mdreef

Hello Jack and everyone else, I'm in the same exact position with my 2001 996 Cabriolet and I'm getting desperate. The problem started when I got a CEL indicating no voltage at Bank 1 post cat o2 sensor. I replaced it, and since then, I haven't been able to get the car to fire. It started for about 2 seconds and died. It all seems too coincidental. I thought I might as well replace parts, as I have 150k miles on the clock. I have replaced the following: Fuel Pump Fuel Pump Relay Fuel Filter Ignition Switch Crankshaft Position Sensor Battery Bank 1 post cat o2 sensor The MAF has about 30k miles on it. I disconnected it to replace the o2 sensor and I thought maybe the harness got damaged, but I read that unplugging the MAF would put the DME in a default program, so I don't believe that's it. The fuses are all good. I tested for spark and confirmed spark. I can hear the fuel pump running when I jump the relay. The car cranks well but no fire. I have an Autel 2-way computer, and when I ran an active test of the fuel pump relay, I got a message stating "no voltage" so the test failed. That leads me to believe that something is keeping the pump from coming on, confirmed by the fact that I don't hear the pump running when I try to start the car. What could be causing a no voltage situation at the fuel pump relay when there's voltage when jumped? Jack, did you ever figure out your problem? Has anyone else run into this situation and/or have any advice? Thanks in advance!

I have a feeling the vacuum leak would keep the system from creating a vacuum in the reservoir, which is required for the change over valve and shutoff valve to work. I went ahead and ordered a new upper tube and will post an update if this takes care of it.

The plastic debris in your filter does look like guide rail material because of the color, but if it's soft, then JFP might be right about it possibly being sealant. The color, however, doesn't look like sealant. Last year I replaced the guide rails and know what it took to get it done. I can't believe that anyone would be able to perform this major job with the engine in the car, although I did read that it's possible. I'm surprised that your cam deviation didn't set-off a CEL. Mine came on with a 6 degree deviation. I had a quote from a shop in Houston and they wanted over $2,500 because it's a pretty big job. Good luck!

One additional thought for my CEL is that I noticed the clip that connects the upper AOS tube (#5 in the diagram) to the AOS is broken. This means that the o-ring is likely not making a positive seal. Could this be the cause of a vacuum leak that would affect the SAI system?

Hello thom4782 - you probably no longer own your 986, but I'm hopeful you might share what the problem ended up being and how you resolved it, as I'm experiencing the same issues. I've replaced every single component of my SAI system but my CEL continues to come on with the same P0410 and P1411 Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the clarification - I hope your investment pays off for you - which for me sounds like I might be in for another big project if it fixes your problem. Thanks again!

I have a 2001 996 Cabriolet with 140,000 miles and I continue to love my weekend driver. However, I've been fighting CEL P0410 and P1411 for months! In fact, my state inspection is due soon and I'd like to get this resolved once and for all. With the exception of the SAI pump, which is still operational, I have gradually replaced every component associated with the Secondary Air Injection System. I thought I was in the clear after driving over 800 miles without the CEL, which I achieved by finally replacing the vacuum reservoir, which was leaking. I replaced all vacuum lines, rubber elbows, Y connectors, electronic change over valves, check valves, shutoff valve, EVERYTHING! As part of other CEL crisis situations I also replaced the AOS, the camshaft position sensors, timing chain guide rails, catalytic converters, o2 sensors, and a number of other sensors while I was in there. The past couple of days I noticed that during a cold start the engine would start normally, except it would immediately rev down once to almost stall and then stabilize to normal warm-up RPMs. I didn't think anything of it until my friends CEL P0410 and P1411 came back! I cleared them and then the next cold start the CEL came back immediately. Usually the CEL registers after driving over 60 miles, which causes me to wonder why it was immediate this time. I sure hope that I don't need to pull the engine again to perform the recommended "cleaning" by MagnusO's mechanical team. Does anyone agree with their recommended solution? I'm a bit suspicious of it because the openings through which air is supposed to flow are pretty big, and it would take a great deal of carbon build-up to clog them up - am I wrong? That's just my thought, but if it is indeed the cause, then I supposed that's the only thing left for me to do. I will pray for someone to reply with a better solution (PLEASE!) I've thought about the SAI delete option recommended by DBjoe996 but I'd like to keep my car as stock as possible. Thank you for your guidance everyone!

I read about people not completely engaging the coil connections, so I was very careful about that. I think Schnell's scenario is the most likely. I'll try to switch them and report back. The new coils are actually a tiny bit larger so I had to add spacers so the heat shields didn't hit them. Thanks for your support. Without your help I would not have done this job!

worked all weekend to get the engine back in the car and it started beautifully after letting it crank for oil circulation. I let it idle for a bit and shut it off to continue assembly of axles and body parts. I was thrilled it started and sounded so well. Then came the test drive and upon going into gear I got a blinking CEL P0300, P0301, P0304. Part of this project was to replace my coil packs, which I did with BERU 997-602-107-02 coils. The first thing I noticed was that part numbers were for 997 models, which caused me to worry and do some research. It looks like they were upgraded at some point - but could this possibly the source of the multiple missfires? Is there any way to mix-up and install the wiring harnesses incorrectly? It doesn't look like it to me, as they clearly have different relationships. I also thought that maybe O2 sensors got mixed up, but that's not possible either. I cleared the codes and now am only getting P0302 (cyl.2). any ideas? On another note, I screwed something up with shift linkage because I can no longer get reverse. That's anoying! Thank for your guidance along the way!

So I replaced the actuator chain pads (both banks). I used the timing tool and aligned each cam as indicated and able to turn the crankshaft clockwise 6 times (each bank). Does that confirm that timing is correct? Now... is there a way to check for oil leaks from cam covers before I put the engine back in the car?

Yeah, good idea, thanks!

Just pulled out spark plugs and found a significant amount of carbon deposits on piston #1. Before I started this job (actuator pad replacement) the car ran perfectly except for cam deviation fault. Again 135,000 miles so maybe to be expected. There was no ticking/clicking, etc... So....the question then is, should I go deeper by going into the head?

Perfect timing, as I'll be doing this project today. Does anyone know/have torque settings for actuator bolts, oil pumps, and ignition coils? I found conflicting information of 10Nm or 14Nm for the cam covers - has anyone been able to confirm? Thank you!

Thanks dporto, I'll give this a shot!

Good advice - thank you! Now...I have read in several posts about using reverse thread bolts to release tension from the variocam actuators. Does anyone know what size and thread pattern the bolts should be? Also, where on earth do you find a reverse thread bolt? Are these common?