Notices
964 Forum 1989-1994
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Losing power.......occasionally

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 09-17-2018, 06:32 PM
  #1  
nirich
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
 
nirich's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posts: 423
Likes: 0
Received 41 Likes on 22 Posts
Question Losing power.......occasionally

I have an intermittent problem with my 964, it stumbles and wont rev after about an hour's driving. It starts first time when hot or cold. The first time it happened was on the motorway at 100kph when it stumbled and started losing power and by the time i had got over to the shoulder and headed for the next exit (about 700m ) it suddenly went back to normal and i drove the remaining 70km home. Second time was similar, about an hour's drive, stumbled for several hundred meters, then back to normal again.

Any suggestions on where to start looking?
Old 09-17-2018, 06:42 PM
  #2  
Spyerx
Rennlist Member
 
Spyerx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 16,485
Received 1,730 Likes on 1,058 Posts
Default

Fuel pump?
Old 09-17-2018, 11:45 PM
  #3  
mark lintott
Rennlist Member
 
mark lintott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Taipei,Taiwan ROC
Posts: 379
Received 25 Likes on 19 Posts
Default

DME relay - they do this when they get hot sometimes. Al;ways carry a spare..!
Mark
Old 09-18-2018, 05:21 AM
  #4  
John McM
Rennlist Member
 
John McM's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Auckland, New Zealand.
Posts: 13,206
Received 567 Likes on 339 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by mark lintott
DME relay - they do this when they get hot sometimes. Al;ways carry a spare..!
Mark
DME is certainly the first thing to swap out. I’d also look at the coils.
Old 09-18-2018, 09:08 AM
  #5  
Goughary
Race Car
 
Goughary's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: fairfield, CT
Posts: 4,821
Likes: 0
Received 395 Likes on 262 Posts
Default

This is a great article on the dme relay.

http://philipraby.co.uk/porsche-data...ays-explained/

Just an fyi.

But for sure, all of us should have a dme relay in the glove box. If for no other reason than so when your buddy w a 964 who doesn't use rennlist can't start his car, at least YOU have one to get him going again...lol.

And check coils as was mentioned. Those are the first two places to look for intermittent power loss / engine cutoff.

Fwiw, the first time i lost a dme relay, the car would chug here and there on the highway. This went on intermittently for months prior to the dme relay failing. And at that time it hadn't occurred to me to check that relay. And then finally one random day in a parking lot, it drove to the store fine, and then just zero start when i came out. The starter just motored along, and the thing just wouldn't start. When i finally woke up to the fact that it was the dme relay, i pulled the new one out of the glove box and off i went feeling like an idiot for not having immediately thought of it.

I'd like that half hour of my life back...
Old 09-18-2018, 12:07 PM
  #6  
Navaros911
Burning Brakes
 
Navaros911's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Bahrain = somewhere in the Middle East
Posts: 1,249
Received 38 Likes on 35 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Goughary
This is a great article on the dme relay.

http://philipraby.co.uk/porsche-data...ays-explained/

Just an fyi.

But for sure, all of us should have a dme relay in the glove box. If for no other reason than so when your buddy w a 964 who doesn't use rennlist can't start his car, at least YOU have one to get him going again...lol.

And check coils as was mentioned. Those are the first two places to look for intermittent power loss / engine cutoff.

Fwiw, the first time i lost a dme relay, the car would chug here and there on the highway. This went on intermittently for months prior to the dme relay failing. And at that time it hadn't occurred to me to check that relay. And then finally one random day in a parking lot, it drove to the store fine, and then just zero start when i came out. The starter just motored along, and the thing just wouldn't start. When i finally woke up to the fact that it was the dme relay, i pulled the new one out of the glove box and off i went feeling like an idiot for not having immediately thought of it.

I'd like that half hour of my life back...
You think that's bad... I had mine towed to the mechanic when I had a spare relay in the glovebox for 8 years already. Forgot I had it... 2 hours and a couple 100 bucks later he mentioned he found one in the glove box. Oh well, first and last time I think.
Old 09-18-2018, 12:10 PM
  #7  
Navaros911
Burning Brakes
 
Navaros911's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Bahrain = somewhere in the Middle East
Posts: 1,249
Received 38 Likes on 35 Posts
Default

Check the air flow meter connector as well... there is a TSB for it. Also, check for smooth movement of the flap as well as the electrical internals (the mechanical components inside can wear as well).

My AFM was getting stuck occasionally and it felt similar to what you mention.
Old 09-18-2018, 12:49 PM
  #8  
tct118
Rennlist Member
 
tct118's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: DTLA, CA
Posts: 30
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Originally Posted by Goughary
This is a great article on the dme relay.

http://philipraby.co.uk/porsche-data...ays-explained/

Just an fyi.

But for sure, all of us should have a dme relay in the glove box. If for no other reason than so when your buddy w a 964 who doesn't use rennlist can't start his car, at least YOU have one to get him going again...lol.

