'Check' warning lamp

kumaram · Apr 25, 2004

I was driving my 1997 2.5 tiptronic boxster with just 7K mile on the clock, on a 500 mile round trip london /plymouth, when the 'check' warnijng lamp lit up whilst accelarating fast to 120+ miles overtaking. I immediately eased off the throttle, stoped when safe and consulted the handbook, which indicated that a 'emission system' failure had been recorded. It further indicated that the lamp wll remain lit until reset in teh workshop, and as long as the lamp cease flashing it was safe to complete the jorney and take thre car to OPC to have the problem rectified.

Has anyone else experience this fault. Shoudl I steel myself (and sweet talk my bank manager) before taking the car to be checked out. Is thsi likel to be catalytic convertor problem? are there likely to be long term impact? performance impact?

All comments will be gratefully received..

daro911 · Apr 25, 2004

ORIGINAL: kumaram

I was driving my 1997 2.5 tiptronic boxster with just 7K mile on the clock, on a 500 mile round trip london /plymouth, when the 'check' warnijng lamp lit up whilst accelarating fast to 120+ miles overtaking.

[

]120mph what were you overtaking?[&o]

Mark_Bennett · Apr 25, 2004

If the car was used that infrequently I don't think I would want to be going so fast[

]

Take it in to a dealer (this might cause you problems with extra milage[

]) and get them to check it out.

kumaram · Apr 25, 2004

the car had been used infrequently for its first 5 years, but serviced annualy by opc. Since last August after a major service, I had used the car quite frequently - in fact 3.5K since then.

the high rev/speed was not maintained for any length of time, it was a fast and short lived overtaking move. it was not the first such manoveur but as result of the warning was the last... the remainder of the jorney was done with rev barely touching 2500...

i do plan to have the car checked out asap - probably by my usual specialist in preference to the local opc...

but would like to hear from others who may have been in this situation, if the likely problem is one best investigated by an opc..

Mark_Bennett · Apr 26, 2004

Excuse our humour about the milage[

]

The early Mass Air Flow sensors were prone to fouling, especially if a K&N filter was fitted.
This fouling is one thing that causes the check-engine light to kick in.
Maybe something like that?

Guest · Apr 26, 2004

I had the same happen to me. My 36,000 mile service had been carried out about 2 months before and the warning light flashed on while accelerating hard. It went off after about a couple of seconds. I looked at the book and it said as long as it does not stay on then there is not a major problem. I decided to ignore it. It then happened a couple of other times again under hard acceleration. Every time the light came on the engine sounded like it was mis-firing.

I put it into Porsche Guildford for them to look at (where the last service was completed) and they found the Mass Air Flow sensor on one side was slightly blocked. Both air sensors were cleaned and I have not had any problems since. Porsche Guildford also did not charge me for it. Must admit I was worried about how much the cost was going to be.

Graeme

JCB.. · Apr 26, 2004

I have had the engine check light flash on two occasions in the space of a couple of days.

It was due for a service so I mentioned it at the OPC who said later that nothing had been noted in the computer.

I wouldn't worry about it.

JCB..

Guest · May 2, 2004

Immediately after my last service (3.5 years & 48,000 miles) the engine started running really rough , fuel consumption went through the roof and the check engine light kept coming on and off. When I took it back to the garage they diagnosed the lambda sensors were not working properly They replace them and it has ran perfectly since then

Guest · May 5, 2004

Hi there,

I too had a similar problem immediately after my car had been serviced by my local OPC.
They delivered my car back to my house, after the driver had gone I took my car for a drive. When I accelerated briskly the car started miss firing and coughing, the check light iluminated on the dashboard the car then back fired and cleared itself but the light stayed on (but not flashing)

As you can imagine I let rip on the phone the next morning, the OPC were very apologetic and I agreed to drive the car to them to be investigated.

On arrival, my car was ushered away and I was given a coffee and a guide around the showroom. When I talked to the technician, he told me that the fault code was for the Mass Air Flow sensor but all was fine now, he said when the boxster is serviced and the air filter is changed sometimes a particle or (I quote) "a dead fly" can fall into the engine air intakes when this passes the sensor a fault is registered.

Funny that nearly all the stories above happened after the car had been serviced !!

My car has covered 2K since that service with no problems.

Rob Scarlett