OMG my new car stopped after 20 miles

Hi, purchased a 996 yesterday and just 20 min down the road she packed up, chap i bought from gone on holiday abroad until 28th so im stuck with the mess, he actually left his house when i did so i was well stuck, when i had her recovered she started but when i got her home after a £200 bill she stopped again on my drive as the seller took the tax disc out of the car and i cant take her on the road, 2 garage's i trust 100% have both said its down to a ecu totally fried, the chap txt me today saying he will pay for the problem so my question is how much is a ecu for a 1998 c2 996 please, im totally gutted and lost all interest in my purchase and its ruined my christmas to be honest, the seller did know about the problem but said it was sorted after 2 garages couldnt diagnose the problem but the third said it was a relay that was replaced, i feel iv just bought his troubles at great expense, i appreciate all replys and merry xmas, Lee.

Sorry to hear of your tale of woe. A new DME (ECU) is in the region of £1000, and it needs programming. The problem with getting this done is that you need the immobiliser code, and this is only obtainable from the Porsche IPAS system - so independents don't have access to it. You could pick up a DME from a breaker (part no. 996.618.601.04) but you will still need to get it programmed. I would suggest that you find yourself a good independent Porsche specialist first - they will have the proper diagnostic equipment to establish exactly what the problem is. Where are you located? Maybe someone here can make a recommendation.

Trust me it will be worth it when she is sorted & what you cant find out on this forum isnt worth knowing

Hi Richard, than you for your input, im in peterborough cambs and have just the man but at this time of year no where would be possible !, the problem the car has is it runs for 15 to 20 mins then just stops and needs to cool down for 2 hours at least, both my phone calls made said ecu but needs diagnostics to confirm, the car nearly killed me, i was just coming to a very busy rounabout in zero visibility ( last nights fog ) and just as i went with a articulated lorry coming straight at me she flashed up on the dash "check engine" and just stopped, my partner following was in a real state as was i, its been a very bad experience to say the least, i checked the RMS when i looked at the car she was bone dry but theres oil dripping now so im thinking it was cleaned with brake fluid to just get me out the door so to speak, i had to leave the car sat on a hard shoulder all night with no tax in the window as it was taken out, my fear all night was the police impounding the car and getting crushed as it does happen now, i had to pay £200 recovery, i wasted all day getting the car and was messed about all week trying to buy it, to brake down after just 20 mins just isn' funny, seller said he doesnt know why the car stopped but i think thas not the case, shes only done 1000 miles from a major service at autofarm where 2 coil packs were replaced along with various other jobs, BLADE_UK thanks for your input but the whole experience has put me off completley, the car has 97000 miles so im thinking this is the start of a few head aches mate, il get the seller to foot the bill along with all my expenses and get rid ! cheers, Lee.

Lee, were the garages that looked at the problem Porsche specialists?

Hi Lee, sorry to hear of your tale.... I have to say I had almost the same feeling when I bought my first Porsche .... Half way home stopped for fuel to see all the oil running onto the floor. It became a sore point with the Mrs and in the end I sold it as a non-runner . Its now owned by another PCGB member who put a new engine in and he's enjoying the car very much. I lost a fortune, and I always thought the seller knew what he'd done. Myself I moved on and love my current Porsche very much ( 968 CS ), a different drive altogether ! If it was me I would get in touch with AutoFarm and see if they can remember your car, also as the others say wait a bit and book the car in to a good independant and get it fully checked over, its possible things are not that bad ?. Unfortunatly its a bad time of year so its a sit and wait job until you can get it in anywhere......... I don't know how things stand with the seller, but its best to try and sort things out without it getting 'heated', out of interest did he make you sign a Sold As Seen notice ?

