Severe Intermittant Engine Smoke - Code 1319

[GDietrich]

Hi All, (don't know if this topic has been covered)

PLEASE HELP! I have a 98 Boxster with standard tranny and I am experiencing the most bizzare intermittant problem I've ever seen. 1 of 2 things is happening:

When I start the car a little puff of smoke shoots out the exhaust or a huge bellow of smoke will appear and last 1-5 minutes. The smoke is white and when it first shoots out the exhaust it looks like a little blow by or a thick puffy white cloud.

I have had both a pressure and valve test and both passed with flying colors. I've also replaced the plugs and coil packs. The oil level is fine and the coolant level appears to be ok - SOMETHING WEIRD IS GOING ON!

What troubles me is that this is an intermittant problem. I've been told it could be anything from bad sensors to a cracked block - I can only assume that if it was a cracked block, the engine would smoke ALL the time - a 16K dollar fix! An OBDII was used and I finally did receive a code:

Code 1319: A misfire/emissions related code.

According to the OBDII and Porsche, a 1319 could be one of many things:
Plugs
Coils
Air Mass Meter
Ignition Control Module
Last but NOT least - the ECM

I have no taken the car to Porsche yet. I live in Huntsville, AL and a new dealership is being built and will finally be ready by Oct 28.

Any ideas? Help!!!!!

Thanks much!

G

[deliriousga]

I had the same exact problem. It was the oil separator for me. Don't drive it until you figure it out or you can cause permanent damage.

It's an easy repair that took about 1 1/2 hours from the top, no need to lift it. I bought the part from Sunset Porsche and it was here in a few days for 1/2 what my local dealer sells it for. All you need is a 10mm rachet, a flathead screwdriver and some pliers for the hose spring clamp. You should also get a stainless screw-down clamp to replace the spring clamp that comes with the new oil separator. There is a TSB that says the spring type clamps can leak over time.

From what I understand, the oil separator has a rubber diaphram in it that can develop a slit. That slit allows oil to get into the air intake. The oil collects after you turn the engine off and burns off at start up. It's intermittent at first and then suddenly you get a cloud that covers the whole car at every start up and you can see smoke coming from the tail pipe as it idles.

It's a relatively cheap (<$100) fix as a starter and one that has been shown to be the problem many times in the past. Let me know if you need any other help with replacing it.

[blinkwatt]

How often do you drive the car?

[GDietrich]

I haven't driven the car in over a month. I'm very cautious.