[firefish]

So, my newly accuired 968 feels weak, as in I don't think all of the 240 ponies are home at the moment. I haven't driven any other 968's so I cannot really compare but it does not pull as strong as I would suspect a CS with roughly a 150 lbs diet should. A friend of mine has tested the car and he too is thinking that it lacks power and he has driven a couple of others in various shapes.

I have not done a compression or a leak down check but the engine seems leak free and doesn't smoke, use oil or anything else that is normally associated with a worn out engine. This is despite me deliberately trying to make it do so.

I am doing the variocam check this weekend, if I can find the time, not so much due to the lack of power but to get a good nights sleep. In the nearby future the car will have all belts and variocam parts replaced (hopefully the cams are ok) and I will also see if I can get someone with the proper knowledge and tools to time the exhaust cam to make sure everything is as good as can be.

The engine pulls smooth without missing or hesitating all the way from idle to the rev limit. It does not vibrate (not more than you'd expect from a 3-litre in line four) or make any odd noise.

Could the variocam solenoid be broken/stuck, thus disabling the variocam?

The car is in an overall need of service. Could it be that it simply needs new ignition parts, the injectors cleaned and calibrated and such?

Or am I simply asking to much of a 14 years old car with a 100k on it?

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

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[PorscheDude]

Fuel filter?
Ignition components?

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[Dirk]

<!--quoteo(post=69831:date=Apr 3 2009, 02:56 PM:name=firefish)-->QUOTE (firefish @ Apr 3 2009, 02:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Or am I simply asking to much of a 14 years old car with a 100k on it?

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
My experience is this mileage should not have a negative influence on the power output.
Providing necessary maintenance is up to date.

I do know prolonged driving it like an old dog will require a period of pushing it harder until all is back in the Porsche intended shape.
My engine was just replaced at over 310,000 kms due to foreseeable variocam problems but till the last moment it had full power available.

It's a good start there's no visible smoke!

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[flash]

power does generally go down with mileage - it is relative to the compression available - it is a very gradual drop, as the engine wears, so most people don't notice

at somewhere about 200lb of compression you will have full power - at 185 you will be missing about 25 hp - not the end of the world, and some may not even notice - keep in mind that peak power happens way up top - you have to go there to find the loss - at that compression, at 4k rpm, where stock it would only be 170hp, you will only be missing about 15hp, and you may not really even feel that - the lower the rpm, the less of a difference

as to the original inquiry, there are so many things that could do this, i hesitate to diagnose here - i would definitely do a compression check, and even a leak down test

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[968Syncro]

And then there is always the blocked exhaust, like a collapsed CAT. This source of low power is often checked last.

Even Axel Foley knows that one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqzNFnEjr_c
http://www.videosift.com/video/Beverly-Hil...-Tailpipe-Scene

Roland

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[rxter]

Check your throttle cable. Mine was a little loose and jumped the pully. The car still drove great, but I couldn't get loads of fuel to the cylinders as fast as I wanted and it felt a bit lame.

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[Cloud9...68]

This probably won't lead straight to your problem, but since it's free, I'd do a blink test asap.

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[RPM]

Plugs? Plug wires? Distributor cap? Rotor?

They can make a big difference. Good bet those plug wires are 15 years olf!

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[firefish]

<!--quoteo(post=69873:date=Apr 4 2009, 01:27 AM:name=RPM)-->QUOTE (RPM @ Apr 4 2009, 01:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Plugs? Plug wires? Distributor cap? Rotor?

They can make a big difference. Good bet those plug wires are 15 years olf!<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I will check all of the above mentioned things including the blink test. However I am not so sure that it is something related to plugs or fuel filter (unless everything is a just a little bit bad and together causes a larger power drop. It is really running perfectly smooth and doesn't miss a beat.

What I failed to mention first is that my friend who I mentioned in the first post was the person who brought the car from England to Sweden three years ago and he has also been near the car over the last years and driven it from time to time. According to him it has always felt a little slow.

