Picked up new to me 996 cel came on

So picked up my new baby and it threw the cel when I picked it up! Fresh off a clean PPI etc... Off to get a code reader not a nice way to start the experience!

Same happened to me. Let me know what year car and the codes and I might be able to help. FYI 2002 and possibly some later 996s require a DME software upgrade that can solve some code problems.

Probably nothing to worry about...post up those codes.

I have tried a couple code readers I have which don't seem to allow me to read or clear the codes. One is a diablo sport tuner the other is an Edge CTS box. I have a 2003 with the CDR23 which is seems does not need a code if I just disconnect the battery. Is this true? If not I will have to borrow a scanner from a buddy which I hope works or buy a durametric.

Any OBD-II reader should work with your car. You're not running the engine while scanning, right? Key in, ignition in ACC position?

If you have an Android phone, you can buy torque for $5 at the Android store and buy a Bluetooth ODB II adaptor off ebay for about $35 bucks, it will read and clear the codes. I just keep it in my door pouch.

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Yeah..if you have an iPhone always buy a wireless version OBDII reader since Apple's Bluetooth stack support sucks *****.

Some CEL's come back in a few days after they're "cleared". I'd say the seller cleared it but didn't fix the underlying cause.

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I don't think that is the case because he was not a car guy believe me he would not have a clue. I also have the invoice from the PPI which indicates a clean engine scan. I have tried two readers neither will read or clear, neither worked on my VW jetter either. keep in mind these are aftermarket tuners not generic code readers so it could be the case. I gave it a quick detail tonight before cut and polish. Hit it with a buffer block to remove all residue, then hit it with a paint cleaner and a black wax. Came out pretty good for 12 year old paint. 5C5D5CBD-082F-4751-9E36-F727BB5498FB_zpsedbfn0go.jpg

Nice 996. Interested to see what the code is. Currently hunting down my own 996t

Paint looks really good.

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Good from far but far from good. The price I paid highly reflected the condition of the paint. Mechanically aside from this CEL the car has been very well maintained I have every invoice on it back to 04. I just finished reviewing them all.

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That's what I did, other than my reader was more like $15. I keep it plugged in all the time so I can clear it at stoplights or wherenot. Now and then with the free Torque app it doesn't read the code, but it will clear it. So I figure worst case it will go away for a bit and keep coming back either making me buy hte full app or take it to a shop (if I can't read the code). Most of the time it's that dumb P0455 or whatever the gas vent one is.

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Oh snap! Thanks Paul, I just got this and I'm going to try it out on my Saturn which has some codes. Most excellent.

I borrowed an Autel so I should be able to assess it tonight. I won't have a lot of time as my water heater went and I will have to replace it tonight!!

Multiple cylinder misfire is the code. I'm wondering if I caused it. When I picked the car up it was extremely hot. I started it and turned the AC on right away and it ran rough for a second when the AC compressor first kicked on. Cleared it I'll take it for a rip after dinner and test.

You didn't caused it. Something is failing. Sudden voltage drop maybe caused by a weak battery or a weak alternator or something else.

Went for a drive no codes came up car is running smoothly. Topped it up with fresh gas. I'll take it to work tomorrow to test a longer distance. Went for another drive and a little rip around town just to put some more time on it seems good so far. I do notice my idle is slightly rough around 750 rpm as soon as you rev it even 50 / 100 rpm its smooth as glass.

So what are the codes....meaning the actual numbers.

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The ghetto scanner I used didn't appear to have a number just a description. Could be user error on my part as well.

I would change fuel filter unless done recently. as a preemptive strike have the battery tested at a FLAPS. Poke around and clean all the ground wire connections you can find.

Did you not return to ppi location and inquire on cel after you picked it up?

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Fuel filters almost never clog. I've been around cars for a very long time and had over 40 of them as projects. Only one (a diesel) had a partially clogged filter. I know people refer to them as a tune-up item but my experience is that they very rarely are a problem.

hope everything works out, beautiful pick up brotha

I have an Actron $60-ish code reader. It works great on all my toys with 4 wheels.

If you live in the US most auto parts stores will hook up a code reader in the parking lot for free.

