Perk10

Hey everyone,

This is a quick thread for a quick question and hopefully a quick solution

I purchased my car last June and drove the car for 4-5 weeks with absolutely zero check engine light's.

About 5 weeks into owning the vehicle I had AWE headers, mufflers and cats installed. At this point I started getting CEL's all the time. I went to AutoZone and bought a cheap code reader for 50 bucks and haven't thought much about it since. I was well aware it was emission related. Until recently...

A couple months after getting the system installed I started to drive my "new" Porsche more aggressively as I became more comfortable with her. Around this time I started seeing MORE CEL lights! When I would go to delete the usual exhaust system CEL codes I was starting to see something more... to be specific:

-P0300
-P0301 , etc.

As soon as I saw that I was having a possible misfire problem which I have NEVER actually felt, I had all new plugs put in. After having the plugs put in I have continued to experience these same misfire codes. Again, without the codes I would have NEVER known as I don't EVER feel anything that would indicate a misfire.

Now for a few questions - I assume the next step is to replace coils. Assuming Suncoast sells them, should I order 1, 2, 3 or all 6 and just knock it out?

Also, I spoke with a friend who told me that my coils may be absolutely FINE and that I am experiencing these codes ONLY because of my exhaust system sort of like a lean/rich code which would make sense since before the exhaust system was installed, I NEVER experienced one code ever...

Should I take the plunge and spend some cash or do I go with the thought that I am dealing with stupid codes due to an exhaust system and say "fvck it"....

Please share any and all insight!

Thanks in advance,
John

Alan C.

It could be a cat problem. Have you contacted AWE?

USMC_DS1

What year is the car and how many miles? Here are the codes:

P0300 Random/MultiPle Cylinder Misfire Detected
P0301 Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected

Did you DIY the AWE exhaust system install or was it done by an Indy? BTW, is the entire system AWE including the cats... 200 cell cats?

I would normally suspect the coils... the exhaust system R&R may have affect them. Coils are located near the headers... if the coils were borderline in the 1st place then any banging around there to install the headers may have pushed them over the edge. Some more details would help us trouble shoot this properly. Do the CEL's happen more often in wet weather. Cracked coils tend to misbehave when moisture gets in them. Try clearing the codes then stray water on the underside of the engine. Get it nice and wet then start up and see if the CEL gremlins show immediately.

Perk10

It's on my list of things to do in the morning for sure

As of now 46,500 on a 2006 C2S. . . I know for sure it is not water related. I haven't driven the car in rain in probably 3+ months....

And yes, the entire system is AWE including the 200 cell cats. I had it installed here at Porsche Naples which is an authorized dealership. Not to mention I am personal friends of the tech and I know his work..


I found pricing for a 6 coil pack and it's not cheap. I would love to avoid this if at all possible. Thanks for your help guys.

user 72902

I suspect it is your coils too and not related to your exhaust. GL

BIG smoke

When were your coils last done? Visual inspection means nothing.

USMC_DS1

Have you discussed this with your p-tech friend? What does he indicate? GL

ECS Tuning

+1 If you end up needing coils, we offer sets of either Bosch, Beru, or OE. For more information Click Here. By the way you need to get out and drive more Let us know what you end up finding out John.

tbrom

I would almost bet that something was not reinstalled correctly when the work was done. Just a side bar - When I had some work done on my old 993, belts, plugs, oil and filter, I got it back and started getting misfire CEL codes. Took it back thinking that maybe the oil was overfilled or something had no idea. Finally I took it to the dealer, reluctantly, to see what the CEL codes meant - they said it was a misfire - turns out that the belts when installed were not tensioned correctly. The tech explained it to me at the time and it was a bit complex but suffice to say that the mechanic that did the work originally, in inde, didn't do his job properly. So before I started throwing big dollars at a problem I'd have to take it to a dealer that you trust and have it checked. That was the only way I would have discovered that the belt wasn't tensioned properly. Don't start replacing stuff and doing things without knowing for SURE what the problem is.

My 2 cents worth

Perk10

he is of the belief that it is coil related. This is the same guy that has done all of the work on my car so I guess he's got a good shot at being correct

As far as I know, never. I have no receipts showing that they were ever replaced. I just had the plugs done a month ago, however.

thanks for your input

Thanks for the link, I am looking at coils now! And yes I know I need to drive the car more but now that I have been working out of the house she's turned into a damn garage queen

This is what scares me. With all the work that I have had done on my car in the past 6 months... Who knows. Geez....

Perk10

Looking at ECS's website, BOSCH coil pack (6) is 100 cheaper than OEM. What would you guys recommend?

I am not going to go cheap on anything considering 100 bucks isnt worth the trauma BUT if Bosch are as good as OEM then I Wouldn't mind saving a couple bucks... Any input on that?

StormRune

Consider switching the suspected coil with another one from another cylinder. Then see if the problem code moves with it. If it does, you've nailed it as the coil.

user 72902

Perhaps the exhaust work is not the problem but helping manifest a weakness already present. If your coils have never been replaced then your money will not be wasted regardless of the outcome. If your spark plugs have not been replaced I'd suggest replacing them as well and save on labor since it is basically no additional labor once the coils are removed.

Cbst09

I believe he said that his plugs were replace last month. i agree that replacing the coils would not be wasted money due to his mileage. Could it be possible that the coils were either damaged during the spark plug replacement or not re-installed correctly leading to the misfiring? It does seem coincidental that you noticed the problems right after the AWE exhaust work done, I would however contact the folks at AWE to see if they have heard of this issue before and if perhaps any tweaking of the ecu is required to allow for the new flow of your exhaust. Just my 2 cents

Philster

My first stop would be to get high-quality fuel and fuel treatment before I did anything else. Twice now, just after simple upgrades like exhaust or intake/exhaust and a tune up on other performance vehicles, my CEL came on. Nothing seemed to keep it off until I switched to another gas station AND dropped in fuel treatement (good fuel injector cleaner) after my mechanic suggested it.

I doubted him 90 ways to Sunday. He was dead on right. To make more power, you need more fuel to burn. Your injectors better be up to the darn task to meet the in/out improvements you've now made! An injector deficiency that didn't cause a problem before might be just enough to make an ever-so-slight lean condition now with your mods. If ya had a wee bit more fuel, you could keep the fuel demand up now that your exhaust cycle allows for more on the intake.

Hey... call me crazy... and discount anecdtoal evidence, but when it's super cheap and harmless, ya gotta go for it.