Check Engine Light (CEL) (MIL) Came On, Any Thoughts?
 

Yesterday I drove a few hundred miles around So Cal in the rain. As many of you might know, the rain was quite heavy for much of the day. My last stop I had the car parked on a downhill slope (aimed downward) for three hours. When I started the car, the Check Engine CEL/MIL came on and told me to "Drive to Workshop." The manual said that as long as the light was not blinking, in most cases I would be okay to continue driving. So, I went ahead and drove home after confirming that the car's idle, throttle response, and acceleration felt normal. The CEL stayed on the entire 100 miles home.

Obviously tomorrow I will get the code read. But, given the rain, does anyone have any thoughts about what it might be? I suppose the rain might be circumstantial, but to me it seems suspect. Haha, after reading the story on here about the guy with the clogged drainage system and a massive rainstorm / downspout aimed right on his car, I half expected a giant white cloud of smoke. Thankfully whatever the problem is does not seem to affect drivability.

This experience obviously may have no bearing on your situation, but a couple hundred miles ago the same thing happened to my 2001 996TT. It happened at 44997 miles, so I figured "oh, it's a service reminder" and didn't really pay it much mind.

I came on here and asked about it, only to find out that there are no service reminders like that, and that a real code was thrown. In my own case, since I didn't think it was a problem at all, I kept driving normally and, a couple days later, the code cleared itself. I haven't seen it since, and can only suspect it was related to the gas cap or some other transitory condition.

When I do take my car in for the 45k service this spring, I will have it scanned and checked out for sure. Best wishes, and I hope it's nothing serious in your case.

Funny you should post, because I read your story. My CEL came on at 60400, and I thought it might be because I needed to do the 60k, which I plan on doing myself over Christmas break.

I might just buy the Durametric, since I plan on keeping the car a long while.

You need to get the codes read...typically rain induced CELs are because of cracked coil packs.

Thanks, ordered a durametric. Will read the codes myself Wednesday or whenever priority mail manages to get to LA =). If it's the coil packs, that's cool, I was already planning to change out plugs in a couple weeks. That would be easy enough.

Diagnostics came today, and I think there are 2 ignition coils that are bad. If that is the consensus here, I will just order 6 new coil packs and install them when I do the 60k service in a week.

Went down the list of all the computers just to see if there were other codes. Can ya'll help me interpret the instrument cluster codes, too?

Thanks, everyone.

Are they doing plugs at 60k? Definitely do plugs - that is probably the source of the misfires...

I plan on doing the service myself and, yes, I intend to do the plugs because they are due at 60k! Any other opinions?

I would do both plugs and coil packs while you are in there. That way you eliminate either as the culprit! Be sure you gap the plugs correctly if they are not made specifically for the TT. I learned that lesson the hard way!

I ordered the bosch plugs recommended here and on Renntech. They were listed on the 996 turbo section of pelican. I am not sure about gaping.

I had a similar experience and my car only approached 30K. Six plugs and six coils fixed it.

gap the plugs n use proper torque spec when they reinstall them

My manual says the torque for new spark plugs is 30 Nm (they also append a +3, whatever that means. Why not just say 33?)

I do not see any information related to gap the plugs. Do you have a recommended distance between the two electrodes? I would think that Porsche would just ask us to use a plug that has the right gap, or are there manufacturing reasons why the gaps vary? I intend to use the Bosch FR6 plug.

Never mind, I see an old thread with 0.028 recommended.