i-Zapp

Hello all. Chilling this evening reflecting on how my first year of ownership has been on the dream car I always wanted and finally bought four decades later. Thought I'd compile a list of thing that bug me about the car, partly to vent, but possibly to get some help on fixing them. Hate to come across negative, but I guess that's what happens when you put the 911 on a pedestal all your life...

• rough shifting - the 1-2 shift is balky and unless you "double clutch" when cold you can feel the synchros choonk into gear. Replaced fluid with PTX fluid and no improvement. better when warm, but rarely 100% perfect. i'd be really really happy to get this sorted.
• broken shift cable. replaced with OE cable. shifting no better, or worse. how does this happen???
• failed Bose amplifier; tempted to replace the whole system which i'd rate as 7/10 on a scale of factory systems (only after i installed a BT adaptor since no aux port); might spend the money to upgrade.
• intermittent issues with front light malfunction warning, outside temperature; i just have to live with this
• battery power loss - there's a 200 mA parasitic draw on the system that requires a tender plugged in if the car sits for more than a week
• no spare or TPM; had a slow leak on a rear tire that left me stranded and needing to replace a wasted tire; seems maybe this was an option later but my 05 doesnt have it; may install an aftermarket TPM system
• the exhaust and throttle response seems "garbled"; i've done the gundo hack, and sound is better, but she seems to lack crispness off idle; might install an x-pipe.
• there's a very, very subtle surge around 3000 rpm; at steady load, as if a cylinder suddenly activated; it's not significant but wondering if it's also related to surgy/non-linear acceleration at heavy load. Dont think anything is really bad wrong since the car runs fine, gets expected mpg, and dyno-ed at the right numbers. i'd love to remap some stuff in the ECU to sort that out but nobody offers a truly open ECU (like HP Tuner)
• and speaking of mpg, how is high teens normal for a modern car that barely weighs more than 3k lbs?

Still love driving the car, looking at her, and the attention she gets. Considering keeping her for the long haul and even spending some insane coin for an aero kit, but i guess i need to get complacent with her snotty attitude before i buy her a pretty new dress.

halsyknox

sounds like you've got a car that's been rode hard and put away wet.

996AE

So sorry for your loss.

Must be difficult time for you.

Worse first post ever and not good for Porsche.

Good news is there is a lot of good tech support guys and gals here and many aftermarket parts sellers to get you back and running in short order.

Sounds like a 996 list of issues.

Miles, service history, model, and if no pictures it didnt happen.

Post up and let the experts at it.

Sporty

What did it Dyno at ? is it a 3.6 or 3.8?

