Flashing warning light above 250 temp reading

[pteam]

I'm actually camping right now. Been driving the car 01 S everyday. No problems, runs great, no leaks, etc

Today went to start the car its been sitting in the sun but its only like 80 degrees out and it rained last night and the "warning light" above the 250 degrees gauge comes on and flashes continuously on even though the car hasnt ran all day. The needle as all the way to the left under 100 the lowest number. No CEL light. I ran the car for 2-3 minutes then the CEL light came on, good thing I got the warranty. The needle never went past 100 but I only ran it for a few minutes.

The manual says that the coolant temperature is too high, or low on coolant. I just checked the coolant and its all the way to the top.

The book also says the engine compartment blower fan could be not working.

This light started flashing as soon as I started up the car. But last time we drove it was fine.

I checked all the radiators and air passages in the front and all are clear, also checked both intakes on the sides of the car and both are clear. I checked under the car nothing broken nothing appears to be leaking, we're parked in the grass, checked the grass nothing, the roads here are gravel roads, nothing I can see wrong at all.

I checked the oil, the engine was a little warm but mostly cold. The countdown made me wait 10 minutes not 30 seconds, and it came back 2 lines below full which is like 4-5 lines above low, which is fine I guess.

I've started the car like 3-4 times and it starts right up and seems to be running normal, but I havnt run it for more than 2 minutes, cause I'm scared lol

Has anybody else experienced this? There arnt any leaks under the car and its run fine everyday.

Also is it safe to drive it to the porsche dealer which is about 45 mins away from here mostly freeway?

Did I mention I'm really worried?

[CJ_Boxster]

LOL when u first turn the ignition on but engine off, that light always turns on, then back off when the engine is started.

Oh and the oil level counter will make u wait like 10 minutes or 7:30 when u start the engine and then turn it off and then turn ignition back on so the oil can travel down to the bottom of the block.

[pteam]

Originally Posted by CJ_Boxster

LOL when u first turn the ignition on but engine off, that light always turns on, then back off when the engine is started.

Oh and the oil level counter will make u wait like 10 minutes or 7:30 when u start the engine and then turn it off and then turn ignition back on so the oil can travel down to the bottom of the block.

CJ thanks for the reply. I'm real worried! lol

But no the warning light comes on and stays on and flashes the whole time. It continues to flash. I drove it for 2-3 minutes and it flashes the whole time, plus the CEL light is on.

[CJ_Boxster]

hmmm well i would have it towed then, why risk it.

[pteam]

Anybody else?

I'm gonna be leaving here in an hour or two and I would like to take it home which is half way to the Porsche dealer about 20 mins away.

The "engine compartment blower fan" fuse was definately burnt on the one side which means the fuse was bad, that could be the whole problem but the warning light is still flashing and the CEL light is still on. Does it just need to be reset or something else?

Anybody?

[nola911]

Was the fuse just black on one end, or was the inside broken? That could have been sparked a while back.

When you leave the car running for 10 minutes how hot does the temp. make it? I had air in my cooling system and the light flashed as soon as it came on. Also, the temp. got hot fast while driving. I made it to a mechanic 5 minutes away and I was just making it to the 2/3 mark on the temp. gauge.

My culprit was a thermostat.

[pteam]

Ok I checked the "engine compartment blower fan" fuse, theres actually 2 of them. The main one a 15A was not broken down the middle but had a black burn mark on the one side which means the fuse is bad. So I replaced it. But the warning light is still on and flashing and the CEL light still on.

If this was the whole problem, and all that it needed was the fuse, will the CEL light and warning light still flash until reset by the dealer?

Do you think there is more to it than this since the lights are still on?

[vipola]

Usually, even if a problem is fixed, the CEL light will stay on for a few running cycle (a normal drive of the car)

Originally Posted by pteam

Ok I checked the "engine compartment blower fan" fuse, theres actually 2 of them. The main one a 15A was not broken down the middle but had a black burn mark on the one side which means the fuse is bad. So I replaced it. But the warning light is still on and flashing and the CEL light still on.

If this was the whole problem, and all that it needed was the fuse, will the CEL light and warning light still flash until reset by the dealer?

Do you think there is more to it than this since the lights are still on?

[pteam]

P0117 Engine Temperature Sensor - Below Lower Limit . Was the code that came back. Anybody else experienced this? Could this also be a thermostat?

[NickCats]

pteam,

Hope this helps :

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=9335&hl=P0117

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=5076&hl=P0117

Nick

[vipola]

Euh.. the Engine Temperature Sensor IS a thermostat? no ?

[Topless]

Sounds like just a broken wire to the temp sensor or a bad sensor. Once you find and fix the problem you still have to clear the error code to clear the CEL. I am more worried about coolant on the ground than a bad sensor. Are you sure it is coolant and not just AC condensate? Where is it coming from exactly?

[pteam]

OK well its gonna cost me at least $400 , $200 for the tow and my warranty $200 deductable.

Yes it was coolant on the ground, it looks like it came from the overflow tank, and there was a very small amount around the coolant cap in the trunk.

The local parts store have no parts at all for a porsche boxster, so I'd probably have to order it online if I wanted to and wait for those to get here. The Porsche dealer said that that code could be from the engine just reading or reading low coolant (which it doesnt have, its 2 inches from the top) or a slight overheat. So I'm just gonna have it towed to them and they can fix it. It could be a thermostat which could still be very likely or the actual engine temp sensor but neither I can get locally and would have to order and I could replace both and that might still not fix it.

We could have cleared the code ourselves, and ordered the parts but do I order a thermostat and and engine temp sensor then clear the code? Then it might still have not been the problem, so just gonna have it towed to the dealer.

P0117 Engine Coolant Temperature Circuit - Low Input (High Temp) A . A=MIL Triggered on first occurrence . Thats why the porsche dealer said it could have just been a high temperature reading. But the CEL came on after only running the car for 2 minutes at idle yesterday.

[Topless]

Originally Posted by Topless

Sounds like just a broken wire to the temp sensor or a bad sensor. Once you find and fix the problem you still have to clear the error code to clear the CEL. I am more worried about coolant on the ground than a bad sensor. Are you sure it is coolant and not just AC condensate? Where is it coming from exactly?

Bingo! Good to know it was something simple. Boxters don't go off road very well. I lost an under panel once in a little off track excursion. Dragged it around for a while until I was black flagged.

[pteam]

Ok porsche called me today and said some wires got cut underneath, probably from the gravel rock road where we were camping. Theyre going to replace the wires and let me know if thats all the problem was. Hopefully.