New 997 owner (long time lurker, first time poster) - Engine Idle Question
10-16-2012, 11:36 AM
#1
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New 997 owner (long time lurker, first time poster) - Engine Idle Question
Hi guys,
I am a long time lurker and first time poster. Two weeks ago I purchased my first 911. I traded in my 2008 Boxster S for a 2006 Carrera 3.6 in Artic Silver (near even trade).
I purchased the car in confidence, since a PPI was completed and a major service had been completed on the vehicle 2 months prior to when it was sold to me. Also the serpentine belt and brake flush was completed as well. The car had 49,000 miles when I purchased it.
I am from Chicago and the car was located right outside of Milwaukee at a reputable Porsche dealer. I drove the 70 miles back to Chicago without issue. I purchased the car on a Tuesday and the car sat in my garage until the weekend. When I pulled the car out, on my garage floor was a large puddle of oil ~two feet in diameter that had accumulated since four days it had been sitting.
I immediately drove it back up to the dealer that Saturday and spoke to the service and sales manager. They immediately gave me a service loaner and told me that the technician would look at that Monday. After some back and forth over the phone with the sales manager, they agreed to fix the leak and cover the cost. They ended up “resealing” the oil pan. Also they discovered that two speakers of the factory Bose system were not working and found the wires to be spliced. They repaired that and I agreed to pay have the cost of the sound system repair.
After about a week, I picked up the car and noticed that the car when sitting at idle has a slight vibration in which I can feel on the seat bottom. The car idles at 800rpm. When driving, there is no vibration and everything seems smooth – just at idle, I notice the vibration. In my Boxster S (3.4L) I have not had any issue with vibrations that I felt were out of the ordinary.
I’ve been poking around the forum and found some posts in regards to idle issues that could be as simple as cleaning the throttle body or in the worst case replacing the engine mounts…Is there a simple way to diagnose this problem? How would I be able to tell if the engine mounts are shot…
Also, on a side note, I first purchased my Boxster S at the age of 23 brand new from the dealer. 4 years ago, I went in with the intention of picking up a used 996. After speaking with the sales associate – I went with the 987. There was an older gentleman that had chimed in saying that I should “grow” into a 911 which ultimately pushed me over the fence to buying the Boxster over the used 996. Four years later I can finally enjoy my first 911 and am excited for the years to come.
I am a long time lurker and first time poster. Two weeks ago I purchased my first 911. I traded in my 2008 Boxster S for a 2006 Carrera 3.6 in Artic Silver (near even trade).
I purchased the car in confidence, since a PPI was completed and a major service had been completed on the vehicle 2 months prior to when it was sold to me. Also the serpentine belt and brake flush was completed as well. The car had 49,000 miles when I purchased it.
I am from Chicago and the car was located right outside of Milwaukee at a reputable Porsche dealer. I drove the 70 miles back to Chicago without issue. I purchased the car on a Tuesday and the car sat in my garage until the weekend. When I pulled the car out, on my garage floor was a large puddle of oil ~two feet in diameter that had accumulated since four days it had been sitting.
I immediately drove it back up to the dealer that Saturday and spoke to the service and sales manager. They immediately gave me a service loaner and told me that the technician would look at that Monday. After some back and forth over the phone with the sales manager, they agreed to fix the leak and cover the cost. They ended up “resealing” the oil pan. Also they discovered that two speakers of the factory Bose system were not working and found the wires to be spliced. They repaired that and I agreed to pay have the cost of the sound system repair.
After about a week, I picked up the car and noticed that the car when sitting at idle has a slight vibration in which I can feel on the seat bottom. The car idles at 800rpm. When driving, there is no vibration and everything seems smooth – just at idle, I notice the vibration. In my Boxster S (3.4L) I have not had any issue with vibrations that I felt were out of the ordinary.
I’ve been poking around the forum and found some posts in regards to idle issues that could be as simple as cleaning the throttle body or in the worst case replacing the engine mounts…Is there a simple way to diagnose this problem? How would I be able to tell if the engine mounts are shot…
Also, on a side note, I first purchased my Boxster S at the age of 23 brand new from the dealer. 4 years ago, I went in with the intention of picking up a used 996. After speaking with the sales associate – I went with the 987. There was an older gentleman that had chimed in saying that I should “grow” into a 911 which ultimately pushed me over the fence to buying the Boxster over the used 996. Four years later I can finally enjoy my first 911 and am excited for the years to come.
