vanster

I assisted a friend with the purchase of a very clean 01 S 986 with Tiptronic. This was a CL sale. Met the buyer, the car had 68k on the clock and appeared to be all good. The only thing that I noticed was that it had a K&N filter which most of us know they are not friendly to Porsches.
Soon after the sale was made and my friends were on their way back home the check engine light came on. They freaked out and took it to a very reputable Porsche shop in Marin County. They told her that both cats are shot. And the MAF needs to be replaced.
How common is this and would the seller know this in advance? Could he have turned off the check engine light prior to the sale?

extanker

did you scan for codes when you helped ?

vanster

No I didn't. I forgot to bring my OBO with me. I thought I knew enough to be able to tell with out it being a bit too trusting and optimistic
Do 986 cats have a short life span?

extanker

cats usually do not go bad by themselves......too rich/too lean etc..........i would guess there are quite a few codes in this car . i cannot really afix the blame to anyone now

Macster

Converters (and the MAF) can fail at any time but most often they are pretty long lived.

However, tracking can shorten the converter (and MAF) life as the increase in heat accelerates the converter's degradation. The very high air flow causes the MAF to work extra hard which can shorten its life, too.

Of course it is not clear this car in question was tracked. (Tire dirt on top of the under body plastic panels, inside the radiator ducts, is a good sign of tracking.)

No one can know but the seller if the seller knew of the bad converters or MAF in advance. However it is hard to believe both converters (and the MAF) decided to go bad during the drive home.

Up to the buyer if he wants to contact the seller and see if there might be any possibility of some good will towards addressing the converters and MAF.

I don't mean to put too fine a point on it but for the benefit of other readers I have to mention a used Boxster, a used Porsche (a used any car) requires a thorough used car check out. This means among other things a road test which is long enough and varied enough to give the DME time to flag any engine, sensor or converter issues.

Afterwards a PPI is advised.

Assuming the diagnosis is accurate, the converters and the MAF will have to be replaced. One might try a used MAF. Parts Heaven in Hayward CA might have a suitable used MAF. The part number of the existing MAF is necessary to make sure the same MAF is pulled.

Unfortunately used converters are not an option. I say this based on my (admittedly 2nd hand) info it is against some CA/CARB rule/regulation/law to use used converters.

vanster

I totally agree with everything you mentioned. Having raced sports cars for around 25 years, and owning about a dozen Porsches I thought I could look at a this car objectively along with a conversation with the seller and a long test drive I could come away with a buy or walk. I spoke to Hi-Tec in San Rafael prior to my inspection along with my good friend Greg Brown (Precision Motorwerks in Anaheim) on what to look for. Tire dates, brand of tires and wear, over all condition, respray etc and it all checked out. I guess I am licking my wounds for I feel horrible for my friend that bought the car with my recommendation. The seller has cashed the check and submitted a bill of sale to DMV. The seller is responsible for having pass smog once the sale is agreed which he has not done. I should have convinced my friend to have a PPI prior to handing over hard cash. Now they just want their money back....

Macster

Well, I'm not a legal expert but there may be a way to void the sale somehow by the fact the car doesn't pass smog. It depends upon what teeth there are in the rules/regs regarding the seller being responsible for the car having to pass smog once the sale is agreed to.

Your friend should contact the DMV and CARB and the consumer fraud division of the county in which the seller of the car lives to see what options are available to him.

In the meantime the car should be parked.

Schnell Gelb

The law is clear , it is the Sellers responsibility to get it passed Smog .That is why it is smart to Smog a car just before you sell it..If the car has emission system modified by non-CARB approved items, they are also responsible for fixing that. Get a a good automotive-minded attorney quickly!
OTOH the fix may be simple so why bother - just fix it ? A simple vac leak will throw codes.Get a Durametric on it to find the full list of issues?

vanster

The buyer contacted the seller and without hesitation the seller is returning the money. He was not surprised that the car did not pass smog and that is had other issues. At the end of the day the buyer got her money back and the seller lives to fight another
day. I'm sure it will be back on CL soon only this time I hope he corrects the issues. I was a bit bummed because she really liked the car but know she is off to buy a Pius. She lives up the California coast and drives up Hwy 1 weekly and never having even driven a Porsche she just loved it. Now she is freaked out by this experience which is unfortunate.

Macster

That is good news.

Shawn Stanford

^This.

A PPI will run you a few hundred, but it's worth it. It might not be if the car is very old or very cheap. But Boxsters are at most, 20 years old and have modern electronics, and since you're posted here about MAF and cats - not particularly expensive parts, nor difficult to replace - I'm guessing that your friend didn't get a ridiculously good deal on the car.

dr914

Those k&n air filters are very hard on the mass air flow sensor, we replace many, and most every time, we see and replace the k&n that someone had installed

medtech

Sorry, but no PPI and the buyer gets whatever they get. It's the buyers responsibility to thoroughly vet out the car, not the sellers. IMO you should change the title.

Schnell Gelb

Maybe a PPI on an old Corolla is not necessary if you are a good mechanic. But on a Porsche where repair costs can be way more than the purchase price..........
A full engine rebuild can cost double the car's purchase price. Mine did !
Before you look for a Boxster, find a competent and honest M96 Indie first ?

NewToPig

Just start with cleaning the MAF. Plenty of how to's on Youtube. It probably has filter oil on it. That may also clear out the cat codes if it was causing a run rich.