Ak986

Hi Everyone,

I'm a new owner of a 1998 Boxster 986. The car has 38K miles on it, and I have code P1531 on the solenoid bank 1. I applied a 9V battery to the connector and heard a click. I'm unsure if it's the solenoid or the wiring short issues. Any advice on tackling this problem would be greatly appreciated.

Mike Murphy

Per Porschetech3’s post earlier, check each solenoid separately. You could take also take apart the DME and check for obvious signs of a burnt transistor.

Ak986

I tried it and had a reading of .04 ohms. Also, I have the Foxwell L100 scanner. As soon as I reset the code, it comes back within a mile of driving.

Mike Murphy

0.04 ohms sounds like a short to me. Here’s another thread on the P1531.

Ak986

I'm reading through all the posts. Definitely great information. Additionally, I just got the values on the cam positions:

Cam position 1 deviation -2
Cam Position 2 Deviation -9

At idil, is this normal?

Also, I got the .04 oms while the car was off. Am I supposed to do this testing while the car is started? Also, what about if the car is running, and I unplug the solenoid connector and if the engine sound changes.. is that another way to test it or will I harm the engine at that point?

Mike Murphy

Generally, anything 6 or above difference between the two indicates too much difference, and you are at 7. My car was out of spec and I had to have the tensioner pads replaced while doing the solenoid replacement at the same time.

Have you inspected the oil filter recently? If the pads are wearing, you might find little brown bits of plastic in the oil filter.

There are two chain pads, top and bottom, on each side of the engine for a total of 4. There is also an IMS tensioner pad, but that is not replaceable without splitting the engine case.

Ak986

I just recently purchased the car, and during the 1st oil change, it was clear. The car sat between the previous owners a lot and barely driven. It has 38K miles on it. Could the bank 1 solenoid failure cause this higher rating of 7? The car runs strong for sure. The engine steadily idles at 750-800 RPM.

Mike Murphy

If the tensioner is stuck on when it should be off or vice versa, the cam deviation numbers would be way higher - double digits for sure. Otherwise, two separate issues. I would search for ‘cam deviations’ and find some threads to read up on it.

Ak986

Sounds good! I really appreciate all your advice. I will perform the Solenoid testing - Ohms, 9V battery test again, and computer for the burned resistor. I really hope there are no more issues. I keep on getting the P1124 code as well. I had P0446, but I opened the EVAP system and cleaned the sensor, the vacuum line by blowing compressed Air so far the P0446 has not come back yet.

LeonardMot

Both solenoids share a common 12v power lead, but have separate ground (-) leads to bank 1 and bank 2 solenoids and individual testing is necessary to determine which one is/was shorted..( caution: it can be an intermittent short and not show up at certain temps)

Ak986

The computer looks good. No burns. I noticed the connector to the solenoid the wire was slightly cut and I accidentally ended up breaking the connection. I have to get a tool from thr shop tomorrow to get the pins out and re do the wires.

Mike Murphy

I agree, I don’t see any burns. Let’s hope it stays that way