Last edited by gravis121; 10-16-2012 at 12:02 PM.
10-16-2012, 01:04 PM
#2
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I am pretty sure my car has a slight vibration at idle and it always has. I think this is normal. This is not a Lexus. It prefers to be at 6000 RPM rather than 800rpm.
10-16-2012, 02:01 PM
#3
I'd check to see if/when the spark plugs have been replaced too. I recently purchased an '07 C2S with 25,000 miles on it. The car ran and drove great but I decided to have the 40,000 mile major service performed (it was ready for that service by years anyway). I too had noticed some mild vibration at idle which was consistent with what I had experienced in my '02 996. After the major service though, with the plugs replaced, the idle completely smoothed out.
10-16-2012, 02:20 PM
#5
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Mine runs as smooth at 70,000 miles as it did at 100 miles with the original plugs and coils. The idle should be stable (not going up or down hardly at all) but the engine may vibrate a bit.
10-16-2012, 02:44 PM
#6
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Here is a picture of my 997 BTW:
I currently have a list of mods to keep me busy during the winter:
1. Powder Coat OEM lobster claws and exhaust tips
2. Coilovers
3. Semi-solid engine mounts
4. Plasti-dip Carrera badge
5. Dension iPod integration
I currently have a list of mods to keep me busy during the winter:
1. Powder Coat OEM lobster claws and exhaust tips
2. Coilovers
3. Semi-solid engine mounts
4. Plasti-dip Carrera badge
5. Dension iPod integration
10-16-2012, 06:32 PM
#7
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I see you have semi-solid engine mounts on your upgrade list...
That will cause it to vibrate even more!
At idle, a small vibration is normal. Give a small amount of gas and what does it do? Should smooth right out. If it doesn't then maybe you have an issue. These things idle at a pretty low rpm.
That will cause it to vibrate even more!
At idle, a small vibration is normal. Give a small amount of gas and what does it do? Should smooth right out. If it doesn't then maybe you have an issue. These things idle at a pretty low rpm.
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10-16-2012, 07:01 PM
#8
Race Director
Hi guys,
I am a long time lurker and first time poster. Two weeks ago I purchased my first 911. I traded in my 2008 Boxster S for a 2006 Carrera 3.6 in Artic Silver (near even trade).
I purchased the car in confidence, since a PPI was completed and a major service had been completed on the vehicle 2 months prior to when it was sold to me. Also the serpentine belt and brake flush was completed as well. The car had 49,000 miles when I purchased it.
I am from Chicago and the car was located right outside of Milwaukee at a reputable Porsche dealer. I drove the 70 miles back to Chicago without issue. I purchased the car on a Tuesday and the car sat in my garage until the weekend. When I pulled the car out, on my garage floor was a large puddle of oil ~two feet in diameter that had accumulated since four days it had been sitting.
I immediately drove it back up to the dealer that Saturday and spoke to the service and sales manager. They immediately gave me a service loaner and told me that the technician would look at that Monday. After some back and forth over the phone with the sales manager, they agreed to fix the leak and cover the cost. They ended up “resealing” the oil pan. Also they discovered that two speakers of the factory Bose system were not working and found the wires to be spliced. They repaired that and I agreed to pay have the cost of the sound system repair.
After about a week, I picked up the car and noticed that the car when sitting at idle has a slight vibration in which I can feel on the seat bottom. The car idles at 800rpm. When driving, there is no vibration and everything seems smooth – just at idle, I notice the vibration. In my Boxster S (3.4L) I have not had any issue with vibrations that I felt were out of the ordinary.
I’ve been poking around the forum and found some posts in regards to idle issues that could be as simple as cleaning the throttle body or in the worst case replacing the engine mounts…Is there a simple way to diagnose this problem? How would I be able to tell if the engine mounts are shot…
Also, on a side note, I first purchased my Boxster S at the age of 23 brand new from the dealer. 4 years ago, I went in with the intention of picking up a used 996. After speaking with the sales associate – I went with the 987. There was an older gentleman that had chimed in saying that I should “grow” into a 911 which ultimately pushed me over the fence to buying the Boxster over the used 996. Four years later I can finally enjoy my first 911 and am excited for the years to come.
