JFP in PA

Most of the time, the light will clear itself with miles, but I would still have the car scanned just to be sure there isn't a secondary issue. A lot of auto parts stores will do this for free.

We find them often when owners complain of a persistent low rumbling sound as well.

Jake stopped selling individual components some time ago, and only deals in engines and retrofits now. I would check with LN Engineering: http://lnengineering.com/ for their recommendation who to contact in your area.

You said the magic words: " I drained and flushed the entire coolant system several times to remove the contamination. Since then I have run PEAK coolant and have had no problems whatsoever." As long as this is done, you can use any alloy compatible coolant in these cars with one caveat: All dealers and most independent shops are aware of the gelation issue with these cars, and as a result stick with the factory coolant to prevent issues. So if your car came into their shop after you did your flush and refill, and if the car needed a coolant top up, they would add Porsche coolant. If the aftermarket coolant is compatible, there will be no problems, but if not; well you can guess what may come next. So if you are going to use a non Porsche coolant, I would suggest putting a small label near the coolant tank saying so, just to eliminate any chance for future trouble.

The gelation problem is real, caused by mixing of the Porsche coolant with some aftermarket coolant products. Similar issues have happened with other makes of cars as well, so it is not isolated to Porsche. Normally, when this happens, the car suddenly and inexplicably over heats and refuses to cool down because gel is blocking the radiator channels and the coolant cannot circulate. Part of your problem may be an air pocket in the cooling system (because of the design layout of the car, you have long run coolant lines going to the front of the car, with both the engine and radiators higher, so it is rather easy to get air trapped in the system. The ideal method to prevent this is by using a vacuum filling system (which evacuates all of the air out of the coolant system before pulling in the fresh coolant charge, eliminating any chance of an air pocket). Porsche dealers and most independents are equipped to change out the coolant this way as it is a 5 min. process with the correct tools as opposed to trying to "burp" the air out without overheating the engine. As alloy engines do not like overheating or hot pockets in the cooling system, I would recommend not driving the car until this can be corrected.

What does the plug from that cylinder look like?

Porsche describes their coolant as "lifetime", but real world testing says that life is about 5-6 years before it starts to break down. The factory coolant is an excellent product in its own right, and while not cheap, it has been known to not play well with some other products, so it is a good idea to stay with the factory brand after you do a system drain and flush with water to clean the system out as Ahsai mentioned above. As he also mentioned, doing a through drain, flush, and recharge with a fresh 50/50 mix of the Porsche coolant and distilled water (only) will put you back in business for several years. The factory coolant is the only one we use at the shop based upon years of putting it into customer's cars. You won't go wrong with it.

You are doing fine in the spelling department, better than some that are native speakers. Along with checking the various suspension arm bushings, I would also check the wheel bearing (item #2 in your diagram), which is a common maintenance item on these cars. I would also look at the upper strut mount bearings, another squeaking noise generator.

P1325 is not IMS related. If you followed the threads mentioned, the solenoid's are mounted into the cam covers, and can be extracted without much fuss, although they are in a bit of a tight location. As such, you should be able to get at the offending unit and see if it is the external hold down that has failed (common) or it is the solenoid itself that is problematic. I would not let the solenoid go for a long period as one bank is basically running without the benefit of the VarioCam system, so the car should be down on performance at a minimum. Assuming that you properly warm the car, and the deviation values are still out of spec (+/- 6 degrees at idle), the wear pads are a bit more formidable a project as the cam covers have to come off to access them, and you are going to need cam retaining bars to hold the cams in place safely while doing this. It can be done with the engine in, but it is going to be tight, plus a lot of stuff (primarily the exhaust) has to come out just to get the cam cover off. Your attached video shows that the cam deviation values are steady, so again the IMS is not involved. Personally, I would address the solenoid first, and after that is fixed, clear the P1325 code and warm the engine before rerunning the cam deviation values. If the deviation values remains out of spec, you are faced with a choice of doing the wear pads with the engine in or out. As you are planning to do the IMS anyway, I would consider dropping the engine and doing everything on a stand (including the RMS and AOS as well). That would be much easier and less time consuming than doing it in the car, and you can go over everything else at the same time (oil leaks, etc.), then pop it back in ready to go.

Have you tried to bleed it with the pressure bleeder, and if so, how? No, I have not, only tried conventional two people bleeding, pump pump, hold, open the valve, close, restart. Don't have a pressure bleeder, building one tonight. That method should work. If you switch to pressure bleeding, remember that the clutch pedal has to be held to the floor while doing the bleeding, then pulled up afterwards.

Here is the engine and trans number decode info: http://www.porscheclubgb.org/clientftp/Register/996/faq_engine_transmission_codes.pdf Engine number looks like a 2001 3.4L.

Have you tried to bleed it with the pressure bleeder, and if so, how?

Quite often, you cannot accurately assess the suspension noises by putting the car up on a lift that allows the suspension to go into full "droop". A better approach would be to put the car up on a drive on ramp lift that keeps the suspension in the operating position and load, and then try to replicate the sounds you are hearing.

Resolution typically requires some additional diagnostics and disassembly. The code you are throwing is often just a blocked oil passage in the solenoid valve, which is not that bad a swap out, but does require some mechanical skills. The cam deviation values are usually related to worn cam tensioner pads that simply have to be replaced. In any case, the system needs to be opened up and inspected, and the appropriate components assessed and replaced as required. Because replacing the pads requires further disassembly of the cam drive, some additional tooling and knowledge is also required. And as Ahsai noted, cam deviation values should only be noted after the engine is completely warmed up (we suggest a 20 min. drive before testing); cold or partially warmed engines lead to strange and often completely misleading test values. Both can be DIY projects if you have the necessary facilities and the time, and we often see people fabricating some of the otherwise special tooling with complete success.

P1325 Camshaft Adjustment, Bank 2 – Signal Implausible Possible fault cause: - Dirt in system - Solenoid hydraulic valve mechanically blocked . Have quick read of this: http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic/24113-obd2-fault-code-p1325-inlet-camshaft-bank-2/

I have a larger problem with this. If whomever did the oil change did not know how much to put in the engine, they probably also did not know what type of oil was correct either. I'd drain it and start over.

Ahsai is correct, they look like the later versions. I would also check the engine number for two things: Does it contain the letters "AT", and the number sequence. "AT" would indicate it is a factory reman replacement engine, but would not necessarily explain the cats. An engine code for a later manufacture date could indicate that the engine is out of a later car, which could account for the cats.

These Tips use several electronically controlled solenoid valves internally which are well known for developing problems, and one of the reasons why we recommend fluid and filter changes much sooner than the factory does.

A PIWIS should be able to do it.

If the Tip has never been serviced, I would do a fluid and filter change now. If the trans does not respond to that, there is an organic problem. Does either your Indy or the trans shop have a Porsche scan tool to go through the Tip?

Very infrequently, but when I do I use the same screen name. Ahsai is correct, the drama over there kind of takes the enjoyment out of the site. There are a couple of sites that I have declined to participate in for that and similar reasons; simply not an effective or good use of my time.

Have you pressure tested the cooling system? If it doesn't hold pressure, you could add UV dye to the coolant and try to see where it is coming from by the dye trail.

What he forgot to tell you is that an overfilled sump can result in liquid oil being sucked into a running engine, hydro locking it and destroying the engine. Bad idea.

Your oil level display should never say it is over filled, slightly under filled is better.

Plan on pulling and replacing all six plugs, and carefully look at all of your coils, particularly the one on the misfire cylinder #4. Any signs of crack or other damage, replace them.