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logray

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Everything posted by logray

  1. logray
    Between engine case and alternator. Use wood to protect the aluminum.
  2. logray
    Ever use fuel additive like Techron?, I see though you use 98 octane so maybe not as much of a help as us poor souls in the USA with at best 91 octane. When you changed the flywheel did you test it per the TSB to see if it sprung back as it is supposed to?
  3. logray
    Check this out, I don't know if you installed the replacement replacement unit yet, but this might help diagnose your CCV. I think you have to contribute here to see it though (well worth the money).
  4. logray
    NO that's OK I certainly appreciate the replies wvicary and the advice, not leading me astray! :D As for the O2 sensors, this condition (soot) was present with old O2 sensors before I removed the heads and had a valve job done. When I reinstalled the heads I put in brand new O2 sensors (4 of them). I may swap them though and see if that has any affect... however at this point I might be resigned to the fact that the soot is from oil, and not fuel. I guess some of me is optimistic and looking for an answer so I won't have to tear the short block down and replace the rings and bearings (and possibly re-bore and re-sleeve). As a side note I removed the Laso aftermarket H20 pump. There was too much play in the pump's pulley after 500 miles and it was starting to leak around the pulley shaft. Pelican does not even stock them anymore (nor will they stock them again apparently). So I installed the replacement unit from Pierberg. That unit has metallic "like" fins and seems like better quality. Anyhow, H20 pump aside since that has nothing to do with the soot... Some progress perhaps... I pulled out the slack tube manometer and installed it in cylinder #1 to determine TRUE TDC. I was pretty astonished how accurate that method is. Considering the next thing I did was install a dial gauge with a probe extension onto the top of the piston and found TDC down to the hundredth of an inch. The mark on the case and crank pulley (and lock pin boss) are remarkably close to true TDC, albeit probably about 1 degree early. This might account for some of the +3 degree at the crank (late?) camshaft deviation value I am reading from Durametric on both banks, since the crank was actually not at TDC yet when the cams were timed, so by the time the crank reaches TDC in a degree or two, the cams are behind the crankshaft a little (edit: wait, maybe that means they are early.... I'll re-read this in the morning). Or perhaps the variocam unit in bank 1 has been misbehaving for a long time but the DME hasn't been reporting it as a problem since it's still "in spec". Still trying to figure out how I can degree the cams on this engine and get true split overlap timing without tearing the entire thing apart (i.e. with engine installed)... some time this week I hope to swing the timing forward about 6 degrees at the crank, in an attempt to try -3 degree cam timing (early cam timing instead of retarded) and see if that works out better for this engine. Perhaps that will help with the soot situation if it is in fact the following condition is the cause: "Late cam timing is also a prime cause of excessive oil consumption, especially blue smoke on overrun. This is correctly ascribed to oil being sucked up past the rings, but the real reason is that vacuum on the intake stroke is excessive from the late cam timing." -various sources Without degreeing the cams and achieving true split overlap, I'm not certain if 3 degrees at the crank means the above quote comes into play (or if it means much grosser timing errors like 6 degrees or higher cam timing).
