Cayenne with lots of problems gathered over a few years!

[thewhirls]

Hi All,

Before i start - great forum, i've been a spectator for a while!

I have a 2003 Cayenne S ( pic attached )and have the following problems which gathered over the years, these are -

* Oil temp / level sender problem which results in engine too hot message displayed, i've had changed the level sender and the temp sender, interestingly the oil temp gauge on the dash is extremely erratic sometimes but generally just slowly rises into the red, sits there for a minute or two then returns to zero and stays there.

* The car shifts into neutral on its own whilst in motion - This has happened 3 times in 3 years but twice last week. The transfer box is changing into neutral on it's own - i've noticed before it happens the red light on the 4wd system button thing on the centre consul flashes, then it just goes into neutral. I stop the car without switching the engine off and flip the off road selector thing backwards, this re-engages drive.

* The other problem i have is that the car shudders when i accelerate at low revs which i believe is common. It's just had 8 new coil packs but although better the shudder is still there.

The car is purely a 2nd car for us now but my family travel in it so i do want it sorted, unfortunately in live in a very secluded area of the UK and really need to travel to a specialist however this is something i will do in the next couple of weeks, my problem being i doubt if they can fix the problem in one day ( which is all i will have )

Any pointers / advice will be greatly appreciated!

Rob

[wvicary]

Oil Temp issue is something I have not heard of before but would suspect a wiring issue or poor connection at a junction block/plug. These type of faults are sometimes very difficult to pinpoint.

Are you sure it's the transfer box and not the transmission thats engaging neutral? There should be no shudder at any revs and that could be a sign of a failing stepper motor. I believe there was a updated part issued for early models.

Also the battery/charging system needs to be in perfect condition or these vehicles will exhibit all sorts of odd issues. Do you use a battery maintainer when the vehicle is not in use?

[thewhirls]

Thanks for the reply, the battery is only a few months old.

I believe the temp problem could be a wiring issue, it's almost like something is arking the way the meter reads.

I think it's the transfer box as when i lost drive, i stopped and flipped the 4WD switch backwards and heard a crunching noise leading me to believe the gearbox was still in drive. Once i placed the gearbox in neutral i could flip the 4WD system switch backwards with no crunch.

What is a stepper motor?