Check Engine Light code 0306

[masterbm]

All,

Just a quick heads-up and endorsement. . .

Had the classic problem:

Left town for a couple weeks, '99 Boxster c 120K miles exposed to a cold Midwestern chill in my absence. When I came back, car started up immediately, ran fine for 5 mins. Then I lost a cylinder: clunky vibration when accelerating, lost some power, smelled gas, engine sound with a deep cough. Check engine light came on resulting in OBD code 0306 among others, though the codes seemed to fluctuate at times. 0306 came up the most consistently. Leaving the car alone for a few days resulted in a repeat of the phenomenon: normal engine function for a few minutes, followed by all symptoms of cylinder loss. . .

THANKS TO THIS BOARD I wasn't so worried. Other people with the exact same story as mine had discovered that the problem was most likely associated with busted plugs/coils. NOT an 02 sensor. NOT a damaged cylinder. Despite what some of the codes might say.

Took the car in to the shop. Mechanic said he wanted to replace 02 sensor. Thanks to this board, I told him not to, and to just replace the plugs, etc.

PROBLEM SOLVED, CEL is off, car's doing great, and I saved myself hundreds of dollars.

Thanks to all who contribute. I'll be making an extra donation after I finish this post.