Polman

Hi, I have just done engine oil, gearbox oil, all filters, spark plugs and drive belt on my Cayman S 2006. It was easy and straight on. Why in the heavens name do " take me to work shop" comes up. Sometimes it's like Porsche wants you to come to them so the can charge me 100$ just to connect and erase som codes. What can possible be the cars reaction on my service ????

Polman

I have now realized that is has to be the spark plugs. I have bought the Denso IK22 that I have read about. The car idles on 4-5 cylinders and are vibrating a bit.......does anyone have knowledge about the Denso plug. My coils looked good without any cracks so it has to be the plugs !!

extanker

milk carton poster child of why some people SHOULD take their car to the dealer.......DIY = destroyed it yesterday

Spokayman

The first thing I would do is check again to ensure that the coils are all securely reconnected as it sounds like you have a no fire situation on one or more cylinders. It is especially easy for the coil connectors to not quite be fully reconnected. I would unclip and reconnect each one.
Another common error is that the coil itself is not fully seated on the spark plug, and often this is due to the coil wire getting sandwiched between the coil and engine block preventing the coil from fully seating on the block and spark plug.
If that doesn't correct the problem you may have a bad coil or even a bad spark plug but you should identify which cylinder(s) are misfiring first. The engine computer has already logged this for you and you'll need a code reader to determine which code is being recorded.
As for your use of alternate brand or type of spark plugs, I would also be suspicious of this and might just switch back to Porsche's recommend plugs before going much further.

Polman

Hi Spokayman, many thanks for taking Your time and trouble shoot me I have checked all the connections and that the coils went smooth on the spark plugs. I also started it up for 2 minutes and felt on the different manifolds, and they where all warm. I will change back to the Bosch plugs tomorrow and see how the reaction is. A lot of unnecessary work when I thought it was just a walk in the park! I miss my 964 witch was much easier to work with. Does the " check engine" light disappear if the car would like the new Bosch plugs, or do I have to go to the dealer and erase it for 100$? They charged me 90$ per coil and wanted 35$ for a spark plug!! They admitted that is was double the market price for the plugs! Of course many Porsche owners want the best for their " babies " but just to pay up what ever they say is stupid. They loose a lot of costumers to pirate markets with Oem stuff.

rusnak

Even if you DIY, there needs to be some investment in tools, and you can't shortchange on parts. Stick to Porsche recommended lubricants, anti-freeze, fluids. I invested in a Durametric Pro also. You may eventually need to get a diagnostic software program, or iCarSoft scanner to re-set codes. These cars are highly engineered, and you have to know what you're doing.

Having said that, I would not be surprised if the coils need to be replaced. And I'd stick with the factory oem spark plugs.

Macster

My info is the parts/supplies cost problem is in part due to Porsche and the fact it uses a number of different shippers. My local dealer service manager tells me sometimes the dealer gets several deliveries in a day -- sometimes up to 4 -- and sometimes each from a different shipper.

The benefit of this is often the part leaves the warehouse the same day it is ordered and can be at the dealer the next day or the day after.

But this prompt delivery comes at a cost.

Because Porsche doesn't use just one shipper (with which it should be able to work out a pretty good discount) shipping costs are high and the dealer wants to naturally recover that cost.

You can help lower the cost of parts/supplies purchased at the dealer parts department by joining PCA and thus qualifying for the discount the membership entitles you to.

Last but not least you are not the first Cayman owner to find not all "compatible" plugs are truely compatible. I recall another Cayman owner on another board had his Cayman engine running poorly after he installed new plugs which the reference chart indicated were ok to use but which in practice proved to not be ok. Just because the reference chart lists a plug as a suitable replacement for the factory plug doesn't mean it truly is a suitable replacement.

The factory plug is an extended tip style. The extended tip tends to run hot at low engine RPMs which helps keep the plug clean. At higher engine RPMs the tip is exposed to the incoming charge and this helps keep the plug from running too hot.

danschy

I doubt it is your issue, but Porsche no longer recommends using anti-seize on the plugs, allegedly due to misfire issues. But I've also heard of plugs getting stuck and damaging the aluminum heads on removal. I was more concerned with the later than the former, so used a very small amount of anti-seize when I replaced mine. I used the same Bosch plug as had been in my Cayman and have not had any issues. I do have Durametric Enthusiast version, which can be pretty handy in tracking down misfire (and other) issues.

tenaciousD

I also recommend you get a Durametric. It can show you which cylinder is misfiring. With that knowledge, you won't be wasting your time trying to diagnose cylinders that aren't having a problem. Once you're done with your maintenance, it will also allow you to reset the service reminder and reset any engine codes that might have resulted from the misfire. I suspect you have a bad coil or a poorly grounded plug.

rusnak

I bought an OBD II enhanced scanner made by Bosch before I bought the Durametric for the Porsche. I used the Bosch on the Benz and BMW, because I don't have their specific software. I can say that the enthusiast Durametric is a better deal than a scanner. The pro version will let you deactivate the seatbelt buckle sensor and turn off the seatbelt warning, also let you program settings, etc.

A good OBD II scanner will tell you which cylinder is misfiring, and re-set codes. But a Durametric will see problems that a regular scanner will not, and long-term is a far better tool.