mkivalex

Hey Everyone, I haven't posted much , but been lurking for a while and I now come to you for some help!

I have a 2011 997.2 4S with 77K miles on it, put it away for storage in the end of Nov, went to start it up on the weekend and it started right away but was running very rough/misfire and then through a CEL. I disconnected the battery to clear anything potential gremlins out and tried again. Now it would crank and fire quickly however it would die as soon as the rpms would drop. If i gave it a blip of the throttle it would hold idle and run, but not smoothly, ranging from what sounded almost clear to bogging. I ran the codes, and got 3 codes on my OBDii reader

P053F cold start fuel pressure performance bank 1
P1026
P050D Cold start rough idle.

So i checked made sure i didnt have a weak battery causing an issue and it seems strong, cleaned the maf just incase that was causing an issue. I then noticed that when i turn the ignition on, i hear the fuel pump prime, and then from the frunk i hear a clicking noise for about 3 seconds. I will attach a video in the post below. I know the HPFP is a common issue on these cars, but all posts i read seemed to say the car took a long time to crank. Mine starts no issue. so I don't want to jump to that as they are both expensive and hard to get. When doing some more diagnosing I tried running it again and I got a Cylinder 4 misfire code as well as the P1026

is there anything in the frunk that would be causing that clicking noise? I do not recall hearing that before. And wonder if there is something in the fuel tank that would be making that noise, or maybe it is cause by the HPFP.

I'd like to try and solve this before I take it to the shop, any help would be greatly appreciated!

Phrog Phlyer

I won't be the only one asking - How/Where is it stored? Any chance that mice, rats, squirrels, lions, tigers and bears got to the wiring? Take a close look at all the wiring for damage.

Rig.Stunts

Low side fuel pumps in the fuel tank have been getting 'tired'. Not sure how that issue may relate to winter storage . . .

mkivalex

So yes it was just stored in my detached home garage, I have seen a mouse or two in there before so there is certainly the possibility of a mouse, however I did have a good look. Anywhere around the battery where there are a few harnesses, anything i can see in the engine bay, interior, no trace of mice anywhere.

Is there anywhere specific I should be looking? I am on my PC i will post the video of the noise from upfront in just a moment.

mkivalex

Video added to first post

Petza914

Did you stabilize the fuel with anything when storing it? I've had gas go bad in as little as 3 months and now use a fuel stabilizer product in every fill up since I never know how long it may take me to use a full tank of gas.

Open the airbox and see if there is any nesting evidence. Check the wires going to the MAF.

The clicking is normal.

da Vinci Dan

I would add some fresh 93 octane, some Techron and take it for a long drive. Its not a good idea to let any car just sit for 5 months.
Was the last fill with an Ethanol fuel?

mkivalex

I did not use stabilizer as I have never had an issue with storing a car for just a few months, you guys really think the gas could have gone bad?

the car is rubbing pretty poorly, I'm not sure I'd want to drive it, the way it is. I could drain the tank perhaps.

now that i think of it as well. When i would first start the car last year and fir the first 15 seconds k
or so of driving there would be a small amount of hesitation under load.

I only bought the car last summer so I don't have a long history with it but the previous owner seemed to be pretty diligent with maintenance

Petza914

I've had gas go bad and create rough running in that short a time even though it was 93 octane Top Tier fuel. If you had hesitation before putting it away through, I'd say it's time to spray clean the MAF, change the plugs, and possibly the coil packs (if they're been in there for 60k miles or so).

mkivalex

Cleaned the MAF, plugs and coils have less that 10K on them. They are only at max 2 years old. Starting to feel more and more like it is the fuel pump. But the noise up front from the gas tank area has me thinking otherwise

da Vinci Dan

If you used an ethanol based fuel and allowed it to sit, the fuel and water with separate causing a very lean burn or no burn if your just sucking up water. Also, water tends to get trapped in the fuel pumps as it does not pump as gas does:

mkivalex

So draining the tank and putting some fresh gas in should be the next move perhaps? I haven't looked it up yet, is the tank easy to drain on these?

8x57IRS

You could kill two birds with one stone by removing (testing) the pump and emptying the tank (hose pump) at the same time.

mkivalex

appreciate the suggestion but I have a 997.2 which has a sealed tank and the high pressure fuel pump mounted to the engine.

CAVU

OP,

My recommendation is to get it to a shop (drive or flat bed) familiar with Porsche's and have a PIWIS, have them give it a look, unless you are willing to explore the wiring with a flashlight, mirror and video snake. I too am adverse to throwing parts at a problem without further diagnostics. P1026 could be mechanical or electrical.

Yes, gas can go bad. Is that the issue? All you have is a rough running engine which could be anything at this point.

Water in the tank from using 10% or less ethanol fuel may not be as likely as youtubers claim. This is just my opinion and is based on a few thoughts I have assuming healthy water free gas from the pump and a functioning Evaporative Emission Control System (EVAP)
- Our fuel systems are almost a sealed system. The only time it is exposed to ambient air is when we take the gas cap off to fuel and when it ejected by the injector.
- The EVAP, which captures fuel evaporation in the tank, is plumbed to the engine manifold side to draw the stored fumes into the engine to be burned. There are a number of valves involved in all of this, but I will assume that the EVAP system is a closed system, or at worst, a designed in path to ambient air for failure modes.