  5. logray
    The theory is, that one can see a preemptive IMS bearing or gear/tube separation before it happens by monitoring the camshaft deviation values. If the IMS tube is moving all over the place then the cam timing is going to change. That is the theory at least. My stance is, once those things start to go, for example you lose a bearing or two or the gear separates from the tube it is going to be a matter of miles not days or even weeks of driving the car. So for one to pop on their Durametric and happen to find that their camshaft deviation values are fluctuating would be akin to a hole in one in golf. Or maybe an albatross. I'm not saying it hasn't happened, but unless you are really in tune with your car and on the slightest abnormality in running you stop the engine and fire up your laptop to monitor camshaft deviation is an exercise in hypochondria for your vehicle. Fortunately someone has developed a better way to determine IMS failure perhaps many many hours before it happens. It will be interesting to see what Mr Raby has developed. Your reading of -12.7 at the crank means your bank 2 cam is -6.35 degrees retarded. It could be that someone at the factory set it this way lazily, or perhaps that this is how the cam is degreed (machined or possibly even warped)? I've also read that the 4-6 sprocket can slip a little over time Another possibility is that 6 degrees might indicate 1 tooth off. Anyhow 6 degrees AT THE CRANK, which is what Durametric reads (3 degrees at the camshaft) is the maximum deviation from 0 permissible (factory setpoints). Now will the car run ok beyond that, possibly - but at what point are you going to have interference between the valves and pistons (and lots of other badness), who knows. It could also be that your variocam actuation is stuck or has a problem. A deviation that big is not likely to be cam pad wear if you have the early 3.4L system, I would guess that once you get to the 12 degree range your cam pads would have already snapped in two. There is a really good thread about camshaft deviation if you've read it before here it is: http://www.renntech....c-readingerrors
  6. logray
    Yeah I guess if you have the mod bug why not... but on a car that looks that good already! Why mess with perfection? B)
  7. logray
    Ahhh yes, those. Might also try your local auto parts store for something similar, or source the OEM part... P/N 99950756540 $2.14 MSRP
  8. logray
    I certainly can do this, however I cannot monitor camshaft actual angles since I have a Motronic 5.2.2. This makes me frustrated sometimes, and wanting to take on a project to convert to motronic 7.2 or build a meter/gauge to monitor things such as actual angles, etc. The only thing I have to go on is camshaft deviation which is 3 degrees positive at the crank (1.5 positive at the cam) for each bank, so cam timing IS actually a few degrees late, but whether that translates to the vacuum gauge reading or the possibility for the increased oil vacuum through the rings (as I posted about earlier), I don't know. I would guess it would have to be signifigantly more out than just 1.5 degrees for that to come into play. I think I will get out the slack tube manometer and see if the TDC mark is accurate or not. And possibly I'll try advancing cam timing a little (perhaps a few degrees the other way) to see if the car runs differently (better). I think I have that right, negative camshaft deviation would be advance cam timing and positive would be retarded right? Degreeing the cams is another excercise I could do - perhaps the machine marks on the end of the camshaft are not REALLY the center for intake/exhuast valve opening... (still trying to find a way to do this without pulling the heads). Also you are saying you see 18-22" on a 996? I think I am the first person in the universe that has posted about using a vacuum gauge to read intake manifold pressure on a Porsche Boxster engine. I've searched literally for hours on end and cannot find ANY data or anyone who has posted what their vacuum gauge reads. Seems like such a simple thing to do. I wish there was someone with a gauge that could hook it up to their 996 and see what they see, ya know! :rolleyes:
  9. logray
    Gorgeous car. Don't mod it. :thumbup:
  10. logray
    When was the last time you cleaned the throttle body? Also if you are doing a comp and leakdown test might as well replace the plugs.
  11. logray
    Use some carefully placed wood and a BIG pry bar. Give it some gentle force, it will free easily with a lot of leverage. Pry against a solid part of the alternator (not a part with the fins otherwise you'll break them).
  12. logray
    Could just be when it gets up to temperature that the increase of pressure causes that clamp and hose fitting to "break free" and start weeping. I had a few of those after 12 years on my car. I certainly recommend having a shop do it unless you are the DIY type. The shop will have a vacuum refill tool for the cooling system which means they can refill it without the worry of any air pockets (which is especially bad for this car). It would probably take a shop 1 hour to do the work. That hose is P/N 99610685005 about $50 MSRP, but because of the year of your car you also need the tube it goes into it because the hose has been supersceded and redesigned, P/N 99610624354 about $60 to $70 MSRP. Drain the system, then replace the hose and clamp. Be sure to refill with Porsche coolant and distilled water (50/50) and bleed it properly. Don't add a non-compatible coolant otherwise you are asking for a disaster later on. Unless you also see evidence of coolant coming from behind the water pump just above that area as well, in which case replace the water pump and gasket as well. If you decide to do these things on your own spend some time with search you will find all the answers how to do the above things.
