911 Targa in trouble

[Nima Alizadeh]

I own a 2002 911 Targa 6Sp with 65k miles.

Engine was rebuilt 3 years ago with 50k miles due to a broken tension-er arm in the engine.

I store the car in my parents house in the bay area and live in Southern California.

when i come up every 2-3 weeks, i start the car and take it for a spin.

 

This past week, i took it out and drove it from Livermore to San Jose; on the way, the gas light came on.  And i drove for another 10 miles or so...

When getting on an on-ramp on highway 85, i was accelerating quickly (had foot on the gas) and something happened ... the engine started losing power...

 

I pulled over to the side of the freeway... the engine turned off... i re-started and it worked (but not smoothly) and then it died again....

Oil pressure was at 5...

 

I had the car towed; put 2 gallons of gas and started again.. but had same issues.. did not work right... smell of gas etc.

 

Can anyone tell me if this is a case of 'bad/dirty gas being pulled into the fuel pump/filter' causing this issue?

Or could it be some more serious engine issue?

 

thanks for your help

 

 

[DBJoe996]

So basically you ran your car out of gas, it died for lack of fuel, and then you put 2 gallons of gas in and it won't run right.  Why did you not fill up the tank?  What octane and how old was the 2 gallons of gas you put in the tank? Possible problems - all the sediment in the bottom of your tank clogged up the fuel filter and maybe got past the filter and clogged up your injectors; the fuel pump depends on fuel for  lubrication and now your fuel pump doesn't work right; or, you need to fill up the tank and run the engine for a bit because when it ran out of fuel it confused the DME by creating a very lean condition and it is now trying to compensate by setting a very rich mixture.  Fill up and reset the DME by disconnecting the battery negative terminal for 10-15 minutes.  Following all that, do an E-gas calibration.  Turn ignition key to on (but not start).  Wait one minute, turn key off then back on to start.  CEL on or any codes thrown?

Edited October 10, 2017 by DBJoe996

[Nima Alizadeh]

thank you so much DBjoe996!!

 

CEL is on!

i havent checked for codes yet..

if i turned the car on, it works and after a minute or 2 the CEL starts blinking (which i know is bad)..

 

the car was about 50 miles from my parents house when this happened and i live in LA... so i had the car towed to the AAA yard... and it was Sunday so mechanic shop was closed and i had to leave for LA in the morning..

So i had AAA put in the 2 Gallons.. and was hoping it wold fix the issue so i could take it to the gas station and drive it home,,, but it didn't help.. the car would come on but would not work right.. so i had them tow it to my parents house and left it in the garage....

 

in order to do what you are saying i need to tow the car to a gas-station ;; or is it necessary to completely fill-up? 

I will be driving up in 2 weeks and will definitely follow your instructions and update here.

thank you so much for your help

 

Edited October 10, 2017 by Nima Alizadeh

[Nima Alizadeh]

On 10/10/2017 at 5:20 AM, DBJoe996 said:

So basically you ran your car out of gas, it died for lack of fuel, and then you put 2 gallons of gas in and it won't run right.  Why did you not fill up the tank?  What octane and how old was the 2 gallons of gas you put in the tank? Possible problems - all the sediment in the bottom of your tank clogged up the fuel filter and maybe got past the filter and clogged up your injectors; the fuel pump depends on fuel for  lubrication and now your fuel pump doesn't work right; or, you need to fill up the tank and run the engine for a bit because when it ran out of fuel it confused the DME by creating a very lean condition and it is now trying to compensate by setting a very rich mixture.  Fill up and reset the DME by disconnecting the battery negative terminal for 10-15 minutes.  Following all that, do an E-gas calibration.  Turn ignition key to on (but not start).  Wait one minute, turn key off then back on to start.  CEL on or any codes thrown?

 

[Nima Alizadeh]

dear DBJoe996,

 

So i arrived in northern california this morning; followed your instructions... 10 Gallons of 91 Gas... disconnected the battery, did the e-gas calibration.... first time the car turned on, did not work smooth, but not as bad as before so i became hopeful; left it on for a few minutes.. then it turned off... i repeated this process again... and the 3rd time, the engine would not come on at all...

 

What do you think?

[DBJoe996]

Go to the nearest auto parts store and buy an OBDII reader for less than $50.  Plug it in the OBDII port and read the codes that have caused the CEL to come on, and blink.  Hopefully that will tell you exactly what is wrong.  Post code(s) and we will try to help you track down the issue(s).  The engine does not have to be running to read the codes, just turn the ignition switch to ON, the first position.

Edited October 21, 2017 by DBJoe996

[DBJoe996]

Many things come to mind: fuel pump, fuel pump relay, clogged filter sock on fuel pump, MAF sensor, faulty crankshaft position sensor, low battery voltage (since it is stored for weeks)...it would really help to know things like recent maintenance, spark plugs, coil packs and so on...

[DBJoe996]

One other thing came to mind besides what I mentioned above.  A faulty fuel pressure regulator can cause the symptoms you described.  Once you get the CEL codes post them up.

[wyovino]

What everyone said above plus you should be using 93 octane.