Jamoke

So here in Mass, it is over 90F today....got the A/C cranking. However, I think I am running into my first problem with my 2014 Cayman 981.

On 3 occasions coming back from lunch, I would pull out into traffic and it appeared that there was no throttle response whatsoever. I can only compare it to 2 things.

1. It sort of feels like the difference between Sport Mode On and Sport Mode Off. When it's on, the accelerator is a lot more responsive. In this case, I had it off with the A/C cranking. But this wasn't your typical response lag with it off. This was more of a "why the f isn't my car moving" as I pull out in traffic.

2. It also felt like a little like that hillstop / holding feature. But I definitely looked at my dash and did not see the HOLD signal illuminated. And on all 3 occasions, I was not on an incline.

I don't think it's #2 because I don't hear the engine revving as I hit the accelerator. It's as if the accelerator isn't doing anything during this time.
Every time it happens, I am 2nd guessing myself because it doesn't happen all the time. It's a manual transmission so I'm wondering if I'm simply not giving it enough gas. But I have ~800 miles on it and and have adjusted to driving the car within a few dozen miles.

Definitely scheduling a service appointment but was wondering if anyone has experienced a similar issue.

Supagoat

Some people had similar issues in the BMW X1 and it was the throttle sensor. That'd be a simple fix.

Jamoke

Man, I sure hope it's something simple like that Supagoat. Got a schedule Friday morning. I'll keep you updated.

Jamoke

Brought it to the dealership Monday morning. I told him I had 3 concerns:

1) Ticking / knocking noise from the engine
Tech hopped in the running car with me and I said, "Don't have much experience from Porsches, but what is that knocking?" He repeated the sound in perfect cadence so I knew he was talking about the right sound. He said it was the Direct Fuel Injection valves. Something that Porsche has been trying to quiet more and more in Caymans. He said the original Caymans were even louder

2) Low idle RPMs ~600RPMs
When I start my car, it first idles around 1200 RPMs. After a couple of minutes, it drops down to 600 RPMs. He said that is normal.

3) Bad throttle response
This was the main reason I brought the car in. I took the tech for a test drive on the back roads. I told him about my big concern that on that hot 90+F degree day with my A/C cranking, my car would hesitate as I would pull out in traffic. I told him in complete honesty that it is quite possibly me not being used to the added gas needed with the A/C on. I do tend to get my car out of a stop based on engine sound and with the A/C blasting, I told him it probably was me. Couldn't reproduce the issue but he said he would check it out just in case.

My other related issue occurs in casual driving. In 2nd gear at around 2K RPMs and 3rd gear at around 2.5K RPMs, you can feel the car hiccup oh so slightly if I ease up on the gas shortly after shifting (Sport Mode Off). I told him I do some "spirited" driving but there are times where I need to drive casually in traffic. He definitely felt what I was talking about. He said he would take it back and check that out as well.

After about 40 minutes in the bay, he said that he checked it out and didn't find anything wrong. Cleared some memory of something (perhaps some throttle control memory based on my driving?). He said that others have mentioned the same issue and that when the car is NOT in Sport Mode, the computers try to over-compensate to get a consistent feeling in various conditions. He basically told me to put it in Sport Mode every time I get in. F it, paying all this money for this car, might as well drive it hard.

In summary, I think I am just over-protective about every little thing with the car and I just need to get used to it.

Marine Blue

If it makes you feel any better you are not the only one that has observed a variation in throttle response from a stop. I have also seen this phenomenon and will bring it up during my next service visit. I suspect it is all software driven and they may have a fix since the 981 does not have the same issues.

Jamoke

Let me know how it goes Marine Blue. I'd be very interested. But did you mean to say 981 or 987? I ask because I have a 981

Marine Blue

I'm not sure how I missed that you have a 981. So maybe the issue hasn't been resolved and

Macster

Some info came to me the other day and it is if the engine is hard to start, nothing severe just a kind of a slow (but brief) crank and then fires up, and manifests a drop off in power this can be the high pressure fuel pump failing.

mgerber

I have noticed a bit of a variation in throttle response in our car as well, but it is not temperature dependent. It is almost like a very slight lag when I roll onto the throttle (when the car is NOT in sport mode). There is no loss of power, but a noticeable feeling of the throttle being disconnected from how the engine responds. I simply chalked it up to how the DFI engine reacts to throttle inputs. None of my previous Porsches felt anything like this.

Tommy 5

I have a similar problem on my 2012 Cayman. It's intermittent, but seems to rear its ugly head the most when I'm making a left hand turn where there is oncoming traffic.

The initial speculation was that this issue affects only PDK cars, but as is evident from the OP's post, it affects manual cars as well. Both 987 and 981 variants.

We can therefore rule out the transmission. Maybe a Softronic flash is what's needed?

To to OP, there is a similar, lengthier thread on this topic over at Planet 9:

http://www.planet-9.com/981-cayman-b...dead-stop.html

Jamoke

Thanks so much Tommy5! I'm going to forward this thread to my tech

Tommy 5

Jamoke, please keep us posted as to how this turns out!

medtech

My PDK chokes a little when I'm at a dead stop and the a/c is on, other then that no issues. I did recently get a check engine light that turned out to be a dirty throttle body.

lee88

Anybody have further reports on this? I've been having the same throttle response hesitation or "lumpiness" with my car which started as a base 2013 981 Boxster (but now has a 3.8L 991S motor conversion by BGB Motorsports). Both me and BGB are 99.99% certain the throttle response is a Porsche issue and nothing pertaining to the conversion work.

For me I notice it at small throttle openings from relatively low (2-3K) rpms. Sort of when you're loafing along at cruising speed in any gear, and then gently push deeper on the throttle. If I'm already at pretty significant throttle opening, the response is great and very linear... it's just a lumpy response early.

Trying to figure out A) what this is and B) what the best remedy might be. Btw I should add my car is a 6sp.

Supagoat

I had it happen to my in my 2011 Spyder on Sunday. I was in 3rd cruising along with some other Porsches and I wanted to accelerate quickly (Well, not TOO quickly, just what you'd expect to get in 3rd at 2000 rpm) so I rapidly depressed the accelerator and there was a momentary hesitation where it did nothing and then it started accelerating.

Lee in my case I pushed more rapidly on the throttle. I'm also driving a 6spd.

I agree it was pretty off-putting.