  13. logray
    OK, took the car for a higher RPM drive, mostly around 3500-4500 RPM for about 20km. No fault codes (I actually put in my spare DME which hasn't triggered P1531 yet - but I'm still going to swap the actuator and solenoid in bank 1 regardless). Pretty much the same reading on the vacuum gauge. Here's a new video with some sweeps of RPM. I've been reading that the quick blips of RPM to 2500 to 4000 ish on most cars should make the gauge quickly go to 0 and then go back up closer to 25 In Hg intake vacuum. Where as I'm only seeing about 20 on the return (equalization). I'm not familiar with the 996 to know if this is normal or not. In other words if the gauge is accurate and saying that the timing is really late at around 15 inches Hg (or if that is another indicator for worn rings). Or if the sweep thing above is another indicator along with the soot and leakdown/compression results that the rings are actually worn enough to cause this "blow by". or..... Maybe the "idiot gauge" is right. I've also been reading that late timing can cause a tendancy to burn more oil due to intake vacuum - and perhaps that is what I'm seeing in the form of soot in bank 1's tailpipe? Also I was doing another leak-down test and noticed my testing rig has a leak in it, so the results I posted earlier are null and void at this point. I'll work on getting better results. I got my Durametric laptop working again and logged some data at 680 RPM idle again right after the spirited drive. But for some reason I can't get the after cat reading with Durametric - maybe it's an artifact of DME 5.2.2? Maybe I'll send an email to them. One thing that is a little suspicious below is the ignition timing fluctuating a little, going up above 6 (which is above the factory set points). While long term adaption FRA is within spec, 1.02 +/- 0.04, TRA shows -0.16 which is out of spec by .05, the factory setpoint is 0.00 +/- 0.1
  14. logray
    An inexpensive way to test for a bad AOS There are a lot of indicators for a bad Air Oil Separator. 1. Excessive white smoke out the tail pipes. 2. Excessive vacuum on the oil filler cap, making it very difficult to remove, and once it is off the engine idle will become very rough and might stall. 3. Excessive oil in the tube leading from the AOS to the plenum behind the throttle body, and even excessive oil in the intake plenum. (a light film of oil is considered normal) 4. High pitched screeching noise from the AOS unit itself. Author logray Category Carrera (996) - Common Fixes and Repairs Submitted 08/28/2011 09:40 AM Updated 04/30/2013 09:26 AM
  15. logray
    I get a little clutch noise too, which is perfectly normal for a manual. I've heard that mufflers and cats can sometimes produce a rattling noise. It could be loose hardware holding them on, or you could remove them and shake them around in your hands to see if the same noise is there. If you want to elminate any of the accessory pulleys (such as alternator, water pump, etc) and the noise is constant. On a cold engine, it is safe to remove the accessory belt (serpentine belt) and run the car for 10 or 20 seconds. If the noise happens all the time but when you removed the belt you don't hear them anymore then your problem is with a pulley bearing, shaft, etc. Sometimes it helps to get under the car with it running and put your ear near things (wear safety glasses/gloves). Sometimes it helps to post a brief video of the noise to help others aid diagnosis.
  16. logray
    Unfortunately on my car (M96-01) 1999 engine, I have to remove the camshaft cover in order to replace the one variocam actuator. This is a major pain in the butt (and I have to go through this for the third time in about 3 months soon). Fortunately the cover can be replaced without removing the camshaft cover. You are somewhat lucky you have a newer variocam plus engine, in that I am pretty certain you can just unbolt and re-bolt these parts without worry. But lets get some other opinions on this first. Perhaps you would have to lock the engine at TDC, and possibly in addition at the very worst lock the cam shafts in place with a cam lock tool (but I can't remember this requirement).
  17. logray
    I believe this is for the variocam plus actuators. If the oil was coming out of the green seal area you just need to replace the seal. I believe you can just remove and reinstall these without any issue. P/N 99610524403. If the oil is coming out of the black piece, the actuator, you'll either need 99610530104 or 99610530306, not sure which P/N. I believe the actuators can also be removed/reinstalled without issue. Bolt on/bolt off. Let's get some more people to chime in to be certain about the above before you move forward.
