[ds968]

I spent over five hours this afternoon in what was one of the bay area's worst traffic nightmares in recent memory , the overwhelming majority of which was just sitting still and idling . When and if moving, I was inching forward at probably less than 1 or 2 mph. So after about 4 hours of this hell, my check engine light came on . And then it went off . And then a few minutes later it came on again. And then off again for a couple of minutes . This pattern repeated itself for the entire last hour of the drive home .

BTW the center " ! " ( aka " idiot " or " big-ass scary light " ) light never came on at any time, just the lower right panel 's " check engine " light .


I'll do a blink test tomorrow morning to see what the fault codes might reveal, but is it possible that I may have burned out a O2 sensor because of the hours upon hours of just idling ? EGR valve or hose ? Vacuum issues ?

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[Chris Vais]

It could be a failing O2 sensor. I wouldn't think being stuck in traffic would cause it. You might want to check and see if the connections are good.

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[ds968]

No fault codes on the blink test this morning . Nor is the check engine light on ( at idle )...yet ! I'll see what happens when I drive to work later this morning and do another blink test after that . I'll look at the sensor connections as well .

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[williamoss]

The stop and go traffic that you describe is completely normal for rush hour for NYC. I lived there for 27 years. And consider yourself lucky that you could even see the check engine light because on my car those lights are too dim to be seen.

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[ds968]

Not surprisingly , no check engine light came on at anytime during my 45 min drive to work this morning.    I say " not surprisingly " because this car has a history of symptoms , some scary and ostensibly indicative of  major impending doom, which occur once and never re-occur again.  

 

I conveyed  the traffic nightmare ( it was a RV full of propane which caught on fire so the highway was completely closed for six hours ) to my co-worker who is a long-term Boxster driver and she said, that check engine light also comes on intermittently when the car is tuck for a long time idling and getting hot ; the dealer told her its a " false reading "  which happens in those circumstances and not to worry about it.  

Let's hope they're correct .

 

BTW, I have a new time record for a supercharged 968 in the Q-Mile run ; just a little under 3 hrs !!     When the highway closed I was about 1/4 mile from my exit .    How's that for a crappy day ?!            

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[94SilverCab]

 

BTW, I have a new time record for a supercharged 968 in the Q-Mile run ; just a little under 3 hrs !!     When the highway closed I was about 1/4 mile from my exit .    How's that for a crappy day ?!            

 

Not a lot of smiles per hour on that drive...

 



 

Jay

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[flash]

until you replace the ignition switch, i don't think you will ever resolve the intermittent check engine light.  that switch engages the first step in the system.  we know that switch is wonky.  it could easily just be there, but unless you fix it, you could be chasing ghosts, and not know it.

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[ds968]

The wonky ignition switch can trigger only the check engine light, but nothing else ( the other " alerts " ) that run on that circuit ?

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[az968]

Two thoughts. First, you might have been going so slow compared to your usual style that the car wanted you to check the engine to see if it was still turned on. Second, modern cars turn off the engine when stopped, maybe an upgrade on your 968?

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[flash]

the ignition switch starts the diagnostic process.  an intermittent switch can mean essentially restarting that process.  fix the switch.  then you can see if the light continues to come on.

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[ds968]

Two thoughts. First, you might have been going so slow compared to your usual style that the car wanted you to check the engine to see if it was still turned on. Second, modern cars turn off the engine when stopped, maybe an upgrade on your 968?

Too funny .


Well, the ignition switch may have contributed to it, but it's the hours of idling that triggered the symptom .

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[MCL968]

Say what you want, but replacing my ignition switch fixed a few weird problems on my 968.

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[ds968]

The ignition switch replacement is on the list of things to do, I just keep forgetting about it because until now it only had a single symptom ( the instrument panel gears selection light only comes on if I turn on the parking lights , or, the headlights ) and that did not bother me enough to take the car in for just that repair. But I am beating my head against the wall because I completely forgot about this when my car was in for the engine rebuilt , at which time he also fixed some other stuff - the sunroof , the trip odometer gears , and talk about a perfect opportunity to take care of the switch ...if I only had remembered !! Dang it !

