PLEASE HELP- new to the forum - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

batmanboxster · 05-04-2007, 01:17 PM

Hello all. I'm new to the forum.

I just had my "check engine" light come on and it is flashing!

Heres what happened. I drove it for about 2 mins then the engine started to "sputter" and there was a severe loss of power. I then parked the car and tried to restart it, but the engine would just sputter and refused to start.

The Porsche dealer obviously told me not to drive it to prevent further damage. Another Porsche dealer said it could be the MAF sensor.

My question is; can an MAF problem lead to a "flashing" check engine light??????
I seem to be getting mixed answers to this quesiton.

Thanks all.......

CJ_Boxster · 05-04-2007, 01:19 PM

As far as i know, a Bad MAF will never lead to a FLASHING cel. Only a solid CEL. Iknow this cause i've had 2 of them. Flashing is an indication that something VERY serious has gone wrong with your engine. Do not drive it and take it to a good porsche mechanic.

blinkwatt · 05-04-2007, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by batmanboxster

My question is; can an MAF problem lead to a "flashing" check engine light??????

I wouldn't think that a bad MAF could lead to flashing CEL. I removed mine and idled the car for several minutes to track down the problem to a CEL I was having and the car never sputtered or gave me a flashing CEL.

Pick up an OBDII reader,plug it in,get the codes,post back here,BUT first give us basic info,year,make & mileage.

batmanboxster · 05-04-2007, 01:26 PM

I have a 1999 Boxster. 105,000 km.
Engine temp is fine. Coolant is fine. Oil level is full......

Although, I did have a KnN filter put in at 100,000km. This is what led my mechanic to the MAF suspicion.
Im taking it to the mechanic on Monday.

Does anyone know what else it could be???

Thanks.

CJ_Boxster · 05-04-2007, 01:33 PM

what you could do is disconnect the MAF plug from the sensor and disconnect the battery for 20 seconds so the ecu clears the code... with the MAF unplugged, try starting the engine, if it still sputters and doesnt want to run, the culprit IS NOT the MAF. The engine can run without the MAF plugged in cause the DME or ECU has a preset fuel map to run from... Its an easy way to tell if the MAF is bad, cause the car will run nearly normal without the MAF plugged in.

blinkwatt · 05-04-2007, 01:37 PM

Although, I did have a KnN filter put in at 100,000km. This is what led my mechanic to the MAF suspicion.

Take that out unless you feel like having to buy a new one(not re-oil) every 6 months. The sensors on these cars are way too sensitive for oil based air filters,unless they are changed out frequentely.

Does anyone know what else it could be???

Blown sleeves in the engine.

batmanboxster · 05-04-2007, 01:40 PM

I just got off the phone with the Porsche mechanic. He also suggested that it could be the "coils".... I am not knowledgable in mechanics, so, what does it mean when my coils are bad?? Is this an expensive fix?? is it serious?

Thanks all

KevinH1990 · 05-04-2007, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by batmanboxster

Hello all. I'm new to the forum.

My question is; can an MAF problem lead to a "flashing" check engine light??????
I seem to be getting mixed answers to this quesiton.

Thanks all.......

According to the technician who repaired my car when I had a bad MAF - yes it can. His explanation was that the fuel/air mixture became too rich and unburned fuel was going to the catalytic convertor. This caused a flashing CEL. Don't drive the car until you know what is causing the problem.

CJ_Boxster · 05-04-2007, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by batmanboxster

I just got off the phone with the Porsche mechanic. He also suggested that it could be the "coils".... I am not knowledgable in mechanics, so, what does it mean when my coils are bad?? Is this an expensive fix?? is it serious?

Thanks all

bad coils means ignition problem, you REALLLY need to check the CEL codes, that will tell you exactly what caused your CEL to turn on because until then we are all just shooting in the dark here.

MNBoxster · 05-04-2007, 02:20 PM

Hi,

I can't see al the advice proferred here, but I seriously doubt that is a Sleeve issue. This is a non-issue on '99s (it's a '98 thing) and have never heard of this issue popping up on such a relatively high mileage car (62k+ mi.).

