mobileops

Please tell me what you think. Car is 5 months old, I think I filled it up approximately 3 months ago for the first time since I purchased it.. Today was driving just fine on a longer drive than normal (40 miles in a trip rather than 2-3 miles around town). engine hesitates, then I get "engine fault - ok to drive - consult service" pops up. After that, I can tell when the engine revs between 1-2K there is stuttering. I go immediately to my local shell, fill up the car with 93, and when I turn the car back on, engine picture is gone.

Since then, seems to be driving ok, but I swear it doesn't feel as fast. And when I really crank it, the PDK feels like its staying at a higher rev than normal. Sounds normal, but doesn't pull the same. If some of the cylinders were deactivated due to a bad coil or something, wouldn't the engine light stay on? I think there is a little more variation in the engine rev than normal as well when the car is on and in park.

Probably will bring it in, but what do you think?

Best,
Justin

Bob Z.

Conrods!!!


just kidding

sobiloff

With as little mileage as you're putting on the vehicle it's quite likely that the gas is getting old and/or some water has collected in the tank, causing problems. If you plan to continue this level of (non-)operation you need to be using fuel stabilizer. It won't fix the bad gas that's already in your tank, but it'll prevent the good 93 you just put in from turning bad, too. I'm a fan of Sta-bil 360, but most perform similarly. A bottle of HEET water remover might not be a bad precaution, either.

mobileops

Thank you. Good advice. I’m gonna drive this entire tank full this week. Then stabilizer…

MTB_KAB

I hope all is good with your car, but I honestly have to ask, but how do you have a brand new Spider and only drive one tank of fuel in 5 months?

I would have done 5 tanks in the first weekend. You must have a garage full of other beauties or a whole lot more patience than I do.

TXshaggy

Gas is fine after 3 months; nor should water in the tank be a problem unless you’re keeping it in unusual conditions.

In your story why did you feel like you had to mention that you drove direct to a Shell to put 93 octane in? Was it running out of gas, do you normally put in less than premium?

Faults are stored, take it to your dealer and describe the problem for analysis.

Dr.Bill

It's been at least 20 years since modern fuels needed stabilizers.
Now, maybe if storing for 6 months or more.

Have the dealer check the codes. Could just be some sensor error.

mobileops

I live in a winter climate. So the car was in the garage. I also work in a city, don’t drive it to work.

I mentioned the fuel brand and octane just to be as specific as possible. The car had 1/3rd tank remaining, previously filled with 93.

Dan Nagy

It could simply be the gas cap wasn’t secured properly the last time it was filled. vibration from you last trek may have been enough to loosen it a bit.

Make sure it is tightened. Sometimes a gas cap replacement is needed if a bad one was installed. I had that issue on my 991.2, made sure to always have it threaded and tightened properly, and never had the issue again.

I wouldn’t worry about it unless it happens again.

mobileops

thanks to all. The engine felt like it was stuttering, so not sure it was the gas cap, as this might explain the light but not the performance issues. Drove the car another 45 miles today and no issues. Crossing my fingers that event was one and done.

UncleDude

Hmm, I’d take it in. two guys had similar “symptoms” in the sub forum.

ttcbj

FWIW, I had a Miata that I didn’t drive for a full year during the pandemic. It killed the battery, but the gas was fine. No stabilizers or anything. That makes me skeptical of the gas explanation.

Body In White

I’ll do you one better, I had a few Pcars in storage for 2.5 years with full tanks. ‘Pulled them out of storage in Jan and tested the gas — the octane rating was essentially unchanged. I ran through the tanks (at a moderate pace) without issue and only really noticed a drop in MPG. Modern fuels seem to be quite robust.

Liste-Renn

I had my 997 GTS sit in my SoCal storage facility for 23 months due to Covid and other issues that prevented me from driving it.

in June, I flatbedded it to an indy shop and had the fuel intake system flushed and cleaned.
Since the fuel in the tank (stored full of Chevron 91 octane) smelled OK and a sample looked normal in a glass jar- I decided to drive it rather than drain the tank and find a facility to accept bad gas (really hard in LA county).
With a bit of trepidation, I drove 150 miles (1/2 tank) with no issues, filled up the tank and then drove another 150 miles.
Surprisingly, it all worked out with no Engine Fault lights, misfires, or rough idle.