Porsche Sports Exhaust Fault - PSE Troubleshooting Fix

Rincewind · 26 Apr 2019

turbulence997 said:
Hi guys, my PSE has stuck on. I have pulled the power connecter off the change over valve (grey switch) and tested it for power, I get a good 13.5 volts when switching the PSE switch from on to off. I am confident that both silencer valves haven't failed simultaneously, how can I test the grey valve to check if it is functional? If it does turn out to be a dodgy change over valve, is it easy to swap out? It looks simple enough but though it best to check.

Cheers

I had most of the issues above on my 996 when I got it. One valve stuck open, the other closed. All freed up with PU off. My actuator had also failed.

I checked actuator operation by effectively bypassing it. Took the inlet vacuum pipe and connected it to the Y connector that takes the vacuum to both valves. They immediately closed showing that pipework and valves were all fine. Bought the new actuator from Cambridge OPC, it was £30-£35 from memory.

Rincewind · 26 Apr 2019

p.s. changing the actuator valve takes about 5 minutes, hardest bit was getting it off the support it clips onto.

deMort · 26 Apr 2019

If you want to test the grey electric valve then with no power to it you blow through it .. can you ?

With power to it you blow through it .. can you ?

One way you cant and the other you can .. if any different then its not working .

by blow through i mean the pipe connections

The grey valve is just clipped in place .. hard to explain but look closely and you'll see at the base the clip .. either pull it or push the clip to remove it from the bracket.

Or indeed just unbolt the bracket .

turbulence997 · 27 Apr 2019

Thanks for the replies guysI appreciate the info. I will have a go at the changeover valve today and report back.

Cheers

turbulence997 · 29 Apr 2019

deMort said:
If you want to test the grey electric valve then with no power to it you blow through it .. can you ?

With power to it you blow through it .. can you ?

One way you cant and the other you can .. if any different then its not working .

by blow through i mean the pipe connections

The grey valve is just clipped in place .. hard to explain but look closely and you'll see at the base the clip .. either pull it or push the clip to remove it from the bracket.

Or indeed just unbolt the bracket .

I managed to check the change over valve and it is working fine. I have checked both sides of the exhaust and have discovered that I have a failure of the actuator valve on the off-side silencer (gas from both pipes no matter what position of PSE switch). I fashioned a wire hook and managed to operate the valve and there was no sign whatsoever of it being seized. I wasn't brave enough to stick my head down there and try it with the motor running, so only verified as unseized with engine off.

Can anyone tell me whether a leak in the vacuum pipework could result in a single actuator failure?

The nearside valve actuates correctly with switch movement. My wild guess is that a leak anywhere in the vacuum pipework downstream of the grey valve would result in a failure of both actuators? The off-side braided hose is securely attached to the actuator. With my limited knowledge of fault finding on this system, I am leaning towards an actual failure of the actuator as opposed to the vacuum components. Just because the actuator is not seized does not necessarily mean that it is not faulty. Would that be correct?

Cheers

Jamie

The return of Marty Wild · 29 Apr 2019

I had this on my 987 after driving it for a year and a half with PSE on. To then go to a track day where they insisted it be off for noise levels. The excessive heat and operating it in a different position obviously shocked the components.

I had an interesting mix of issues. It was making hell of a din, turned out the actual rod that moves the butterfly valve had sheared on one side. So the valve was banging open and shut with the exhaust gas movements.

On the other side, it was stuck off as ball joint between the rod and the butterfly valve had seized.

With the help of a handy mate, we got them both fixed. He welded the rod on one side. We popped the ball joint off on the other and gave it a good clean up.

I now run the car with PSE off for the first 7 miles as I warm her up every drive now to keep the ranges up. I also get down there and give the moving parts I can reach a good WD40 every once and a while now too.

Rang a local indie, they only were interested in changing the whole silencer on the side with the broken rod. Think it was £1,200 for the part alone.

Rang OPC, was told my era of Cayman S wasn't offered with PSE as an option (I s h ! t you not). I pretty much hung up the phone.

So in the end got it fixed for zero pounds and zero pence. Also gave the area a jolly good clean up too! Job satisfaction right there!

turbulence997 · 29 Apr 2019

Thanks for the input, TBH I hate having things that don't work on my car even though my default selection is noisy with the PSE! I am guessing that with care, the back bumper and heat shields come off easy enough on the 997.1. Swapping out the dodgy valve should be ok if I can release the nuts, I guess a heat gun and a bit of WD will help avoid snapping bolts.

Before I go and take it apart, can anyone answer my question as to whether a leak in the vacuum piping downstream of the grey switch would cause a failure of both valves or just the one?