MAF is a possibility, especially when you add in the K & N variant. Just wait to see what the mechanic says. Good Luck!...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

batmanboxster · 05-04-2007, 02:40 PM

Kinda straying off topic, but lets say i need to replace the engine. Whats the most reliable boxster "S" engine to go with?? I've read that post 2002-2004 engines have the least problems (oil leaks etc)......

Has anyone done an engine swap??? I've been getting quotes of around $16,000 (canadian dollars) for a rebuilt boxster S engine (Labour included). Fair price??

98Boxster98 · 05-04-2007, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Hi,

I can't see al the advice proferred here, but I seriously doubt that is a Sleeve issue. This is a non-issue on '99s (it's a '98 thing) and have never heard of this issue popping up on such a relatively high mileage car (62k+ mi.).

MAF is a possibility, especially when you add in the K & N variant. Just wait to see what the mechanic says. Good Luck!...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

On most other sites I have read ( such as pca.org, search "Boxster cylinder liner", the slipped sleeve problem is a model year 99 problem (something like those manufactured 9/98 to 3/99). Some 98 models suffered from porous blocks.

In any case, porous blocks and slipped sleeves usually show up very early in the car's life.

MNBoxster · 05-04-2007, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by batmanboxster

Kinda straying off topic, but lets say i need to replace the engine. Whats the most reliable boxster "S" engine to go with?? I've read that post 2002-2004 engines have the least problems (oil leaks etc)......

Has anyone done an engine swap??? I've been getting quotes of around $16,000 (canadian dollars) for a rebuilt boxster S engine (Labour included). Fair price??

Hi,

That's not easily accomplished as the M96/20 engine in your car is non-egas and the M96/21 engine in the 'S' is egas. It can be done, but is usually cost prohibitive involving changes to the DME, Fuel system, throttle body, throttle pedal, etc. Probably more than double the cost of swapping an M96/02 engine which is a non-egas 3.4L 911 engine, and practically Plug & Play...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

blinkwatt · 05-04-2007, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

I can't see al the advice proferred here, but I seriously doubt that is a Sleeve issue. This is a non-issue on '99s (it's a '98 thing) and have never heard of this issue popping up on such a relatively high mileage car (62k+ mi.).

Good call Jim,I didn't even think about the mileage.

Rodger · 05-04-2007, 07:47 PM

In the US, parts stores will often loan you a scan tool (with a deposit of course) so you can pull the code yourself. Do this, then report back to us with the codes.

denverpete · 05-05-2007, 11:54 AM

Yes the MAF can cause a blinking CEL. If this was truly an IMS issue then you'd already know it because the car would be DEAD! Trust me on this - IMS does not cause sputtering - it just kills the car - kind of like RAID for Porsche.

As scary as a CEL can be - this sounds pretty benign - not necessarily cheap - but easily fixed.

Let us know....

der Geist · 05-05-2007, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by batmanboxster

I just got off the phone with the Porsche mechanic. He also suggested that it could be the "coils".... I am not knowledgable in mechanics, so, what does it mean when my coils are bad?? Is this an expensive fix?? is it serious?

Thanks all

A bad coil on my wifes new Audi A4 caused a blinking CEL. It happened as I was less than halfway across the Mississippi River in Memphis. Impossible to say for sure but the Audi sounded exactly like you are describing. Not a very expensive repair. Coils are about $45 each US and are really easy to install.

Good luck with it!

batmanboxster · 05-06-2007, 02:06 AM

As of now, my car is just sitting in my driveway. I tried starting it once and it refuses to start up. The sound upon startup can be described as either a "sputtering or gurgling" sound coming from the "rear-right" side of the car, most likely from the engine compartment. (CEL is still blinking)

One more thing I forgot to mention was that during the month prior to this problem, I noticed that the engine would make a "ticking" sound when idling at stop lights. Im not sure if this is an indication of the problem im having now.

Anyways, Im getting the CEL codes this week. I'll keep all of you posted.

Thanks for the advice.

2000SoCalBoxsterS · 05-06-2007, 04:04 AM

Could be any number of issues. Coils are one answer. You have an individual coil over each spark plug well. Could be bad fuel pump. Could be bad DME computer, was the battery disconected or dead? Best idea is have a qualified Porsche shop do a diagnostic. I would also email the experts on the PCA.org site in the Tech Q&A section.