Hydraulic Cam Adjuster Problem

I have a 97 Boxster with low miles. Last week the Check Engine light came on and the Dealer tells me it will cost $2500 to pull the engine and replace the hydraulic cam adjuster sensor.

The car runs a little rough at idle on occasion but other than that it runs fine.

Has anyone had this problem before? Any ideas on a cheaper fix?

do you mean the vario cam solenoid in the cylinder head?

It is code P1530. Best I can tell it is either a bad solenoid or a wiring problem. The computer thinks that the sensor is shorted to ground but I don't know if it is the control wire or the sense wire.

the solenoid most likely failed. there is a 1% chance of the wiring being an issue. the only time i ever see a wiring issue is if the car sits too long and rats start eating the harness. happens more than you think. well at least here in florida. do you have an ohm meter? ohm out the solenoid via the connector. if you get an "OFL" reading the solenoid has an open circuit. if you get a "0.01 or 0.00" reading than the solenoid has a short. you will have to remove the cam cover to remove the solenoid. also change the solenoid seal while you are there. good luck!

Thanks. This is the first real information anyone has provided. If I have to take the cam cover off then I assume the motor has to come out? I have done similar work in the past but am not a mechanic by trade and do not have a set of Porsche specialty tools. Can I get this done with common sense and normal shop tools?

you dont have to remove the motor but you will need to lift the rear of the car so you can get under there. you will need to remove the exhaust manifold, coils, spark plugs, solenoid seal, any wire or connector in the way and the spark plug tunnels (spark plug tunnels are the plastic sleeves that prevent oil from leaking into the spark plug and coil). you will have to remove each of these plastic tunnels with a hook tool. make one out of a hanger. that hook and allen wrenches is the only speacial tool you really need. allens are common you can get them anywhere. these cam covers have no gasket material. you will need to purchase silicone sealant from porsche parts and there are 2 seals each tunnel you will need to purchase from porsche. the sealant i believe is 10.00-15.00 and the o-ring seals are ~10.00 for 6 seals which you will need for one side of the engine.

Great info. It doesn't sound bad at all. I don't have to reset cam timing or deal with any bearings or clearances. I will give it a try.

Any thoughts on how/where I might get a new solenoid cheap?

unfortunetly a porsche parts dealer is the only way your going to get that part.

Busa_4

I started to dig into the problem this weekend and have a couple questions. The P1530 code is for bank 1. Is this the right side of the engine? The solenoid connector that I am checking is at the right rear of the motor and the DME is sending 12volts on pin 1 of the connetor.

If I am checking the correct point the solenoid has a 6 to 8 inch pigtail that ends in a 2 pin connector.

There are 2 bolts that seem to hold the solenoid to the side of the engine where the wires go in. From pictures that I have of the solenoid it looks like I can remove the electronics from the solenoid with just these two bolts. That would be way too easy. What am I missing?

Thanks for the help.

MikeV

bank 1 is the passenger side of the engine. the 2 bolts the appear to hold the solenoid is very deceiving. that is only the seal for the solenoid. the solenoid is bolted to the cylinder head under the cylinder head cover.

I guess I am trying to find a shortcut that doesn't require removing the actuator but what I really want is to be absolutely sure it is an internal problem before I tear it apart.

When I tested the DME I only checked for 12v on pin 1 of the actuator connector. I assume that pin 2 is the return signal from the actuator that the DME thinks is shorted to ground creating the P1530? There is another test that checks the wiring continuity from the DME to the connector that I am going to do. Is there any other external test I should perform before I open it up?

did you ohm out the solenoid like i said in the first reply? if you get a 0.00 or a ofl reading you have a bad solenoid. if you get a good ohm reading such as 450kh then your solenoid is good. the dme sends the sensor 12v through 1 wire and the dme completes the circuit by controlling ground with the other wire. your first step is to ohm out the sensor, it will tell you if its bad or not.

Busa_4
Sorry I missed that step. I checked the solenoid last night and have 13ohms across the two connector pins. Sounds like a bad solenoid and a winter project for me. How many hours would an experienced mechanic take to do the actuator swap?

IS THAT 13 ohms or 13 kohms?
i can do it in 2.5-3 hours.

I checked it again with a better quality OHM meter and it still reads 13 OHMS between the 2 pins. I also checked each pin to ground and it reads OFL.

