Question about OBDII Scanner

[borgein]

Hello

Last night i was out driving (it was very very moist, lots of rain/water and snow on the roads) and my Engine Check light suddenly started to blink a few times and then it stayed lit permanently. I noticed the car also got a little bit more "sluggish". My oil levels are fine, the engine temperature is fine, no leaks, my gas tank is almost full and the car starts fine.

I have had some problems earlier with some rough idling when in Park (it's a TipTronic) and the engine has died out when idle 2-3 times in the last months. I have ignored this because the engine has been just fine otherwise.

It's christmas time now, and i need to do alot of driving. I need to drive home to my family (4-5 hours drive) for xmas eve and such, and i need to know if i can use the Boxster or not.

The car is a german 1997 Boxster 2.5 Tiptronic.

I have been looking at OBDII Scanners, and i called a local guy here that sells them for a decent price so i can go and pick one up now. But he was not sure if the OBDII Scanner he sold would work on the Boxster.

The scanner is this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OBD-II-OBD2...omotiveQ5fTools

Does anyone know if that OBDII Scanner works on the Boxster?

[jmatta]

I have a similar scanner...it will read generic codes, but will not read the Porsche specific ones. If you want to do it yourself, I would purchase the "Durametric" software: http://www.durametric.com/

Though it is not inexpensive, it may prove to save you money in the long run.

[mikefocke]

Ignoring CEL lights is not wise

unless you know the codes behind the CEL and you know how important they are and if they are ignorable.

Before I'd take a trip in a CEL'ed car, I'd get the codes read. I use an Actron code reader/scanner to do this. While it doesn't clear some unique to Porsche codes (like the airbag light grounding report), it does read and clear the general codes that are important. It also costs 1/4 of the Durametric s/w and doesn't need a laptop.

You do not need to buy a reader if you are near a auto parts store that will lend you one for just long enough to read the codes and record them. Then you go looking online to see what they really mean as "P1138" may be all that displays and you'll need an English explanation of what could cause the code and the approach to figuring out which one it is and fixing it. Then you fix the problem and go back to the shop, reborrow the reader and get the code turned off. Then drive a while to see if the problem is really cured.

more here

[borgein]

Well i went and bought that OBD-II unit and got the errorcode. It was error P0303 which means Misfire detected on cylinder 3.

Considering that it was extremely wet on the roads when the error popped up, i guess i might have some faulty sparkplug wires or broken coil covers or something similar. I erased the code and drove like 10 miles after and the error has not comed back yet. I could just be a worn sparkplug too i guess.

The car runs just as it has always done now... I also poured some condensation-remover in my gas tank.

I'll just see if the error comes back, and check my ignition wiring the next time i have the chance to have the car up on a lifter.

[wvicary]

Check for cracks on the ignition coil bodies. Do not drive the vehicle if the check engine light is flashing as serious damage could be done to the emission systems.