Four months is a while to sit unused. I can envision a stale gas problem... |  |  |
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| Doh!! Check Engine Light jjspike - Friday, 16 March, 2012, at 9:36:39 pm |
My 08 Boxster S LE has been in storage for close to 4 months. Since the temp hit 20C this afternoon, I decided to take her out of the garage. Disconnected the battery maintainer and she started in under a second. Once the exhaust baffles closed (Sport Exhaust), the engine started running a bit rough and the check engine light came on. The way the engine was running seemed as if there was a problem with one of the cylinders/coils (steady mild "bump"). Feeling totally deflated ,I backed her out out of the garage and my son commented that it stunk like hell. I let her idle for a minute and then shut her down. I decided to take her for a spin so I started her back up and everything was fine - CEL was gone and engine ran smooth as butter. Took her out on the road and she ran fine. Wound her up on some back roads and she had lots of power! Arrived home and I was happy.
Does this kind of thing happen when these cars when stored in an unheated garage? It does not get below 2 or 3 degrees C and may get a bit damp when I park my other car once it has been out in the snow. My Father-in-law's BMW which I had stored on my driveway all winter started without an issue and was smooth as silk.
Cheers!
Does this kind of thing happen when these cars when stored in an unheated garage? It does not get below 2 or 3 degrees C and may get a bit damp when I park my other car once it has been out in the snow. My Father-in-law's BMW which I had stored on my driveway all winter started without an issue and was smooth as silk.
Cheers!
| Four months is a while to sit unused. I can envision a stale gas problem... MarcW - Monday, 19 March, 2012, at 7:18:46 pm |
Quote
jjspike
My 08 Boxster S LE has been in storage for close to 4 months. Since the temp hit 20C this afternoon, I decided to take her out of the garage. Disconnected the battery maintainer and she started in under a second. Once the exhaust baffles closed (Sport Exhaust), the engine started running a bit rough and the check engine light came on. The way the engine was running seemed as if there was a problem with one of the cylinders/coils (steady mild "bump"). Feeling totally deflated ,I backed her out out of the garage and my son commented that it stunk like hell. I let her idle for a minute and then shut her down. I decided to take her for a spin so I started her back up and everything was fine - CEL was gone and engine ran smooth as butter. Took her out on the road and she ran fine. Wound her up on some back roads and she had lots of power! Arrived home and I was happy.
Does this kind of thing happen when these cars when stored in an unheated garage? It does not get below 2 or 3 degrees C and may get a bit damp when I park my other car once it has been out in the snow. My Father-in-law's BMW which I had stored on my driveway all winter started without an issue and was smooth as silk.
Cheers!
along with some moisture/dust on the coils.
That the engine smoothed out and the CEL went off and (so far) hasn't returned strongly points to the problem just being from the car having sat unused for 4 months.
Don't know about storing a car in an unheated garage as I've never done that but I park my cars outside in all kinds of weather -- though never longer than say 7 to 9 days -- and each car, just once, did something similar to what your car did.
However, I didn't drive the car until the CEL went off but instead read and cleared the codes. Misifre codes every one.
The Boxster manifested misfires after being parked over a week an open car port during a spell of cold wet weather while I was away and the other car from being parked outside overnight in a pretty bad rain storm.
(As an experiment I left this car out in the rain the other night and upon engine start the next day the belt didn't even squeal and it usually does after I wash the car.)
The only thing I can add is I'd be a bit worried about mice damage though and would advise you to thoroughly check the car for signs just in case.
Sincerely,
MarcW.
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