. Nothing, he didn't say a word. stopped at a light and he threw up in my car. and it was a big dinner.

3. bring car in to 24 hour car wash for major interior cleaning. they wanted 100 dollars from me, trying to rip me off, but i had no choice. if i didn't get this out now, the smell will be there longer. ok so i get them to clean it. they clean and freaking smoke around my car to make things worse.

4. they spray dis infectant on my A/C controller module on the dashboard, didnt' think too much of it, but ...

5. when i'm about to leave my climate control module goes haywire. sporadic, out of control. NON OF THE buttons work. its 88 degrees tonight and the A/C module will randomly blow warm air like its the dead of winter.

only thing that worked out today was that my convertible top. or else i would have seriously burned my car down to the ground.

end of story, and time for bed. will contemplate if i'll be going to work tomorow.

i don't even care about the vomitting that much, he was my friend. what can i say, you know. but fack, my A/C control module. Why Why Why Why Why.

-Rui725asfas;fjjkl;sjkl; asdjklf ajkl;sf

ended up being the Heater Control Valve that broke.

quick fix but i think i got overcharged...sigh..

If the water pump failed, there would have definitively been dashboard full of lights and didn't have that.

I just called the shop and the diagnosis:

i don't know how to say the name of the part in english but I can explain the function.

there's a part that controls the flow of cold water into the engine vicinity ( i think thats how it translates to) that bursted. anyone know what this part is called?

Any guesses on what the problem may be?

I'm guessing a radiator hose, as another renntech member posted a topic on a situation very similar to mine here:

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...=coolant+feeder

Hey guys,

Just got back from a long night. Was a normal porsche night run up and down the mountain roads until i lost a lot of water and my engine overheated. White steam , water pouring out from the bottom. No check engine light or other lights what so ever. My friend said one of the tubes to the radiator must have bursted. I am hoping that this the case as well. Car starts up normally and everything. Then on the flatbed, on the way to the garage, there was a freshly totaled boxster on the side of the highway. My friend in the cayman pulled over as did my brother in his carrera to check if the driver needed any assistance. Flatbed truck called in another flatbed for the totaled car.

Bizarre night, but after seeing that totaled silver boxster on the highway, I thought to myself, this dude has it whole lot worse, though i believe he must have been DUI.

will update on the exact problem when i hear from the garage tommorow. as for now, its time for bed.

-Rui725

Hi guys,

I'm back with the error codes

16 - Sensor aging behind Cat. Conv., Cy (1-3)

17 - same as above

95 - Shut off valve activated.

Mechanic cleared the fault codes for me and said to drive it more to see if it pops up again, if it does, will need to get new O2 sensors. Now note, i was conversing in mandarin with these guys, so the o2 sensor is a direct translation. For the above fault codes, what am i looking at here?

Relieved,

Rui

Edit* Just searched the forum, seems like a common fault with the sensor aging. The next time it pops up going to change it, or do you guys suggest just changing it now? Will I experience a decrease in driving performance or will it be bad for my engine?

Hey guys,

Unlucky night, dropped a girl off at her home, then when on the way back my check engine light came up.

Idles fine ( slight hovering between 700 and 800, but wasn't sure if this was normal) , engine sounds smooth, revved up real high

on the highway drive home, smooth as butter. My 1998 2.5 always had a small hesitation on 2nd gear around 2-3 rpm when i floor it from stopped position , very audible. 2 nights ago i ran the car hard for around 2 hours on mountain pass roads with a friend, engine temp was normal, took a rest on in the mid section for around 30 mintues, started the car and there was a audible clicking sound that was more audible by the drivers side. After revving it up a bit, the sound just disappeared. Ran it hard downhill to see if there any serious problems with the car, the car performed great. (note, at this time the check engine was not on yet). Drove the car whole day next day and the sound never reappeared again on start-ups, and i must have started the car more than 5 times that day. Going to get it checked out Monday. Engine oil normal, temp normal, idle fairly normal as far as i can recall, car runs great, engine idle sounding normal. Any preliminary guesses before I get the codes?

Thanks Guys

Rui

I believe your mass air flow sensor is shot. (i maybe wrong, still a boxster newbie :o )

search for mass air flow and you should get a lot of topics on this issue.

from what i've read there are two ways to go about this:

1. take out the sensor and clean it

2. replace it with a new one.

visit

http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/mikespor...boxsterwebpages

this page has a lot DIY instruction.

Out of curiosity, how often did you change your engine oil? Such frequent driving plus stop and go traffic, i would say a change is needed every 3-5k miles, or every 6 months. Dealers say anywhere from 10k-15k miles before an engine oil service, which is preposterous..

with this leak being so small and not a daily occurrence, say its the spark plug or the cam tower seal, is it possible to leave it alone until the next oil change? I change my oil every 5000km.

IMO if the leak is small, you don't run any risk at all if you wait until the nex oil change. At most, you may be annoyed by the occasional smell of oil as it drops onto some part of the exhaust, but that's about it.

At the next oil change, you may want to investigate whether you can use a slightly heavier weight, but still Porsche-approved oil. Some members have stopped small leaks at the RMS using that tactic. If you have vario-ram, you have to know what the max weight oil is that you can use.

Regards, Maurice.

When you say vario-ram, are you referring to VarioCam? m96 engines have varioCam to my knownledge, i'm not sure what vario-ram. I currently use 5w-50, but i see a lot of Porsche owners go with 5w40. The main reason i use 50 is because i live in sub-tropical climate, so having a more viscous oil is better for warmer temperatures. ( i think) any higher then its 60, not sure if 60 is recommended by porsche

with this leak being so small and not a daily occurrence, say its the spark plug or the cam tower seal, is it possible to leave it alone until the next oil change? I change my oil every 5000km.

Have you had a look at your power steering reservoir and its hoses? That's in the vicinity of the location a little forward of and above what you are describing.

Regards, Maurice.

No i have not looked at the power steering reservoir as of yet. What color is the power steering fluid? I checked the residue and i'm pretty sure its engine oil.

I don't feel a real loss in steering power or rather, there aren't any changes in how the car drives.