malimt

Greetings to all members,

I am new to this forum and a first time Porsche owner.
I recently purchased a 2005 Cayenne Turbo last week and I've had quite a few problems with it so far.

The brake booster light and check indicators were on upon purchase. I managed to fix both by changing the front left light bulb and also the Brake Booster hose which was cracked and an internal leak was being caused which lead to the pump working constantly when pressing the brakes.

Now with those out of the way, I have another issue/problem with the car. Just tonight another light came on the dashboard and I've been reading up on the Light but have found no posts in regards to it whatsoever.

CAN someone please explain to me what this light could mean other than "tank cap"? I will attach a picture as I do not know how to exactly describe the yellow light that is appearing. I have read the manual online for dashboard lights and it claims to check tank cap and I have done that... The fuel tank cap has no issues whatsoever, at least not that I can tell and it was tight. Opened/closed it myself to double-check. I also checked radiator/reservoir cap too.

Please view picture below.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for your time in advance.

user 83838290

That's a check engine light. Comes up for a variety of reasons - from stupid stuff like the cap all the way up to cylinders not firing.

Did you take a look at the stickies on this forum? SInce the car's new to you, how long ago was the battery changed? Do you have service records?
If I were you, I'd change the battery (unless you have a definite proof it was changed within last 2-3 years), change all the fluids (engine, tranny, diffs...), change all the filters, change the coils and sparkplugs and do the serpentine belt while you're in there. I'd do it all at once to have a peace of mind and a starting point from which to do all other scheduled maintenance.

deilenberger

That's an emissions warning light. You'll need to get the OBD-II codes read to see what is triggering it. I'd suggest if you're in the US, look for a large-chain auto-parts store and ask them to read the codes. They typically will since they hope to sell you parts to fix the issue.

Let us know what codes are stored. Anything else will be simply interwebz guesses based on inadequate information. The guesses can be very costly if you try following all of them.

malimt

Dear Lupo.sk,

Please excuse my poor english.

I appreciate your prompt and detailed response.
I was not aware that it was a 'check engine' light so thank you for bringing that to my attention.

No. I have not yet read any of the stickies here on the forum as I have just joined less than 15-20 mins ago. However, since you recommend doing so, I will be sure to do that momentarily.

I do not have any service records and I'm not quite sure when the battery was changed. I plan on changing all the fluids and filters this week myself as I am a DIY guy and figure things out very quickly, I have worked on many vehicles myself: Infiniti FX35, Cadillac CTS, Mercedes-Benz S500, VW Golf GTI and Ford EcoSport. I am very well educated with mechanical labor so to say.

I am currently a College student majoring in Mechanical Engineering, I really cannot spend a lot of money unless it is absolutely needed. Should I get a computer test going so that I can try to find out the exact issues or would that not work?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Once again, thank you for your prompt and detailed response Lupo.sk

malimt

Dear deilenberger,

Please excuse my poor english.

Thank you very much for your prompt and detailed response.

So this is not a 'check engine' light then? - Unfortunately, I'm not in the U.S. However, I can have someone check the codes for me as I know someone who has the device to do so. It will cost me a good 100AED - 25-30USD but that's not a concern for me as this is top priority for me.

I will check and post here again tomorrow.

Once again, thank you very much for your prompt and detailed response.

RKD in OKC

Yep, that is the check engine light.

When mine came on I checked, and the engine was where it is supposed to be?

Caledl a Porsche service shop.
They said if it was flashing to NOT drive it risking damage. To have it towed to service.
If NOT flashing drive it in for service. Mine was miss-firing and needed new plugs.

malimt

Dear RKD in OKC,

Please excuse my poor english.

Thank you very much for confirming that.

I will have it computer tested tomorrow so that I can figure out the codes and hopefully resolve the issue myself if possible.

Praying that it is not going to be a big cost. (Fingers crossed)

deilenberger

It's a stop-driving light if it's red (I believe it changes color - not turn to flashing) - that means there is something the computer thinks is seriously wrong.

