Q – My 1998 Boxster is giving me fits. I had the engine replaced about a year ago and since then it has been one thing after another. First a camshaft position sensor failed, I took it in and they found and fixed that. Then I discovered that my AC did not work but fortunately it only needed to be charged. So one more trip to the shop later, I am on the road again, loving my car. Then I was driving along shortly after that and I heard a loud “thud”. The car would not move so I had it towed in. I thought it was the clutch but it turned out to be an axle shaft which was never fully tightened. Four of the bolts simply fell out! And the other two sheared off. So I guess I should look on the bright side, it was not the clutch. When the shop fixed the axle they also found other parts missing or left loose. That should have clued me in.
Now last week I am driving it, warm and sunny, not a care in the world and the check engine light comes on and it loses power. I am really getting nervous about this car now. The code for the check engine light that was extracted is: ”#2 injector, open or short to ground” along with four other related codes. I am tempted to put the keys in it and leave it along side the road. I should mention that I did not have the engine replaced at a regular shop, I had it done via a friends recommendation at a race shop. They charged me a lot less and the bit of sage advice that I can offer is “You get what you pay for.” – Trevor.
A – Don’t leave the keys in it yet. An injector code can be something as simple as a harness plug not fully snapped in place. Other causes that I have seen include: Wiring damaged by rodents while parked in the garage, a wire harness chaffed by misrouting and very seldom, an injector that is actually short or open itself. Since the same guy who installed the engine had to put that all together, the process starts with accessing the top of the engine and then inspecting the harness, plug, and for good measure It would be a good idea to check anything else under the cover that is waiting to set a code an annoy you again. MC
Editors note: The injector was not fully plugged in, the clamp on the hose for the air mass sensor was not tight and the intake runner clamps were also loose.