986 S problem at idle, engine won't rev and shakes, battery disconnected

[Ghostrider 310]

The initial post was not too clear to me. In Meir's post he states the problem only occurred only after cluster removal, before removal car was 100%. If that indeed is the case, I agree with Meir the cluster job needs step by step diagnostics and re check. One thing though Meir, if a connection was bad or otherwise compromised it could potentially damage a component like the MAF or cause it to read incorrectly although that would be exceptionally rare.

[Gorthaur]

2000 Boxster S weird idling - YouTube

Here's a video of the car at idle... as you can see, if I floor the throttle pedal, it revs just up to 2k.

[Heiko]

I say it still could be anything... E-Gas system/MAF... potential key/ignition issue...
I think we're all assuming he changed the bulb and put everything back the way it was....
If something on the fly-by-wire wiring was jerked loose behind the dash that could also do
it... but without troubleshooting hands on, I think the chances are slim to pinpoint.
Hey Gorthour, put some floats on the bottom and drive it accross the pond and drop by with the car I'm sure we could get it running.

[Ghostrider 310]

Originally Posted by Heiko

I say it still could be anything... E-Gas system/MAF... potential key/ignition issue...
I think we're all assuming he changed the bulb and put everything back the way it was....
If something on the fly-by-wire wiring was jerked loose behind the dash that could also do
it... but without troubleshooting hands on, I think the chances are slim to pinpoint.
Hey Gorthour, put some floats on the bottom and drive it accross the pond and drop by with the car I'm sure we could get it running.

Every now and then, walking by my dad on the line with a customer, " I can't fix it over the phone, the tools won't reach, you'll have to bring it in so I can look at it"

[Meir]

any update on your situation?

[Gorthaur]

Originally Posted by Meir

any update on your situation?

Hi Meir and thanks for asking.

Unfortunately, I've not checked the cluster yet, I'm going to work on it on sunday.

I'll surely let you all know.

I know it would sound like a weird coincidence, but what about bad fuel? A few days before the cluster job I put 30 liters in...

[Meir]

Originally Posted by Gorthaur

Hi Meir and thanks for asking.

Unfortunately, I've not checked the cluster yet, I'm going to work on it on sunday.

I'll surely let you all know.

I know it would sound like a weird coincidence, but what about bad fuel? A few days before the cluster job I put 30 liters in...

WOW!
that changes the whole picture.
based on your sound clip, it could defiantly be the cause.
start with checking the cluster (easiest step).
if you still have a problem replace the fuel, and fuel filter.
this way or the other, i hope its one of the two. (because it a cheap fix ).
good luck my friend.

[Gorthaur]

Originally Posted by Meir

WOW!
that changes the whole picture.
based on your sound clip, it could defiantly be the cause.
start with checking the cluster (easiest step).
if you still have a problem replace the fuel, and fuel filter.
this way or the other, i hope its one of the two. (because it a cheap fix ).
good luck my friend.

Dear Meir, when someone on a board asks for news and he's not the one who started the thread, it means the board has really fulfilled its purpose. I really look forward to be solving this issue and reporting back to you as soon as possible! By the way, how many liters do you suggest to put in?

[Meir]

Originally Posted by Gorthaur

Dear Meir, when someone on a board asks for news and he's not the one who started the thread, it means the board has really fulfilled its purpose. I really look forward to be solving this issue and reporting back to you as soon as possible! By the way, how many liters do you suggest to put in?

if to be honest, i never had to deal with something like that.
my common sense say, its not about how much you will put back in, but how much you will be able to take out.
assuming bad fuel is the issue, you would like to take out as much as you can.
hope this tread to help you out:
http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/37968-drain-gas-tank.html
i think 10 liters will be enough to get you started.
keep the "old" fuel until you are sure it is bad. especially with the gas prices in Europe

as for the forum.
you will find a lot of great guys here willing to help. in the year and a half i learned so much from this forum, then i could learn anywhere ells. mostly about cars, but not only (anyone mentioned JD ? )
like others, i believe helping another member, is basically helping myself.
could be in the future, i will encounter the same problems my self, and your experiences can save me a lot of time and money.
you cannot imagine how much money, time, and most important -aggravation, i saved myself just buy learning from others mistakes and experiences.

[Gorthaur]

Thinking again about your statement:

Originally Posted by Meir

WOW!
that changes the whole picture.
based on your sound clip, it could defiantly be the cause.

there's one missing point... how the hell she ran fine after the mechanic did "something fine" to her? Remember I drove it for 30 minutes and everything was perfectly ok. Then on the very next restart, the problems got back again... If it were for dirty fuel or water in it, it should not have ran fine, not once. Am I wrong?

The only thing I can think of - dealing with the bad fuel explanation - is that while the car is sitting what's wrong in the fuel tank definetely goes deeper, but fuel should ALWAYS come from the deepest point of the tank...

still a mistery to me... hope to shed some light on the matter.

