6 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHFailing Variocam Actuator? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Leading reported evidence
Replace cam sensors
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
I've swapped cam sensors on the banks and still same result.
Failing Variocam Actuator? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Read full discussion summary
Leading evidence: 'Replace cam sensors' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Replace cam sensors' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Replace imsb, variocam pads, and the three chain tensioners
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
I purchased the car at ~101,000 miles and at that time I replaced the IMSB, Variocam pads, and the three chain tensioners.
Failing Variocam Actuator? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Run engine at higher rpm and the variocam switches over
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion · Original poster
It's the same when running the engine at higher RPM and the Variocam switches over.
Failing Variocam Actuator? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Use deviation (vs the actual cam position)
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
i think the hunting is normal, which is why you use the deviation (vs the actual cam position) to determine if an issue ...
Failing Variocam Actuator? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Use durametric
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
I recently looked into a similar issue and was able to activate the actuator on each bank using Durametric.
Failing Variocam Actuator? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Coverage and how to read this overview
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
6 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
986Forum: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261026T174436Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
This regards a 2002 Boxster S with 105,000 miles. I purchased the car at ~101,000 miles and at that time I replaced the IMSB, Variocam pads, and the three chain tensioners. Cam deviations now sit at -2.39 for Bank 1 and 0.64 for Bank 2. The idle is still a little rough. I chased down all vacuum leaks and fuel trims seem ok: Bank 1 FRA 1.02% RKAT -0.28 Bank 2 FRA 1.02% RKAT -0.28.
I did notice something odd in the running data though, the "Actual angle for camshaft" reading for Bank 1 seems to hunt or oscillate.
What could be causing this? I've swapped cam sensors on the banks and still same result. Could the Variocam actuator be leaking oil pressure causing its position to flutter like this? It's the same when running the engine at higher RPM and the Variocam switches over. Appreciate everyone's thoughts!
i think the hunting is normal, which is why you use the deviation (vs the actual cam position) to determine if an issue ...
but hey, my opinion is worth what you pay for it ...
Which diagnostic system do you use? I recently looked into a similar issue and was able to activate the actuator on each bank using Durametric. At the same time, you can view the misfires in the individual cylinders, which is also very informative. The problem with the solenoid valve is that it must only be removed vertically to ensure the spring sits correctly when refitting. I’m not sure if that’s really necessary.
Btw, the deviation on bank 1: is that in a normal range?
The data came from a Durametric. It’s not reporting any misfires in the live data that I’ve been able to catch. -2.39 is an acceptable deviation value for bank 1; I believe the acceptable range is ± 6 degrees. If anything the 0.64 bank 2 value is funky because deviation values are usually negative.
iirc deviation is determined by comparing the output from the crank position sensor (which measures off the flywheel) and the cam position sensor which is a hall effect sensor that measures off a wheel on the cam. given the cam wheel is relatively small, the cam position sensor is very sensitive to where it is positioned. as such you take your starting deviation number with a grain of salt and what you really monitor is the amount and rate of change in your deviation over time; the deviation reading was designed to monitor wear in the system.
i don't think either 0.6 or -2.4 is enough to indicate timing is off (i think 12 degrees is one tooth ...).
What I’d at least check now would be the spark plugs, the coils (including their connectors!), the MAF and the fuel injectors. The latter can be deactivated individually via Durametric, allowing you to compare the results with the others.
A vacuum leak is, of course, the obvious suspect, you mentioned that you chased down all of them, but have you carried out a smoke test?
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