Are you clearing the codes after you scan the car? If so, stop it. You need to get the codes - the important part is getting the code, not making the light turn off. Did you rag the car out on the way home? Did the place you picked it up from wash it beforehand? Ragging on the car if the coil packs are going out can cause multiple cylinder misfires. A good wash if the coil packs are old and cracked can cause multiple cylinder misfires. A fouled MAF and/or intake not properly connected can trigger multiple cylinder misfires. Your comments about not being able to read the codes with two different scanners, and then the "ghetto" scanner that doesn't show the code(?) suggest you might not be going about things correctly. Find a decent code scanner. Make sure you know how to operate it, and then record the codes you're seeing. None of the "troubleshooting" work you've done so far has yielded the useful information you need: A list of the code(s) involved so you can start to identify what's up.

So far I have driven 250 km after clearing the code without it coming back. The engine is running much smoother now as well. Time will tell for all I know it could have had 2 year old gas in it. I have since topped off the tank with fresh fuel and its been good since. As you said I have ordered a durametric for future and if things come back I will dig deeper into the car. At this point all I can do is drive it now. It rained hard all weekend where the car sat on the lot waiting for me to pick it up Monday moisture could definitely be a possibility and in the future if problems reoccur I will have to dig deeper into the car. As per the service records the coils and plugs were replaced last year around 6,000 km ago.

I don't understand that if you picked up the car after a ppi and the cel came on why didn't you just return to the shop. Auto zone or oreilys will scan it for free.

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Perhaps you don't understand the deal. I sold a corvette to my GM dealer, I had my GM dealer buy the 911. The seller dropped off the car at the GM dealer last Saturday. It sat until Monday when I picked it up. My GM dealer had nothing to do with the car what so ever other than paperwork to save me the taxes. The PPI location is about 2 hours from my house and I have the invoices from the work completed during the PPI which indicates a clean scan of the computer. So what am I to say to them now its got a CEL after you guys did the inspection? Next they will want to book it in for service and charge me 1 arm + 1 leg no thanks. This car will be 99% DIY work anyways. Its not like it has a warranty.

Since you're getting the Durametric, be sure to run the status checks on all the various systems. I have a fault on my driver-side seat, for example - which is not serious enough to trigger a malfunction indication. The Durametric is also great for activating stuff (the engine bay fan, the smog pump, etc.) to verify proper functionality. Have fun with it. As far as the Durametric - run the driver installer first, before you connect it to your PC's USB. Windows has a knack for hosing drivers if you connect some USB equipment before you install the drivers...

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Thanks for the tips! Does it now support windows 7 I quickly glanced at the site I am going to spend some time reading it tonight but I thought I saw something about XP only or that could be old information. Had a little fun tonight taking her up to 6500 really sings and pulls nice.

I don't know if the system requirements have changed - I run mine on a Windows XP virtual machine. If you're running Windows 7, you can always right-click the .exe file and tell Windows to run the app using XP compatibility. MS does a decent job of keeping older software running. Oh, and one more thing - if I launch the Durametric software with the cable unplugged, the software crashes. You may need the cable plugged into a USB port before the application will launch successfully. Any more tips on paint correction for newbs? I wax my black '99 a couple of times a year, clay bar once a year, and keep it clean and shiny with Griot's spray detailer between washes, but I'd like to do some work on the paint to really get it shining.

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So I believe I have found what seems to work very quickly efficiently and most importantly clear paint. I had to take a step back after going at it the other night because to be honest I have never polished a car with so many deep swirls. So after messing with a bunch of my products I have found a pad and polish which works on my Porter Cable 7424. The polish is Menzurna super intensive polish. The pads I am using are found here http://www.autogeek.net/vcpad.html these pads seem to work much better than a couple comparable orange pads I have from different manufacturers. The process is pretty simple put an X of product side to side on the pad and spread about a 2x2 area start the machine on #1 to spread the product then increase speed to 6. You want to do very slow overlapping passes. First side to side then top to bottom. You want to be moving fairly slow across the surface and ensure the pad is spinning, I apply a fair amount of pressure as well. After going side to side and top to bottom shut the machine off and inspect the paint. If you still see swirls and spider webs do it again. I found some pretty aggressive spider webs in my car come out in one pass. After I am satisfied with the panel, I proceed to using a white pad and menzurna super finish. Same as above for the process, after this is done and you are satisfied with the panel you can wax it with your favorite wax. I use Zaino or blackfire. Realistically I have about 6 hours into the hood, front fenders and rear quarters. This is only the top half of the fenders and quarters I have not even started on the sides of the car. The roof needs to be done as well still. To do it properly with the most correction your looking at 10+ hours. I basically do a panel or two a night if I am lucky.

