I'm closing in on the end of the first summer with my 2011 Boxster. It's been a great car so far, and I've put about 2000 miles on it since snagging it last August. The last few weeks I've noticed a hesitation/rpm drop after cold startup. The car fires right up, goes to high-idle, then quickly drops precipitously to below normal idle before settling back into the normal routine. The problem seems to be getting more pronounced, and may be accompanied by a loss of low rpm responsiveness. I say "may be" because I'm not sure of my own senses any more.
I'll mention it to my local mechanic next time I'm in there at the end of the season, but until then I'm curious about what it
might
be. I don't have enough experience to form my own opinions,
Specifics: 2.9l, 6MT. The car was purchased with 67.5k (miles) on the clock and has 69.5k now. Sadly, I only use it as a fair-weather commuter (so far), but I make sure that it sees the upper end of the rev range daily, as it seems to like it there. No idiot lights are illuminated (aside from at startup, when they should come on to verify function). No smoke that I've ever noticed, and I watch for it. That's all that I can think of at the moment.
To clarify, when it’s cold it is less responsive in the lower RPM range from a cold start? Does it run appropriately once it reaches full temperature? Has it ever had coils and plugs at 69 K?
Yes - it seems less responsive when cold. I always wait until it's at N.O.T. before I get frisky, but tip-in just seems a little bit off lately. None of the records that I have indicate that the coils & plugs have been replaced since new. Maybe it's time.
One thing I can relate is Porsche cars ALL run better at temperature. The 944? Cold? No bueno. If once the car is warm it’s right as rain? Then do what their manual said all the way back to said 944, “ drive car gently until warm” or something like that it was in the 90’s so it’s been a minute. If the coils and plugs were bad, then the engine being warm would not solve the rough running as the spark would still be compromised, so they are likely fine.
If it has the original plugs and coils, I would definitely replace the plugs. They should be replaced every four years or 40k miles if my memory serves me correctly. The coils are likely not the issue although you might want to replace since they are already out.
Agree with Boris that you should gauge performance only after it’s fully warmed up.
I replaced my spark plugs due to the amount of time they were there not mileage. I did so because I had concerns they could be seizing into the head. They all came out easily, and I was very happy about that.
As others have recommended, I would definitely replace the plugs and coils. The coil packs are known to develop small cracks over time. My ‘08 Boxster was also experiencing some slight hesitation and stumble occasionally when taking off from a stop. I added a bottle of Techron and that seemed to clear up the issue. I always say, go with the easiest, cheapest fix first. Then if that doesn’t work, go up the list of other fixes, but for the cost of a bottle of Techron you might get lucky. Nothing to lose. And in an older engine, it can only help.