Hi Andy, i only purchased last night and car was recovered to my home address so hasnt been looked at yet due to the holiday period, seller did say 3 different people with diagnostic equipment couldnt find the fault, the last garage said it was a relay, this was just what the seller said and one of those people who was trying to trace the fault was the AA !!, iv been fobbed of all week from the seller who took a flight as soon as i bought the car and turned his mobile phone staight of !!, she broke down just 20 mins down the road from where i purchased but he said he didnt have a problem with the car up until sold to me, im very angry over all this, seller wanted me to meet at a hotel on 2 occations but i said no in the end its got to be your home address, i would of took that car straight back and put it through his front door if he was there ( oh and if it went ! ) but he flew to the states, i did go back in my partners car who was following me and could only leave a note on his door, at the end of the day he knew it had problems as why would you go straight out your house and turn your phone of, was there ant flights last night in such bad weather !, oh and the bonnet badge was stolen plus the centre caps when recovery went this morning !!, also when i viewed the car it was bone dry underneath now theres oil so did he clean all that of too, iv been had but he will pay at the end of the day, thanks for replys, lee.

If it helps these are quite local to you I think TWG Motorsports Thorpe Road, Peterborough. 01733 332911

Ian, thanks for that mate, there was no sold as seen notice which if there was isnt legal anymore as even on second hand cars theres a 3 month period where your intited to get problems addressed, the only way theres no come back is if you sign as "sold as scrap", even if sold as seen was legal im pretty sure after driving 20 miles and she broke down would stand in any court !!, i did wonder why he didnt answer my questions re the RMS problem via email, but to be honest when i went over to purchase she looked reasonably fit and drove lovely, stacks of bills and history plus had a big service at autofarm, at the end of the day iv bought his troubles, but hes going to pay for the costs, none of those costs though was greater than the hassle and trouble i had last night, to just suddenly stop with a 20 tonne lorry missing you by inches is definetly not worth the porsche experience in my books, thanks again, Lee.

Trust me I know what your going through, the only advice I can give is to chill and tackle the situation when you've had it all checked and have a clear head ( something I lacked ) then go and see the seller.... With some mates[8|] Best of luck !!

On private sale ? I don't think so .

Not sure if this is good or bad news, but worth a read........ Taken from http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_world/consumer_affairs/buying_second_hand_vehicles.htm#Thevehiclewasboughtfromaprivateseller You have very few legal rights if you have bought the vehicle from a private seller rather than a dealer. The condition under consumer law that the vehicle must be of satisfactory quality does not apply. The only conditions which do apply to private sales are that the vehicle is correctly described, is roadworthy and that the seller has good title (this means that they are the legal owner of the vehicle). You will only be able to claim against a private seller if:- the vehicle was not as described, see below; or there was a breach of a specific term of the contract, see below; or the seller was a dealer posing as a private seller, see below; or the seller did not have good title to the vehicle, or the vehicle was un-roadworthy. If you can show that the vehicle did not meet its description the seller will be liable under consumer law, even if the seller believed the description to be true. It will strengthen your claim if you have written proof of the false statement, for example, an advertisement. Verbal false statements are harder to prove, unless someone else was present who can act as a witness. If the seller makes a specific statement which proves to be false, for example, if they said that the vehicle had a new clutch or one owner from new, you will have grounds for complaint. However, if the seller described the vehicle as immaculate it will be more difficult to complain as the vehicle's age, make and mileage, and the price paid have to be taken into account. If the seller did not make any statements about the vehicle, you will not be able to claim against the seller. If the seller fails to do something they specifically agreed to, for example, that certain faults would be fixed or that the vehicle would have an MOT, they will have breached the contract. If you want to take action against the seller, you will need proof that the seller made a false statement about the vehicle and that the vehicle did not comply with its description at the time of sale. If you have delayed for more than a few weeks or have used the vehicle a lot, this may be almost impossible to prove. An independent report may be able to establish the condition of the vehicle at the time it was sold, but can be expensive (see under heading Establishing the condition of the vehicle when it was sold ). You should complain in writing to the seller and ask for a refund of the money paid for the vehicle or for the cost of the necessary repairs. If this does not succeed, you could sue the seller. If you are considering suing the seller you should consult an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB . The seller was a dealer posing as private seller Dealers sometimes pretend to be private sellers, by using the small ads and a private address and telephone number. It is a criminal offence to do this. If you suspect that the person who sold the vehicle was a dealer posing as a private seller, you should contact Consumer Direct on 0845 404 0506 (or, in Northern Ireland, Consumerline on 0845 600 6262). If the seller was a dealer it does not invalidate the purchase, but it does mean that you have the same protection under the law as if the vehicle were bought from a dealer in the normal way, and may be able to bring a claim if there are problems with the vehicle.

