Louis Graniero

Elberoth

There is a know issue of cables going bad in the drivers footwell, due to water / moisture. There was a separate thread about this.

When this happens, the car throws all kind of error codes.

Louis Graniero

Elberoth

I cannot point you to a specific thread (you need to search). My undersrtanding is that the moisture could have initiated the corrosion process a while back, with the connection ultimately failing a few months later, when everything is completely dry to touch.

You would probably need to remove the carpeting and examine the condition of the wires in the driver's footwell.

CarGuyNVA

Throwing multiple codes like that and the vehicle not wanting to move sounds also like the symptoms some would see when one of the variocam controller bolts failed. That was generally seen on the 2011 CTTs, but there were some early 2012 CTTs that also had the affected components. Just a thought.

Louis Graniero

CarGuyNVA

1) not sure, perhaps
2) if one of the bolts did fail, and some of it went down into places it shouldn't go, it could have done damage certainly

Some vehicles that have had the bolt failures ultimately resulted in needing new engines. Since it's a recall by Porsche, you'd be covered....assuming your VIN falls within the specified range. Otherwise it might be a little tricky. Again, this is all assuming your problem really is the variocam bolts. It could be something completely different though.

In the meantime however, you can run your VIN here to see if yours has the outstanding recall for the bolts...... https://recall.porsche.com/prod/pag/...f/VIN?ReadForm

leftlane

It could also be the battery going bad - when this happens it tends to throw all kinds of wacky faults. I'd have the battery tested first as this might be the easiest/cheapest fix - or at least eliminate it as a contributing factor.

deilenberger

It's not the bolts. The car ran well again after he disabled the PSM.

Lou,

I have a few suggestions:

1. To help in any intelligent manner - we'd need to see what error codes are stored in the car's modules. There are about 30 computers in the CTT - and you need a tool to read the errors stored in them if you intend to do any DIY work. There is a thread about a tool that works, and in the grand scheme of things - it's fairly inexpensive: https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-...ble-again.html

2. As was mentioned - wacky errors can happen when a battery is going south, but I wouldn't expect them to happen when you're driving along - they'd more likely appear when you started up and the battery dips below the critical voltage (around 10V) for the modules to behave correctly. You can add a voltmeter display to the instrument cluster vehicle screen in the multi-instrument display (2nd pod/screen from the right). Add that, then set your key memory so it doesn't disappear next time you unlock the car. Keep an eye on the system voltage. With the ignition on - engine not running, I'd hope to see 12.2-12.6V. Engine running 13.2-14.7V.

3. The dreaded wet footwell problem. Since Florida is known for it's afternoon deluges - chances are good that at some time the footwells might have flooded. Both sides are susceptible to flooding. For lots of info condensed nicely I'd suggest some threads from our DIY forum. https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-...asc&sort=title

Here is the thread I think might be useful: https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-...-moisture.html

Note the symptoms the poster had who started the thread. Sound familiar?

I'd print out that thread, and take the vehicle to a Porsche mechanic. If they're experienced in Cayennes they know all about the problem.

4. I'd clean out all the sources of the water, these threads will tell you how. Again if you DIY, you can just read them and go at it, if you're taking it to a mechanic - print them out and hand them to him:

https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-...clean-out.html
https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-...vac-drain.html

And to answer your question - yes, pulling up the carpeting will tell you if the footwell is currently flooded - but if the damage was done at some prior time, and the footwell dried out - it won't tell you that. On the passengers side, there is a little carpet flap door just off the door sill ahead of the seat pedestal you can open up (it's for access for a stamped body VIN#), and on the drivers side there is one ahead of the seat pedestal to get at the main battery ground cable connection to the body.

Good luck with it - and let us know how it works out!

garrett376

Did you get a check engine light as well? If you did, read out the engine codes as a misfire due to a failing coil will cause errors displayed in most systems and the P0- code will point you in that direction.

Texas993

Mine did a similar thing the day that I purchased it. It was one bad coil. $40 covered under warranty. As Don states, unless you pull the codes, you won't know for sure. A simple obdII code reader will tell you if it is a coil.

Louis Graniero

Thank you for this information. I went out to the car this afternoon and did in fact find the passenger floors were wet under the floor mat. So am I correct to assume it is most likely water that has intruded into the footwells and corroded the wiring harnesses? Either way, water is making its way into the cabin

CarGuyNVA

jtakhtalian

Here's a video that'll help you check and clear the cowl drains on the 958.


I did mine after my first car wash after buying it used. My wife was in the passengers seat and had her purse in the footwell while we drove around for a few hours afterwards. Bad way to find out there was a leak!

The process is real simple but a little messy. I'd suggest doing this in the driveway so you can easily wash away the mess. I made the mistake of accessing the drains while parked in the garage. It was amazing how much crud had accumulated in the five years that the previous owner owned the car. More amazing was the amount of water that came out of both sides. The worst part was this vehicle had a ton of dealer maintenance records. Apparently clearing the drains wasn't in their checklist.

If you're going to run water down the drain from the engine compartment after you're done to make sure it's all clear, be very careful on both sides, but especially the passengers side. There's some very expensive electronics (ECU) located under the plastic cover.

trendy996

Bad ABS/wheels speed sensor. Very shortly your Cayenne will not move. Figure out which one from durametric or replace them all.