P1341 - *can* it just be sticky / undriven car

[CarlOrton]

Hi, All;

 

Sorry for the clunky title.

 

I picked up my new-to-me 2001 C2 996 on Sept 28th.

 

47.712 miles on it. 6-speed.

 

At about 47,750, the CEL came on with P1341.  Indy shop used by the selling dealer said, "they all do that", reset it, and said that for it to be really fixed it would be about $3000.

 

Seemed to run for awhile.  CEL P1341 came on again at 47,941. About 100 miles since last illumination.

 

I reset it.

 

Came on again at 48,124 - about 170 miles this time.

 

The car has only driven about 2000 miles in 3 years.  Is it possible that it's just a bit sticky?  No idea what oil is in it.  I've researched just about all venues, and some guys say they reset them and it will be good for 18 months or more.

 

The techs at MY indy shop have checked the wiring/connections for corrosion, etc. PIWIS shows cam variance/deviation of 3.5 - 4 degrees, well within spec.  When it *does* go out, it's only a degree or so higher, but still under the 6 degrees. (a bit fuzzy here - it's possible it was 6.5 degrees, but shop says 7 deg is the max.).  When it *does* exceed variance, it's only for a second or two, then right back into compliance.

 

Replace the solenoid/acutator, or try my luck by driving it hard (like I've been doing all along)?

 

Thank for your collective insight;

Carl

[JFP in PA]

Welcome to RennTech :welcome:

 

The limit is +/- 6 degrees.  P1341 indicates that the cam angle on bank 1 is either out of range or that it cannot read it (plausibility).  As for the comment that "they all do it", that is nonsense.  You either have a cam sensor on the way out, the actuator solenoid is problematic, or the VarioCam unit itself is bad.  I would test the sensor and consider replacing the solenoid if the sensor is good.  In any case, beating the crap out of the car is not going to fix it.

[DBJoe996]

Agree...driving it hard when the engine is telling you something is wrong is not going to fix a problem!  Since you have access to someone with PIWIS, you need to actuate the bank one VarioCam solenoid and test it, and monitor the cam sensor.  Agree with JFP, either a cam sensor, actuator or VarioCam unit itself.  Also, since you said you don't even know what oil is in it, do yourself a favor and change the oil/filter so you do know exactly what is in it.  Your taking a $15-$20k risk (replacement engine) and I don't understand why you would do that....but hey, it's your car and your money.

[CarlOrton]

Thanks for the replies.  I've decided to replace the solenoid/actuator.  Shop says everything else is in great condition and nothing else is needed at this point.

 

Now, some explanation as to my original post.  The great thing about the 'net is that you can obtain lots of information in a relatively short span of time. The challenge is to sort it out so that it means something. I've been a Mopar dealership tech back when things were fun (think Hemi Cuda's, RoadRunners, GTX's, etc), so I'm comfortable with things mechanical. I'll also be the first to admit that I don't know the ins and outs of a 996, so I'll just ask questions - no dumb question, right?

 

Part of the problem is that you have lots of folks just chiming in without really understanding the issue, or without even owning a Porsche (not in this thread, fortunately).  In my ignorant understanding of Porsches, I could see how an infrequently-driven vehicle *might* have a little varnish or something creating an occasional solenoid issue.  Everyone (yeah, pretty much everyone) says to drive 'em hard in order to keep the IMS awash in oil, and to keep the revs above 2-3000 rpm. When I see the interval between CEL occurrences increasing each time, you can see where I'd think that things were loosening up.  When I was building my airplane, the discussion boards were full of folks saying "that won't work" even though the kit mfr said to do it a certain way. We finally had to go to a forum system where you had to be "approved" for membership in order to weed-out those with good intentions, but with zero specific knowledge, or those who have never even flown, let alone built their own plane.

 

Thanks again for your advice. Will also be changing the oil and installing a magnetic plug.

 

Carl

PS: dunno why my avatar is not showing up.