Cheers

TonyC911 · 29 Apr 2019

turbulence997 said:
I managed to check the change over valve and it is working fine. I have checked both sides of the exhaust and have discovered that I have a failure of the actuator valve on the off-side silencer (gas from both pipes no matter what position of PSE switch). I fashioned a wire hook and managed to operate the valve and there was no sign whatsoever of it being seized. I wasn't brave enough to stick my head down there and try it with the motor running, so only verified as unseized with engine off.

Can anyone tell me whether a leak in the vacuum pipework could result in a single actuator failure?

The nearside valve actuates correctly with switch movement. My wild guess is that a leak anywhere in the vacuum pipework downstream of the grey valve would result in a failure of both actuators? The off-side braided hose is securely attached to the actuator. With my limited knowledge of fault finding on this system, I am leaning towards an actual failure of the actuator as opposed to the vacuum components. Just because the actuator is not seized does not necessarily mean that it is not faulty. Would that be correct?

Hi Jamie,

You are going to find this very difficult to diagnose without removing the bumper and heat shield. And to make a repair they will have to come off anyway. Initially I found it useful to place my phone under the car and record a video whilst operating the switch, I did this on both sides to compare any movements.

It does sound like the diaphragm of the actuator valve has failed, but there are a couple of other moving parts which could also possibly of failed. I believe the valve is a pretty cheap part <£20. If you do not have the capability to store the car inside for a period, then it might be worth ordering a replacement vacuum pipe and fixing clip also.

I tend to agree with you, I would expect the vacuum to be a closed loop system and therefore a leak would cause both sides to fail, but I cannot be 100% sure. I hope that helps!

TonyC911 · 29 Apr 2019

I thought this might be a helpful picture, it shows the actuator valve in the open position (PSE on).

turbulence997 · 30 Apr 2019

Cheers Tony.

Yes she's garaged (am I allowed to say that anymore? )

. I will have a go at removing the rear bumper trim today. My plan of action is to release both actuators and swap the serviceable one over to the other side and test the system. Thanks for all the useful replies guys.

:thumbs:

ashman · 22 Feb 2020

TonyC911 said:
ian_alex said:

Should this pipe have a clip?? I used a piece of wire when I refitted.

Click to expand...

Yes, it should have a small hose clamp see #9 on diagram below - part no. 999.512.361.02

That said, I noticed that the vacuum unit had been replaced on the other side of my exhaust and they failed to put a new clamp on... it would have been replaced by an OPC :roll:

Your wire fix will probably be fine for a good while.

ashman · 22 Feb 2020

ashman said:
TonyC911 said:

ian_alex said:

Should this pipe have a clip?? I used a piece of wire when I refitted.

Click to expand...

Yes, it should have a small hose clamp see #9 on diagram below - part no. 999.512.361.02

That said, I noticed that the vacuum unit had been replaced on the other side of my exhaust and they failed to put a new clamp on... it would have been replaced by an OPC :roll:

Your wire fix will probably be fine for a good while.

Click to expand...

can anyone recommend someone to look at 997.1 pse in the NorthWest. Not sure what is wrong.

sib8292 · 10 Feb 2022

Although I've found the info in this post useful when trying to diagnose what's wrong with the PSE on my 997, I still haven't got it working!

I found one of the vacuum operated valves (off side) was seized, so have replaced that. The near side one works as intended.

However the original fault remains - one side works and the other doesn't.

Because one side works I have assumed that the grey electronic valve in the engine compartment is not faulty. Am I right? And certainly that the dash switch is working as it should (otherwise neither of the vacuum valves would work).

If I am right so far, it would seem to leave only the conclusion that there is a blockage of the pipe leading to the o/s vacuum operated valve. Could it be anything else?

A bit of a pain if that's what it is because I can't work out the routing of the pipework. I imagine its a continuous pipe with the metal sheathing only in the immediate region of the exhaust heat. Does anyone know any better? Or have any tips on how to replace that pipe?

The return of Marty Wild · 10 Feb 2022

ashman said:
can anyone recommend someone to look at 997.1 pse in the NorthWest. Not sure what is wrong.

Good luck, most places won't want to ar$e about fault finding and the repairing if needs be. No one wanted to touch mine. You need to ring around and find a friendly Indie or hope someone on here that is handy offers help.

You really need to get the back end of the car safely positioned so you can take bumper off and look into it yourself IMO.

Read this thread, read some other threads, find out all the things to check. Like vacuum lines from the engine before taking the bumper off.

What are your symptoms?

joshkbaker · 10 Feb 2022

The exact same happened to mine, even after the fix, I began to get a rattling noise which was essentially the butterfly flap vibrating.

In the end, my mechanic welded it all to stay open and installed an Xpipe.
It's a bit rowdy, to be honest, and I frequently get mixed reactions of folk giving me the finger and others the thumbs up.

I actually wanted the PSE always on anyway and the cold starts are way better when it's always on!

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