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Urgent help needed

makjh

Member
Joined
27 Oct 2007
Messages
15
Hi all,

I have a 997 C2S and an engine warning light has just come on. The engine seems to be misfiring, is this a serious problem and what should i do?

thanks
 
Had you been driving in the rain when it started misfiring?

If so, I suspect split coil packs letting in water. The engine warning light will come on if you have a misfire, as it is warning you that unburnt fuel may be going into your cats and a) affecting your emissions, and possibly b) knackering the cats!

Either way, get it checked (or don't drive in the wet!)
 
It could be something as simple as a coil pack as mentioned so if it's not under warranty I think they are about £90 each, this can be fixed on your driveway. :)

[edit]

Editied cos I was a bit harsh I think....
 
Hi

Thanks for the response. Yes it was raining when it started to misfire. Is this a serious and common problem?

I will send it to Porsche for repairs on Monday. Would it be a very complex and expensive job?
 
hi

Thanks guys, is this a common problem? and should i not use the car until it has gone to the workshop.
 
If your car is under Porsche warranty I think it may even be free - and yes, it is reasonably common - coil packs don't last forever, especially if you do track days, or don't cool the car down properly after a bit of a blast :D

The insulation around the coil itself splits if it overheats, then next time it is very wet the water gets in and shorts the coil out so there is no spark on that cylinder.

If you do have to pay for it coil packs are about £25 each for the parts (worth changing all 6 if you've done a few miles, or at least one bank of 3) plus labour and the dreaded VAT!

If no warranty, get an Indie to do it - it's an easy job so why pay £100 + per hour for it?

PS. I wouldn't use it in the wet if you can avoid it... Prolonged misfires are not really very good for a highly tuned engine. It's also very embarassing in traffic / near pedestrians!
 
possibly the second most common fault on the 997s, that and punctures...

garyw
 
hi

Thanks guys, its my first 911 so i am not familiar with all these problems.

I am covered under dealer warranty, not by OPC. Do you think they would still cover this under their warranty?
 
If it's still under the 2 year manufacturers warranty then yes, coil packs will be covered. If it's not, then it is unlikely it will be covered even if you have an extended Porsche warranty.

[edit]

I've just noticed. Look at my Sig. Pic. I do trackdays and drive in the rain and not had a problem yet. Personally, having had loads of coil pack issues with past VW's and Audi's, when they go, they just decide to go what ever the weather/scenario...
 
Re: hi

makjh said:
Does it usually happen only when driving in the rain?

The coil pack insulation can split at any time (usually when it goes from hot to cold or vice versa very quickly) and you won't notice anything. It's only when there is standing water on the roads that water gets in the split and you get the misfire.

You might have been driving around with a split coil pack for months as it's been relatively dry lately: And if you only drove in the dry for the next few weeks chances are it would stop misfiring, your engine check light will go out, and it'll all be fine again - until it rains heavily again!
 
Coil Packs Failure

Wattie said:
It is reasonably common - coil packs don't last forever, especially if you do track days, or don't cool the car down properly after a bit of a blast :D

How do you cool the car down properly? Leave the engine running whilst stationary?
 
I suspect they might mean doing a cool down lap and then letting the car cool down with engine off after a stint of hard driving before going out again. I.e. don't go out and do 50 laps of Brands straight without a rest!
 
It's covered under the extended Porsche warranty as I've just had two coil packs replaced on my 997 a few weeks back.

Simon.
 

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