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The incompatibility mainly lies in the USB drivers as they are different between XP and Win7. If you get the proper Win7 USB drivers, it should work nativley on Win7. This could be a bit of a work depending on how computer savy you are so it may not be worth the trouble.

So after assessing some options regarding my hood either a respray, carbon fiber hood or a wrap. I am going to have it wrapped for now. Since I cannot correct the paint to a level I will be happy with. The same fellow that wrapped my vette offered to do the porsche hood for $250 so I am going to book it in. I am going to have it done in 3m carbon fiber Di Noc film. vette_zpszijiasvo.jpg vette2_zpse7ye6avz.jpg

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Get it on Brother with the DIY jobs. That's the best way to learn your way around these great cars. You have a great example, enjoy.

Thank you! Some guys treat these cars as a unicorn of sorts to me it's just a bunch of bolts like any other mechanical thing. I'm no stranger to cars especially working on them.

I appreciate the tips on the paint correction. I've been ready to start for a while but with so much info/products it gets a little overwhelming. I figured I'll start with the least aggressive approach. (meguiars 205 and white pads). The steps as I understand them 2 bucket wash and dry Clay bar Another wash Mild cutting polish with da polisher Glaze with da Then wax with da. Does that sound about right?

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The steps above would produce great results. Myself, I would use a sealant before the glaze if I went to the trouble of removing the imperfections.

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Sealant, Is this something I can do?

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Technically glaze is mostly used to hide swirl marks if you either don't polish or polish good enough to get out the swirls. If you use a synthetic sealant, you really don't need a wax topper unless you are looking for additional depth or finish that the sealant itself can't bring out. It will depend on your car color and the kind of paint you have. If you use wax after those steps, make sure it's not a cleaner-wax as those also have additional abrasives that isn't needed if you are doing the polishing step. Yes. If you can apply wax, you can apply your own sealant. There are many instructions on Youtube or a detailing site like autogeek.net

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If you're needing any help with that DIY work you can always use our tech articles here as a guide. Assuming all things are good and the CEL hasn't come back? Either way, beautiful car. Let me know if you have any questions about it further down the road! Enjoy it! -Luccia

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Depending on your paint I think some of that is overkill. 2 bucket wash I have never done, and your cutting with polish so unless you have a lot of surface contamination clay is not needed. Your polishing anyway. Wash + dry DA cut DA polish DA wax or hand wax

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Yeah, but Jamie that 2 Bucket Wash SEEMS to be the IN thing these Days! Lol! I've Never Used it Either & i've Never had a Problem with Scratches from Dirty Water! it's a SELLING Item!

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It's a scam imp by car care product sellers to double your product usage. Same goes for zaino and their layering of waxes. I'll do 2 coats just to make sure I did not miss anywhere but that's it. After a wax I only spray detail until it gets contaminated and needs to be cleaned. If I am swirl free I use a buffer block and clean the paint then rewax.

Hey Jamie, I don't want to change the subject, but thought you might want to start accumulating the car-specific items for your first oil change. Here's what I keep on hand: * 8mm hex male for drain plug. * Crush washer for drain plug (I get from dealer). * Oil filter- Mahle 128/D (or Mann), $10 from amazon Amazon.com: MAHLE Original OX 128/1D Oil Filter: Automotive Amazon.com: MAHLE Original OX 128/1D Oil Filter: Automotive * (optional) AST M0219 filter removal tool. * (optional) Extra drain plug (I get from dealer).

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Sounds good! I'll get some pics of her on the lift in my garage hopefully next week.