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P0300/301/302/303 ... Solenoid ?

theogeor

Well-known member
Joined
22 Sep 2008
Messages
1,504
Over the last month and after I had the car services at an Indy I started getting random P0300/PO301/302/303 and the engine when that happens it does not sound happy. The error only last seconds and a lot less than a minute and then disappears. By the way the car is 997 2006 with 51k on the clock and had it for over a decade now :)
As I dont drive the car that much and only goes out of the garage a couple of times a week it has not affected me that much but I am scratching my head trying to find out what might be. Worth noting that I also notice that it only does it during start up when completely cold and after not using it for 4-5 days. During the day if I use it then park it for 2-3h and use it again its fine and does not give any problems.
My suspicion after reading a number of threads and advice from deMort is that the Solenoid/Actuator Valve get stack when cold and it cause this problem. Based on the codes I assume is the one near side of the car. I jack it up today and had a look after I remove RNS wheel and although the space is tight I can reach and unscrew the heat shield that gives me access to the Solenoid Valve. I didnt continue further as I was not sure how complex/difficult will be the next step and also didnt have a spare which from what I have seen is about £100 to buy (99710530100)
So a couple of questions #deMort or any other resident mechanic
1. Do you agree with diagnosis ?
2. How much a specialist would charge for replacing it if I dont find time to do it myself ?
3. If I do it myself how long should it take ? What are the risks ? The workshop manual that I have doesn't indicates that is complex although it gives the usual warnings etc
4. Anything else ??? Advice ?


Thanks in advance

ps: I have not posted for sometime but still around :D
 
The fault codes are for a misfire on cyl 1,2 and 3 and a code saying general misfires .

Basically Bank 1 is misfiring at times .. to be an entire bank it narrows down the possible faults and yes i agree the high lift valve solinoid is the one i would be thinking of .

You could swop them side to side but this will damage the seals and if the good one is rusty you might not get a good seal again so this is not a route i take.

To change .. well its about a 30 min job with 30 mins of testing .. a tester and a road test .. part it self .. i belive its about £150 .

So at a garage if you just told them to replace it say £235 + vat.

A normal diagnosis of this type of fault may easily cost 2-3 hours labor ..

My way of thinking .. its very hard to prove this is faulty , its the most obvious and a replacement is a fairly cheap way of moving forward .

Your choice though :D
 
Thanks deMort

Agree diagnosis is very likely waste of time and the result will not change.

Primary reason I didn't swap them around was to avoid damage and looks like from your advice it was a good call

So logical thing to do is get a new one and replace it

I assume the process at home

1. Jack and remove wheel
2. Remove head shield
3. Disconnect plug/cable from Valce
4. Unscrew and remove Valve
5. Replace valve with new
6. Screw valve
7. Connect cable/connector
8. Add head shield
9. Add wheel
10. Test..... and test and test ...

Any of those steps that need to be more careful I assume 4-6 are the ones to be more careful. Any tricks/tips that need to be aware off ?

Regards

Theo



:worship:
 
Axle stands !

You only need to replace bank 1 , the other side is fine as you have no codes even relating to it .

It might need a bit of effort to pull it out once the cover is off and again it needs a good shove to get the new one in .. i sometimes use a lever bar and apply a small amount of pressure to make sure its fully home .

The solenoid is the one in the middle of the cam cover and not the one at the end .. that's the variocam solenoid .

This is actually diagnosis to be honest .. if we cant prove something then we have to replace with a known good as Porsche would say .
 
Fantastic... and yes I had Axle stands today when I was under the car and was checking it... Safety first :)

Yep... I figured out it was the middle one but always good to confirm. I will let you know how I get on at the end of next week. Now I need to order the part :) . And the tips are very much appreciated...

Theo

:thumbs:
 
theogeor said:
ps: I have not posted for sometime but still around :D

3 years actually.

Hiya Theo. Funnily enough Tim (TMin) posted last week, also for the first time in 3 years.

Remember this - Stuttgart 2013- :?:



I'm not sure where your right hand is but it's making me smile. :grin:
 
T8 said:
theogeor said:
ps: I have not posted for sometime but still around :D

3 years actually.

Hiya Theo. Funnily enough Tim (TMin) posted last week, also for the first time in 3 years.

Remember this - Stuttgart 2013- :?:



I'm not sure where your right hand is but it's making me smile. :grin:

Yep... how can I forget that trip. I believe I am holding my camera bag but hey... might be mistaken :)

Regards

Theo
 
Quick update.... Ordered the part from design911 that was delivered on Tuesday. Only found time to replace the Solenoid yesterday on Friday.
Was extra careful and followed the advice of DeMort so I took my time. A bit of a challenge to remove the one screw of the shield but when you figure how to position the tool then is easy . Same applies to the Solenoid.... I dont have the most extensive set of tools but enough to enable me to complete the job. From start to finish including having a coffee in between and checking about 10 times that I didn't miss anything job was done in 1.5h.
Started the car which sounded fine with no issues and checked for leaks in case I did something wrong.. Then took the car for a 7m run without any issues. I did a total of 30 miles yesterday with no issues. This morning took it out again and didn't get any lights/warnings etc nor any errors on the ODBD tester.
So I assume if the car is happy and there is no leak then I did a decent job. Over the next few days I will know if this the right fix but early indications are positive
Now that I have my confident back in fixing the car I might fix/replace few more things
Thanks DeMort for the quick and efficient advice you have provided


Regards

Theo

ps: a few pictures from before and after ...
 

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Excellent result and not the easiest job to do on the floor .. i'm afraid i often forget people work on the floor when i'm explaining things :oops:

Clean car with no oil leaks and what looks like intact old type coils fitted .. that would indicate its been looked after .. again the heat shields normally rot out and yours appear to be fine .

I do love a photo of an engine .. tells me a lot about a car and i just like looking at them .. i must be weird lol .
 

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