infocusf8

It is rare for CATS to go bad unless your car ran so rich that it dumped raw fuel into them over a period of time. I'm not sure about your reprogramming advice reg. the MAF because my understanding is just the opposite of what you got. Reprogramming has to be done on 2000 cars and up because they went to an electronic fuel delivery system and that is why the MAF designation changed. 97-99 year cars still used a fly-by-wire system throttle and don't need to be reprogrammed as long as the original part number MAF is installed. Emission control codes are a ***** to track down and typically aren't found until a smoke test and vacuum leak test is done on the motor and exhaust systems. I had similar codes to yours and it took two smoke tests and a vacuum leak test to determine it was the Air/Oil separator bellows and a broken vacuum line from a valve in the secondary air system. It basically took almost $400 to find and replace about $20 in parts but I did resist several recommendations to replace cats and O2 sensors, at a cost of around $3K, until all other tests were exhausted. The problem with a lot of dealers (and unfortunately many independent mechanics I'm finding) is they are trained to replace systems instead of faulty parts as a system replacement means more profit and it is easier to diagnose a problem and fix it if everything is replaced. Find a good independent mechanic who will diagnose a system to find specific problems and replace or repair them. In the long run it will save you money, headaches and downtime.

I have a '99 Boxster that has 82K miles and I'm the third owner. When I bought the car, from a dealer, it had a 3/4 tank of gas or so I thought. When I filled up the gas gauge only registered just above the 2/3 mark. The dealer wouldn't do anything about it as it was purchased with no warranty, so I took it to a well known independent Porsche shop near where I live and was told it was the sending unit so I had it replaced and the needle still didn't go to full even after I pumped gas into the tank after the nozzle shut off. The shop told me to bring the car back and they would empty the tank and put back in a required number of gallons with a PS2 hooked up to recalibrate the system. After doing this and $440 later the gauge still doesn't read full after filling. The shop told me it is the gauge and I will need to have my instrument cluster removed and sent off for calibration. I took the car to another independent shop for a second opinion and the mechanic found that the hoses from the sending unit had not been tie wrapped in accordance with the sending unit installation instructions and the alignment marks were not set correctly when the sending unit was installed so I paid to have that done. Upon filling up the gauge now is back to the original 3/4 mark and at one point stuck at that position for almost 200 miles before it finally went down to below the halfway mark where it should be. I have yet to refill the tank to see where it lines up but I'm wondering if anyone else has this problem and what you did to fix it. The problem is not the carbon recovery as that was checked by the second shop and tested ok.

I just had the LN Engineering ceramic IMS bearing installed in my '99 Boxster with 80K miles. Here is a link to photos I took of the procedure which was done at Flintworks in Campbell, CA. http://www.flickr.com/photos/43775010@N08/sets/72157623430952061/ The OEM IS bearing was made in Japan and my car was assembled in Finland. Although the OEM bearing looked fine when the center bolt was tapped through some really foul, burned smelling oil came out of it and it did not rotate as freely as the LN bearing, I was surprised the OEM bearing was made in Japan as the Germans are known for making superb bearings. I also did a video of the procedure and it is on FaceBook, I'll put a link up for it if anyone is interested.

After going around and around with emission codes that all pointed to my O2 sensors it was not the O2 sensors. I had an intake air leak in the rubber bellows from the oil/air separator (an $18 part) and a leak in the vacuum tank on the secondary air system (about $40) both are common wear items because they are cheap and exposed to a lot of heat and stress. The leaks were found by doing a smoke test so you might think about having one done.

Porsche shops make a ton of money from replacing O2 sensors that are not bad because the most common fault code that comes up points to the O2 sensors. Some shops even recommend that they be changed at certain service levels such as 60K miles and Bosch recommends changing them at 100K mi. There is not much to them and the test to see if they are functioning is a voltage resistance test that can be done by any muffler shop much more cheaply than a Porsche dealer or certified shop. As was suggested in another post think of them as the nose of your cars exhaust system in that they sniff the pre cat and post cat mixture and report back to the ECM what they smell. If what they smell isn't up to emission standards a fault code is reported and store for a few cycles then the CEL come on if the fault is not cleared up by repair. The problem though is rarely with the O2 sensors as it generally occurs further down the tree and that is why there are set procedures starting at the top of the tree and working down. I had fault codes that indicated the O2 sensors but the problem turned out to be a pinhole intake leak in the air/oil separator bellows. Find a good mechanic that you feel you can trust and let them run the proper diagnostics on your emission system to determine the problem.