Hi Lee I would tell the seller you want a refund and then start looking again as there are some decent Porsches out there.If you wanted to keep the car I would tell the seller you want an independent check carried out at their expense and use this as a bargaining tool so that you dont get anymore suprises. Dont let the experience put you off Porsches because they are great when you get a good one. Alan

Hi Alan, thanks for that, il try and sort something out with the seller once car has been checked over, cheers, Lee.

Lee you have my sympathy, I know it won't be easy, but best forget about it until you can get it properly diagnosed, things may not be as bad as expected! I once purchased a car for the Mrs & half way back it started smoking badly, we both thought the engine was shot, it turned out to be the engine timing & a few pounds later all was ok, the smoke was unburnt fuel rather than oil!!" Hope fully yours will turn out ok, so don't panic. I would advise going to an OPC first, Lancaster Cambridge are good, at least you will have the full Porsche diagnostics straight out the blocks!

Lee. Sorry to hear about your problems. You said there is oil pouring out. Can you tell me more about where the oil is coming from? If it's the RMS then the oil leak is just a small drip and it dhould be coming from dead center of the engine looking from the back to the front of the car. The leak is behind the engine at the junction of the gearbox bellhousing. If the oil is leaking "badly" from elsewhere then it's almost definitelt not RMS. You said it runs for 20 mins then stops. Can you explain more on this. Does it run well during that 20 minutes or does it cough and splutter or run roughly. Is it sluggish? What does the temp guage say when it cuts out? You also said that after 2 hours cooling off it rruns ok. This is hinting at overheating, or low oil pressure. You said it stops after 20 mins, but does the ignition key re-start the engine even if it cuts out immediatly after the 20 minute stall? Have you had a look at the oil and water levels? Do they look good and are they clearn? I mean is the oil clean and is the water clean (without contamination of either)? The reasons I ask all these questions is that your symptoms dont sound like ECU problems to me. Best of luck with her mate.....I really do hope you sort it out. Cheers Berny

Hi Grant, thanks fo that, car will be diagnosed if the seller responds by pm on the 28th or i will get the car transported to his drive ! ( as mentioned he flew to usa when i left his house ) Hi scouser, the oil isnt pouring out mate, theres not even a patch on the floor, its just a few drips near what looks like the sump plug and dampness of oil around there, probably normal for the this kind of engine but what gets me over it is i sent an email asking if the engine leaked but didnt get a response, even when i viewed she was bone dry under there so i think he used brake cleaner to clean it up under there before i arrived, the car runs perfect until she suddenly stops and oil and water perfect, she doesnt overheat, revs well, she simply stalls after approx 20 mins, she restarts after approx 2 hours, something is overheating in the electrical system i think but cant confirm until i get her diagnosed, thanks for your input, Lee.

