sjfehr

Gremlins!

Imo000

+1 for a cracked coil case. It got wet and when dried up, it sarted workimg fine. If it happened once, it will happen again....it ALWAYS does. Also, get it scanned with a better reader. Once a CEL is thrown, it is saved in the memory, even if the light goes out later.

Macster

Just WAGs.. Not sure what effect gas stabilizer has on fuel octane rating. I note the engine was having issues in 6th gear and it could be you were just lugging the engine a bit. Under low rpm large throttle opening this is prime time for detonation.

Could have been some stratification of the fuel too. I'm not sure all fuel stabilizers are any good or bad. I've never used any.

A cap gas could have developed a small leak or possibly even an oil filler tube cap. They're old and sitting around one month there's a bit of o-ring shrinkage and a leak. A real problem if the engine is cold since an air leak at this time adds air when the engine is least able to tolerate a lean condition.

The engine might not be out of the woods yet. I like the mice idea. I mean I hope that mice have not been at the car but the circumstances fit. Car is parked up symptom free. One month later - which is really not that much time for fuel (provided it was reasonably fresh to begin with and of the proper seasonal blend if seasonal gasoline is used where you are) but plenty of time for mice to do their thing -- then right off the bat problems.

The only thing against mice is the symptoms went away.

Not much you can do now with no error codes.

Just pay particular attention to the engine and if it starts acting up again shut the engine off and get the car to a proper shop. You want those error codes.

ivangene

wet coil dried out
cam actuator stuck, put car in limp mode - became "unstuck"
variocam plus lifter stuck in "down" position - the center plungers can get stuck
fouled spark plug - cleared

just watch for it again, and be ready to get the code when it (if it) does it so you can fix whatever caused it

free fixes are good - have a glass of wine and smile

rpm's S2

Cool, if this is it.

halik

There will def be codes logged from the earlier misfires; get a proper reader and pull them.

perryinva

Yes, it takes, IIRC, 10 starts with no faults to clear CEL and possibly codes.

Some possibliites: Check or have checked, battery water levels and voltages. Any tender can overcharge or toast a battery, even the smart ones. They are not really that "smart". If you literally, just removed the battery tender, and then started driving, that may have been it. I use them periodically over the winter, but never for more than a day once battery shows full charge. If battery was affected, then driving it may have caused the alternator to continue to affect it, and possibly boil some electrolyte. Letting it sit for a while (the whole work day) allowed it to equalize and voltages are somewhat normal.

I agree, it sounds like ignition issue, similar to what happened to me when I first got the car 5 years ago. I drove it for 3 days, no issue, then what you described happened to me twice, cel went away, then finally happened again, worse than before. All it was, in my case, was a loose ignition coil, not bolted in.

BTW, no fuel filter in the MKII cars.

sjfehr

Why did Porsche eliminate fuel filters for the MKIIs? How does the car prevent debris from clogging injectors?

porrsha

A lifter lifts the valve open as the camshaft actuates/rotates in the engine. Spark plugs and ignition will not go bad in 30 days but the fuel is less than desirable. The plugs are trying ignite the additive you put in the gas tank and it not as volatile as gasoline.

Imo000

Actually the lifters don't really lift anything on there or many other DOHC engines. They push the valve down, not lift it.

ivangene

some fun reading - they are actually called Tappets

common shop name = lifter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_tappet

Ahsai

The filter is still there but built-in with the fuel pump enclosed in the fuel tank.

Turkertwo

I agree with earlier posters that this sounds electrical, and is probably not going away forever. I have used Dougherty in West Chester for my 996 maintenance and highly recommend them for this or any other job. Suggest you plan to have it looked at before the next emergency.

WalterRohrl

I'm thinking that since KrazyK now has tons of extra time on his hands he found your car at work and fixed it while you were inside.... :-)

kromdom

was wondering WHEN someone would say something about it