Airhead 993

I have owned my 993 for a couple of years and love it, but have continually had the check engine light on indicating SAI problems. I live in Maryland and there is a biannual emission test, which the car failed 2 years ago because of the SAI. There is, however, a waiver past the test if $400 is spent on repairs related to the failure. I took this route and had the following maintenance items carried out,
1. Spark plugs
2. Ignition wire set
3. Distributor cap
4. Air filter
5. Fuel filter
The total was about $2,000 with labor, and I was granted a waiver. I am aware that I could have had the SAI replaced for around this amount, but I felt that the maintenance carried out was more beneficial.

Last month the car failed the emissions test again for the SAI. The car has 108,000 miles, and I would like any recommendations for related maintenance that I could have done this time.

chsu74

Welcome to a top end and be ready to open your wallet. Pictures of your car would be great.

PNogC2S

You did not mention inspection/replacement of your SAI check valve. If you haven't had that done, it would be first on my list of things to replace... they rust out badly, cease to function and generate a CEL.

Also, search for posts here regarding SAI cleaning. There are a couple of ways that have been proven to work for cleaning out the SAI passages and restoring airflow.

If you have SAI prombes AND you are burning more than 1quart every 800-1,000 miles, then you may be looking at a top-end rebuild. But get the SAI passages cleaned out first, just so you can pass smog.

Kika

A alternate route is to remove the exhaust manifolds and use a bass guitar string or bicycle brake cable and roto-rooter the SAI passages.

You can DIY, or have a shop do it. Shop labor will run you around $1k, maybe a little less or maybe more....
is the code P1411 or P410? That will tell you which bank is throwing the CEL.

The ultimate fix however is do have the top end done.

I went the roto-rooter route a few years ago, and have not had a 1411 or 0410 in about 3 years now.

element

I would go through cleaning out the SAI system before doing a top end for valve guides.. valve guide symptom seems to be oil consumption from all the posts I have read.

phil.

vincer77

+993. Unless you are using a lot of oil, SAI port cleaning is the better option, IMHO. Much cheaper too.

P-daddy

As mentioned above....clean or replace the SAI first. Your shop should have done this along with the other maintenance items you mentioned. Where in MD are you located?

il pirata

You might want to check here for recommendation on a shop in your area. $2k sounds really high for the work done plus a GOOD porsche mechanic should have recommended what others have said...clean SAI and inspect SAI check value. You can also have a GOOD porsche mechanic check the exhaust values for minimal cost.

Do you know what your oil consumption is? At 108K depending on prior owners and service history it would not be a surprise if you needed a top...find a great shop first!

Airhead 993

Thanks for the info so far!

Some comments,
1. I will add a photo to my profile.
2. Oil usage has not been a problem, but the car had the SAI problem when I purchased it. The previous owner kept pretty thorough records, and maintenance did not appear to be an issue.
3. I avoided replacing the SAI valve as the solution to the last emissions check - because of the cost, and my worry that the problem could come back again. Yes, it may be my action this time.
4. My location is Annapolis, and I have been happy with Tiffs, who has been my shop to date.

NP993

I don't quite understand what's going on here. You failed smog because of an SAI fault code, so you replaced a bunch of parts that have nothing to do with the SAI system? Did your mechanic suggest this, or was it your idea? And if the latter, why didn't your mechanic try to talk you out of it?

Kika

Agreed!

The parts you (OP) replaced have more to do with P0300, not 01411 and P0410.

So what were the codes thrown?

Airhead 993

My logic might seem flawed, but at the time of my first failure, I elected not to try to fix the SAI problem which was the reason for the failure. I had a price of around $2,000 for the work, if I remember correctly. Instead, I elected to have my shop do some maintenance on the engine (that was needed) and return to the emissions station with the receipts, totaling more than $400. I did this, and they accepted the work as being "related" to resolving the problem, and I was granted a waiver. I know this is funky, but that is how the system works in MD.

It sounds like this time I will be addressing the emission problem directly, and putting money into fixing the SAI problem.

PNogC2S

The SAI check-valve is not an expensive fix and is almost always (unless recently replaced and in excellent condition) the first step in trying to address the SAI issue. I think the valve itself costs around $175 (maybe a little less, I can't recall). It's not a huge job to replace it either... managable DIY.
If your car has north of 100K miles and no record of replacement, the check-valve will be dust (literallly) inside.

kjr914

NP993,
Yes, his issue is SAI, but the emissions test only cares about the CEL light being on. The OP knowingly (if you re-read his post) spent the limit (and more) to fix things that "could", on some car, fix the CEL to pass emissions. And in the process of getting his biannual emissions taken care of, he got a bunch of maintenance items cleared up that he would have done anyways.

Given that most people hear "top end rebuild, about $8k" as a "fix" for the CEL/SAI, I can see why he did it this way....

edit: OP beat me to answering NP...carry on...

Vorsicht

I recommend you do 2 things before even thinking about a top end.

1. Replace the checkvalve as this could solve the problem although you will probably have to go to step 2.

2. If the above fails clean out the ports via removing the exhaust. Search on here for the bicycle brake line method. That seems to work well.

You can do both of these yourself or find a good indie shop that knows how to do it.

Can you still go the $400 waiver method? If so, spend the money getting just the checkvalve replaced. FWIW, My check valve was a rusted out POS at 90K and it doesn't rain much here.

Edit: Here is the post with the method I mentioned above: https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...g-success.html