"New" Car just threw CEL

[Brando]

Yep... Not even in my hands for 2 days, CEL just came on. Luckily this car came with a 1-month/1k warranty, but still. The paranoia is killing me. I am going to call the dealer (Casey's Cars) and tell them I'm bringing the car by Saturday, unless they want to send a tow-truck to my office today. Unfortunately the CEL came on during my drive to work and now I'm at the office.

The car has not been behaving any differently than the past two days I've been driving it. Of course the first thing I checked for was coolant/oil in the exhaust, any type of leak, overheating, etc. I'm at a loss - there's not much that I can check without an OBD2 scanner/Durametric or PSWIS. Argh...

Anyone got an OBD2 scanner?

[randy_k]

Brando. As long as it's not flashing. It shouldn't be that big of deal. Does it need to be checked? Yes. But don't panic. You can get an OBD2 scanner at about any auto parts store. The Durametric is better. But the OBD2 scanner will get you by.
Randy

[ronster]

Gas cap check? Three clicks.

[Brando]

Got the code, only 1. P0301 - Cylinder 1 mis-fire. Very odd as it was running very well on the way to work.

Plugs/coil pack? I've heard they fail at or around 100k miles.

If costly I can have the dealer I bought the car from check it out and hopefully not just "clear" the code to get it by.

[randy_k]

Brando, Does the dealer that you bought it from do their own service work. Or do they contract it out?
Randy

[Brando]

Originally Posted by randy_k

Brando, Does the dealer that you bought it from do their own service work. Or do they contract it out?
Randy

Randy,
They have their own shop. They work on Mercedes, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, etc.

[randy_k]

I would just worry about them making things seem fine when they are not. But I am 59 and have become skeptical of most things. Do the reviews on the web for them. But then that can be a rats nest to. There is always a couple of cranky JA's regarding anything. Another option is. When they fix what ever is causing the code. Make them give you a new warranty regarding that specific issue. It's probably nothing big. But I understand your concern. Just my thoughts. Hope it works out for ya.
Randy

[Brando]

I hear ya Randy. The car has 102k on the odometer and I've got Pre-Owned-Porsche-Paranoia. Expected as this isn't the same as my last Porsche cars - I was able to work on all of those without a $250 DuraMetric tool

I called up Gary @ FactoryWerks and he seemed fairly confident that it was not a big deal - apparently it's common on the first-run Caymans to throw a CEL on cold-start. A software update fixes it? No idea, but Planet 9 will be my 2nd home away from Pelican as they have a lot more helpful 987 info.

[Brando]

Dropped the car off at Casey's Cars in Hermosa. No questions asked, their tech Bruce jumps right on it. Says almost exactly what Gary said, possibly failing coil and/or plug. He'll have a new coil pack by monday and will drive the car to see if it throws another after clearing and installing a the new coil.

I reeeeeeaaaally need to get a Durametric if I'm going to maintain my DIY status on this car.

[randy_k]

The Durametric is better than an OBD code reader. But what I have found in several instances is. You fix what the code is telling you is wrong. And then the problem moves upstream. Meaning that something else is causing the part that it tells you is bad put out a code. The car will put out false codes when one thing fails. Just my opinion from my experiences.
Randy

[Brando]

I hear you Randy. Sometimes it can just be the sensor that is failing - but at least it gives you a good direction on where to start. At best it gives you a specific failure point. I wasn't trained like most of the newer technician-jockeys that solely use the PC as a diagnostic tool.

[Miguel Antonett]

What's the CEL?

[Brando]

The CEL (Check Engine Light) code was P0301 - Cylinder 1 mis-fire.

[Miguel Antonett]

Appreciate it... I'm a 930 guy - no electronics - and recently got a 2007 CS which really impresses me; however, the electronics are such a pain, unless you have all the paraphanelia to figure things out. What's the first "gizmo/gadget" you recommend to get to aid the process?

[Brando]

Durametric!!! Its $250 for the "enthusiast" version which syncs with up to 3 vehicles. Pro version is $750, unlimited cars.

I have heard a lot on the 986/987 platform is DIY-friendly but everything can throw codes and service intervals need to be acknowledged/cleared. The amount of electronic controls really is staggering.

[Wayne 962]

The Durametric tool is worth every penny (we sell it, of course, in our catalog). These cars would not be very DIY-friendly without that tool being on the market for an affordable price. The factory tool, when you can find one, is about $3K.

Here's my article on the subject: Pelican Technical Article: Reading Boxster Fuel Injection Fault Codes / Diagnosing Problems - 986 / 987

-Wayne

[epbrown]

Call me crazy, but if I get a CEL but no symptoms, my first step is to just clear it and see if it pops again. When I bought my 2005 Boxster in April, the exact same thing happened. A check engine light the 3rd day I had it, but it was running fine. I used the cheap-o OBD2 scanner from Autozone to read it (misfire) and clear it - never saw it again, and I've done about 5000 miles. The newer cars seem prone to false alarms, from what I've seen.

[Brando]

Originally Posted by epbrown

Call me crazy, but if I get a CEL but no symptoms, my first step is to just clear it and see if it pops again. When I bought my 2005 Boxster in April, the exact same thing happened. A check engine light the 3rd day I had it, but it was running fine. I used the cheap-o OBD2 scanner from Autozone to read it (misfire) and clear it - never saw it again, and I've done about 5000 miles. The newer cars seem prone to false alarms, from what I've seen.

I can see there being false alarms. The big concern for me is this was 24 hours after pick-up from the dealer. Makes you wonder if there were issues and what was done to make it "pass" smog to sell.

Of course, said dealer honoring the sale and doing the work at no extra cost is always good too.

[bell]

One reason you get failed coils on cyl #1 is the drain for the overflow from the expansion tank moves and dumps right on the coil....which in turn cracks it.....this is also related to the premature failure of the expansion tank cap (the blue ones).......996s have the same issue....

[Wayne 962]

Originally Posted by epbrown

Call me crazy, but if I get a CEL but no symptoms, my first step is to just clear it and see if it pops again. When I bought my 2005 Boxster in April, the exact same thing happened. A check engine light the 3rd day I had it, but it was running fine. I used the cheap-o OBD2 scanner from Autozone to read it (misfire) and clear it - never saw it again, and I've done about 5000 miles. The newer cars seem prone to false alarms, from what I've seen.

That's true, they are sensitive to code flipping. They will flip a code if there's a misfire possibly due to some bad gasoline.

But in this case, the original poster had only a limited amount of time to address an issue with the car lot he bought from, so it's a slightly different situation.

-Wayne