DemonBG

*This is also posted on another forum so i will do my best to keep them both updated*

Hi all,

Some of you may know i bought a salvage 2012 CS which i rebuilt and up until a few days ago, everything was running smoothly.

History:
Purchased car with 124k Miles on it.
Changed oil, filter and coils and added 2 bottles of LM motor oil saver.
The car ran great for almost 2,200 miles until i parked her up at the airport for a 10 day trip (Last week)
When i returned after 10 days and started the car up it started idling rough around 600 rpm...
At any engine speed above idle the car is smooth and does not feel as though it is down on power...

At first i assumed it was a dirty injector and a bit of "Spirited driving" + fuel cleaner would fix it... unfortunately after about 100 miles of driving the rough idle is "Better" but still there.

Plugged in my PORII scanner and get the following codes:

• P0303 - Cylinder 3 Misfire
• P1361 - Valve Lift Control - Cylinder 2
• P1362 - Valve Lift Control - Cylinder 4
• P1363 - Valve Lift Control - Cylinder 3
• P1372 - Valve Lift control - Bank 1

After about 30 miles of driving i also get:

• P0133 - 02 Sensor Circuit Slow Response Bank 1 Sensor 1

Troubleshooting So far:

• added 1 bottle of seafoam to fuel - Slightly better idle and P0303 error did not return after clearing, but the misfire counter in scanner diagnostics still shows the cylinder is misfiring.
• Recharged battery overnight - No change
• Changed engine oil and filter yesterday and added 1/2 bottle of seafoam to crankcase - Slightly better idle, particularly when warmed up, but still rough.

So far i have run about 70 miles on the new oil + SF and it feels a little better... my guess is that the LM oil saver has caused the valve solenoids to "stick" or perhaps there is sludge / buildup on them?

My current thinking is to run seafoam + Oil for another 100-200 miles to allow any deposits to clear out and then change the oil again.

P.S - did find this thread which seems identical: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...placement.html

Assuming it is the valve solenoids, what is the risks if i keep driving it?

Thanks for the help all.
- Demon

deilenberger

PLEASE stop adding Seafoam to any opening in the car. Anything that claims to work anywhere is questionable in working on everything. For fuel - use Techron. It's good stuff (BMW relabels it as their fuel system cleaner.) What is "LM Oilsaver"? That you're looking for is a "top-end lubricant" I had one that was a favorite but they stopped making it (it worked so it probably caused cancer in rats..) It was CD1 Oil Detergent additive. Marvel Mystery Oil is likely very similar. I'd add the specified amount to the oil, run it 300-400 miles, then change the oil. If this doesn't work, the variocam solenoids can be removed and the passages in them can be cleaned.

DemonBG

Thanks for the quick reply.
I have used Techron on my other vehicles and love the stuff for my fuel - This is the first time I've used Seafoam and it was under guidance of a mechanic friend of mine... His advice was that it would be fine for "No more than 500 miles" for the amount iv'e used but i don't plan on keeping it any more than 200.

The LM oil saver = Liqui Moly Motor oil saver. I got the recommendation from this forum to help "Restore" Engine seals but my guess is it has worked too well, resulting in the rough idle - But this could be entirely a coincidence.

How involved is the solenoid removal & Cleaning? Im assuming the valve covers must come off?

I really appreciate the help, Thank you.

z3mcoupe

Could it be coil packs? They typically fail at higher miles. I just had mine done (163k miles).

CAVU

Just thinking out loud. Since it is one bank affecting most of its cylinders, I would suspect a component in the variocam system on that bank: camshaft position sensor, timing actuator, timing solenoid, knock sensors.

DemonBG

Thanks for the replies gentlemen.

z3mcoupe - I doubt it as i changed them about 2k miles ago... I will not rule it out though and will pull them over the weekend to have a look at them and replace my plugs while im at it.

CAVU - That makes a lot of sense to me. Is there any way to readily diagnose those individual parts? How hard are they to replace?

I'm particularly suspect of the the valve lift solenoid... And from what i can see, this requires removal of the valve cover to replace - There isn't much information out there about there.

Thank you again,
Demon

TRD_Power

If coil packs and plugs don't correct the issue, I'd start looking at the variocam bolts. There was a recall for this on the 2011-2012 CS a while back.

DemonBG

Thanks TRD,

I remember i checked this when i first got the car a few months ago and AFAIK my car was either not affected by, or had already had the bolts replaced as it was the solid bolt (No metal pin) - But i will check this again tonight.

Thanks again for the support gentlemen.

Demon

deilenberger

I wouldn't be. His CS is outside the bad-bolts window, and if they fall out lots more bad things will happen than a rough idle and a warning message. AFAIK, the engines in question were primarily built in 2010 (and some got into 2010 Panameras), but were fully used up by t
\he 2012 model year.

OP - on some of the V8 engines there is a metal screen beneath where the variocam solenoid bolts to the engine. In cases where oil has been neglected (or inferior oil was used) - the screen has been known to get sludged up resulting in slow or no operation of the variocam on that bank of cylinders. I believe on the 958 it will require R&R of the valve cover to get to it.

DemonBG

Thank you for your reply Deilenberger.

I echo your thoughts exactly. i don't know the service history of my PIG (and judging by the condition when i received it... Not great) which is why the first thing i did was an oil change... Seems a bit unlucky that as soon as the oil is changed that the screens would clog but.. That would just be my luck :P

What are your thoughts on the oil flush? It may be wishful thinking that an engine oil flush will hopefully break some of that sludge up and clear it (I'm about 100 miles in on my fresh oil change + Seafoam) and at ~200 miles i will pull her back into the garage, add a can of Liqui-moly engine oil flush, idle for 10 minutes and then change the oil again with fresh 0W-40. I'm praying this will be enough to clear up any sludge and crap.. but again, that may be wishful thinking...

In about 2 weeks i will be moving house and driving across country (Approx 1,500 miles). Realistically i wont have time to dismantle the head in that time (Most places don't have the valve cover gasket in stock anyway). The local dealer here in VA is garbage and the Indy shop is fully booked up for weeks. What are the risks of continued operation if my oil flush doesn't work?

Thank you again.
Demon

CAVU

Where in VA are you so maybe we can point you in the direction of decent independents and dealers?

CAVU

The Cylinder 3 misfire might be something separate. You might swap cyl 2 and 3 coil packs and see if the misfire follows to cylinder 2. If not, leave things as is, If it does move to cyl 2, replace the coil bad pack and then see if the other problems return.

That is an interesting find on the other forum with near identical codes (minus the misfire). It certainly might be worth changing it out yourself but the risk is, as Bruce points out, that the oil screen beneath is buggered up, and AllDataDIY points out that a PIWIS diagnostic is key to preclude replacing the wrong part.

DemonBG

Thanks CAVU.

I Like the way you think. Im currently living in Richmond, VA but on the verge of moving to Texas (Hence the 1,500 mile trip coming up)... and of course this behavior starts 2 weeks before my move

Im going to replace the spark plugs this weekend (Once they come in from FCP) and will try swapping arround the left and right bank of coil packs while i't at it... Failing that i will get it into the Stealership or the Indy next week for diagnostics.

Over the last 150 miles of running with seafoam it definitely feels better - Especially once warmed up. Cold starts are still more rough than i would like so she's going to be fixed until she's broken!

Thanks for the help

Demon

TRD_Power

Where in Texas are you moving to? There are a couple good shops around the Houston area that won't charge you an arm and a leg.

DemonBG

hey TRD,
I'll be moving to College Station which is only about an hour from Houston! (I doubt College station has any Porsche experienced shops...)

Any referrals would be appreciated.

All the best,
Demon