And check coils as was mentioned. Those are the first two places to look for intermittent power loss / engine cutoff.

Fwiw, the first time i lost a dme relay, the car would chug here and there on the highway. This went on intermittently for months prior to the dme relay failing. And at that time it hadn't occurred to me to check that relay. And then finally one random day in a parking lot, it drove to the store fine, and then just zero start when i came out. The starter just motored along, and the thing just wouldn't start. When i finally woke up to the fact that it was the dme relay, i pulled the new one out of the glove box and off i went feeling like an idiot for not having immediately thought of it.

I'd like that half hour of my life back...
That was a good in-detailed read about the DME relay and its issue. Learned a lot. Thanks for sharing!
Old 09-18-2018, 12:56 PM
  #9  
tct118
Rennlist Member
 
tct118's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: DTLA, CA
Posts: 30
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Just bought one of these solid-state DME relays (with the pump priming feature) and I'm going to use my original mechanical DME as a spare. This solid-state relay should last a lot longer because of no moving parts and the pump priming seems like a pretty cool feature

http://www.ftech9.com/new-products/?...tate+Relays%29

Last edited by tct118; 09-18-2018 at 03:19 PM.
Old 09-18-2018, 02:11 PM
  #10  
Goughary
Race Car
 
Goughary's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: fairfield, CT
Posts: 4,821
Likes: 0
Received 395 Likes on 262 Posts
Default

I've had that solid state relay for a couple years. I also have a spare oem relay in the car. But so far for me and six others here that bought them, no issues yet. Happy w the product.
Old 09-19-2018, 10:54 AM
  #11  
Badluck
Intermediate
 
Badluck's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

@Goughary: if you read this, I tried to PM you, your mailbox is full.

Sorry for hijacking this thread
Old 09-19-2018, 12:33 PM
  #12  
911Jetta
Rennlist Member
 
911Jetta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: NC
Posts: 7,214
Received 485 Likes on 278 Posts
Default

I been experiencing a no-start issue that went from occasional to frequent. It seemed to be DME related, so I popped in a new one and it start started right away. Thought I was in the clear...
During the first drive with the new DME relay, the car started to feel jumpy during smooth throttle and the idle started to surge. Parked the car in the garage and it won't start.

Originally Posted by mark lintott
DME relay - they do this when they get hot sometimes. Al;ways carry a spare..!
Mark
I remembered this comment and checked on the relay. You are not kidding, it was very hot! I retried after it cooed down. Still no start.

Originally Posted by John McM
DME is certainly the first thing to swap out. I’d also look at the coils.
Originally Posted by Goughary
And check coils as was mentioned. Those are the first two places to look for intermittent power loss / engine cutoff.
Fwiw, the first time i lost a dme relay, the car would chug here and there on the highway. This went on intermittently for months prior to the dme relay failing.
The occasional no start, then turned into a jumpy feeling during part throttle (car only felt smooth @ 4,000+ RPM, power felt normal) and then all of a sudden the idle was lumpy.
So it's either a faulty DME fuel relay (even though I just installed a new one), an issue with the coils, plug wires or fuel pump. All over my head...
To respect OP thread, I will start a new one with more details. Please check it out (short video included).
Old 09-20-2018, 08:24 PM
  #13  
nirich
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
 
nirich's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posts: 423
Likes: 0
Received 41 Likes on 22 Posts
Default

Update:

Thanks for the input guys......i too figured it was most likely the DME relay. In my mind i had replaced the relay 'not so long ago', however when i checked my records it was 8 years ago! No problem i thought, just grab the spare out of the glove box.........it wasn't there.........then i remembered i had given it to friend a couple of years ago to help solve his 964 issues and he had replaced it with a new one. Obviously i had put it away in the garage in one of those boxes of "spare parts" (we all have them on the shelf in the garage right?), found it along with a fuel filter. So replaced them both as the old filter was 11 years old.

A spirited drive around local rural roads and all seems well.
Old 09-20-2018, 08:38 PM
  #14  
tct118
Rennlist Member
 
tct118's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: DTLA, CA
Posts: 30
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Originally Posted by nirich
Update:

Thanks for the input guys......i too figured it was most likely the DME relay. In my mind i had replaced the relay 'not so long ago', however when i checked my records it was 8 years ago! No problem i thought, just grab the spare out of the glove box.........it wasn't there.........then i remembered i had given it to friend a couple of years ago to help solve his 964 issues and he had replaced it with a new one. Obviously i had put it away in the garage in one of those boxes of "spare parts" (we all have them on the shelf in the garage right?), found it along with a fuel filter. So replaced them both as the old filter was 11 years old.

A spirited drive around local rural roads and all seems well.
Glad to hear you solved the issue!



Quick Reply: Losing power.......occasionally



All times are GMT -3. The time now is 04:08 AM.