Let us know what the codes are.. and we can possibly give you a direction to head in. It might be something as simple as a coil misfiring.

One other thing - you mention being a student I'm guessing on a limited budget. While it's something to aspire to - an older Porsche Cayenne and a limited budget may not be exactly compatible. Even if you can do all the work on the beast - the cost of parts is high since Porsche prices them for a new very expensive car. The parts prices don't drop as the vehicle gets cheaper with age. Just food for thought..

Good luck!

BTW - your English is excellent - no need to apologize for it - if you hadn't told me I wouldn't have known you weren't a native English speaker.

malimt

Dear deilenberger,

Thank you very much for your prompt and detailed response. I truly do appreciate all of your help and information that you have provided.

I did a computer test today, my guy (the car guru) managed to find three errors that showed up. I didn't see the codes and this is what I was told. He was very busy and didn't have the time provide me with further information. However, he asked me to return again later today in order to check it throughly and provide me with code and part numbers. His computer device didn't show the code I guess or at least not that I could see any.

#1 Catalyst converter
#2 Brake Booster Circuit
#3 Emissions Oxygen Sensor.

- Yes, I'm well aware that while being a student it is definitely hard to spend a lot of money on a second hand Porsche. However, I am hoping to purchase parts and save on labor costs. I can manage certain parts and I also have a second car that I can drive if any big costs occur until I save up to fix them. I agree with you completely though the parts can be expensive as I did some research on it before purchasing the car but I just couldn't pass it up because the price was merely too good! (2005 Cayenne Turbo - 59k miles - in very good cosmetic condition and the interior is also in good condition as well. - asking price: 6,000USD but I managed to get it for 5,850USD)

Thank you very much for your compliment. I am not a native English speaker haha. English is my second language but I'm glad to know that you can understand me well.

I will be visiting (the car guru) again later today to get more information regarding the errors. However, I must say that the check engine light automatically turned off after computer test was done and it also took a restart of the car in order for the light to disappear. Drove it roughly about 30 miles and the light did not appear again.

I have decided to order one of these testers myself in order to save time and money because I end up paying 25-30USD per test. I can pay roughly about 30-50USD and order one off eBay or purchase the laptop software.

Hopefully, I'll get more info later today, god bless and thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to help out!

v10rick

The basic $30-50 OBDII reader is good for emission related codes, that is all.

To properly diagnose all Cayenne error codes will require a diagnostic scanner, a device similar to one used by the dealers.

Durametric is one that I have, but there are other scanners which are less costly. Use the search function for more details.

I agree with the previous poster about owning a Cayenne while pursuing an education. Many of the DIY members here can tell you how outrageously expensive parts can be. Most are not available at the local auto parts store.

Owners who are excited about purchasing a used Cayenne, that can cost over $100K new, soon discover that parts can easily exceed the used purchase price.

Dilberto

A student with a 2005 CTT is not gonna be a student for long....

jeff spahn

he could soon become the master

malimt

Sorry for the late response. Thank you very much for providing all of the information required to purchase one of these devices.

Thankfully, all problems have been solved. I managed to get my hands on the parts needed and successfully replaced them.

It sure was time consuming and a tad bit hard as I had to remove the catalyst converter to replace the oxygen sensors but then again, it needed to be changed. So this website was really helpful and guided me through the process step-by-step. http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...eplacement.htm

I also had to change the brake booster circuit which wasn't a big deal and was done fairly quickly.

Problems solved for now but unfortunately, I'm facing some other interior problems that I have to deal with which I made a post about today and hoping to get some help.

malimt

Haha. I'm aware the parts are very expensive but I'm saving a lot on labor costs. I'm majoring in Mechanical Engineering and have worked on quite a few cars already, I'm not going to say that I'm an expert or professional by any means but I do have knowledge and I can pick up new things very quickly, so far the Porsche hasn't been all that hard to deal with and I'm hoping that I'll be able to continue working on future problems myself if possible. I'm sure that one day I'll come across something that I won't be able to do but thankfully so far that has yet to happen. (Keeping fingers crossed)