Lee Let us know how things turn out. Alan

Does the 'CEL' light (Check Engine) come on? If so, it could be something as simple as the air filter or airflow sensor being faulty - both very simple jobs. Let us know if we can help with the diagnosis - and good luck [ ] Philip

Hi Philip, thanks for advice and to others if iv missed you, iv just got the car taxed so went out to see what happened and i can report the following, went 6 miles/15 mins to a friends and she was ok, when i came out she started for 2 secs then cut out with check engine on dash as normal ( when i first drove the car and almost got killed i noticed the check engine light then the engine stalled with a lorry coming at me at night with zero visibilty as it wasseriously foggy ) i left the car an hour and she started, she didnt start from attemps before this, oil and water fine, doesnt overheat as mentioned, i can also report now theres a smell of rubber from the engine and i dont know what a 996 idles at but is 2 digits from the bottom and looks like 500 rpm, she drives fine until she cuts out, i can not get her booked in until the 2nd then will have to wait 2 weeks no doubt, to be honest i think shes a lemon and will probably tow her back to where i purchased tonight, when i first got into this car i was so overwhelmed by the way she drove, iv just sold my E55 kompressor with nearly 500 bhp and to be honest you cant really tell the difference ( obviously a little but no big difference, probably as the merc wieghed nearly 2 tonne ! ) im very unhappy, i think from purchase date to being fixed is going to be a good month so why should i wait that long, seller has agreed to pay for repair but that isnt good enough in my books, he obviously obviously knew about the problem and lied through his teeth to dispose the car, does anyone know what the rubber smell is please, thanks all, Lee.

I have to say mine smells hot from the back all the time too. I just put it down to driving it like I stole it.

My 996 smells like hot rubber too. I was a bit worried on Tuesday after not having driven it for 2 weeks, the roads are far too dirty at the moment [ ]

Hi, re the rubber smell mine doesnt smell hot as i didnt thrash it and engine was prety cool as i only drove 6 miles, it was wet so wasnt from the tyres, strange really, any ideas please....Lee.

Lee, you have my deepest sympathy. If I were in your position I would get the car back on the seller's drive ASAP. Put the keys in an envolope and post them through his door. Then leave a voice emssage on his land line telling him what you've done stating the time and date on the message. Try not to sound threatening or aggressive when you do this. (This may be hard, but could also save you a lot of hasstle). Send him a text telling him what you've done and what you'd like to happen. Save this text in your mobile. I would strongly suggest that you simply say that you want all your money refuded. Did you use cash or bankers draft? If you used a bankers draft - get on to your bank NOW and see if you can stop it. Are you absolutely sure the seller is away? A bit of detective work may glean otherwise...? In short, I would get rid ASAP. The market is awash with 996's - with far less mileage on them. I wish you the very best of luck - and don't let this put you off Porsches. You just need to clear this situation and find a car through more secure avenues - this does not mean OPC (Official Porsche Centre).

Not wanting to sound too negative here, but unless you purchased from a dealer, I wouldn't expect the seller to give you a refund unless he was a very caring person - which it doesn't sound he is from the previous posts. Surely, buying privatley 2nd hand, its up to the buyer to make all necessary checks and/or get it inspected / get a warrantee ? Or have I missed something ?

You have missed something !! i had the car 20 mins !!! i dont care what the law states i will get this sorted and he has agreed....

Lee - I know you're having a lot of hassle with this but people are trying to help you [ ] The previous poster is, unfortunately correct - you have no legal recourse through a private sale where the law only prescribes for wrongful conversion (stolen and disguised / presented as genuine) - the law assumes that the purchaser has had reasonable opportunity - and taken reasonable care in the purchase. As any lawyer will tell you - "ignorance of the law is no defence in itself". Most people just don't want hassle - so you're best option is to calmly, but firmly and continuously remind the vendor that he's misled you - turning up on his doorstep each day at random times always works wonders [ ] - might be worth getting Citizens Advice and possibly a local lawyer in for advice - the more of an 'army' you have behind you, the more the seller might just get remourse. Good luck with this whole, terrible situation - there's a lot of support for you on here - some of us have been through this (me for one [ ]) and the rest live in fear of it happening each time we buy a car [8|] BUT from your description of the problem, I can't help but believe this is a simple problem to sort out - it does sound like an airflow / mass sensor or maybe a coil pack. I've had the coil packs on my Cup car go and cause all sorts of weird behaviour including that which you describe. We're with you [ ] Philip

Philip, i totally agree with you matey, i probably worded it wrong to sound like i was against what Diesel130 mentioned but wasnt the case, i appreciate all the help on this forum and it really is a wonderfull site, im not in a mood re all this as people might think just unhappy, hes being fair with me so will get it sorted, hes mentioned a fuel pump relay was replaced after the same very symptoms a 1000 miles ago so could this of gone yet again, can somebody please tell me where this relay is and il have a quick look to see if shes hot when the engine stops, thanks everyone, happy new year, Lee.

