On my way home about 10 miles low coolant light comes on no problem close to o’Reillys pull in buy a 2 gallons of antifreeze . Wait approximately 35 minutes pour in about a 1/4 gallon in to bring it to full. Figure water pump was going out that I’ll replace it this weekend No problem. On the way home about 4 miles from home, low coolant light comes again on ,watching my temp gauge I proceed on. Temprature never goes above 175 to maybe just a little above ,possibly 178. Then no generation light appears , I thought antifreeze has gotten on belt and it’s slipping on
alternator
1/4 mile to exit high traffic , as I was coming down ramp low oil pressure light appears push in clutch give a slight rev. low Oil light goes away. Pull over in 200 feet. Smoking smell of antifreeze coming from passenger side mostly with a slight smell of oil. And now I’m sick. Tow home from there. Push into my garage. Hindsight tow from o’Reillys I know that now. Moving forward is all I can do. Few days later get access to water pump find the belt wasn’t slipping it was off , pulley to water pump about to fall off. Pulled off pump and thermostat housing and replaced them. Purchased a vacuum coolant refill kit and refilled coolant, it held a - 15 on the
vacuum gauge
for about 30 minutes. Started it up let it idle added Little more coolant. Drove down drive and back to house couple times slowly few hundred feet or so need more coolant about 3/4 gallon total after using vacuum kit. First time using vacuum coolant kit. Let it idle for 20 minutes no more coolant needed. Drove down drive again on way back to house check engine comes on and flashes says take to shop. Did not start again until later that week when a friend who owns auto shop comes over to hook up his snap on code reader. Let’s me know he is no
Porsche
mechanic let’s just see what it says .under engine management code there is 2 . One being p1361-01 (valve lift control, cylinder 2 exceeds limit value). 2nd one p1371-01 (valve lift control parity check error exceeds limit value. under antilock break was 1 error code 4444 (steering angle sensor not initialized) . under airbag was 4 codes did I mention that I have a airbag light on now. Along with numerous electrical codes. I can share them all and will Just want help. thought the engine code was the main one maybe I’m wrong. I have changed the oil and didn’t see any metal in filter and draining through a fine netting To the pan. Well trying to change oil,the crush washer the auto supply had was the wrong size waiting on that to come in . Here is a List of my codes. under engine management 2 codes .
Engine management code 2
. P1361(valve lift control, cylinder 2 exceeds limit value)
. P1371(valve lift control parity check error exceeds limit value)
Antilock brakes brakes code 1
. 4444 (steering angle sensor not initialized)
Airbag codes 4
. 8016 (passenger airbag off light open circuit/short circuit to ground)
.C152(Communication PSM control unit Drive)
.C140(Communication instrument cluster display)
.C8012(Power supply above lower limit value)
Air conditioning code 2
.8001(Power supply terminal 30)
.C200(Control module fault, engine electronics drive)
Gateway code 2
.C136(Communication AWS control unit (can comfort)
.8001(Power supply 30)
Instrument panel code 1
.9101(Power supply)
Front end electronics code 5
.8025(right parking light (side light)
.8024(left parking light (side Light)
.8001(System voltage)
.C130(Communication steering wheel electronics (comfort)
.C140(Communication instrument cluster (display)
Rear end electronics display code 1
.8001(terminal 30 supply undervoltage)
TPMS
code 1
.8003(System disturbance)
Steering column switch code 1
.8001(Power supply)
Drivers door code 2
.8001(Central locking, power supply below limit value)
.8002(Power windows, power supply below limit value)
Passenger door code 4
.8009(door handle interior short stroke exceeds limit value)
.8001(Central locking power supply below limit value)
.8002(Power windows, power supply below limit value)
.8023(Control module faulty signal implausible)
Vehicle electrical system code 4
.8012(Rain sensor faulty)
.8001( System voltage)
.C130(Communication steering wheel electronics (comfort)
.C140(Communication instrument cluster (display)
PAS (
Porsche
active codes 4
.8004(Terminal 50 below limit value)
.8005(terminal S below limit value)
.8001(System voltage below limit value)
.8052(Electronic steering column lock, Permanent lock of communication exceeds limit value)
Auto weight sensor code 1
.8001(System voltage)
misfires zero one through six .
