[Marc718]

Hi everyone! AS an FYI, and also to check with the more mechanical knowledgeable people in here, I took my car into the dealer 1 week ago as it was throwing all kind of errors (ACC/PAS unavailable, PSM failure, and check engine light on) and today they called me back telling me that they will need to replace the cam adjuster as it was stuck. This is a new 718 Boxster (non S) with 4500 miles in it. So the question for everyone out there:

1) Are there any other 718 owners out there that have experienced the same?
2) Of course this is covered by warranty, but from a mechanical standpoint, how big of a deal is this? Could this cause other damage to the engine?
3) Should this be a high concern or something that could happen and as long as they replace the cam adjuster we should be fine?

Any feedback will be appreciated!

Thanks!

Marc

 

[RickH]

You did realize that when you buy the first year of a new model, you get all the bugs that we're in the design? Check out the TSBs on the 981 in 2013 to 2016: Porsche Boxster Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) | Porsche Problems and you will clearly see the trend. I suspect the 718 is no different.

 

[Marc718]

You did realize that when you buy the first year of a new model, you get all the bugs that we're in the design? Check out the TSBs on the 981 in 2013 to 2016: Porsche Boxster Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) | Porsche Problems and you will clearly see the trend. I suspect the 718 is no different.

Yeap, but I just want to get feedback on how big of a deal this issue is.

 

[steve1ddd]

over 7000 miles here and no issues at all

 

[RandR]

I would play this carefully.

As you would appreciate the CAMS interact with the valves and thus govern the engines ability to breath. The key questions are (a) has there been any damage to the valves (b) have knock events been recorded which could cause damage to pistons/rings/ringland (c) did the cam shaft adjuster fail in toto or in part e.g. bolts. If the answer to these questions is no then you should be fine. I would ask for verification in writing. Push hard on this one as Porsche has form on defective cam shaft adjusters.

If cam adjusters or belts/chains for that matter fail the consequence is engine failure (catastrophic) the fact your car was running is good (and was probably starting to run rough) and the engine management system was able to pick the problem up quickly. The most likely outcome is the part will be replaced and you will be good to go.

 

[Marc718]

I would play this carefully.

As you would appreciate the CAMS interact with the valves and thus govern the engines ability to breath. The key questions are (a) has there been any damage to the valves (b) have knock events been recorded which could cause damage to pistons/rings/ringland (c) did the cam shaft adjuster fail in toto or in part e.g. bolts. If the answer to these questions is no then you should be fine. I would ask for verification in writing. Push hard on this one as Porsche has form on defective cam shaft adjusters.

If cam adjusters or belts/chains for that matter fail the consequence is engine failure (catastrophic) the fact your car was running is good (and was probably starting to run rough) and the engine management system was able to pick the problem up quickly. The most likely outcome is the part will be replaced and you will be good to go.

Thanks RandR! Appreciate the feedback. That is exactly what I was looking for. I'll request some feedback on Monday. As you stated, the car was running fine and as soon as this was detected I stopped using it and taken to dealer. Once again, thanks a ton for the detailed feedback.


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[trypto]

Thanks RandR! Appreciate the feedback. That is exactly what I was looking for. I'll request some feedback on Monday. As you stated, the car was running fine and as soon as this was detected I stopped using it and taken to dealer. Once again, thanks a ton for the detailed feedback.


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Some great information here. I had a similar problem and when I brought it in, the dealer couldn't find the issue and the car seemed to run fine in all tests. I've driven it for about 4,000 miles since the check engine lights showed up and it's been running fine so far. If you can update your situation, it'd be great for everyone else who will run into this problem.

 

[Marc718]

I just spoke with the Service Manager at the dealer... she is waiting on the foreman to provide answers to all those questions (plus a bunch more I asked). As soon as I hear back from them I'll post.

 

[GregW]

Keep remembering that computers are known to have glitches from time to time. The usual solution is to re-boot.

Greg

 

[RandR]

Looks like the dealer is taking it seriously - which is good. Keep us posted and good luck.

 

[Marc718]

Thanks everyone for pitching in (specially RandR!). I heard back in writing from the dealer (and they also have documented this on their system and with PCNA). This is the feedback I got:

1) Could you please provide details on what was found after the engine was taken out of the car?
- The timing went out of the engine

2) Has a general inspection of the engine internals been conducted to validate if any other damage has been caused?
- Yes and no other damage found

3) Has there been any damage to the valves?
- No

4) Have knock events been recorded which could cause damage to pistons/rings/ringland?
- None

5) Did the cam shaft adjuster fail completely or in part (e.g. bolts)?
- The adjuster failed internally

6) What parts are being replaced?
- We are replacing 2 tensioners and 2 cam adjusters

They are waiting on some pieces coming from Germany (thus taking longer than expected). Any thoughts on the above are more than welcomed!

