Should I be worried? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

1olddude · 12-01-2012, 03:19 PM

Started my 02 S this morning and it sounded strange like it was cutting out so I shut her down immediatlely. Checked the codes and got P0300, P0304, and P0306 which tells me cylinders 3 and 6 misfired. Cleared the codes and started again. The codes are gone and the car ran beautifully on a nice 30 mile drive. CEL never came back on. Is the misfire a sign of bad things to come or does that just happen randomly sometimes? I am only about a 5 month Porsche owner now and have learned a ton but not enough. The car has a complete service history and only 13,600 miles on the odometer.

bmx672 · 12-01-2012, 03:26 PM

Could be as simple as bad gas or water etc... I've had that happen before in many cars and it never amounted to anything... I wouldn't worry unless it does it again...

1olddude · 12-01-2012, 03:33 PM

Thanks BMX. Love Illinois! My wife is from Oak Park so we get back that way often. I need to take the Box and see that part of the country with the top down. I appreciate the feedback.

bmx672 · 12-01-2012, 03:57 PM

Hey, no problem! I wish we were in Utah... But I guess we're just flat landers

thstone · 12-01-2012, 03:57 PM

Its more typical to get misfire codes when the engine seems to running fine (there is no noticable or barely noticable missing). Misfire codes when the engine is running so bad that you shut it down says that something was definitely not right. I wouldn't worry about it but I'd keep an eye on things. Rarely do problems permanently fix themselves.

Steve Tinker · 12-01-2012, 03:59 PM

Another scenario is that if you have been having rain lately or just washed the car, the coilpacks on the two end cylinders (3 & 6) could have cracks in the insulation, causing tracking.
You don't have to remove the coilpacks (though it helps) to see surface cracks, but removing the rear wheels for a closer inspection is recommended and is not too difficult - even for us old guys.....

1olddude · 12-01-2012, 05:09 PM

Guess I will wait and see if I get another CEL then I will start digging. I did shut it down right away because it just seemed to have some hesitation and I noticed the CEL. It had been sitting for a few days and I try to only drive it when the weather is nice. It's cold but no rain or snow. When I started it again she fired right up and purred like a tiger so I feel ok for now but will keep a close watch. Thanks friends.