I need help!!! After clearing codes.. Car wont idle
 

so i just bought this boxster tonight. 2000 s type. when i was driving it home it did run out of gas almost, started to sputter and then got gas and it was all good, pulled into my drive way and i know one of the issues with the car was the MAF (mass air flow sensor) needed to be replaced which i already ordered online.

so here is the problem... just for ****************s and giggles i took my cheap little car code reader and hooked it up to the car, it read alot of codes, like 11 of them. i then scrolled down to "CLEAR CODES" and hit enter. as soon as i did that... the car died. i thought maybe it just needs to be shut off and restarted. so i did and everything the same thing happens

car starts up perfectly, runs 2-3 seconds and then dies

if i were to hit the gas peddle all the way it does barley stay running, and that with the gas peddle 80% of the way down


so what did i do wrong?? did i maybe reset the entire computer??? are you not supposed to use the cheap code readers on these? how would this get fixed?

any help would be awsome, i just sold my bmw z3 roadster... in the 4 miles i drove this boxster s... wow, i want more

Read the codes again and post them here (there more than likely will be some). Then clear codes again. Unplug the MAF and start it again - this will be "safe mode" but it will (should) run.

Good luck :)

I used Durametric and cleared the codes a few times. As son as i hit the clear button the car will sound like its stalling and going to die but recovers. After that the running is pretty rough for some time. Haven't driven it much as still adressing o2 issues to get inspection done. But, i have idled it for quite sometime and it usually takes a while before it runs smooth again. Guess it needs to learn the mapping from the start?

I often wonder why someone would read out OBDII diagnostic codes and then simply clear them without writing them down and finding out what they are trying to tell you about the car. :confused:

11 codes sounds like serious problems so you might want to find out what those problems are. If the car still runs smoothly you can drive it until the error codes return, read them out and write them down. No reason to erase them until the problems are solved. If the car runs poorly, have it flat-bedded to a good local Porsche indy mechanic for a thorough diagnosis.

Also... these cars hate being run out of gas and it screws up their DME fuel trim programming so avoid driving it below 1/4 tank.

I would recommend the following:

1. Disconnect the battery for 5-10 mins to let the computer reset.
2. Re-connect the battery.
3. Turn the ignition switch to "on" but do not start the car
4. Connect code reader
5. Read out any codes (there should be none)
6. Disconnect code reader
7. Start car and see how it runs. It "should" run fairly normal but the computer reset will have cleared any learning that the computer did previously.
9. Drive the car for 20-40 miles in varying conditions so the computer can re-learn (optimize) the engine performance. Don't baby it and don't over race it. Drive "sporty". Stop and re-start the car a few times during this process. This can be done over several days.
10. Re-check for codes with the ignition on but the engine not running
11. Post any codes here and someone will suggest what to do next...

Can't speak for other tools but the Durametric I use saves the work log for every session. So I can go back and see what the faults were for each. At this time I'm chasing multiple codes from CC light to O2. Clearing them also stopped my CEL from lighting up again (after 2 clears).

Hey guys sorry to open up a old thread but I have a very similar problem so I thought I would post it up here and maybe find some help. Here is what I got I just purchased a 2000 Boxster S with 62,XXX miles on the clock and on the PPI they said it needed the 60k service and a oil air separator. I decided to perform all the work myself Plugs, belt, air filters, fuel filter, Oil air separator, Oil change and filter, I also took the throttle body off and cleaned it with carb cleaner. My buddy came over as I was getting done with the car and taking it off the stands and had a OBII code reader that we plugged into the car after the initial startup and cleared the codes since I replaced the oil air separator which had a bad hose causing a vacuum leak and I wanted to see if the CEL would return for any other reasons. The car seem to idle fine before we cleared the codes but didn't try to rev or give it any gas but after we cleared the code he said turn the car off and turn it back on but when I restarted it the car it idled really ruff and won't take gas. It seems to idle up and down from 700ish-1200ish. I can barely press the gas and get a smooth idle at 1000-1200ish but won't take any more gas then that. Note that we took the battery negative off for 20 mins hoping that would reset the computer or whatever is causing the erratic idle and throttle not being responsive. Thanks in advance