Candle Flickers at 193k

OK, Fairly major service at about 191k... Clutch, IMS, Brakes, Window Regulator Switch Thingy... The usual oil change and magical fluids and additives and conditioners... Mechanic (at RS Motorwerks in Roswell/Atlanta) says the car is, otherwise, basically sound. (Like those guys, by the bye). I am now having an idle fluctuation... It will stay at about the 750 mark but then dip below and almost stumble, then recover. Does not seem to matter if hot or cold. Any ideas? On a positive note, I had to drive from Atlanta to Camilla yesterday to visit a car crash site and photograph it. (8 hours on the road). Car performed great and just kinda hummed on along. Looked really cool (and almost vintage) parked on the side of the road at the intersection. And I still got questions about it. When I got back close to home I stretched it out a bit. I've posted similar thoughts before but try that with an "... exotic" and I'll bet you end up with more trouble than it is worth... Or at least a huge bill for the regular 5k service. Simply put, these things are still cool. JKC

Vacuum/metered air leak would be my first thing to start rooting around for. A vac leak can cause just the idle hunting / near stall you describe. I have a '96 Corvette - I know all about vacuum leaks.

That's the highest mileage 996 I believe I've heard about thus far. If my '02 goes for that many miles I'll be driving my 996 into my grave. What a way to go!!

Thanks. I am assuming I can sit on it for awhile until I figure it out? It'll simply stall from being too rich or too lean. Correct? I am also noticing a "... bump" when gently accelerating from down low... Which may implicate a vacuum issue... JKC

Skiracer... I am aiming to beat that ****** in the Volvo P-1800 with a gajillion miles! Goofing around, of course. But I want to see how far I can stretch it out. Mine is far from a garage queen. (Remember that old baseball glove you had as a kid? Kinda like my car). Looks great from about 10 feet but a little gamey up close. But that's OK. Still runs great, and like I said before... Hums right along.

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Two guesses: 1) VarioCam solenoid/actuator. The passenger side solenoid/actuator went bad in my 02 Boxster at over 200K miles. In the case of the VarioCam solenoid/actuator failure the idle was doing almost exactly like you describe. 2) AOS. At least one AOS failure had the idle going up and down. With over 264K miles on my 02 Boxster I'm on my 3rd AOS.

Can I sound stupid and ask what in the Sam Hill is an AOS? Googling this now. Thanks for the feedback. Man, I'd like to have a high mile Boxster too. Another great example of a great car that is under-appreciated in the micowave/cell phone/internet age. Just a (fairly) simple, mid-engined sports car. Cool. JKC

The idle air controller can gum up. It did on mine and it would not hold idle. Two screws hold it to the side of the throttle body. It can easily be cleaned out with some throttle body cleaner but you need to remove it, only takes 10 min. Nice to see another high mileage example, mine is over 200K too.

AOS = air oil seperator

You will find AOS threads that explain how to test, by way of the oil filler cap, at least one way to deterine if the AOS is working improperly.

I had those issues a while back. It was a cam actuator. But you don't have a cel right? Mine did and was throwing the 1341 code.

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wow, was that necessary?

He's from Georgia, posting by the light of the burning crosses.

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What year is your vehicle?

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Lol. "The 'D' is silent"...

Wow, or that either. With that many miles its about to grenade anyway. Why don't you start a rebuild now instead of waiting?

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Tell that to Macster, who has 250k on his Boxster. I don't understand why you even bought a 911, you seem to think they are a fragile time bomb just waiting to explode. Do you even get to enjoy your car, or do you just sit in your garage stroking yourself while staring at it and congratulating yourself on the driveway art you bought?

Hey gang... If I offended anyone by my Volvo comment, I apologize. I meant it to be taken as a joke... Hence the use of the ridiculously childlike word... I don't judge people by their race, gender or sexual orientation. I guess I can forget that people on this board don't really "... know" me so I should throttle back a bit. I was actually kinda poking fun at myself and expecting someone on here to call me an idiot and laugh. For what it is worth, I thought the "... typing by the light of the burning crosses" in Georgia comment was hilarious too. For the same reason... In any event, sincerely sorry if I ruffled any feathers. KrazyK, why will it grenade? If' I've replaced the IMS and the rear seal and kept up with oil changes and regular service intervals... And I don't abuse the car... What is the other weak link? Thanks for any feedback on that because I'd like to avoid a catastrophic failure. JKC

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He's the guy that changes oil, spark plugs and his underpants after every drive and then bitches about how expensive his car is to maintain. I would readily disregard his comments.

