Rob 97 993c2

i just had my new Recaro toplines installed and on the first drive i got a Check Engine Light. As i was about 50 miles from home, i drove there and back. Is it possible for a CEL to come from an electrical thing like a seat install? Or, should i not drive the car at all until i get this looked at?

PorschePhD

It could. There is a seat belt latch switch that can alert the system. If you pull the code and get it to me I can confirm if this is it or not.

jrgordonsenior

Rob if they left the key on in the ignition when they disconnected the electrics for the seat, or during installation, it could trigger a fault code. It happens with steering wheel installs too....

Rob 97 993c2

i had my CEL checked out and it was "O2 sensor, left bank"
The car was just serviced 2 weeks ago. The guy that helped me out visually checked the O2 sensor connections and they appear to be attached on both sides.

What could be the cause of this? Anything else i should make sure is done? The guy told me that i can still use the car normally until it can go back to my shop, but that it will just not make optimal performance.

AndyT

i have toasted 3 O2 sensors to date. No reason except for the first one. I was running 92 octane gas in Ohio at Mid Ohio. The CEL cam on after a run. I didn't drive the car after that. Turned out to be an O2 sensor.. Then a month later anotherr went out of the blue. I think they just go after awhile. Sounds like coincidence with the seat install.

Rob 97 993c2

thanks Andy,
i now agree with you that it just happened, but in general it seems that **** happens to me (and my TT) than to most people

Im getting a new O2 sensor next week. should i just replace all of them?
what is the cost for an O2 sensor? how much labor to install it?

kurtv

When the CEL light comes on and the code is for a faulty 02 sensor, some mechanics reset it first before replacing them. If the light comes back on shortly afterwards or in a few days, then they replace them. It isn't unknown for the error code to be false. The drawback is that if they are truly faulty, you have to go back to the shop a second time. On the positive side, 02 sensors on a 993tt aren't inexpensive. On a family Volkswagen Golf, they decided to replace the faulty indicated sensor since for some reason they are only $25 on a 2000! I would only replace the sensors that are indicated to be faulty. I had one replaced at approximately 60,000 miles. At 83,000 miles now, the others appear to be functioning. The service life on an 02 sensor seems to vary significantly.

kurtv

The 02 sensors on a 993 cost around $150 each. There are two before the catalytic converter and two after. Typically it costs $80+ for the scan to determine the problem. Normally it takes less than an hour of labor to replace.