I once bought a cap that had a defective center post , it when pushed in , stuck in .
It did not spring back out .

 

From what I read the car will idle on a broken distributor belt and that some people can't even tell it is broke. I still think that if it idled before the oil was overfilled and kind of idled before you cleaned the intake and ISV, and now it wont idle at all then it is something in the intake tract, not the ign.

 

Just thought I'd add my two pennies worth. When I first acquired my 964, I had it serviced. On my way home the car ran worse than before the service. It would barely idle and would cut out as soon I put my foot on the clutch at a junction. I went back to the garage and he confirmed that he disconnected the battery to do the work, which would have wiped the DME's memory. He then connected the car up to the diagnostics machine/hammer and did an idle adaptation to reset the DME. The car was then perfect. Your car may need an idle adaptation.

There are many threads here on how to reset your DME at home without a hammer. My car seems to be unusual in that to get the idle perfect, it has to have a full idle adaptation on the hammer - very annoying, as most DIY's need the battery disconnected.

This may have nothing to do with your problem but might be worth asking the mechanic if he disconnected the battery.

Cheers

TD

 

I dont know if it matters at all but the contact points were corroded and green on the #1, bottom, dist cap. The dirty one. Now I remember that there was a loud ticking sound coming from the dist. area when i had the car running long enough to get back to the engine compartment. It sounded like a large electrical discharge. I dont think that is good but I suppose that is related to the a bad rotor. Is that right Indycam???

I agree. I checked my dist. belt when I took off the caps and it was good and tight no breaks. And I really dont think that whatever is causing the wear on the #1dist. is affecting the idle to the point that the car wont stay running if my foot isnt on the pedal.

I did indeed disconnect the battery to take off the dist caps. But I have done that many times to effect repairs and it has never caused an idle issue.

 

check you private messages, i sent you a message.

 

"I dont think that is good but I suppose that is related to the a bad rotor. Is that right Indycam??? "
Get yourself another cap and rotor .
The one cap with all the tracking will never work again , its history .
I would break that one and toss it in the trash .
The rotor is not pictured , but if its anything like the cap in gone also .

 

righto. thanks for the tip.

 

Update:

The Porsche dealership in my area happened to have a new cap and rotor for me that was never picked up by the original customer so I replaced the #1 dist set with those to no effect. As I and others suspected they had nothing to do with the present sickness.

So, just to refresh, the car will not start without alot of help on the gas pedal and will not stay running unless there is a constant pressure on the pedal. If rpms drop below 1k the car dies. I have cleaned the intake manifolds, the ISV, the air flow meter. A new DME relay (known to work) has been tested in the car. I have checked the vacuum lines for leaks and found none although I could have missed something there. And now replaced #1 dist cap and rotor. Dist belt is still intact.

 

Also, if anyone knows how to check the engine codes without dianostic equipment that would be alot of help. I've tried the accelerator trick and unless I can somehow screw up holding the accelerator down for five seconds then it seems as if that doesnt work on my car. Is there any other way to check the engine codes?

 

Here is something that I have not noticed before.... I was looking through the Enthusiast's Companion and I noticed that my model year,1990 L series, wasnt built with a check engine light YET I have one. The little sucker works as well so it isnt just a gauge update/replacement. Any ideas???? Sorry if I'm throwing too much at once but damn me if I'm not a curious little bugger.

 

Thats interesting. My 1990 doesn't have one that works. Be sure to double check the vacuum line going to the reservoir at the back of the mass air meter. That one seams to get missed a lot. Also if you do a search there is a TSB on the wires on the Mass Air Meter needing a zip tie. I don't know if that would cause your problem but I couldn't hurt. I would also make sure the plug is in correctly and the flap is working correctly for the Mass Air Meter. I could see it causing the problems you describe if it is not working.

 

Yellowduc, you may be onto something...

Does the car have this TSB zip-tie remedy installed?
(The model years effected sounds correct.)

 

You guys must read my mind because Ive been wondering why that was there for a long time. So, yes, it does have the zip tie remedy.

Are you refering to the reservoir attached to the air filter box? If so then, yes, it is attached. I forgot that one once and had a hell of a time sticking my head in the engine compartment trying to figure out where it went. I looked like one of the dalmatian puppies in 101 Dalmatians, all covered in black. Not an experience I care to repeat...

 

Well, I feel like an idiot but I suppose I will tell you guys anyway.

I decided to start at the beginning again and work back to where I most recently was with the investigation. I took everything off and when I got to the left (looking forward to the front of the car) manifold I noticed that a hose that led to the back of the manifold (closer to the font of the car)was disconnected.... I must have forgotten to connect it again after putting everything back together the first time... Most of the idle problem was caused by this.

There is still an erratic behavior to the idle, but I havent taken the car out for a drive yet to test it. It might be because I disconnected the battery.Doggy physical rehab (broken leg) calls so I will have to test that later today.

Thank you all for your help and suggestions. I will post the verdict when I take the car out.

Uriah

 

Have you replaced the cap and rotor ?