Sorry forgot to mention that the rubber smell appears to be the tyres as when i arrived at a friends the water was evaporating of them, is that because the exhaust is near them? does your back end smell of rubber?, cheers, Lee.

Bwahahahahahahahahaha ROTFL......[ ]

OMG ! i cant belive i put that lol...

mm is there sommet you should tell us lee996 lol hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe hahahahahahahahahaha

Yea t5man what you up to tonite !

Lee, Not sure which one it is - but the relays are all mounted above the fuse board on under the dash - if she's a RHD look in the driver's side footwell and on the outside at the back you'll see a black plastic cover on the carpet - should be a finger hole - pull it and it'll expose the fuse board - above this is part of the relay panel - from memory there are further relays behind the fuse board, accessed by removing a couple of screws - I know the process is shown on Renntech. Might be worth posting the symptoms on there as there are some very clever people on Renntech [ ] Philip

Philip thanks for that, i just need to know which one it is, i will look on the site you mentioned, regards, Lee.

OK - That's great news if he has agreed to get it sorted - that shines a different light on it. Hope it all works out OK - hopefully will turn out to be something simple like a relay in the end. Do keep us updated and let us know what happens / what it was. No doubt this type of failure will happen to someone else in the near future, so all info shared is helpful. Hope it turns out to be a happy new year for you ...

Thanks Diesel130 for kind thoughts, will keep you posted, do you have a 996, and i dont know how to word this different but do you smell rubber from the rear after a drive, iv only noticed it in the wet due to not seen a dry day yet ! when i stoppewd and got out the vehicle water was evaporating of the tyres but was a wif or rubber, i can only assume its the heat from the exhuast, can anyone tell me which relay is for the fuel pump by a description of it, seller informs me this was replaced 1000 miles ago so just want to check the terminals for heat damage/colour, cheers all, Lee.

Lee - have you checked the tyre pressures? If they are well below what they should be the tyres will run hot, which would explain the steam and possibly the rubber smell...

Burning rubber smell: don't worry, mine smells of burning rubber & I have smelt it round other 996's also. Fuel pump relay is number 13 - third row down & third from the left. Best of luck getting it sorted.

Nick your a diamond, cheers, Lee.

Not yet hoping to get one this year - have spent 6 months searching so far!

NXI20, i just had a look at relays, i need more of a description if you could, the relays are staggerd and when i look third row down, third across its a blank, is it a different type to the others for easy identification, sorry about this, Lee.

What year is your car - the diagram I looked at was for a 2003. It may well be different in the earlier cars. Just had a quick re-read of the wiring diagrams & it seems all model years are the same in this regard. The diagram takes a bit of interpreting & I misread it first time around. The relay position is actually the bottom relay on the leftmost second row of the staggered part. The part number of the relay is 996.615.101.00 Hope that's a bit clearer now.

"The relay position is actually the bottom relay on the leftmost second row of the staggered part. " Hi NXI20, lol, sorry mate but i havn't a clue where you mean mate, could you possibly just give me the link where you saw it for location of the relay, cheers, Lee.

Umm, not really as it's a PDF of about 8Mb. I can email it to you if you give me your address.

Here you go: Position 13 is the fuel pump relay.

And the relay table:

Thank you very much Richard, great help, Richard if i took that relay out and swopped it for a identicale one in the box, say headlights or whatever isnt really needed is that ok, thanks again, Lee.

