zenithblue993

So i was driving down the road coming up to a light (after some spirited driving) and the check engine light came on. The car sound normal and actually it was performing better then usual I assumed because of the cooler air out.

I parked it in the garage and checked the engine nothing looked out of place..

The next day I just turned on the car, ran the codes and it came up with P0410

Searching it seems SAI or CEL. But a lot of the old threads I've read people are experiencing more then one code. For me only one code came up.

Im at 51k miles with no previous sai or cel cleaning done on the car.

I found this article if it is the problem: http://www.kronowit.com/porsches/sai-flush.html

Is it safe to drive ? Or should it be taken care of immediately.

Thanks for any input!

71-3.0-911

Safe to drive. Only really an issue for emissions depending on where you live.

zenithblue993

Oh I see. Ya I live in Florida so it doesn't matter at all. Do you think the problem is cel or Sai? If it's a clogg I might as well fix it.

nine9six

You are getting a CEL (check engine light) due to an issue with the SAI system. (P0410 code)

Symptoms
Check Engine Light will illuminate

In many cases, no abnormal symptoms may be noticed
In some cases, the engine may hesitate on acceleration

Common Problems That Trigger the P0410 Code
Defective Air Pump Check Valve(s)
Faulty Air Pump or Air Pump Relay
Faulty air control solenoids or vacuum lines
System may be restricted or plugged with carbon

Common Misdiagnoses
Air Pump Check Valves function, but are slightly restricted
Air Pump is replaced when the relay is the problem
Parts are replaced when the the system is restricted or plugged with carbon

P0410 Diagnostic theory for Shops and Technicians

When a code P0410 is set, the PCM is not seeing the front oxygen sensor voltage drop sufficiently when the Air Pump is supposed to be adding outside air in to the exhaust system to burn off the excessive HCs and CO that are created during the cold start of an engine. One should test the system with a data streaming scan tool, during a stone cold start up of the engine. Some scan tools provide the Technician methods to test the Secondary Air System or SAS when the vehicle is already warmed up, but this feature is not present on all scan tools.

Cold start the vehicle and watch the front oxygen sensor(s) on the scan tool data stream. After about 5-10 seconds, you should hear the secondary air pump start, it actually sounds like a vacuum cleaner running under the hood. Just as the Air Pump kicks in, the front oxygen sensor(s) voltage should go to less than .125 volts ( 125 millivolts ). If this does not happen, then you have verified a fault condition in the SAS or Secondary Air System.
If you do not hear the Air Pump Motor start, then check the SAS Air Pump and relay.
If you hear the motor, inspect the components that control the Air delivery such as the Check Valve Solenoid, the Check Valve and the rubber hoses, metal piping and passages.

NoRush993/951

I've read that the check valve should be replaced as preventative maintenance every 30k. Maybe everybody could chime in on how long this check valve can reasonably be expected to last.

TJ993

In addition to nine9six stated your test results depend on what you used to test the car.

To do a proper test you need the right scanner.
A Generic tester may only record one code.

A Bosch Hammer 0r PIWIS scanner will provide more accurate error codes.
If the issue is SAI then its likely 2 codes will be generated.

I suggest you Test the Car with a Porsche Scanner then update us on your results

nine9six

You can add a PST-2 to the list of diagnostic devices that will adequately scan and report Porsche codes. A good indy shop will have one of these three devices, and not charge an arm and a leg for a scan.