For anyone with a funky idle
 

The car has had somewhat of a funky idle that I didn't mind to much. I think it steamed from just driving it around town the past few times without letting it build up into higher RPMs=carbon deposit build up. Today was the first chance I had to take out the Boxster in awhile since the weather hasn't been to great here. Well since I hadn't driven it for awhile it was only right that I give it a good ride :D . After warning it up to normal operating temp I paid some visits to some on ramps and off ramps,keep in mind it's noon time so there aren't too many people out and it's 100% visible so I can see everything ahead of me. After some visits to 5k RPM and having my fun headed back home. On the way home the car idled steadily like it should at every stop sign,intersection and even when I let it sit in the driveway. So if your car has a weird or funky idle just something to consider,besides these cars are meant to be driven in higher RPMs so don't be afraid. :cheers:

yea its always good to give the car a good run.
when my friend bought a 95 m3, it ran lie sht no joke, and on the way back we of course gunned it all over the place and high rpms, next days it was very much so better idling.
so yea...hopefully someone gives it a shot, i mean whats the point of driving under 3k all the time? ;)

Ahh so you dont have funy idle problems yourself, your suggesting we accelerate in the 5k's to free up some carbon deposits in our engine... Well i do that probably once or twice a day but for pleasure.

I haven't had the time in the past month or so to go out and have some fun. It has basically been used for errands and kept under 5k for awhile=no fun. I noticed that the idle was slowly becoming less steady. Looks like a spirited drive was just what it needed. :cool:

Oh ok, Well when my idle started getting alittle loopy, I eventually got the P1115 CEL code and i replaced that sensor and now the idle is more less steady... it could be better but when i replace all the sensors and locate a possible vacum leak, the engine should idle much smoother.

Howcome you didn't change all four sensors? I heard that you can get by with just changing out either the front or rear sets of sensors.

Well I decided to just replace the 1 sensor and see if the idle and operation of the boxster imporved... which it did greatly! So i plan on replacing the remaining 3 sensors probably sometime between tomorrow and 2 weeks from tomorrow.

I think im lucky cause i still havent gotten an CEL for the other 3 sensors, i hear about alot of people getting CEL for the other 3 when replacing just 1.

I had always heard of this called an "Italian tuneup," because the old Italian cars would literally need it to run properly... Of course, in my other world of rotary powered engines, the cars that were driven by old ladies to church are known to die of boredom, i.e., the engines build up carbon and it starts to tear at the apex seals...

So keep those revs up, kiddies ;)

Modern cars generally do not "carbon up" anymore.

However, I would suggest some Chevron FI cleaner. It def. cleans up my funky idle.

Hi,

Agree. With OBDII the AF/Timing is so dynamic that it's virtually impossible to Carbon-Up. If you do, you have waay bigger problems than just having the car sitting idle.

On the other hand, as you mention, fuel and fuel quality, have a much greater effect on the performance of a modern engine. Gasoline is a very unstable compound and wants to breakdown into it's constituent parts, some of which are parafins (erroneously referred to as Varnish).

Gas used to be stable for only 30-45 days from refining (not when you fill-up) before it started to breakdown. Modern Gas will go about 60 days before suffering the same effects. This is why a fuel injector cleaner once annually and/or the use of a stabilizer if driving infrequently or storing the car (even for a short duration) is especially helpful...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Hmm, i didnt know that gas has about a 60 day shelf life before it starts to really separate. Ill keep that in mind if i ever store a car.

Don't they call that an 'Italian Tune-Up'?


Sometimes you gotta feed some speed to your ride!



And the Chevron stuff is 'Techron'. It's about $5-6 a bottle, but works great at cleaning up the fuel system. Used it in my 911 to clean out the fuel lines after transplanting my engine and gas tank into the tub that had been sitting for 17 years.

I usually use a bottle of Techron every time I change the oil, but I think since the Boxster's change interval is a little longer, I'll try to drop a bottle in every 3 to 4k miles.

Hi,

Lots of people praise Techron, but I've never used it. I use http://www.********************************************/acatalog/Lubro_Moly_Jectron_Fuel_Injection_Cleaner.html developed specifically for Fuel systems in German Cars. This is a well respected Fuel System cleaner and I've always had great results with it. For the Boxster, I use it half-strength, so it's maybe slightly cheaper than the Techron. But, I'm sure they're both good products...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

"I had always heard of this called an "Italian tuneup," because the old Italian cars would literally need it to run properly... Of course, in my other world of rotary powered engines, the cars that were driven by old ladies to church are known to die of boredom, i.e., the engines build up carbon and it starts to tear at the apex seals... "

Well, I am pretty regular with my "Italian tuneups", try every time I get in the car.... But I recently did a tuneup that seemed to make the car more responsive and eliminated some of the "gurggle" I normally get when slowing down in gear. The tuneup, which should be a DIY job for most on the forum, consisted of:


1. Changing spark plugs

2. Cleaning MAF sensor

3. Changing, or in my case cleaning and reinstalling the air filter

4. Running a two tanks of gas through the car with Chevron Techron additive



BTW, the car was running fine before this tuneup and it was not time to change the sparkplugs or filter based on recommended maintenance schedule. But now it seems to just hum, I really love these engines, even with the problems built into their design, they are very sweet!!! This is a great weekend project to get ready for top-down weather, enjoy

Ed

:dance:

My favorite cleaner is BG Products 44K. About $20 a can, but amazing stuff in my opinion.

Patrick