Richard, great forum by the way, cheers, Lee.

NO - unless they have the same part number (as Nick quoted above) then they won't work. the part numbers are printed on the top of the relays.

Any progress ?

Call me cynical if you want, but I am wondering whether the seller really was a private seller, or was he/she a car salesman using a private address. If the latter, the sale of goods legislation does cover the purcahser. The best way of finding out is to ask neighbours whether the seller has been selling other cars on a fairly regular basis. Just a suggestion to try to help...

Hi Diesel130, iv been with twg 4 hours today with the car and only just got back, he plugged his 10k bit of kit in and the following faults were co2 lamda sensor, camshaft adjustment, coil packs and the was something like power to or from ecu faulty, he said if the ecu is nakard how can it read itself whatever that means, i drove from my house to twg which is 2 miles, went to start it after it ran in the workshop for 5 mins then wouldnt start for 1 hour 10 mins, he checked the fuel pump relay which seller said was replaced but had 1997 date stamped on it so couldnt of been but was ok, so first thing is to replace lamda but he did say it wont be that as the engine would still run but on a limp mode, noted also was coil packs that are corroded (4 i think as 2 were replaced this year) hes going to check the dme relay next to try and get her going, thats all i can tell you at the momment but i will try and get down there again tommorow, ref ecu recoding twg has the equipment to do this, cheers all, Lee.

Try not to get too disheartened....when these bits have been done you will be in 911 heaven and very happy!!!

Hi Bull996 im not disheartened as the sellers paying for it but it looks like its going to be a process of elimination for a while, im more than ever wanting to know the outcome of the run/drive for 20 mins then it shuts of for just over an hour! , cheers, Lee.

Good to hear the seller is paying for it all - sounded a bit dodgy with him zipping off to the airport the other week. Hopefully you'll get it sorted. What year is it by the way ?

Hi Diesel130 its a early 1998 R reg mate, first reg jan i think, seller just emailed saying he needs some sort of figure re the final bill but like i said and twg ( where the cars being looked at ) how can you when it could be anything with so many faults coming up then it still might have the same trouble when there done, the ecu doesnt allways record all faults as i understand but i could be wrong, whatever the problem is until those faults are sorted the starting problem wont be any better, cheers to Andy from the forum for bringing me that cd today, Lee.

How are you going to get the money - are you having to pay the garage then get it back from the seller? If so I hope you have something in writing ie emails as my suspicious side says you may have trouble.

Hi Vron, iv still got his private plate on the car which i was going to transfer for him so if he messes about il keep that to pay for the work [ ] not the way i like to do things but he must of knew it had problems, Lee.

If he turns out to be a man of straw and you have to sell his plate to recoup your spondulix, what's the plate? Is it amusing or is it an awful NI 4 number plate worth £90?

Hi Lee Mention of the ECU brought back memories of my Golf which had similar problems - run perfectly for a while & then cut out. It would then take minutes, hours or days to restart. It stumped my local mechanic & then the VAG dealer had it for 4 days trying to make it go wrong! In the end, after them changing £750 worth of immobiliser gubbins to no avail, the ECU was sent to a testing centre where it was pronounced beyond help. The new ECU has been in & working for over a year without a glitch. Cost me a grand in the end to get it sorted[ ]

Hi Alex, i wish it was Nl 4 as that would be worth loads or is it refering to the irish NI then 4 digits, the plate is 3 letters 2 numbers which isnt to bad, if its ecu im sure the £1000 odd to replace the plate should cover it, cheers, Lee.

Hi NX120, its still unclear at this stage what the problem is mate but could well be ecu, all i want is to go out for half hour at least ! and not brake down after 20 !! its so wierd when i got to twg after just 2 miles the car sat there all ok for approx 5 to 10 mins while he plugged it in and did his stuff then i said i bet wont start if i turn it of, i turned it of then the mechanic was gob smacked when i was right, has only done a 1000 miles since a big service and full inspection costing £1500 from autofarm as well, they did leave a intake clip loose as well, if you cant do the job dont do it in the first place[ ] cheers, Lee.