Here is a link that should answer all of your questions. http://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/checkenginelightcausedbymassairflowsensor

I've had the P Zero Rossos on my car since I bought it and have had no problems with them at speeds up to 130 mph on the track. The only problem I had was suspension related causing a shimmy at 70 mph and they needed a balance and a new alignment for my driving style. They are wearing evenly across and the only complaint I have is they are rough riding sons a guns but that is to be expected with that low a profile tire. It does seem odd that they keep replacing your though but I wish I could get a free replacement on mine as it is almost time for replacements.

A few weeks ago I got a CEL on my '99 Boxster with 80K mi. and the following fault codes read out on the OBDII reader-P1124, P1126, P0130 and P0150. I took the car in and a smoke and liquid test was done to determine if any intake leaks were occurring and none were present. The MAF was removed and cleaned and I replaced the K&N filter with an OEM filter and the intake box was cleaned out. The codes were cleared and I drove for a few days and the CEL came back on again this time with the following codes-P1124, P1126, P0410 and P1411. The shop I use wants to do another smoke test and basically start at the front of the car and test all the way back. I'm starting to feel like this is another wild goose chase like the one I just went through trying to fix the gas gauge needle that ended up with me spending almost $500, replacing parts that turned out to not be defective and the gauge still doesn't read full when I fill the tank. Does anyone have any experience with these codes and what was done to solve the problem. I'm not interested in gas gauge fixes as I'm done spending money on it. Your help with what was done to fix the specific fault code problem (s) will save me several hundred dollars in another series of tests that may or may not solve the problem.

I would be willing to bet that most MAF fouling from oiled filters is caused from the owners over oiling them after cleaning. I've used K&N before and found that less is more when it comes to the right amount of oil on them.

Mark you might find it less expensive to have baffles removed from your stock exhaust if a deeper sound is all your looking for and that would accomplish it and not cause you any smog check problems down the road. You might also remove the snorkel on the intake side (about a 10 minute job) and see if the intake sound is more to your liking. I don't know that headers are going to give you a better sound and the HP gains from headers over stock exhaust are also negligible. As archaic and cheap as the stock headers look functionally they accomplish what they are supposed to do very well. The main thing actually gained by an aftermarket exhaust system is weight loss which will increase performance but when you consider the gain versus expense most times it is not worth it unless you've just got money to burn.

There is a lot of discussion regarding the stock filter being replaced by aftermarket filters primarily the reusable oil type filters. I was trying to find a link that I read about filters for you but couldn't. The gist of the article concerned testing done on filters to see what happens when you use a filter that allows more air through giving you a little bit deeper sound versus the OEM paper filter. The sacrifice that is made for the little bit deeper sound with the reusable filters is more particulates get into your combustion system that can shorten engine life. I switched to a K&N for about 7K miles and after I saw the amount of stuff in the air box that had gotten through the filter and read the MAF problems encountered I went back to an OEM filter. After reading about all the issues that third party accessories can cause on Boxsters I've come to the conclusion that the German engineers that designed the car knew what they were doing.

As you drive your Boxster it is continually running tests on the emission system to determine if the car is meeting emission standards. As each test module (you will find a list of them in the Bentley book) reports back to the ECM (located in the rear trunk behind the carpet on the left side) if anything is either not reporting properly, is on the verge of failure or has failed a fault code is stored for that particular module. After so many run cycles if those fault codes continue the CEL comes on. Most CEL issues are emission control issues and all three of yours are. Chasing them down and fixing them can be both time consuming and expensive unless you can do some of it, or all of it yourself. I'm having similar issues with my '99 in that I have fault codes P1126 & 1130, P0130 & 0150 that have caused my CEL to come on. Because one affects the other just randomly replacing parts might not necessarily fix the problem and costs $$$ that may not have needed to be spent. Start at the front of the car and work back, check your battery terminal connections (yes a loose battery connection can cause intermittent shorts), check your ECM to see if there are any loose connections or that rodents haven't gnawed on wires causing them to short (you said the car had been stored so this could occur). P0446 is an EVAP valve malfunction so you might want to test it (or have it tested) to see if it is malfunctioning or just needs to be purged ( have you been topping off the tank when you fill it?). The next step would be to test the fuel pump voltage to see if it is operating correctly (P1124) then your O2 sensor to see if the electrical connection is solid (hasn't been gnawed on) and is operating properly. Testing is less expensive than parts and will help you isolate the issue that is the real cause of the chain of events that is happening right now that is causing your car to run either too rich (any smoke regularly coming out of the tail pipe?) or too lean. Good luck Boxster codes are a good and bad thing as they can pre warn you of a costly failure but can drive you crazy trying to isolate the main cause of the faults.

Interesting that out of three "Porsche Specialist" mechanics that I've talked to none of them has mentioned the ECM. They all want me to spend $150 on a diagnosis or replace the MAF or the O2 sensors. I will check the ECM tomorrow to see if there are any connections that are loose. I just paid a "Porsche Specialist" $250 to reconnect a wire to the immobilizer unit under the seat that had come unconnected and completely immobilized the car. Thanks for the tip and yes of course I meant "0" and not "O." How would the sensors get covered with oil? Occasionally I get the puff of smoke at startup from oil that accumulates from sitting, is that what you are referring to?