  18. logray
    There are a lot of indicators for a bad Air Oil Separator. 1. Excessive white smoke out the tail pipes. 2. Excessive vacuum on the oil filler cap, making it very difficult to remove, and once it is off the engine idle will become very rough and might stall. 3. Excessive oil in the tube leading from the AOS to the plenum behind the throttle body, and even excessive oil in the intake plenum. (a light film of oil is considered normal) 4. High pitched screeching noise from the AOS unit itself. If you have any of those issues then more than likely your AOS is shot and there is only one solution which is replacement. Proceed with the measurements! However, if you are suspecting a marginally bad AOS or perhaps just validating that your AOS is fine (ruling it out as being bad), there is a very definitive and inexpensive test to determine whether the AOS is the culprit for your poorly running engine. You can use a slack tube manometer to measure the crank case vacuum. These devices are available commercially for around $60 or more, but you can make your own for about $20 or less using some readily available parts from your local hardware store. You might even have some of these materials already on hand. From Home Depot: 1.) 20' of 1/4" inside diameter clear plastic tubing for about $3.00. You actually only need about 4 or 5 feet of tubing and the actual inside diameter doesn't matter much. 2.) $3-10 for various brass hose fittings to adapt the clear tube to a "donor" oil filler cap (the fittings are in the same section as the clear plastic tubing - plumbing and irrigation dept.). If you don't want to get fancy like I did, all you need to buy is one 1/4" by 1/4" barbed hose "coupler" often referred to as a "hose repair kit". It looks like this: 3.) Optionally for ~$7 a simple ball valve so you can start/stop the crank case suction (a good idea if you believe your AOS is bad, you can quickly stop the flow of water before it enters the crank case. Although an ounce of water into the the engine probably wouldn't hurt anything, some people use ATF or even a light weight motor oil (which changes the measurement slightly, not sure if significantly enough though). I chose to use distilled water with a few drops of food coloring). 4.) $2-5 for some epoxy to glue the brass fitting to the oil filler cap. 5.) A donor oil filler cap from Porsche, P/N 99610703552 for about $10 retail. The one I bought came with a new gasket as well. How to build the slack tube manometer. 1.) Take the oil filler cap and drill an appropriately sized hole in the center of the oil cap for the brass tube fitting. For example if you selected 1/4" tubing (the size of tubing should not matter), you can use a bit slightly larger than 1/4" so the barbs will barley fit through the hole with some resistance. The hole should be just large enough so you can snugly fit the hose fitting into the oil filler cap, but not so loose that there is a large gap around the fitting. 2.) Next using water and compressed air clean the oil cap inside and out of plastic shavings or debris. You can use any other method to clean it, the point here is you don't want any debris going into your engine. Then generously epoxy the brass fitting to the oil cap and allow it to dry overnight. You'll see that I got a little fancy and bought a brass fitting that had a threaded end so I could adapt both a cap for when I wasn't using it or the ball valve for the manometer for when I am taking measurements. 3.) Next take about 6' of tubing and affix it to a pole or board so it forms a U at the bottom. There will be about 3' on each side of the U. The actual length of the tubing is not important, but the more tube you have the larger of a measurement you can take (or have more time to stop the flow of liquid should there be extreme vacuum). One side of the tube is open to the air (hence the term slack tube). The other end of the U attaches to the oil filler cap. To attach the tube to the plywood or board I used U nails, but you can get creative (tape/wire/nails/screws/etc.). At the bottom of the board I attached a jar lid so the tube had something to form the U, however this is not important as long as it makes a "U" shape (does not have to be a perfect U). Mark off 1" indicators on the board up to about 12". Instead of making these marks you can also just measure the distance the water is drawn towards the engine after the fact. I've seen some write ups where people just drape the tubing over the side of the engine bay and hold the other end near the oil cap so it forms a U just by gravity alone (if you don't want to get fancy like I did). 4.) Fill the tube with your liquid (I chose distilled water with a little red food coloring). The level of water is not important, but you should have at least 8 inches on either side. This will permit a measurement of up to 16 inches of water which would be a pretty extreme crank case vacuum scenario. I lined up the water level with a starting point at 6" and marked the starting point with a star. 5.) At this point get the car up to operating temperature (about the 8 on the 180 in your temp gauge). Here is a quick video on how this actually works. With the engine idling, you'll see the water move towards the engine once I open the ball valve at the oil filler cap and the pressure between crank case and atmosphere/water stabilizes. Then you'll see it drop back down once I close the ball valve. You need to add the distance the fluid traveled on both sides of the tube or just multiply one side by two in order to get your reading. A normal reading is between 4 and 7 inches of water drawn (I'm sure your elevation has an affect on this, but don't have the formula handy and it probably isn't too significant to worry about). An abnormal reading indicating the AOS is bad or on it's way out would be 9-12 inches or more. The measurement I took was 2.5 inches traveled (multiply by two to get 5" which is normal). The marks made it easy to see quickly where the measurement was, but you could just just mark the before and after measurement and use a ruler or measuring tape after the fact. Thanks to Wayne @ Pelican Parts for information about this diagnosis method located in the following link. http://www.pelicanpa...l_Separator.htm
  19. logray
    0 +/- 6 degrees is normal. The readings should hold steady regardless of RPM. I've seen some readings beyond that, indicating bad sensors, off by a tooth or two, bent sensor pickup flanges, etc. - but the engine still runs fine (all of those conditions should be addressed regardless). I've read that if the values fluctuate that is a sign of IMSB failure, however I don't believe most people would have enough time to use that indicator as a method to prevent or diagnose IMSBF before it happens.... there are "better ways" that have been developed. Why do you ask?