I am a long time lurker and first time poster. Two weeks ago I purchased my first 911. I traded in my 2008 Boxster S for a 2006 Carrera 3.6 in Artic Silver (near even trade).
I purchased the car in confidence, since a PPI was completed and a major service had been completed on the vehicle 2 months prior to when it was sold to me. Also the serpentine belt and brake flush was completed as well. The car had 49,000 miles when I purchased it.
I am from Chicago and the car was located right outside of Milwaukee at a reputable Porsche dealer. I drove the 70 miles back to Chicago without issue. I purchased the car on a Tuesday and the car sat in my garage until the weekend. When I pulled the car out, on my garage floor was a large puddle of oil ~two feet in diameter that had accumulated since four days it had been sitting.
I immediately drove it back up to the dealer that Saturday and spoke to the service and sales manager. They immediately gave me a service loaner and told me that the technician would look at that Monday. After some back and forth over the phone with the sales manager, they agreed to fix the leak and cover the cost. They ended up “resealing” the oil pan. Also they discovered that two speakers of the factory Bose system were not working and found the wires to be spliced. They repaired that and I agreed to pay have the cost of the sound system repair.
After about a week, I picked up the car and noticed that the car when sitting at idle has a slight vibration in which I can feel on the seat bottom. The car idles at 800rpm. When driving, there is no vibration and everything seems smooth – just at idle, I notice the vibration. In my Boxster S (3.4L) I have not had any issue with vibrations that I felt were out of the ordinary.
I’ve been poking around the forum and found some posts in regards to idle issues that could be as simple as cleaning the throttle body or in the worst case replacing the engine mounts…Is there a simple way to diagnose this problem? How would I be able to tell if the engine mounts are shot…
Also, on a side note, I first purchased my Boxster S at the age of 23 brand new from the dealer. 4 years ago, I went in with the intention of picking up a used 996. After speaking with the sales associate – I went with the 987. There was an older gentleman that had chimed in saying that I should “grow” into a 911 which ultimately pushed me over the fence to buying the Boxster over the used 996. Four years later I can finally enjoy my first 911 and am excited for the years to come.
I've only had one engine mount go bad and the tech showed me that the rubber insert of the mount had a large crack in it. You might given some guidance by a tech and with the mounts exposed be able to spot a broken mount.
If I understand the situation correctly you bought a used car and the car probably sat a while before being sold. Thus the gasoline in the tank is questionable.
So, you might want to top up the tank with a premium grade of top tier gasoline and be sure to buy the gas from a busy station to see if "fresh" gasoline helps.
Sincerely,
Macster.
10-16-2012, 10:10 PM
#10
dont know if you have a mechanical problem, if not the only way to adjust the idle or raise it to overcome some mechanical vibration, is to get a ECU software installed and have it increase the idle. Like EVOMs can do to your specs.
10-16-2012, 10:51 PM
#11
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10-16-2012, 10:54 PM
#12
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IIRC the idle speed should be 740 rpm +/- 40 rpm. So the engine could idel as high as 780 rpms and that's pretty close to "800" given tachs usually read a bit optimistic. To know the actual rpm you can connect an OBD2 tool and view the engine rpm in real time.
I've only had one engine mount go bad and the tech showed me that the rubber insert of the mount had a large crack in it. You might given some guidance by a tech and with the mounts exposed be able to spot a broken mount.
If I understand the situation correctly you bought a used car and the car probably sat a while before being sold. Thus the gasoline in the tank is questionable.
So, you might want to top up the tank with a premium grade of top tier gasoline and be sure to buy the gas from a busy station to see if "fresh" gasoline helps.
Sincerely,
Macster.
I've only had one engine mount go bad and the tech showed me that the rubber insert of the mount had a large crack in it. You might given some guidance by a tech and with the mounts exposed be able to spot a broken mount.
If I understand the situation correctly you bought a used car and the car probably sat a while before being sold. Thus the gasoline in the tank is questionable.
So, you might want to top up the tank with a premium grade of top tier gasoline and be sure to buy the gas from a busy station to see if "fresh" gasoline helps.
Sincerely,
Macster.
10-17-2012, 04:08 AM
#14
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