Check engine light flashing

[jfoxny]

I took the boxster (2005 987 w/~38k miles) out of the garage last weekend to wash it and everything seemed fine. I put the car back in the garage and left it for about a week.

I went to take it out this weekend and the check engine light came on at start-up and is flashing. The car didn't seem to start up with the usual explosiveness and it smelled a bit like burnt metal. I know that without the scan code there's not too much that can be said. However, I figured I'd put it out there and see what people thought. It sounds like it's not safe to drive based on what the owner's manual has to say, so, I guess I'll have to have it towed to the dealer. :-/

I also had been experiencing some blue smoke on start up, but, I figured that was par for the course and always cleared up after few moments.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Jason

Edited January 26, 2010 by jfoxny

[Loren]

Correct - do not drive a car with a flashing CEL. It will damage the cats.

Without reading the fault code(s) it is hard to tell.

[jfoxny]

Correct - do not drive a car with a flashing CEL. It will damage the cats.

Without reading the fault code(s) it is hard to tell.

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, that's what I figured, so, I had the car towed to the dealer this morning. They just called me and thankfully nothing is wrong - FHEW!

The dealer said that there were a few misfires and that he thought it might have been caused by the car getting "loaded up" when I pulled it out of the garage to wash it and then pulled it back in without driving it. I'm not exactly sure what he meant by "loaded up," but, I figured he meant that the engine didn't get a chance to properly burn off the fuel or something of that sort. Thoughts?

The dealer also noticed, while looking into the issue, that the seal between the motor and the transmission is leaking. Is that is the notorious "RMS failure?" Luckily it's covered under warranty but it will take a few days to fix. :-(

Jason

Edited January 26, 2010 by jfoxny

[1schoir]

Correct - do not drive a car with a flashing CEL. It will damage the cats.

Without reading the fault code(s) it is hard to tell.

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, that's what I figured, so, I had the car towed to the dealer this morning. They just called me and thankfully nothing is wrong - FHEW!

The dealer said that there were a few misfires and that he thought it might have been caused by the car getting "loaded up" when I pulled it out of the garage to wash it and then pulled it back in without driving it. I'm not exactly sure what he meant by "loaded up," but, I figured he meant that the engine didn't get a chance to properly burn off the fuel or something of that sort. Thoughts?

The dealer also noticed, while looking into the issue, that the seal between the motor and the transmission is leaking. Is that is the notorious "RMS failure?" Luckily it's covered under warranty but it will take a few days to fix. :-(

Jason

Jason:

You are correct in your guess about the meaning of "loaded up".

There is no seal between the motor and the transmission. Rather, the RMS is on the face of the engine itself, as is the IMS flange and its seal. However, a leak in either one of these will come out of the point at which the transmission and engine mate.

It's probably a really good idea for you to be present when they pull the transmission off so that you can see for yourself what is causing the leak and thus make sure that it is dealt with correctly.

Regards, Maurice.

[phillipj]

And to make sure that it's leaking at all.. :o Dealers love to replace RMS seals under warranty B) Porsche pays through the nose for it and they won't question an RMS failure.

[jfoxny]

Well, I received some good news and some bad news regarding the RMS job. The bad news is that I need a new clutch. Apparently the clutch is just about worn down to the bolts. The good news is since it's the same work to get to the clutch as it is to get to the RMS and the RMS is covered under warranty I don't have to pay the usual 8-9 hours of labor. So, regardless of whether or not they were not being forthright about the RMS failure, at least it saved me some money on the clutch repair. Of course, they could also have been lying about the clutch, though, they said they'd keep it to show it to me (and of course there's no way to prove the clutch they show me is my clutch, but, the conspiracy can't run that deep... or can it! =-O).

Got any advice for breaking in a new clutch?

Thanks,

Jason

Edited January 29, 2010 by jfoxny

[phillipj]

Not unusual for the dealer to want to replace your clutch after claiming that you had a "leaking" RMS.... :angry:

Funny how they always seem to find a leaking RMS... They tried that one on me.. When I showed up at the dealer insisting that the tech show me the leak it mysteriously went away ... Then they said there was no leak. :huh: They realized I knew way too much about these cars and changed the story. I'm sure they would have recommended a new clutch as well.. :angry:

Anyway don't get me started on dealers.... <_<

But with the mileage on your car you could be due for a clutch (depending on how you drive..)

Never heard of any special way to "break in" a new clutch. Just be "nice" to it and it should last another 40k miles or more.......

:cheers:

Edited January 29, 2010 by phillipj

[jfoxny]

But with the mileage on your car you could be due for a clutch (depending on how you drive..)

Never heard of any special way to "break in" a new clutch. Just be "nice" to it and it should last another 40k miles or more.......

The new clutch feels waaaay different than the old one in a good way, so, I don't doubt it was ready for it. Plus two people owned it before me, so, who knows how they drove it. :-/ Thanks for the reply!

Jason