Car went caput.....
 

01' Boxster S,6-spd,62k on it nothing odd from the car recently

Driving on the freeway the car suddenly got slow and low on power....then the dash board lite up,lost more power,dash board turned off then back on...then it basically went dead and barely drove...I was able to pull off the freeway and get it towed to my shop.

It started up,idle fluctuated between 1500 and 500 rpm twice then just died. All electrical system are fine,radio works. No CEL came on either.

Any ideas?

I have been going through a similar issue with my 2001 S. Porsche could not find a fault code on my car but replaced all six 6 coils and plugs. Car drove again for awhile but continued with the same symptoms as yours. Took it to a mechanic who believes at looking at all the basics first and within an hour diagnosed fuel pressure loss. Then tested the fuel relay which was faulty. Replaced that and then found that the pump had power but was not working properly. Have now replaced the fuel relay, fuel filter, fuel pump and checked all the fuel lines. Car seems to be running much stronger than before but I am yet to take it for a good drive. Mechanic believes the poor fuel pressure was related to the death of my coils. Not sure if that is right or not.

It does sound like a fuel-related issue. What you're describing is what I experienced when my mechanic and I test drove my car after he half-ass replaced the fuel sending unit inside the gas tank. Evidently, one of the fuel hoses going into our out of it wasn't fully attached and clamped down and the fuel pressure was low.

Bogged down under acceleration badly. Once he opened it all back up again and clamped the hoses down right, it pulled strong.

It might be something as simple as a clogged fuel filter... but I would suspect that would be more of a slow degrading power issue than an all-at-once issue.

AOS went bad...in like a moment. It wasn't progressive,no smoke at start up.

Said looks like it crumbled inside....

$700 for diagnosis,R & R of the AOS and they are replacing the original oil filler tube...can't be happier. :D

What great news!

Even if it's expensive, it's good to know what's going on, eh?

At least its not a blown motor.

This is also really solid knowledge for the future for me should my car produce the same symptoms.

I've been thinking about replacing my AOS as a preventative measure since I've replaced every other freaking piece on the car since I've owned it except for this one.

OUUCH...$700. An OEM AOS kit is only about $100. An hour to install, say $150... :ah:

When the AOS goes you can experience secondary failure.. We've seen too many have cylinder failures shortly thereafter.. The cylinders go hydraulic with oil in some instances which can make them D chunk.

Have the shop pull the spark plugs and ensure that the cylinders aren't filled with oil..

Now I'm really serius about changing put my AOS as a maintenance item.

Meh $100 to diagnosis(I'm not mechanically inclined),$150 for parts....the labor for AOS isn't bad but that oil filler is a B if you don't have the right tools.


:cheers:

similar experience with my AOS failure. just started smoking like crazy...no warning. oil got into the cylinders before i could pull over and stopped the engine. ruined the O2 sensors and cost me $1,200 to get my 2001 base box running again. Six months later my engine gave way and left a trail of oil on the freeway. not sure if this was related to the AOS failure but i would suggest that you take care of your AOS before it leaves you stranded. just my 2 cents.