boxsterdac

Hi,

I live in Denver and I have a 2007 Boxster with 135k miles. It runs well, but has an engine fault, and the diagnosis is that oil has leaked through some of the solenoids. Unfortunately it wasn't caught by my mechanic, and the oil compromised the DME.

Repair requires replacing the solenoids, the whole wiring harness, and the DME. Estimate right now is about $10k. I may be able to have the DME repaired instead of replaced, and if that's possible it would be a $7k estimate. I have the cash to fix it, but am trying to find out if it's worth it.

So my options are to sell as-is, or to repair and sell. I'm told the engine looks good and should have another 70k miles on it. The interior is fair condition, and the car was in an accident which damaged a few body panels and required repainting.

I'm looking for advice in general, but also specific thoughts on what the value of the car is in it's current condition, and how I would sell it in it's condition. Do people buy engines, and how much are they worth? Would someone even be able to use the engine without a working DME?

sasilverbullet

@Porschetech3 , do you have any words for wisdom?

Porschetech3

If it were my car.. I would buy a new solenoid ( which ever one has failed and migrated the oil) , and send the DME to ECU Doctors for repair, buy a used wiring harness and have it installed.......

If the car is in decent shape, it should be worth the cost of labor to fix it.....with the only" parts" nessesary being a new solenoid , and a used engine to DME wiring harness....Good luck !

harveyf

I am confused. By DME do you mean the control box mounted outside the engine compartment? Did the oil migrate through the engine wiring harness? And got past the multi-plug connector and into the bowels of the DME? If so, I am gobsmacked!

ZuffenZeus

Wow... can oil get on the solenoids and actually damage (i.e. short) the DME on these cars Skip?

As a side note, my nephew had a RAM truck where oil was leaking onto the TCU connector and ended up shorting out the TCU. Expensive repair. We've owned a lot of Volvos and this was also a common problem with the 3.2L Volvo engines where the oil from the brake booster would leak down on the TCU connector located below the booster and potentially short out the TCU.

harveyf

OK, if the OP is saying that a short at the solenoid, caused by oil, burned out a circuit in the DME, I can at least say that is plausible. I'd be a little surprised that Porsche would allow this to be a failure mode but stranger things have happened.

boxsterdac

Yeah, the mechanic tells me that the oil was pumped up the wiring harness and compromised the DME. I haven't looked at it myself yet, will report back!

Glue Guy

doesn’t sound possible. More likely, oil got into something and caused a short circuit that fried the DME.

harveyf

As part of my rebuild of my 2007 CS, I bought a OEM engine to DME harness. I would be startled beyond belief if it was "oil tight" all the way from one of the solenoids (assume we are talking about the actuators for the Variocam) back to the ECU. And of course the ECU plugs are an additional barrier. Whatever, I would verify his asseration in this case.

As I said, I purchased a new wiring harness from Porsche, last fall. The parts guy said it was the last one in the US at that time. They are priced around $1300 from the dealerships that do discounted on-line sales. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it would be easier to just drop the engine, if I were going to replace the entire harness. I am a big fan of new engine harnesses in these cars if one is doing a full engine rebuild. They do get degraded in the hot environment of the enclosed engine compartment. Not to mention previous troubleshooting efforts that hack into the harness. Here are a few pictures I took of mine.

New harness at the DME end. A lot of the harness is just wrapped with friction tape. Again, not "oil tight" in my opinion. Even that woven sheath doesn't strike me as oil tight.


Old harness at the location of a "hack". This is next to the rubber plug that seals the entrance to the engine compartment.

Cemlo

My 325i has a connector on the thermostat housing that failed, that was the first time I read that the worst scenario is water under the pressure can be pushed up the wire and cause havoc upstream - guess that whats happening here or can happen - pretty scary thought of a failed solenoid ruining a DME. Anyone point out the part no. solenoid(s) that can cause this?

Porschetech3

Yes !! The wiring harness and connectors are "sealed"....This keeps water from entering the electrical path, BUT it can also seal/keep oil/water "inside" the electrical path...

The wirings insulation can act like a pipe/conduit and the pressure can cause oil/water to travel up the inside of the wiring to the DME or other components....

If a solenoid or sensor that is open/exposed to oil or water , and it fails internally ( it is supposed to also be sealed internally to the oil/water) then pressures from the water/oil will be pushed into the wiring inner core ( that is sealed to the outside environments) and will be transported along the inside of the insulation ( amongst the copper strands) as far the pressure allows..( all the way to the DME in this case)

Zirconocene

This analysis all sounds very improbable and the costs seem crazy.

From FCP Euro the solenoids themselves, genuine Porsche, are under $500. On the M97 engine that I have in my garage, those solenoids look pretty accessible for replacement. I don't think that the M96 would be significantly different in that regard.

You can (and should) test the DME wiring but, if you don't see continuity on the wires from the solenoids to the terminals on the DME plug, I don't think that you'd have a short condition. I guess stranger things have happened but it's very hard for me to believe that oil was pushed that far through the interior of the wire sheathing.

Finally, it's a good recommendation to send the ECU out for analysis and, if needed, repair. The prices I've seen for that kind of service are generally not crazy, typically in the $500 range. You could also find a used DME on eBay, though I don't know if there are security features tied to the VIN for particular ECUs.

Anyway, absent removing the engine to put on a new wiring harness, I think you can fix your car for much less than the numbers you got, though it would certainly help if you're a little handy with a wrench (or two).

Cheers

Porschetech3

It may sound impossible, but once you have seen it with your own eyes, and performed the mental task of figuring out the only way it can possibly happen , then when you know, you know...,...

Solenoids and sensors do not normally fail in this mannor, but no-one ever said this was a normal ocurance ..

old man neri

For my own education, how does engine oil damage a DME? Isn't it nothing more than a few circuit boards?

Porschetech3

Very pure oil doesn't conduct electricity, and in fact is used as an insulator ( like in old ignition coils), BUT used engine oil has a lot of moisture and acids in it plus minerals like iron, zinc, magensium, aluminum, copper, ect. that can short circuit sensitive electronics...