The bad gas theory occurred to me yesterday as well. The timing is about right. I filled up yesterday with probably about 4 gallons left, so we'll see. Checked battery & cable and they seem ok. I'll get the plugs and MAF done as soon as I can.

 

Before you replace your plugs or clean your MAF, have you had your throttle body cleaned recently? Hard starting can be a symptom of carbon buildup in the throttle body. Its easy to do yourself.

 

Well, it appears the answer if the HPFP. I finally got a chance to do the plugs and while I was under the car noticed that the left bank was soaked in oil. So I punted and drove it to my mechanic, but not before snapping one of the header bolts while trying to do the plugs. So he gets to do it all. Durametric showed codes that my simple reader did not. Car had the recall done in fall '11, I'm guessing around 30k miles ago. Seems like a pretty lame lifespan. Apparently the FP has been redesigned, so I'm hoping the new one will last.

 

stef, where did you get your new fp. i also am experiencing just a bit longer time to start the car…say a second more or probably a turn more to start. could i have the same problem?

 

I'm having my indy source the part, but it's a Porsche only source part ($1k). I spoke to a local dealer to triple check that I had the recall done and he told me it's been redesigned.

In my case it definitely deteriorated. Starting interval became longer and then rough running was added. Definitely monitor it. Also, Durametric will show up the secondary codes that identify the culprit, so it may pay to have someone do a readout.

 

Just a matter of paranoia ... I've got a 2010 4S. I opted for a year into the 997.2 production to avoid year one problems.

Did the redesign occur late 2009, or after then? How many others are thinking they are fine but, in fact, are still dealing with the original design.

 

Wayne, mine is a 2010 and itwas part of the recall. Had the hpfp replaced on a recall. Im hoping its thegas that is a problem.

 

Well, the pump the car got in late 2011 didn't make it far...

 

If this was a weak design part should it be part of some kind of campaign again. Or maybe porsche should carry the part price if not whole, in part. Having a pump fail every 2 years is unacceptable, specially on a $100k car!

 

Thanks. Mine was an early build, so it looks like I should confirm with the dealer. I'm approaching two months with the car, 3000 miles, and absolutely no problems. But better safe than sorry.

I am assuming a replacement now would not be as prone to a failure later.

 

I'm assuming that they fixed this other issue by 2009--they had a problem with starter cables for several years in the early 997s cars. It's best manifested when the car is started, running awhile, and then shut off, and you attempt to restart it again quickly. (The things get hot). There are specification figures that can tell you immediately if this is a problem or not.

The last issue that it could be is simply the battery. If you drive the car infrequently (not weekly) and you're in a cold weather area then it's a good chance that the battery is dying--unless you routinely keep it on the trickle charger.

 

So the pump is backordered. Hmmm, strangely popular item???
It's cold here anyway, so I don't care that much.

 

Finally got the car back, just in time for the first snow. Starts as it should. Now all I need is spring

 

Glad to hear your car is fixed. It reminded me of a hard starting/stumbling issue my previous car (E90 335i) had, which perhaps coincidentally also had a DFI motor with a HPFP. The BMW's starting problem was due to a bad fuel injector that leaked gas into the cylinder after the engine was shut off. The extra fouled the spark plug. New plugs and one new injector cured it.

 

I had a similar problem just recently. It would take a while (10seconds or more) to fire up from a cold start when it's been sitting overnight. Cranked fine, just couldn't would fire up immediately.

The car, 09 carrera 2 cab, has the HPFP 'campaign' replacement at 25K miles. Car has 55K now. So that pump lasted 30K miles...lovely.

Had an indy shop look at it 1st and they said it was probably the HPFP and about $1400 parts+labor to swap it out. They suggested taking it to the dealer and see if they can do anything since it's already been replaced once. Dealer replaced the part under...wait for it...The Emissions Warranty. Not sure how, nor did service adviser understand how, but I walked in and walked out paying $0 for a new HPFP replacement.

Just got the car back today and hopefully this resolves it.

Anyone else know how this might have been covered under the Emissions Warranty. Did Porsche NA decide to just slide this part under that warranty coverage to avoid admitting a bad part?