MikeNJ

Giving this one last try. sorry for the repetitive posts.
Here is a very long detailed description of what’s going on;

bought the car back in April
felt great, sounded great, no issues whatsoever.

few months down the road (maybe it was always like this but I just never paid attention) I started noticing a very fast blip/hiccup/spike in the exhaust sound and rpm when accelerating normal,mild,aggressive, always around 2-2500 rpm sometimes even higher.
it is not a sustained sound or feeling it is like a staccato type blip/spike. Kind of sounds like the exhaust opens up a bit more for that half of second.

anyway!… asked a few people, told me I’m crazy and it’s nothing….
Shortly after I started paying more attention to the drive. Things started getting a little worse

i would notice a very slight hesitation/holding back feeling when accelerating moderate-aggressive, around 3-4-5k … it just wouldn’t feel smooth and energized like a Porsche should feel when having fun. It just felt rough. Not 100% there.

again, asked around, even took it to Porsche in cherry hill. Everybody said the car is fine or I’m paying to much attention.

posted a forum here regarding these issues. couple people said it’s the clutch.
Bout a month ago clutch started slipping so I had the clutch, flywheel and rms replaced.
Couldn’t drive it aggressive for 600 miles because I had to “bed in” the clutch, but the times I did drive it during those 600m (slow and normal) it felt great. Clutch was super smooth like butter, for a while. Car felt very energized, active, responsive. It only use to feel like this with sport+ mode on, but after the clutch replacement, it felt like it had sport+ on, without it being on. I guess it had something to do with the rev being a little higher after the replacement. ?


continuing: after I passed the 600m I decided to give it a spirited test drive.
noticed the spike/rpm/exhaust thing was still there as well as the hesitation/holding back feeling.

I feel as if it has gotten worse since a few months back.

now, as I’m cruising on highway, speed 60/70/80/90 the bottom of the car has this mild noticeable jerky/pulling/hiccuping feeling. I don’t think it’s one of those stumble things people talk about, I watched a video and it’s nothing like that. And even if it is that stumbling problem, it’s no where near as bad.
I want to say maybe it feels like a mis firing feeling but I honestly don’t know.


so that is the best way I can explain the issues it’s having.

some detail about the car:
13’ Carrera S Cab.
Bought with 80K+ currently has a little under 101k.
only maintenance I did was front pads and rotors, oil changes every 8k, clutch, flywheel, RMS,
No warning lights on dash.
Not throwing any codes according to my Porsche mechanic.
I’m unsure about any of the previous owners maintenance.

Some things to note: my mechanic said it has a small exhaust leak and bought some gaskets for it, waiting to bring it in to be installed. He also said there’s a slight oil leak at the air and oil separator.



im really sorry for the long book I wrote. Any kind of advice or info will be greatly appreciated!!

asellus

100k+, is it up to date on all regular maintenance? thinking spark plugs and engine air filter here -- numerous anecdotal accounts of people being at or near their maintenance interval for spark plugs having hesitations/jerkiness/rough idle and having that go away once maintenance is performed.

the specific-rpm blips of power sound like old variocam issues... this should be relatively easy to spot and rule out with the proper diagnostic tools though.

if it's still happening and you can reliably reproduce it, go to your dealer or indy and ask if you can have the tech ride with you so you can show them versus explaining what it feels like then having them try to reproduce it on their own. subtle things, even with a decent description, are difficult to isolate.

Speed2k

Find someone with a similar spec'd car and ask them to take you for a spin to see if it feels similar. If I notice something, I usually ask my buddies to drive my car to see if they notice anything. Does your car perhaps have a tune on it?

ECM

Sounds like spark plugs to me. Just based on your description.

koala

Try the simple stuff first - spark plugs / coil packs.

I'm replacing my throttle body next week to see what that does. My symptoms are not the same as yours, but more of the classic stumble - using consistent throttle, accelerating through the rev range and then getting a lot of jerkiness in the 2,200 to 3,000 rpm area.

BaltimoreHokie

Reading the forum is starting to make me paranoid to the point to where I try and simulate half the issues people have to make sure mine is good.

Ironman88

Agree. Plugs and possibly also coil packs.

MikeNJ

so I’m not sure. The dealer didn’t supply anything other than a CARFAX history report.
Ill upload a few snap shots up until right before I bought it… it doesn’t provide much info. Just says “vehicle serviced”







I got the car right after this “Virginia inspection station” and all the other records are just me putting oil changes, tire change, etc.

the_buch

From those reports you have no useful information as to what "Service Performed" was. Talk to the various shops listed and ask them to check their records. As noted, this could be something as simple as the plugs not done for the last 40,000mi?

asellus

Plugs are 4yr/40k on a .1, so the 80k should include it.

Call the shop/dealer and ask for service records for your VIN. Dealers freely provide this, as do most indy shops.

If plugs were missed, absolutely do them.

koala

The more I think about this, at that mileage level, you might as well do a mini-overhaul. Feel free to skip anything in this list where you know it's been done since you've owned it.

• Spark plugs
• Coil packs
• Variocam solenoids (they're in the same location as the spark plugs, might as well change them while you're in there)
• Serpentine belt
• Throttle body assembly
• MAF sensor
• Transmission fluid (if they didn't change it when your new clutch was put in)
• Brake fluid, if it hasn't been done in the last 2 years/when your front brakes were replaced

I also find this car is very sensitive to wheel balancing and alignments insofar as how these things impact the steering feel specifically. If you're not sure if/when either of those have been done, I'd just get that over with as well.

I'm at 59,000 km / 37,000 miles and I'm still working through some of these items even at this lower mileage trying to sort out my own driveability issues.

MikeNJ

I had my mechanic who owns a 991.2 drive it and he was actually the only one that agreed the car felt noticeably different. “Not smooth. Not as responsive as it should be”.

MikeNJ

The only thing im aware of being done is the trans fluid and brake fluid. All the other stuff you mentioned is unknown.

would you happen to know to cost to replace (at indy mechanic)
the Spark Plugs, Coils, variocam, MAF,
parts+labor .. just a rough idea
The serp and throttle body is a bit much for me to experiment with at the moment lol.

asellus

you're easily beyond $1000. best bet is to just call your indy and ask, it'll take them 5 minutes.

Joec500

60k service is plugs. But I feel like bad plugs and coils would throw a code. It's so hard to tell in these cars as they are just starting to hit the 100k mile range and there isn't a ton of info on forums on typical issues.

My car is smooth like butter, but I have swapped my throttle body, plugs and coils. I am curious how carbon build up is in these motors. I might get a BG intake carbon cleaning shortly as preventative.

I am still on my original Variocam solenoids and MAF FWIW and just crossed 90k miles.