I also found that my
battery
was also bad that could contribute to some of these have not had a code reader since replacing the
battery
. At least that
battery
was still under warranty.
I know this is a lot to read but it’s also a lot to think about. Any assistance from the community would be grateful. Will to do what I can (DIY).
OK I found your post
We are going to have to take this in baby steps. As I read all the codes, I was thinking low
battery
voltage, which I believe you confirmed. So the first step is to get a good
battery
in the car and get it fully charged. That will most likely clear the vast majority of those codes. Although (and don't laugh) there is also chance that mice have attacked a main wiring harness. It happens. On my car, they like to nest in the very plush black foam insulation this is under the storage compartments on either side of the engine cover. If there are any mouse turds in the interior of your car, then that may be an indication. But since it came on suddenly, I'd bet on the
battery
.
Your coolant fill process is pretty typical.
Just to confirm, the oil that you took out did not have any signs of being mixed with coolant? I think it is pretty obvious and you would have said so but just asking. That would indicate that you did not fail your head gasket during any overheating event. But if you really want to be safe, do a compression check. Not a trivial effort but you could combine that with new plugs, new coil packs, and a borescope inspection, all good things to do based no the age of the car.
With the new
battery
, have someone clear all the codes that will clear and try and drive the car a few miles. Then do another code check and get back with us.
BTW, there are generic codes required by EPA as part of the
OBD
process and there are
Porsche
specific codes. A lot of your codes are
Porsche
specific. I know you are spending a lot of money right now but a
Porsche
specific diagnostic tool that connects the the
OBD
port can provide invaluable information now and in the future. I'm fine with my Durametric but there are other devices out there. Check the forums.
In retrospect, when your water pump pulley failed, you lost not only the water pump but probably the
alternator
. Coupled with a weak
battery
trying to power everything, there could have been various "bogus" codes and dash lights. Let's hope that was all that happened.
Where generally do you live?
Even though when my friend hooked up his scanner and it showed no misfires.I have ordered new
spark plugs
anyway I figured I’m going to have them out to look at them Might as well Chang them cheap insurance. Was planning on doing a compression check while have them out picked up a inexpensive compression gauge Today. Just took out the passenger side so far waiting on plugs to arrive. Since #2 cylinder was what one of my
points
of interest was anxious to see it. They all looked like they could use replacing no oil residue on any #3 look a little more worn though. Not trying to be cheap but since I had no misfires I thought I’d wait on the coils. You think I’m wrong?
Thought about Looking into a scanner liked you said dont know much about them at all .But I thought it would be very helpful if I did I would hope it would work on other vehicles. Can’t really afford a very expensive one. Oh thought I would mention before I drained the oil let car idle for about ten minutes and I could hear a very faint tapping coming from the passenger side. Oil was a little low before I changed it and it was normal before I left that day low being like a bar Low. And no I did not notice any coolant in oil , but oil was dark. Wondering if maybe after reading some other forums If one or more variable valve solenoids could be bad or cleaned if possible. Would really like to know before just replacing.
@P enthusiast
- W
elcome to Planet-9, the home of Helpful Diagnostics by people who care!
(Unlike some other forums and Facebook..)
I see this is the first thread that you've started - and it's a dilly (I'm old and talk funny sometimes...)
A suggestion before we talk about your problems - formatting. Having a HUGE wall of text appear on the screen makes it hard for a lot of people to read and absorb what you're writing about. Paragraph breaks are free - and useful to set different thoughts into a form that people can absorb and perhaps respond to it. I'd really suggest reading:
https://www.planet-9.com/threads/before-posting-a-technical-question-please-read.254556/
before even replying again.
Since I see you're on, I'm going to post this - and then continue in a new posting about some techniques you might use to figure out what's going on.. and a few comments... hang on.
Oh - I'm also moving the thread over to a technical section - where it's likely to catch more eyes and get more replies, so hold on - you'll be automatically moved along with it (I think..)
