Wow! How bad was the damage? In this case I believe its the sensor. It had happened to me but it was the rings on the intake cam that hold back the oil for the vario. They were just gone. Not even a sign of them. If I kept the motor above 4k it ran perfect. Anything below that and the cel would flash run on only bank one because the cam would not advance that made the sync off.

 

There's a thread on RL that Kevin started on this very topic- IIRC- motor runs lean, engine management doesn't retard timing because the ECU has a tune, and end result is the timing chain breaks. Most likely result is massive damage including a cracked case. Kevin offers a pretty technical explanation that I'm probably butchering...

 

Holy crap!

Well I too am thinking that this was not the case in my car... I started the car again tonight and it idled (high) for about 8-9 seconds before it thew CEL, PSM+ABS and shut off. I then followed the directions from Renntech and swapped the plugs, coil packs, and got the passenger side CPS out. What a PAIN in the **** that was! That little hex bolt seemed to have lock-tight going all the way up the threads; my fingers still have dents in them from the crappy little right-angle hex tool! Anywho, The damn thing is out and sitting on my kitchen counter... I'm thinking I'll make it into a Christmas ornament or something.

A few notes on what I discovered tonight:

* Plugs were Beru branded with 2 ground posts coming up to the center electrode. Were these factory type? I replaced them with NGK copper BKR7E plugs (gapped to .025) per Robin @ EPL.

* All 3 plugs on the passenger side were still wet with fuel, and pretty "gunky" looking. I'm guessing if the timing was way off, these puppies weren't even firing?

* Coil packs started with the 996 part number (might also have been factory) and looked to be in great shape! I still replaced them with the new 997 style packs.

* The round thing (located directly between rear and middle cylinders) with the plug/wire coming out and the two blue-headed bolts attaching it to the valve cover is NOT the CPS and in fact, leaks oil all over the place when you pop it out.

* My driver side Tubro-to-Intercooler pipe seemed to have some oil inside of it??? I cleaned my hands and rubbed my finger inside the actual turbo housing - it seemed pretty dry. Any reason my rubber hose seemed to have some residue inside? I haven't checked the passenger side pipe or turbo yet.

* The two nuts at the rear of the car, that I identified as engine mount nuts, seemed to be tightened by God's own hand. They are *not* breaking lose and I turned my Husky (heavy duty) impact gun all the way up and even let my compressor fill all the way back up. No dice... I was under the impression (after more reading) that I could support the motor from underneath with a jack and loosen those two nuts to lower the whole thing down a bit to make the job easier. Any tips/tricks to this one?

* The threaded posts on the bottom of the heat-shield (that is attached to the intercooler assembly) are very stubborn and like to snap off when you try to remove the flimsy-*** 'hat looking' nuts. What was Porsche thinking here with those almost aluminum looking nut/washer combos? I think when I go to put it back together, I'll have to do a small bolt/washer/nut combo to keep anything from rattling around back there. Thoughts?

That's all I got for now... Thanks for your input thus far fellas! I really appreciate it!

Tim, will be looking for your sensor in the mail on Thursday; thanks so much again!

I'm off to get my 5 hrs...

 

If I new you were going to hit it like that I would have next day the sensor for you! The solenoid that's between cylinders 4&5 lets the oil psi flow to the intake buckets (lifters) to put them on high lift. I used self tapping screws to replace those broken studs. The ones that have a fender washer on them. On the coils, pull off the boot and check the ends of the coil there that's where they crack. I like to see people who are not afraid to get in there and turn a wrench. Way to go!

 

You guys are talking about the Variocam sensor, correct? Tim, is this the sensor that you sent him?

Also- were either of the brackets for the Variocam sensors broken?

 

Hey Paul, I was asking what that specific sensor was (since I removed it in error or "self education") that I mentioned in my 4th point down. I think you got the actual name correct while Tim explained what it's purpose was? In any case, Tim sent me a Camshaft Position Sensor to replace the one I finally muscled out last night. The Variocam sensor has been bolted back in place and from what I saw, the brackets on both sides for said sensor were in good shape!

 

Thanks Tim! I was excited to get in there and get my hands dirty as well! It's been a while since I've had a car that was this easy to work on... My last muscle car ('99 twin turbo cobra) was just too tight on space to do any real work, and the same goes for my DD Audi S4... the 996 is SO easy to get to from *almost* all angles...

