thanks lebowski ; would this throw a p0300 (general misfire) or pertain to cylinder 1? Also does anyone have pics of a cracked tappet solenoid bracket?

 

The thread I linked before has some good info. You may want to check it out.

 

Those little brackets have been a known issue for years.

 

geez, i just hope that one stays in the legends; has happened to others column for me! but thx.. i think lol

 

boosted cars need copper plugs. toss those plugs. you may be getting some plug blowout at that boost. gap them to .14 and use single electrode copper plugs. cheap and change them every oil change. i pay 18$ for the set.

also make SURE you don't have the cam solenoid plug mixed up with the injector plug. they are identical. if you need those brackets i have a spare set. i bought new ones and mine weren't cracked but the motor was out so i swapped them. your welcome to them

 

Just one of the many legends I've encountered while spending too much time reading about and not enough time actually driving my tt over the past three months.

 

I was plagued with a random misfire code for about 3 years. No shops or dealer could find/cure it. My car had a broken bracket with no code on the passenger side, so I replaced the bracket. My code was on the drivers side with the good bracket, so I replaced the actual solenoid itself on the random misfiring side with the good bracket and my mis-fire issue, which several shops and dealership could cure for years, disappeared forever....the solenoid just slips in and the cost was about $125., so I gambled the $125 and it paid off. That usually doesn't happen, but this time it did and I felt as though I hit the jackpot :-)

 

this is valuable info. i've seen some random threads on it, and always that it was hard to diagnose. i'm gonna remember this.

 

those bosch gt2 plugs ( fdc 6 ) are golden in mid level modded cars! please believe me. he may need to start fresh with new plugs, but he sure doesn't need to change that plug type. it IS for modded 996t's...and i swear they are pre gapped!

 

try these plugs.

Ngk bkr7e

 

guess i'm headed out there to the garage to swap some coils around, and check for cracks on variocam / solenoid brackets...

 

It's probably spark or fuel. Have you changed the fuel filter? I would try a new set of plugs just to rule that out and a new fuel filter...another outside chance is the fuel pressure regulator may have some dirt/debris in it, which can cause running issues.

 

Thanks John,
I haven't replaced the fuel filter yet, is it under the car or in the bay? Is there a DIY around here?

 

It's in the engine bay, drivers side, all the way against the wall about 18" deep....you'll see it.

 

sounds like a spark issue, replace with a fresh identical plug(the OEM GT2/X50 Bosch plugs are great for most), install a new Beru or 'Porsche' coil from a different supplier and report back.
Also, are you sure you are working with 1-2 and not 4-5 bank? (didn't read whole thread), initial picture also show picture also shows dirty plug threads....is this the case? if so what is it?