redridge

you may have multiple problems... o2 and misfire... explains why its running like crap.

Macster

The coolant can be low due to based on my experience with both of my cars a leaking cap. The cap leaks a bit of vapor when the engine is shut off hot and this over time will have the coolant low.

In my Boxster it got low enough the low coolant light started flashing.

The cap is not that much. Get a new cap (part # ends in 03 or 04) and before you install it with the engine *COLD* clean off the tank fitting where the cap screws so the cap and the seal in it have clean surfaces with no dried coolant residue to possibly interfere with the cap's seal.

If you suspect a coolant leak at the head gasket you need to look in the coolant for signs of oil (black drops of oil floating about) or drain the oil (just the filter housing is enough) into a *clean* drain pan and look for signs of coolant.

You can have the oil analyzed for any signs of anti-freeze compounds.

What you find determines what you do next.

However, only a few times have I encountered low/bad battery with my cars and never did the engine act up.

Well, check that. It did act up when the battery got bad, it acted up in that it didn't not start.

But just before this even though the power was low enough that as I was cranking the engine the dash lights nearly went out and the door windows were dropping/'raising like ghosts were playing with the door handles, the engine once it caught and started running the engine ran just fine, with no signs of any problems.

But that doesn't mean every car that suffers from a bad battery will not have the engine acting strange. So you have to have the battery checked. Early in the day, and then at the end to see if the battery loses any power over the hours.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Macster

My WAG is a coil is bad to have the engine react as it does in the rain. That the engine symptoms go away as speeds rise suggests this comes from the coil being dried out from the heat of the engine and the fact air flow carries the rain over the engine compartment.

Kind of a long shot but you have to check or think of other things, but be sure the engine intake is not somehow getting water in it.

But the odds are one or more coils is bad. So get the misfire cause diagnoses and taken care of first. Then see if the P1130 comes back.

'course there's no reason why you can't have the tech check for any causes of the P1130 while the car in the service bay. Maybe an AOS is going bad? Or the oil filler tube cracked.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Cmweber

Thank you so much for the replies. I'm starting to feel a little better about the car (although I'm anxious to see what the Indy finds in the morning).

As stated above, the car has 91,500 miles. Would it be wise to replace the water pump and AOS while the shop has the car? Is there anything else that I should consider replacing at this time? I have little experience with the car, but I do know the clutch is new (unfortunately the IMS is old)...

Thanks

Hurdigurdiman

What you get done/updated/replaced when the Indy has the car would all depend on records that came with the car. What was done and when it WAS done. All the usual things that needs replacing on the 996 should get done. I mean, it has done a good milage but should be good for another 100,000 provided the correct work is done on the car and engine.

Cmweber

I have no records of any replacements, other than the clutch, RMS, rear struts and expansion tank.

I was planning on having the serpentine belt replaced since that should be dirt cheap. I was debating on the water pump and AOS based on the devastating possible effects of their failure.

Karl996

In post #8 you mentioned that you were parked with the spoiler up in manual mode.

I'm just a newbie to the P-car world but is it possible you've managed to get water into the inlet.

Ditto when you were driving in the start stop traffic you described later.

Macster

Neither the water pump or AOS are cheap jobs to do. I would be reluctant to have them done without any indication they need doing.

Now I might have a different opinion if the engine has to come out of the car. At which time the labor to replace the water pump and the AOS sort of disappear into the cost of the engine R&R and of course whatever prompted this to be done in the 1st place, unless the tech charges you full labor for both jobs. (Ouch!)

My 02 Boxster's water pump lasted 172K miles. I had some sign something was amiss though. Upon cold start and as the engine idled the engine developed a low faint grumbling noise, nothing really scary.

I identified the noise as coming from outside of the engine by removing the serpentine belt and staring and idling the the engine from cold for a moment or two, just long enough to be sure the noise was not present.

This confirmed the noise was not coming from inside the engine. (On second thought, I guess the noise was a bit scary until I had this confirmation.)

Then I shut off the engine and checked the accessory drive pulleys/shafts and idler for any play. I had to go around them several times. The water pump was the only one that had any play compared to the other drive pulleys. There was some white residue on the pump housing which is a sign coolant is leaking and drying. Oh, another sign was the very fresh belt had developed a sharp edge which arose from the belt rubbing on a pulley which it should not do.

Anyhow, I had the car flat bedded to a nearby (15 miles) dealer and had the water pump and T-stat replaced.

The Boxster goes through an AOS about every 80K to 100K miles. However, the current one is overdue based on some vague recollection of when it was done last.

If you want to go the IMS bearing upgrade that is entirely up to you. I would not but some feel very strongly the other way.

For me, I have decided (long time ago, when the 4 year, 50K mile waranty expired) to continue to drive my 02 Boxster as it came from the factory until I either get rid of the car or the engine blows up, or in some other way the car or the engine is not longer viable and I chose not to fix the car or the engine.

In short, my motto is if it ain't broke don't fix it. But you can do whatever you feel is best for you, of course.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Cmweber

Got the call from the Indy today.

They said the spark plugs were horribly corroded and the coil packs looked bad too. They looked over the rest of the car and said it appears to be in pretty good shape overall.

They had trouble getting 1 spark plug out. They believe it was cross-threaded, but they were able to remove it and the new plug went in smoothly. I definitely got lucky on that one...

They will deliver it tomorrow. I can't wait to drive it. I bet it will feel like a whole new car...

Cmweber

P.S. Thanks for all of the help with diagnosing this problem.

bernardbarbour

[QUOTE=Cmweber;9604690]P.S. Thanks for all of the help with diagnosing this problem.[/QUOTE

I had the same exact issue and it was the coils and spark plugs. Replaced all of them, cleared the codes and the car is running like new.