Could the problem lie with the variocam? If the solenoid is bad, or there is a mechanical problem or a problem with oil flow to the system, and the variocam is disabled, wouldn't that cause a noticeable power drop without making the car run like crap? I know that the variocam has not been checked but the previous owner but that it has been well maintained in general.

I know that they removed the exhaust when rebuilding the rear suspension but I do not know if they checked the cat. I will look into this when I fit a cat back system.

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[flash]

there are many things that could cause your problem

it is very normal to lose 1% of your compression every 10k miles

rather than hunt for a blind diagnosis, do a compression test, and even a leakdown test to determine the condition of your engine - establish that there is no issue there first - then move on to the less likely causes

i'm not suggesting that there isn't necessarily something else going on, but you could spend a lot of time and money guessing and trying things, or you could do some testing and know for sure

would you let a doctor operate on you without running a few tests first?

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[firefish]

Oh, I will not start throwing parts at it [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img] . I just needed some input on where to start looking - heck, it might not even be a problem, maybe I'm just imagining things.

Tried to do the blink test. Useless as it turns out as this is a ROW car.

I'll start with checking the intake and exhaust for restrictions with focus on items that could possibly have been overlooked during regular maintenance. And I'll make sure that the butterfly in the throttlebody is actually fully open when I floor it. My neighbour pointed this out to me, dunno why I didn't think about it myself [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/huh.gif[/img]

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[flash]

no worries - all of the good mechanic i know follow the first three rules of engine diagnostics:

1. follow occam's razor
2. check, compression, fuel, and spark, in that order
3. consult the manual

wish you were here - we could sort this out in a hurry

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[Torbjorn968]

<!--quoteo(post=69894:date=Apr 4 2009, 05:03 PM:name=firefish)-->QUOTE (firefish @ Apr 4 2009, 05:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Oh, I will not start throwing parts at it [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img] . I just needed some input on where to start looking - heck, it might not even be a problem, maybe I'm just imagining things.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Borrow a driftbox from someone and do a horspower test. It is accurate enought to be used in Swedish Porsche rating instead of a rolling road to determine horsepower for the Class system we use. Will I see you at Sviestad easter?

T

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[Cloud9...68]

Or maybe find a clear road, a stopwatch, and do a few 0-60 mph (or 0 - 100 kph) runs. This won't be a perfect indicator about the health of your engine, but if your time is > say, 8 seconds, it probably indicates a problem.

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[firefish]

No, I cannot make Sviestad but I will go to the Ferdinand meet in May - you?

I'll give the car the service it needs and see to it that everything is up to factory specs, including leak down. If nothing improves I'll hook up with another 968 owner and compare. Chances are that I'm simply asking to much... Sorry, what? Say again? Supercharger? Well, if you have a spare one...

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[Torbjorn968]

<!--quoteo(post=69914:date=Apr 5 2009, 07:52 AM:name=firefish)-->QUOTE (firefish @ Apr 5 2009, 07:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->No, I cannot make Sviestad but I will go to the Ferdinand meet in May - you?

I'll give the car the service it needs and see to it that everything is up to factory specs, including leak down. If nothing improves I'll hook up with another 968 owner and compare. Chances are that I'm simply asking to much... Sorry, what? Say again? Supercharger? Well, if you have a spare one...<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I will lend you a driftbox. Start to track the car and you will find that it is not power which is of the prime concern if have a standard healthy engine. See you in May!

//T

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[firefish]

<!--quoteo(post=69915:date=Apr 5 2009, 08:04 AM:name=Torbjorn968)-->QUOTE (Torbjorn968 @ Apr 5 2009, 08:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I will lend you a driftbox. Start to track the car and you will find that it is not power which is of the prime concern if have a standard healthy engine. See you in May!

//T<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I cannot say I need (define need) extra power, neither on the street nor on track, but missing horses means something is wrong. Looking forward to seing you in May, maybe we can test your driftbox then.

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