OK. We've moved over. I'll be making suggestions, and posting ideas sort of steam of consciousness since trying to respond to the huge text will really fry my mind (I fry easily - like I said - I'm old..) I'm capable of forgetting the beginning of a long one-paragraph posting by the time I've read to the bottom. Breaking it up into logical paragraphs makes it LOTS easier to go back and refresh my memory as to what I wanted to address.
- The codes you've listed - are a mix of
OBD
-II codes, some sort of "C" codes, and a few
Porsche
codes. Does your friend have the
Porsche
module for his SnapOn diagnostics tool? The last time I looked at a SnapOn every manufacturer was a
plug
-in module for the tool.. without it - you were left with basic
OBD
-II sort of functions. So - it's worth asking your friend.
As far as getting your own diagnostics tool - it's probably one of the MOST valuable things you can buy for your
Porsche
.
Foxwell
makes several inexpensive ones that work quite well with the 987 series of cars (I own both) - the
NT530
- usually around $180 with the
Porsche
software, or the newer
NT710
, around $230 with the
Porsche
software - easier to use, Android-based, right now it can't do some of the direct programming the
NT530
can do, but I expect that to change before too long.
There are writeups about tools in our dedicated Diagnostic Tools subforum
https://www.planet-9.com/forums/porsche-diagnostics-and-programming.349/
I'd STRONGLY suggest getting a Porsche-specific tool
, if not Foxwell, one of the others reviewed in that forum. Without it - you're crippling your diagnostics capabilities (lots of times - people here will ask "What are the codes" when asked about a problem..)
OK - all those codes you've seen and faithfully written here - the majority of them were caused by a low voltage condition when your alternator stopped charging. Clearing them once the electrical system is back to charging correctly - they'll probably never reoccur.
The timing ones - ignore those for now. And a fairly quiet ticking noise at idle is VERY common on these engines and not a cause for concern. When you can hear it in the cabin with the windows up - then get concerned. Right now - let's try and get the car working again.
OK - you wisely used a vacuum "lift-system" to refill the system. Unfortunately there are very few instructions on HOW to use a vacuum lift correctly, and it seems you might have had a few things wrong.
-15mm/hg isn't enough. You should expect to see -30.
- The system can't be used on a full cooling system. Sounds silly, but if there is air trapped somewhere like the heater core - the vacuum lift can't get it out because if can't pull a vacuum there when the rest of the system is full. The system doesn't have to be bone dry (I've been known to not bother draining the radiators and lines going to them) but you do need enough empty space in the engine that the vacuum can pull hoses in - it's the expansion of the hoses that does a lot of the work refilling the system. That's where the -30mm/hg comes in.
The fact that you later had to add 3/4 gallon of coolant (mixed with distilled water hopefully unless you bought "premixed" - which is a way of selling you 1/2 as much coolant for the same price by diluting it down with some very inexpensive water..) means the system wasn't fully bled down. When I did mine - and it was water pump, thermostat and a few other things - I only added about 200cc of additional coolant to it a day or so later, and haven't added another drop in 15,000 miles. The additional coolant is a big clue. The system may still not be fully filled up - it's a complex system with long pipes going to the radiators up front. IF it continues consuming coolant - I'd suggest starting all over. Drain what you have in it into a container so you can reuse it, then start over with the vacuum-lift. Get it down to -25 to -30 mm/hg, THEN start filling it.
The "Take to Shop" message was probably due to low coolant. It gets quite excited when it thinks the coolant is low. Probably not a bad thing, but the first thing to check is the coolant level - bet it was low again when that message flashed.
You mentioned a bad battery - that's been replaced correct? The red-battery light is misleading. That light means your alternator has gone tits-up. No voltage from it. It doesn't really mean the battery is "bad" yet - it becomes bad when you continue running the engine without anything from the alternator and you discharge the battery. Is the red-battery light out now? It's possible it was a slipping pully, or even coolant getting into the alternator and causing problems with the brushes. You can't really do much on the car until you know the charging system is working OK.
OK - finally the valve lift error codes - I suspect are bogus. Noise in the system due to low voltage.
We have a table of Porsche codes at:
https://www.planet-9.com/threads/obdii-and-porsche-specific-codes.251787/#post-2198754
- these are fairly general and some may not apply to all models, but Porsche usually reuses codes for similar problems with similar code designations.