I've just remembered I had a problem like this with an Audi Quattro years ago... IIRC it was eventually traced to a blocked breather in the fuel filler cap!!!!! Created a vacuum in the tank after a few miles, which the pump couldn't overcome - switching off allowed air to very slowly get back into the tank, then off I went again for another few miles! Won't show up on diagnostic equipment either, as no electrical failure...

So if its the vacuum as above could he try it with the fuel cap off?

I dont remember any hiss when i put fuel in so i dont think its that, Lee.

Ooooohhh... You've triggered something there... I seem to recall in the early days Over on Porsche Pete's Boxster Board, that people had problems with filler caps. The check engine light would come on and replacement of the cap cured that. I'm not sure that running without a cap will work - it will probably trigger the check engine light itself. But it might be worth investigating...

didn't get a engine warning light but, one problem driving with the fuel cap not fully done up is you get a very strong smell of petrol in the cabin.. won't tell you how i found this out it's way too embaressing[:-]

It would be a quick,chep way of checking if that was the issue though. I am sure he can cope with a few fumes for an hour..

I think Mark is right, that removing the cap will trigger the CEL on a 996 or Boxster.

I've now just remembered I had this on my 996 - don't think it ever actually cut out, but it wasn't quite right and stunk of petrol. Had a new filler cap fitted and it was fully cured.

You wouldn't hear anything - the vacuum would only be temporary, but just enough to stop the fuel pump delivering enough fuel to the engine. You could only possibly hear anything if you immediately dashed out and opened the filler cap after the engine cut out. The filler cap should have a one-way breather system fitted to it - allows air in, but keeps fumes out. If the one way valve sticks open - car will run OK but smell strongly of fuel, if the valve sticks shut, as fuel is used a vacuum is created in the tank and the car stops. Once the engine has stopped, so does the fuel pump, and fuel / air will seep back through the pump into the tank and therefore there will no longer be a vacuum after a few seconds / minutes! Could explain why the car restarts after a while too... Is the correct filler cap fitted? If not, previous owner may have lost it and fitted an incorrect one with no breather system (many cars have the breather seperate to the filler cap and so just have a straightforward plastic cap - won't work on a Porsche with the tank in front of the driver!)

Hi, filler cap is fitted with no smell of petrol in the cabin or outside, when it stops again just to cover this i will undo the cap and see if it starts but with so many faults on the code reader its got more serious problems, went down to twg this morning and hes busy on other cars so looks like iv got to wait a while, cheers, Lee.

The fuel filler cap should seal the tank. There is a ventilation system that the manual describes: "The fuel vapours from the fuel tank must not escape into the open air. For this reason, the ventilation line of the fuel tank is routed to an evaporative emission filter (or EVAP canister) that retains the fuel vapours. When driving, air is drawn in through the EVAP canister and picks up the accumulated fuel vapours and feeds them to the combustion process."

A Pajero I had did same -fuel pump seals breaking up......

I had a ford escort van years ago with my work, I would be going down the motorway and it would stop ( just lose power ) leave it a while it would be fine... Any way the reason ... I was working for the water company and the van would have to go though floods to get to pumping stations ( Managment would not alow us a 4x4 as it would mean the workers had better vehicals than them even though the 4x4 was £4 amonth cheaper on the lease ) so the van would get flooded on serveral occations.. once over the headlights [&:] What happened was the breather to the tank had rusted up and was blocked.. so the system could not be vented and the fuel pump was sucking in the fuel tank!!! it did this until it coudl do it not more and then the van would just stop... Release the fuel cap and it was fine again... The tank was sucked in so much I have no reserve!!!!! We did get Transit vans next 1.6 petrol ones that where rubbish and as soon as there was any slight off roading ( which was part of the job ) the Transit would be bogged down in mud and would need a call out for a tow... and we still didn't get 4x4's don't you love management!!! how many lost hrs sat waiting for a recovery Landrover!!