  20. logray
    Ask and you shall receive wvicary. Intake vacuum results at idle (38.5 cm Hg = 15.15 in Hg and steady. Not corrected for elevation, test performed at 1800 feet altitude). I plan to get more readings during different scenarios (sweeps of rpms), but it's too hot to work today in the mid 90's here in Northern California. Crank case vacuum slack tube manometer results (5 inches of water at 680rpm idle). Bank 1 (cyl 1-3) cat converter temperature (idle) [the bank with the soot in the tailpipe]. I don't think my Durametric can log exhaust temps... not sure. Bank 2 (cyl 4-6) cat converter temperature (idle) I apologize for the next set of results. For some reason my Durametric laptop is giving me headaches. I hooked up the PST2 but I couldn't get my screen capture software working so I just took pictures. Ign timing varied between 5 and 9 ish at idle. Of course, if you need more data please let me know!
  21. logray
    Since you have a Boxster I would go with the larger Motorsports version.
  22. logray
    These might be interesting reading for you... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-996-997-forum/571188-i-eliminated-my-aos.html http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/09-ENGINE-Air_Oil_Separator/09-ENGINE-Air_Oil_Separator.htm
  23. logray
    As for measuring the vacuum I can certainly do that however I would believe that since the intake plenum is shared between banks then if there was a problem with the new (third) AOS I've installed should it manifest itself in bank 2 as well? Or perhaps are you saying the proximity of the AOS to bank 1 means it would in theory see more oil than bank 2 if that were the problem? The timing is as good as I could get it by setting the engine at TDC via crank pulley lock pin, then adjusting the cams so the marks lined up with the cam cover. I did not use split overlap method nor did I have a genuine timing tool. However I believe it is very close. Also, issue was present prior to the major work, however I'm not discounting the timing could have been off prior to that (however I did verify timing marks before I opened the engine the first time, but did not use a "timing tool" to insert to see if it was closer to perfect than I got it). bank 1 before engine removal (with 75k on the clock, presumably set by the factory) bank 2 before engine removal
  24. logray
    +1 to Loren's comment!
  25. logray
    wvicary - It's a thought but I think that vent line actually connects directly into the throttle body? So I think I should see the problem manifest in both banks. .........news flash......... :angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry: Could this be related to timing and/or a faulty variocam actuator? Reason being, shortly after I reinstalled the eninge, I had a P1531. The solenoid/actuator failed to activate using Durametric. The solenoid read near 0 ohms with the multi meter. So I dropped the engine again and replaced the solenoid with a used unit. After 500 miles hooked up the Durametric and P1531 was stored, but hasn't set the CEL yet. Cleared it, took it for a drive, P1531 set again. Sh**. Pardon me. This is getting silly. :cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing: So, out comes the mutli meter again. The "used" solenoid I put in ohms out fine now. Swapped cam positions sensors between banks. (PITA) P1531 (174) code still sets after it's cleared. What's strange though is now I can activate both banks and the idle changes noticeably. Too bad I don't have a newer Motronic, I could monitor actual angles as well. Checked the wiring and it is good (in fact I even did some repairs to it after second the engine drop, noticed one of the wires was kinked so I spliced and re-soldered VERY carefully (I do a lot of soldering). So I am thinking the actuator is faulty at this point??? Perhaps it has been marginal for a long time and is either sticking either open or closed and hasn't been actuating as it should. Maybe this causes a difference in timing, perhaps leading to slightly different valve opening/closing resulting in less than 100% fuel burn off leading to soot in all of bank 1? Grasping with that theory I suppose. Or perhaps the used solenoid I installed was also bad or on it's way out. On a 3.4L does anyone know if the DME is smart enough to disable variocam actuation on both banks if it sees a cam activation issue.. to support my theory above ? BACK into the engine again after I source some more PARTS. Yay.
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