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Are you using Joe Gibbs Racing DT-40 oil?

Alpine, I am guessing this is a joke? Do I need to search for that thread? And, more importantly, do I need to check my blinker fluid? Seriously, assuming I've taken care of the items listed above, is there any landmine in that engine? KrazyK? Thanks, guys. JKC

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Yes it is a joke and you should be all set to just enjoy the car(besides the potential AOS issue). If you do a search for that oil, be prepared to set aside a long afternoon to digest it all. Congrats on your mileage. At least some people here are getting their money's worth out of these cars.

That is really high mileage for a 2010 Porsche, you must live in it..

JCreasy, love your posts... I hope we dont' become a volvo forum where everyone has to be politically correct. Anyway - I would have to second the vacuum leak as a potential problem. Mine did that too - no CEL, just unstable idle and after finding a small crack in one of the fittings - all was good. Enjoy!

Jcreasy, Glad to see that its still running strong. You definitely got a good one and it seems that you've put serious miles on it since we talked last year. He and I talked about that a few months ago. It was pretty much a mutual agreement that what we do isn't really what he is looking for and why fix what isn't broken. I have never, not once ever seen a 996 engine with as many miles as he has on this one. It would be interesting to use it as a case study if it came apart electively, could probably learn a lot from it. Drive it till it drops :-)

FPB... It is a 2003 model year. I got it in Summer of 2005 or 2006 with 11k. Road Session... I was just telling my wife that story. You really need to know me personally... I am the quintessential smarty pants and make fun of myself and others. When you post on here and folks don't know you, I guess that can rub someone the wrong way, and I really meant no harm at all. I'll try to watch stuff like or at least make it clear I am goofing off. Jake, I still want to do the rebuild and bump up to 3.8 but just not ready yet. I used your recommended independent at RS Motorwerks and couldn't be happier. (Thanks)! As for test mule or case study, let's make it a point for us to get together sometime this Spring/Summer and let you take a look at the car. Just don't be too critical... It looks like an old baseball glove now days! JKC

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Sounds good. I won't be critical, you should see what my old 911 (aircooled) daily driver looked like before the facelift. I might have an ope house in late spring, haven't decided yet... Way too busy and too many things almost finished. We might make it an "IMS Solution" release party of sorts. The Generation 3 3.8 is about 5% stronger than the previous version and equipped with the IMS Solution as standard now :-) Glad that John has been taking care of you well.

An 03 won't have the separate idler valve on the TB. So check for vacuum leaks possibly AOS as others have mentioned.

Ksteramma hasn't answered because he switched from humping the right front fender to the left rear....much more fun

Jake, A Spring open house could be a lot of fun. My father has a cabin at Sky Lake. As you probably know, they have a clubhouse and pool and outdoor cooking area. If you decide on an open house, maybe we could combine that with a group drive through the North GA mountains and finish off there for a pool party and BBQ. (I do BBQ for a hobby). Just an idea and it'd be a great way for folks to meet you (or catch up) visit your shop, enjoy driving their cars and socialize/make friends over pulled pork or ribs! Just an idea. JKC

Jcreasy, I have been trying to align something with peach state PCA for a while now. The issue we have is conflicting schedules between my instructing for WTI and other weekend conflicts. Spring is a always the craziest time of year here. We may be better to do it in early fall since its not as nuts and the fall foliage is unreal with the views that we have from our facility. To do it right takes months of preparation and then some cooperation from Mother Nature. In the fall I'll have my book finished, my 356 finished and the IMS Solution will be getting released outside our facility, so that time of year might work better all around.

Jake, Let's explore that. I'd love to do the cooking and I think folks would really get a kick out of seeing your shop, then doing a cool drive in North GA and enjoying some Southern BBQ in a social setting. I'll bet a pretty good group on here feels the same way. Email or PM me off line and let me know. If it doesn't pan out, I'll plan on coming up to see you and hang out for a bit, grab lunch or something when our schedules align. Take ti easy and hope you are otherwise doing well, JKC PS 356? Man, I'd love one of those as a daily driver... Just a nice coupe in a decent color.