And your flat rate shipping is just fine... and still very much appreciated!

Self tapping screws for the heat shield fasteners sounds like the way to go...

I'm assuming your sensor will show up tomorrow, so time allowing, I'll get back out there in the evening to install it and button everything up! I don't suppose you have any tips on how to break those engine mount nuts, do ya? I'd love to drop that thing an inch or two to make the CPS hex bolt easier to get back in.

 

My sensor showed up this morning... Thanks very much! The housing is shaped a little differently, but the business end looks identical. It looks like you had a little trouble getting the clip/plug off based on the scuffs and scratches all over that end.

2 questions before I re-assemble tomorrow afternoon: Do I need to put/replace any sort of gasket on this thing? I can't see where it actually goes into the valve cover due to the angle... so I'm assuming I just drop it in, bolt it down (which I'm not looking forward to) and then plug it up... yes?

Also, any way I can get a pic of the nuts I'm supposed to losen/remove to lower the engine down some? Thanks much Tim!

 

Wow.. The sensor was banged around on the valve cover by moving it around my garage. There is a O-ring that was left in the valve cover when you pulled out the old sensor. The two nuts are on the outer edges of the engine plate. between the motor and the plate. I think the nuts are 18mm. If you look under the deck lid on either side of the airbox there is a aluminum hockey puck looking thing, that's the top of the engine mount. The bolt is straight out the bottom of it.

 

Justin- please let us know the results when you have the new CPS in!

 

Well gents, no dice... son-of-beetch

I haven't put it all back together yet, but I did swap the sensor, plugged everything back in, connected all the piping, and put the motor back up in the car (I was finally able to crack those damn engine mount nuts)... Started her up and it did the same thing... reved up to about 3k rpm on start-up, dropped to about 800 rpm, up, down, up, steady... dead. I cleared the codes with my little scanner and popped the battery for about 5 min. Started it again, same thing... I was able to keep the engine running by feathering the gas, but as soon as I let off, it died... I can't tell for sure, but it sounds like everything is firing back there??? Maybe I'm just not used to what a half dead motor BEHIND me is supposed to sound like... Idunno. Pulled all the codes after a fresh start and it gave me CPS (same as I posted in my first post) plus P0300 + 4,5, and 6. So the RIGHT side of the car is misfiring all over the place. Maybe it's not firing at all... can't tell. I suppose I could take the plugs back out and see if they are soaked again.

Not sure what to do at this point... thinking I need to do a compression test. But also, (Tim) do you suppose there is any way that sensor was bad by the time it made it to me? Should I just order a new one to be 105% certain? A buddy of mine had also mentioned that tappet solenoid (the one I pulled out for a second, in error) could be the cause of it? I sure as hell hope it's not the cam rings, or the chains like GT2rainge had fail on him... But I'm running out of simple ideas here.

I had even thought about taking the CPS off the other side of the car (since I'm getting so damn good at working on it... ) and swapping it over... just to make sure. I suppose that would be another way to see if the problem stays with my now problematic passenger side.

Thoughts fellas? And again, thanks so much for all the input I've received from Tim and others so far! 6speed is the bomb-diggity...

I'm going to inject myself with liquid optimism now... awaiting your replies!

 

I did some searching for you, not much came up- do you think you have a wiring problem?

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...0348-help.html

 

Thanks for look'n Paul... I stumbled across the same thread a little while ago. I actually haven't gone in there and thoroughly looked over the wiring, or the plug for that matter. And while I really doubt that anything has happened to the wiring (this car is bone stock, save for a B&M shifter I installed a month ago, and a fresh Motul oil change), I will double check the wire and it's route since I am fast running out of options.

I think my next step might be to do a compression check... just need to figure out if that's something I can do from within my garage or not.

 

Well, I commend you for your effort- I would have had the car towed to my mechanic a long time ago!

Keep us posted, and good luck. Maybe tray swapping sensors right and left as you said earlier...

 

Damn. the solenoid between the 4&5 coils is for the high lift. Although the solenoid on the cam tower facing straight up with the same 2 wire clip as the fuel injectors, you can see it from above. If the car runs ok after 4k the cam is not advancing. If the intake cam was not turning over no fuel would enter the cylinder as the intake valve would not open. The motor will need to be dropped and bank 2 will need to be gone through. Cam timing plates are needed to put it all back together. You can do a clutch and turbo intake piping at the same time. If that eases the pain