Hi Mike, it's a '99 Boxster and I erred on the codes they are PO 130 & 150, P1126 & 1130.

I have a similar issue but with more codes. CEL on, car running about 10 deg. hotter. Codes 1126-1130-030-050 Codes cleared, MAF sensor cleaned and reinstalled, K&N filter removed and OEM filter installed, engine liquid and smoke tested for intake leaks non found, fuel filter changed 6K mi. ago, no rough idle, no loss of acceleration, no smoke, gas cap sealed. CEL back on around 250 miles later car still running fine but about 10 deg. hotter again.

I bought my '99 Boxster with 74K miles on it and use it as a DD and AX and track it. The last time I was in for service work a small amount of oil was on the bottom of the case. Although the car does not burn or leak oil, to the point of drops on the ground under it, I've decided to do an RMS replacement and install the LN IMS bearing while the Tiptronic tranny is out. I'm having it done at Flintworks in Campbell, CA on March 6th and will be taking photos and possibly a video of the procedure that will be posted on the Babblers web site. At this point I'd rather spend $1800 for the whole procedure then have to shell out $10-15K for a new motor. I realize there are other reasons for engine failure but the IMS bearing seems to be the most prevalent. Thinking that your motor is safe after a certain number of miles is not conclusive as the last person I know who's IMS failed had it happen at 120K miles as he was pulling into his garage.

+1 for Raggtop cleaner and sealant. Here's a link showing how the products are used and note there is no taping off of windows or paint as the product does not harm them. There is also a link to purchase the kit and it can be shipped to your address. http://www.autogeek.net/ravicotopca.html

I'll stick with mine, no problems at 120 mph at Infineon and it isn't an instant hit with every law enforcement on the road. To each their own.

Although a 3.6 would be sweet, be sure to look into the complexity and expense of installing it as compared to the relatively less complicated 3.4 install. Do a search here for threads on the topic as a starting point. Regards, Maurice. Hi Lyn, I've also seen them advertise on eBay and would call or email them asking for a list of what they claim to do when they rebuild, then would compare it to what the factory does. Your local Porsche dealer should be able to help you with that. Something off topic for health reasons I'm considering moving to a warmer dryer climate and have been considering Chandler AZ as a place to live. Have you been there and what do you think of it? Thanks, Ron

You could check it without removing it but I don't think very thoroughly as you can see by the photo I've posted showing Pedro's Techno Mount installed on my '99. I've also included a pick of the OEM mount that had 77K mi. on it and as you can see it is cracked all the way through and worn out. My Box has a Tiptronic trans and to be honest with you I did not notice any difference in how the car drove after I installed the new mount except I opted for the Pedro's Enthusiast Mount which is beefier, larger designed for the occasional tracker and AXer. The mount transmits a significant amount of vibration into the cab which I knew about and accepted as a compromise to equip the car for the stresses put on it for track use.

No way they can issue you a speeding ticket for having your spoiler up just because it automatically deploys at 75mph, as there are many other reasons it would be up. The police would have to nab you using any of the usual methods. The spoiler being up is not a valid reason. If they see your spoiler up it will attract them to use one of the accepted methods. It is a CHP attention getting device. I got a ticket once by a CHP who hated motorcycles. He used no accepted method to determine my speed and admitted in court he estimated my speed. The citation was upheld by the judge. I was riding a Harley Sportster and in a line of traffic that was all moving along at the same speed. My bike was singled out because it stood out and he considered motorcycles unsafe.

My '99 Box is 4 mph off, the 2002 Pontiac Grand Am I owned before it had no deviation at all. There is a fix for it but the time and expense of removing the instrument cluster, shipping it, waiting for a week or more for calibration and the cost of the calibration are not cost effective. I agree it is a shame that a high performance sports car like Porsche has a speed variation but it really only becomes an issue when the law is involved.

If the German engineers designed it and put it on this car it has a reason to be there. Unfortunately the CHP knows that you are going 75 mph or greater if they see it up on the highway and if you decide to raise it to be cool you could get pulled over and written up for 75 even if you aren't speeding. There are ways to dress it up though...

Unfortunately there is it is the sound of a cash register cha-chinging. :eek:

I don't know about IMS failure by that sound and the fact that the motor is still running. IMS failure usually relates to a catastrophic engine failure and it won't run at all. Sounds more like it sucked a valve and it's hitting on a piston. If you lost all the oil it could be any number of things perhaps even a rod bearing. The best advice I've heard here so far is to hope for the best but have some money in the bank cause it ain't gonna be cheap.