[Meir]

Originally Posted by Gorthaur

Thinking again about your statement:



there's one missing point... how the hell she ran fine after the mechanic did "something fine" to her? Remember I drove it for 30 minutes and everything was perfectly ok. Then on the very next restart, the problems got back again... If it were for dirty fuel or water in it, it should not have ran fine, not once. Am I wrong?

The only thing I can think of - dealing with the bad fuel explanation - is that while the car is sitting what's wrong in the fuel tank definetely goes deeper, but fuel should ALWAYS come from the deepest point of the tank...

still a mistery to me... hope to shed some light on the matter.

now i'm really confused.
based on your first post i was sure you did the job yourself, and problem started right after that (at first startup after job was done).
some quotes from your first post:

1."Recently I had my cluster bulbs replaced thanks to the good DIY guides found over here"
2."I previously disconnected the negative cable of the battery while leaving the ignition key on position 2 as read on the board in order to avoid the siren to scream (is this correct, BTW?)."
3."Two days later I picked the car up but the engine was really strange at idle. No fault lights on the cluster but no power at all, it hardly reached 1600 – 1900 RPM with the aircon switched off even if I floored the pedal."

my English is not perfect as well so, i could be missing something?
beside that, your theory is right. if contaminated fuel was added to the tank, you will see the symptoms right away. especially if the tank was close to empty prior to refueling.

[tony_fury]

Not certain if it's the fuel or not, without back tracking to the dash, I would not start with other probable causes.

Water is heavier than fuel and will drop to the bottom of a tank.

This whole symptom started with a simple bulb replacement, which required removing the dash.
There were three connectors that have to be seated and locked into place.
There was another member that did the stalk mod and had a loose dash connector causing weird problems.

I would go back to square one and verify the connectors on the dash are not cocked or loose.
Then see if the problem persist after that.
Then maybe suspect bad fuel or other problems.

Gorthaur:
Until you can positively eliminate the dash connectors as a cause or not, there are too many unknown variables.
It's hard to analyze without elimination.

I see you will get to that on Sunday, let us know your findings.

Thanks
T

[Heiko]

Gorthaur.... Any update on this... just curious to know how you made out with this issue.
Heiko

[Gorthaur]

Originally Posted by Heiko

Gorthaur.... Any update on this... just curious to know how you made out with this issue.
Heiko

Hi guys, bad news.

Cluster job done again, all the wires are fine, same for the earthed cables, nothing wrong inside.

Battery reconnected, engine started and... 1500 rpm, not more. It really feels she's in some sort of recovery mode, there is clearly something preventing the engine from revving. In the next hours I think I will refill the tank with some fuel, I'm running out of it and I can't empty it by myself.

I'm really, really pissed off.

[Heiko]

Though it doesnt happen often, BUT you might want to check the TB to make sure the butterfly actually opens all the way when the pedal is pushed down... you just need to pull the intake pipe off and get someone to push the pedal down while the ignition is on...
I could see bad gas causing power issues, but not rev limiting issues... but hey stranger things have happened so i try not to rule out anything anymore.
Best of luck and keep us posted
H

[Ghostrider 310]

Don't work on it angry, nothing good comes from that. Instead step back and breathe, now you know the connections are solid, good one item crossed off. I'd move onto the MAF and make sure you have enough fuel in it to run it, I never let mine go too low.

[Heiko]

LMAO - It really sucks when you get so pissed off that you put a wrench through some body panel that says 'hit me' ... i've come close a few times....

[tommy986]

Sounds a LOT like this problem:

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/28635-reduced-engine-power-limted-11mph-2.html

You need to invest in a code reader/clearer

[txd0mask]

Hey,

I had a similiar problem - came back from vacation, car battery died. Did a jump start - after car would randomly shake while revs would go up and down and suddenly it would die. Went on for a couple of weeks - i tried everything, disconnecting the battery etc... this is what I did.

1. Changed Battery (Battery was low and after change, car still sputtered and died)
2. Fuel Pump (Fuel pump was running lean --> after car still sputtered and died)
3. Changed Mass Air Flow Sensor - now car drives like a dream.

It probably is the mass air flow sensor. Buy a bosch one or buy a cheap on ebay - whatever, it's probably the problem.

Had a similiar problem with another car years ago --> MAF's are evil.

[Gorthaur]

Hi guys.

Two hours ago I went to pick the car up in order to put some juice in the tank.

I started it and the problem was still there. I managed to drive it to the petrol station but on my way I decided to go through some gears and found that in first gear I could do 20 kph, 30 in second, 40 in third and so on. So I decided to upshift and downshift a few times and something better seemed to happen but then... I reached the station.

I put 20 liters in the tank, then did the 1-minute procedure with the key, started the car and...

...BANG! White smoke and oil all over the place!!!

Just kidding!!! I started it and she was perfectly fine! I drove it for half an hour, then came back home. Turned it off, waited for a few minutes and then started it again. Everything ok.

Tomorrow I'm going to check her again but for the moment I'm very, very pleased!

What do you reckon? Fuel level too low? Bad fuel? Who knows... But, as far as the problem doesn't appear again... who cares!!!

I'll keep you updated, thanks again for your help!