If one subscribes to AllDataDIY - there is a table of codes specific to the model - making it really easy to look them up. Out of curiosity, I'll lookup P1361 and P1371.. lets see what we get.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P1361
Diagnosis information - DME
Valve lift control, above limit value
NOTE: EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO OBSERVE.
- For this diagnostic, the cylinder preceding in the firing order can also be affected.
- If misfires are entered simultaneously (P0300 to P0306), these must be worked through first.
- If only valve lift errors are entered, please also check the cylinders preceding in the firing order.
-
Example
: If the valve lift error for cylinder 4 (bank 2) is entered, the mechanism of the valve lift switching of cylinder 2 (bank 1) is also to be checked (firing order: 1-6-2-4-3-5).
- Valve lift error detected via evaluation of rough running, similar to detecting misfiring.
- Parity check errors during valve lift control only entered together with cylinder-specific faults.
Diagnostic conditions
- Engine idling
Possible fault causes
- Valve(s) of a cylinder stay jammed in large stroke
- Valves of different cylinders stay jammed in large stroke (parity check error) --> Please read the information at the beginning of the document.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P1371
Diagnosis information - DME
Valve lift control, above limit value
NOTE: EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO OBSERVE.
- For this diagnostic, the cylinder preceding in the firing order can also be affected.
- If misfires are entered simultaneously (P0300 to P0306), these must be worked through first.
- If only valve lift errors are entered, please also check the cylinders preceding in the firing order.
-
Example
: If the valve lift error for cylinder 4 (bank 2) is entered, the mechanism of the valve lift switching of cylinder 2 (bank 1) is also to be checked (firing order: 1-6-2-4-3-5).
- Valve lift error detected via evaluation of rough running, similar to detecting misfiring.
- Parity check errors during valve lift control only entered together with cylinder-specific faults.
Diagnostic conditions
- Engine idling
Possible fault causes
- Valve(s) of a cylinder stay jammed in large stroke
- Valves of different cylinders stay jammed in large stroke (parity check error) --> Please read the information at the beginning of the document.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm willing to bet these won't reappear if you get the charging system working correctly. If these were real issues the engine would be running like poop. You'd know it, there would be misfire codes all over the place and really BAD noises.
The thing about the tapping noises in these engines - they always get MUCH more noticeable when you start worrying about them and looking up possible things that might be causing it. I don't have that problem too much - I'm old - I'm also a bit deaf - turning up the radio makes the Boxster nice and quiet - combination of bad hearing and loud distraction works wonders. Engine purrs.
Let us know how it works out - and please - remember PARAGRAPH breaks. I used a bunch in this post - you can always borrow some if you need them..
BTW - when you get a chance - after all the drama quiets down - we like to "know" each other on Planet-9, so we have a tradition of nagging new people to tell us a bit about themselves and their Porsches. And post some pictures. You can do that at
https://www.planet-9.com/forums/new_members/
That must be a world record for most codes.
Well that is one record I was not trying to set, trust me . I was terrible sick over it, now I am just moving forward with what i have to do .
With advice from some of you here in this forum it sure makes me feel better, so glad to have this forum.
It is annoying that my local auto suppliers don’t have anything not even crush washers for the oil drain. I have to order everything. Oh well.
To make this experience more fun . This is how I felt in the beginning 🤮😪
This how I felt later once I found this forum. 👏
And getting educated. Going to be ordering a OB-II code reader after listening to your forums advice.
Thank you all so far.
Well I’m not in panic mode anymore.You gentleman here have calmed me down.Thank you 🙂
To address about pulling a -25 to -30 on the coolant . I was unable to do so . I had read -25 was what I needed .
I suspected that my compressor at home was not able to achieve it struggled to get a -15. But it did hold that -15 for about 30 min. Before I started filling.
Yes I did purchase some expensive distilled water with my 50/50 premixed antifreeze. That was all I could find on the shelf. I was consumed with doing what I could at the moment. 😒
I’m Looking into getting a OB-II code reader like you suggested. I looked on
Amazon
. I think I can order directly from
foxwell
a little cheaper. For what I have going on which one would you suggest the NT 350 or
NT710
. I like the thought of easer to use.