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[flash]

i can deliberately cause the warning light to intermittently come on, simply by manipulating the ignition switch.  i can do this is just about every car.  assuming that idling is what "caused" something, particularly electrical, is faulty logic.  it is a perfect example of post hoc ergo propter hoc.  the switch is quite likely the culprit here.  i think i am having a similar problem in the black car with the airbag light.  there is absolutely nothing wrong with the airbag system.  however, when i was investigating, i discovered a loose ignition switch.  i just didn't have time to fix it before i had to send the car to storage.  i will get to it in january when it comes back out. 

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[ds968]

Not faulty logic at all ; that's categorically the primary and direct cause of the light coming on, inasmuch as not a single of any other countless variables and conditions which happen during any given drive have triggered the ignotion switch to act up in any other manner , or to bring on the check engine light . The wonky switch is ( or at least probably is ) merely an enabler / facilitator to the symptom, but not the cause , just a contributor to it .. Maybe the root of the problem but that's a separate matter . Lol, that's like saying that if you sweat profusely in hot and humid weather , more so than all of your other friends , it's not the really the climate conditions which are bringing up this symptom , it's your physiology .

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[flash]

i disagree.  i can make the light come on, WITHOUT ever starting the engine.  idling has absolutely nothing to do with the light coming on.  that is post hoc ergo propter hoc.  that switch engages the warning light EVERY time you turn it.  it then activates the ECU which goes through diagnostics, then engages the fuel pump, and then finally starts the engine.  if that switch is wonky, it will make that light come on with a good bump in the road, or even a change in humidity.  if there is a real problem it WILL show up as a code.  you have a durametric.  run a test.

 

um - as for the analogy, it is quite possibly your physiology, and not the climate.  i know plenty of people who vary incredibly wildly in reaction to climate.  i am constantly overheated, while my wife is constantly cold.  all this at 70 degrees.  from what i understand, this is not uncommon.

 

get the switch fixed, and i'm betting the problem goes away.

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[ds968]

A wonky ignition switch would 1) show up on the duramatric ? and 2) in the absence of any " real time " symptoms ?

Hmm, will check it out .

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[flash]

no - that's not what i am saying.  anything else that would trigger the light, intermittently or not, would show up on the durametric.  it will show an "intermittent" code number, as opposed to a "solid" code number.  even the blink test has the ability to differentiate between the two.  it shows up on the blink test in the second digit.  it is a "1" if intermittent, and a "2" if solid.  showing nothing indicates to me that it is likely the ignition switch, or power to the DME.

 

the only other thing i can think of that will set off the warning light, while not show up on a blink test, is the parking brake handle.  that sensor is touchy, and if the handle is not all the way down, it will make the light come on.  since i am not a fan of warping the drum on the rotors, or having the retainer spring break, i never used it, but i know people who do, and this is an issue.

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[ds968]

But can I even rely on what a blink test may or may not show witn an ignition switch that's not perfect ?


As for the durametric, I removed it from the dusty garage shelf only to realize within seconds that we got rid of the laptop which had the app on it .. Ugh. The iPad I use does not support it, I can't load the app it on my desktop lol, my son's two PCs are connected to what looks like NORAD control center in his room, so my wife's laptop may be the only alternative at this point . So until I set up the durametric again, the blink test ( or my mechanic ) are the only diagnostic choices I have . And now I'm doubting if the blink test is valid , given the ignition switch issue. I ran through it twice this morning ; the first time it brought up the " oxygen regulation " ( NOT the oxygen sensor ) fault code , then I started the engine, idled for a minute , turned it off and subsequently the blink test showed 1-5 , aka no faults. Nuts.

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[MCL968]

The way I rationalized it when I was replacing my switch, was that it's old, worn out, and needs to be replaced anyway. The fact that it solved my random heat issue and my curious headlight movements was icing on the cake. Maybe it will make your cornering noise disappear.

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