Hope this helps other people and I will be posting any further feedback I receive from them.

M

 

[trypto]

Awesome, thank you for following up and sharing everything with us.

 

[RandR]

marc718 - I'm pretty sure your car would have felt like it was running rough - if so, how long was it running this way.

Also, looks like the dealer is taking the right course of action and replacing all key components (highly unlikely you would need to replace the chain due to the limited mileage). Also, even though the replacements wii be done under warranty ensure the dealer gives you some documentation as to the parts replaced. A simple zero sum invoice - that references the part numbers will do e.g. a formal record for your files.

Looks like you're headed for a good outcome with some minor inconvenience

 

[Marc718]

Thanks RandR! The service manager already told me they have documented everything and I will get the report in a $0 invoice when picking up the car for my records.

Regarding your question, once the issue was detected I must have driven the car maybe 10 miles (if that). As soon as I detected the issue I didn't drive it any more till I have to take it to dealer. Thankfully it seems like it was the right decision

Will keep you guys posted with any further updates. Thanks for all the help!!!


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[Voyager6]

There are cam timing adjusters on both intake and exhaust cams on 718s. So the next question is Which ones failed? Are they replacing both on one head, or the same adjuster on both heads?

Greg

Thanks everyone for pitching in (specially RandR!). I heard back in writing from the dealer (and they also have documented this on their system and with PCNA). This is the feedback I got:

1) Could you please provide details on what was found after the engine was taken out of the car?
- The timing went out of the engine

2) Has a general inspection of the engine internals been conducted to validate if any other damage has been caused?
- Yes and no other damage found

3) Has there been any damage to the valves?
- No

4) Have knock events been recorded which could cause damage to pistons/rings/ringland?
- None

5) Did the cam shaft adjuster fail completely or in part (e.g. bolts)?
- The adjuster failed internally

6) What parts are being replaced?
- We are replacing 2 tensioners and 2 cam adjusters

They are waiting on some pieces coming from Germany (thus taking longer than expected). Any thoughts on the above are more than welcomed!

Hope this helps other people and I will be posting any further feedback I receive from them.

M

 

[Marc718]

I wanted to make sure I could update everyone that helped and gave me advise on this thread. I got my car last week and I have been testing it pushing it really hard and it is back to working as awesome as the day I got it. Please see below the info the mechanic provided on the notes section of the 10 page report to Porsche NA:

4522 canned for faults and sent val. had active misfire faults in cylinders 3 and 4 and also a crankshaft position in relation to bank 2 exhaust camshaft fault. tried swapping spark plugs and coils from bank 2 to bank 1. no change. then tried swapping exhaust camshaft sensors from bank2 to bank 1and no change. tried swapping camshaft solenoids from bank 2 to bank 1 and no change. sent ptech with this information and was advised to remove motor and replace camshaft actuators. evacuated a/c system, drained cooling system from motor and radiators. removed motor and replaced camshaft actuators. reinstalled motor enough to enable running the vehicle to ensure issue was fixed. same problem remained. removed motor again to check camshaft timing. removed motor mounts, valve covers, high pressure fuel hoses, injectors, and high pressure pump. used factory tools to check camshaft timing and checked out okay. found plunger on central screw for camshaft controller jammed. replaced all 4 camshaft controllers and bolts and set camshaft timing as per workshop manual. removed exhaust, a/c compressor, and oil separator in order to replace timing chain tensioners. reinstalled valve covers, fuel lines, injector, motor mounts and high pressure pump. performed compression test and leak down test. reinstalled motor in car, and checked to ensure motor back to normal operation. recharged a/c system and filled and bled cooling system. road tested to ensure vehicle is back to normal operation.

Hope it helps someone else if they find a similar issue. This was the first 718 engine that had to be opened in all of North America so Porsche was heavily involved and thus it took a bit longer than expected.

 

[ELP_JC]

As you found out, the engine issue is not a big deal on a normal car. But on ours, it's a huge deal, since powertrain has to come out, basically dismantling half the car. And that's where many times a lemon car is 'born', due to related or unrelated issues due to not putting the car back together properly. Thankfully, seems like your dealer knows what it's doing. Hope that was the end of your issues. Good luck.

 

[S'ven Etien]

22k miles on my 718 no issues, glad you got yours sorted!

 

[pcscars]

I know this is a dead post, but I wanted to keep all the info in 1 place.

I think I'm having the same issue. 2017 Cayman S. Had it since new with no issues. 35,000km. Car suddenly went crazy and started throwing tons of errors. I immediately turned it off and let it sit there.

When I tried to turn it back on, it sounded TERRIBLE. Crazy misfires and revs all over the place. And it sounded like it wanted to stall out and just die. I quickly turned it off and got it towed to a dealership. I got a call today saying it's timing related and they're going to send details off to Porsche and wait for a reply.