Do we know the outcome of this story??? I'd be interested to know what the problem was in the end and/or what happened to the car...

Hi All, car finally lasting more than 20 mins, lol, well its actually cured, as mentioned porsche code reader found 3 errors but didnt log the one that caused most the trouble so whats the point in spending 10k on one i ask !! twg first changed faulty lamda but did say it wouldnt shut of the engine, then he checked all wiring, fuel pump, relays to injectors, dme etc, checked wiring in the engine, things were looking at dme failure but as a last resort ordered a crank sensor and has cured it, so why didnt the car recored this sensor faulty, so 2 sensors and about 10 hours labour cars finished, im just waiting for payment, thanks for all your help, Lee.

Thats great news. Now drive it like you stole it and ejoy!

Excellent news. They should have got a P0336 error code on the PST2 - strange they didn't. Anyway, all's well that ends well.

Congrats on getting it sorted - and hope the p/o comes good on coughing up the costs. Now get out there and drive it [ ][ ] Philip

Brilliant!

Phew -I can start breathing on this one too!! [ ]

Hi Glad TWG were able to sort you out - hopefully your view of the car will be more positive now [ ] - are you going to hang on to it? Cheers Pete

I have something here for you. Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but your uncle wouldn't allow it. He feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some damn fool idealistic crusade like your father did. It's your father's 911. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or as random as a BMW, but an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.

Hi, thanks for responses unfortunately i can not enjoy as the seller who said only a few days ago he will pay for costs is ignoring me, he said monday after 3 emails and txting him he will sort payment on monday but iv now heard nothing again, im just going back to his address on thursday and sort this all out, cant belive iv had it so long without use and just when its all finished he chooses to ignore, the car is still sat at twg and im a little embarrest to phone and explain, i will keep you posted, Lee.

If he's sent you an email saying he WILL pay the costs - take the email straight round to a lawyer and ask him to serve a seven day notice letter for County Court proceedings, with costs if it's over the threshold, and prepare a summons - that should get his attention! [ ] As several people have said here before - the more you remind him, the quicker he'll give in.... Philip

Thanks Philip, i sent a snotty email tuesday night saying i will go over thursday night which i was prepared to do and he responded this morning saying didnt i get his email requesting bank transfer, i didnt get such a email but hes agreed to pay it into paypal tonight plus commision which they charge, if that shows tonight i will go and pay the bill at twg tommorow, cheers, Lee.

Fingers crossed for you [ ] Philip

TBH you're lucky he's even giving you the time of day! A lot wouldn't Hope u get the cash soon, and well done...time to enjoy![ ][ ]

All done, payment recieved, pick the car up tommorow, cheers, Lee.

Well done [ ]. You are not thinking of a career in mediation or law, are you?

Phew-eee. Well done for percervering (how do you spell that?). Hope you will be able to enjoy it fully now. Don't pick mine up till a week and a bit, so know how agonising it is waiting ...

Even if you think that he mucked you about, say THANK YOU with good grace. You never know.......

Amazing result.!![ ] I agree with Alex, u are a very wise/lucky man to have sorted it all out, and that he paid for it all, I'd buy that man a drink for helping you out, when so many would have put you on answerphone. Enjoy!!

Well done that man - welcome to the Porsche fraternity [ ] REALLY glad it all worked out for you Philip

Persevering (since you asked [ ])

Well done Lee - what a gent he turned out to be! Enjoy the 996 - they are superb, and I hope that you can put this sorry story behind you.

Nice to see a happy ending - enjoy [ ]

Hi all, had a lovely half day in the car today, no problems to report, i agree now its all over i was lucky to get her sorted, i just persisted with emails and txt's, definetly worth the wait, cheers, Lee.