OK, I need to pull my finger out here.
The poor thing has been sitting here for nearly a year now and this is getting somewhat unhealthy! IMS don't like that. And to make matters worse, I am going to move home some time in the next four weeks.
I would dearly love some information on my next move as I believe that there are plenty of (expensive) traps for the unwary punter. I will create some specific posts for each topic, but wanted to update here first - partly to help me collect my thoughts as life is very hectic and rather stressful at the moment.
So, to summarise...and update with recent information.
- Car is a MY02 986 Boxster S which has had a 2000 - 2002 2.7L put in place of the original 3.2L.
- The car came with two DME's, one marked 'original', and the other marked as 'New, imported from USA'. They each have the same part numbers, and both behave identically.
- It came to me not cranking, and I replaced the Ignition switch.
- The car was then cranking but not quite starting so I threw a set of plugs at it and refreshed the fuel.
- Still not starting, though it clearly fires on one or two cylinders it seems. It is blowing black smoke after cranking for a while so I know that I'm getting fuel and spark.
- I buy a Durametric unit and pull consistent Crank Angle Sensor codes so I replace that.
- Codes go away, but no change in behaviour when cranking.
- I purchase a workshop manual and the 101 Projects for your Boxster books.
- Disconnecting the MAF makes no difference.
- I've just very carefully refreshed the fuel again, and checked fuel pressures a couple of weeks ago and they check out 100% ok. I can even see the injectors firing as it cranks - the needle twitches as you'd expect it to at cranking speeds.
- Interestingly, disconnecting the fuel pump relay means that the fuel pressure gradually drops to zero - but at no time does the car start and run. Perhaps the plugs are already fouled by this stage so even if it does momentarily have a correct air/fuel mixture, it won't fire. Instead, it eventually settles into an even crank, as you would expect.
- Disconnecting the fuel pump relay and using an outside fuel source (e.g. aerostart) gives the same symptoms of occasionally firing, buit nowhere near starting.
So, I have one last check to perform before I'm planning to purchase a 2.7L DME/immobilizer/Ignition set for the car. This is to check that the camshaft timing is correct - a relatively simple task although I'd like to have the replacement plugs on hand first.
I've gotten very used to the idea of being a Boxster owner, it would be very nice to almost be a Boxster driver!
Al.