JCreasy, I also have a fish pond on site with some whoppers in it and some people might enjoy that, too. Lots of big oak shade trees and 20 acres to play on and park Porsches. The 356 is almost done, we installed the ISIS wiring system last week and the 220HP 2.6L Raby engine is ready to be assembled. Tranny is in and drivetrain is done otherwise and I just got my window frames back from the chromers. Just need some more weatherstripping from the fatherland and I'll be able to finish the body. Here is the interior, exterior is Porsche GT3 RS "Grey-Black" Here is a sample of the contrast Its an outlaw with modern enhancements, like EFI and etc :-) I am glad that you want to cook, because thats not my strong point! Social settings aren't generally for me, thats why I stay behind the curtain and do my own thing!

Jake, As far as etiquette, I am sure we are way off topic, but man that 356 is really cool looking. When I was a kid there was an old Alfa in Road & Track with dark grey paint, blood red interior and blood red wire wheels. There is a 356 in Panorama this month that is baby blue with white and huge whitewall tires. Looks like your 356 will be a really neat car. PM and keep me posted on your open house if that works. I can cook there too. It'd be fun to have some folks out. Take it easy, JKC PS Ditch the wood steering wheel and go with the "... bakelite" ones. Just saying!

Most people love my 356, purists hate me! Bit this is an old race car with 116k race miles on it, never registered for highway use. It was bought, stripped down and hit the track in SCCA and then was raced in HSR till 2007. Anyway, we can stay in touch. Lots of it depends on what PCA wants to do and when. I'd rather have plenty of time to plan and do it right. Keep driving. I'd love to get an oil sample from that engine on its 200K mile birthday. Do you play the lottery much? If not, you might consider it :-)

That 356 is amazing! Please tell me you have a build thread for that somewhere.

Give me a free oil change and I'll give you a sample! Kidding. Let's plan on hooking up sometime this Spring for my next oil change and you can check it out. I am trying to change more frequently now days, so I'll let you know. JKC PS Agree with Capt. Obvious, the 356 is really cool. As for the purists... How many 356s were built? Again, I'd love a daily driver coupe.

Nope, no build thread. Don't care too much about opinions :-) I build things for the challenge, not so much to impress other people. Hell, I have my own car show everyday!

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Build threads aren't just about other people's opinions or trying to impress people. Sometimes it's just about letting other people see what you're up to when you're doing something interesting.

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And to teach others how and what can be done. It's the basic gearhead mentality. Most of these are hobbyists and don't have the headache running a company so sharing information for free is not an issue.

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That doesn't bother me. What does is having to answer 50 questions about "why did you do this?" "Why didn't you use XXX part?" "Why didn't you keep it original?" "Why did you build your exhaust system instead of buying XXX?" That takes all the fun out of it for me, because its my car and uses my thoughts. Being a professional in a field where your hobby lies is very difficult. I've been building cars from scratch since before I was 12 years old and I just do it my way and that usually means doing it completely different than anyone else ever has. When people question outrageously original ideas, they usually have no idea how something works, so they can't comprehend the concept even if you do take the time to explain it. This is increasingly the case these days since so few people are still mechanical and hands on, they just want to plug in a computer and run some software and solve the problem. But the worst thing is when you post it, answer their questions and it starts an argument! To make it better its always the theorist who doesn't even change his own oil that has the better way to do the task. He has never built an engine, never built a car, never fabricated his own exhaust system and he is "a car guy" just because he watches SPEED on Sunday mornings and has a subscription to every magazine on the planet. Anyway, we are no wildly off topic. I apologize. BTW- Jcreasy, That Nardi wood steering wheel was raced with the car all those years, hence the red tape wrapped around it. Because of that I want to keep it with the car. After 116,000 race miles that steering wheel has earned its place. :-)

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+996, I find this happening more and more, but the sad thing is when some people follow these "theorists" like it was Bible without doing their own due diligence. FWIW, I used to take pics of every part of my cars back in the 90's and early 2000's. I don't know if I'm just past that stage or burnt out but I personally just don't find myself doing that a lot these days. NIce 356 BTW!