I noticed in this thread that I did not actually list all of the DME codes. besides the P1530 I also get P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303 which my chart calls misfire on cyl 1, 2, and 3. I assumed the misfires were coming from the faulty solenoid?

yes, the solenoid is bad. before you start this repair, you will need to purchase special silicone sealant from a porsche parts dealer. do not use regular sealant from the parts store. the sealant is the only form of gasket for the cam cover. there is no paper gasket in between. also you will need to purchase all the seals and o-rings to do the job correctly. good luck!

OK. I priced the parts at two local dealers and it looks like just under $1000 for everything. The vario actuator being just over $700. Although the actuator electronics can be purchased separately for $230. They tell me that on a 97 Boxster, you have to use two special tools to hold the cam in place so you can remove the oil pump to get at the actuator. Does this make sense to you?

no no no no! you dont need the actuator, you only need the solenoid.
i work at a porsche dealer and i got the part number for you.
the part number is 99660590100 and it sells for 185.00
remember to get the seals and sealant.

oh yeah i forget there is a tool to hold the cam in place so you dont break them when removing the camcover. you will need to purchase this tool. dont attempt this repair without the tool. there is a guarantee that you will break the cams if you dont have it. the oil pump they say is an oil pump is actually a oil scavenge pump. the oil scavenge pump has to go on the same way it came off. it can be reversed so make a mark on the scavenge pump and the engine block so you put it in the correct position.

OK
I think I have it now. Do you have a part number for the tool? And what do you think about the misfire codes?

the dealer will be able to supply you with the tool part number. the misfire codes are because bank 1-3 are not in timing because the solenoid has failed. that solenoid passes oil pressure through the cam actuator. when there is pressure to the actuator is rotates the intake cam ~12 degrees retarded to gain more hp.

Busa_4
What I really should do is take a weeks vacation in Florida and have your dealership fix it. My two local dealers are border-line rude when I try to get information on the problem, the fix and the parts I need. I would probably pay them to fix it if they were willing to work with me on it.

If the parts are say $700 and they want $2200 to fix it they are either making a lot of money or are going to take over three days to do the work that you can do in 3hours.

Thanks for all the advice.

what parts are they trying to sell you for 700.00? if you know how to weld you can make the tool. it is a very basic tool.

Solenoid $235, 12cam housing bolts $11, Spark plug seals $60, Sealant $51, Oil Pump O-ring $21, Solenoid seal $30, for about $400. That was the low end. The other dealer had higher prices and added a couple seals I didn't understand.

I can weld and will see if I can find a picture of the tool on the web.

Thanks as usual.

MikeV

Why Are The Prices So High Over There?

Well I guess I don't know. There are two local dealers in Columbus, Ohio and I don't have anything else to compare to. Is there any way I can buy the parts from your dealership? If you give me a name and number of your parts person I'll take it from there.

I will be out of town for the next two weeks so I will probably attack this after Thanksgiving.

you can give them a call at 813-933-2811. we have 8 car lines so ask for porsche parts.

Busa_4
I have located a Porsche Technical Repair Manual and it contains pictures of the tools I need for this job. Tool P9624 is a plate thst goes from one cam plug to the other behind the passenger seat. It has a tab where a bolt fastens it to the cyl-head. I assume this holds the cams down while the cam cover is removed. Once the cam cover is off there is another tool P9611 that is a set of 4 clamps to further hold the cams in place. Will I need these clamps if all I am doing is removing the actuator?

The Porsche manual says that the solenoid cannot be replaced unless the whole assembly is vertical. If this is true then I will need to remove the whole assembly which I think involves removing the lower camshaft chain sprocket and perhaps loosening the upper camshaft itself? Can you provide a little guidance here.

Thanks as usual

Mikevv

PS With the info you have provided I was able to get the local dealer to order the solenoid only. They will also sell me the tools if I need them.

all you need is that cam hold down tool. you dont have to remove the cams. unbolt the solenoid, replace it and your done. if you get stuck in the middle of it just email me back and i will walk(type) you through it.

Busa_4
We have a go! I drove the Boxster 30 miles tonight (in
the snow I might add) and it didn't generate any
codes. I am so excited. It idles much better now also,
drops down to 900rpm and stays there rock steady.

I can't thank you enough for your expert advice,
patience and confidence. I doubt I would have tackled
this without your help. I am just sorry I waited so
long to do the work. Lost another summer! Well anyway
we have next summer to look forward to now.

Have a wonderful holiday season and a great new year.

MikeV