rileyracing1

• rough shifting - the 1-2 shift is balky and unless you "double clutch" when cold you can feel the synchros choonk into gear. Replaced fluid with PTX fluid and no improvement. better when warm, but rarely 100% perfect. i'd be really really happy to get this sorted. - They all do this to some extent ...Are you sure the correct OEM fluid was installed ?
• broken shift cable. replaced with OE cable. shifting no better, or worse. how does this happen??? - Was it adjusted correctly after break in ??
• failed Bose amplifier; tempted to replace the whole system which i'd rate as 7/10 on a scale of factory systems (only after i installed a BT adaptor since no aux port); might spend the money to upgrade. - Music ?? The engine is your music besides the OEM one is good enough.
• intermittent issues with front light malfunction warning, outside temperature; i just have to live with this - Put some dielectric grease on the light contacts or vaseline . Did you replace the temp sensor ?? I believe it's in the bumper.
• battery power loss - there's a 200 mA parasitic draw on the system that requires a tender plugged in if the car sits for more than a week - Sounds like a ****ty battery (even if it checks out ok) How old is it ?? ...These model year 911's like lots of power and new strong batteries especially when they sit... but a week is too short.
• no spare or TPM; had a slow leak on a rear tire that left me stranded and needing to replace a wasted tire; seems maybe this was an option later but my 05 doesnt have it; may install an aftermarket TPM system - Are you high ?? You actually want TPMS (have you not read all the horror stories with TPMS on any cars not even mentioning associated costs. TPMS are for girlie's who don't look at their tires or know how to use a pressure gauge.
• the exhaust and throttle response seems "garbled"; i've done the gundo hack, and sound is better, but she seems to lack crispness off idle; might install an x-pipe.- How many miles on the engine ?? Have you done a compression check or cylinder bore scope inspection ? Coil Packs ??
• there's a very, very subtle surge around 3000 rpm; at steady load, as if a cylinder suddenly activated; it's not significant but wondering if it's also related to surgy/non-linear acceleration at heavy load. Dont think anything is really bad wrong since the car runs fine, gets expected mpg, and dyno-ed at the right numbers. i'd love to remap some stuff in the ECU to sort that out but nobody offers a truly open ECU (like HP Tuner) - How many miles on the engine ?? Have you done a compression check or cylinder bore scope inspection ? Don't screw with tuning a basic stock engine is set up just fine from the factory.
• and speaking of mpg, how is high teens normal for a modern car that barely weighs more than 3k lbs? 996 - 997 Porches aren't exactly known for fuel economy ... You wan't fuel economy buy a Prius Hybrid. Your car overall seems fine but do a bore scope to ensure the engine is good and healthy then replace your coil packs if they are old and go from there. Hope this helps !!

i-Zapp

comments inserted above.

MexicoBlueTurboS

To paraphrase Helen Keller:

“I bitched because I had a troublesome Porsche until I met a man who had no Porsche.”

i-Zapp

my 3.8S overlaid on some anonymous person's curves i found on the interweb. Done on a wheel-hub dyno. Curves seem "bouncy" but representative of this engine.

C4SDayton

Want better mileage get a PDK or a newer model with 7 sp MT. Drive around and shift at 2k rpm. Car is geared for good highway mileage. Get some all season eco 265 rear tires. Or buy a Prius.

user 72902

This is where your variocams fully open and it is normal. It’s not that subtle on my car.

snosk8luke

I have always hated the dead spot non-linear curve around 5500rpm. Makes the hard pull in every gear feel like there's something wrong with the car. I've driven three different 997 C2S's and they all have that lull spot.

tinkerbill

See comments in red
Bill

MexicoBlueTurboS

Critical knowledge if you try to take a nap during a cross country drive at a crowded truck stop full of others trying to sleep.

But that's why you leave the manual in the glovebox.

GoldenGorilla

I'm not sure about coil packs as your issue with balking at middling RPMs. I would look at cleaning/servicing the throttle body before plugs/coils if you aren't throwing any misfires. That part would be more likely to gum up with age than miles and would affect your feeling about responsiveness.

At this moment my rental car is a Ford EcoSport (the car resembles no part of that name). It has a 1.0L turbo 3cyl engine producing a whopping 123HP. It is rated for 28MPG hwy and 24 or 25 city. Truly, truly terrible. It came to the US market in 2018, not 2005.
I drive a .2 C4S and the DFI system does improve the fuel economy a bit. Around town, it is easy to get into it and have a resulting 18-19 MPG (Yeehaw Stuttgart horsey!). But cruising on the highway I see 25mpg, sometimes even higher (when the RTS rack and bikes or ski box aren't up top).


But if you really want a laugh at a contemporary car to ours, my 2004 Jeep TJ Rubicon (also ~3000 lbs) running a 4.0L I6 with only 190HP (but 235 ft-lbs), on 33" tires is always 14-16MPG. Highway or city doesn't matter, in fact sometimes highway is worse. In 4-Lo, MPG is in single digits. It has a 19Gal tank and I sometimes carry an extra 10Gal of fuel cans to get where I want to go with it.

Ericson38

> 100 hp per liter list in 2016 for normally aspirated engines

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...liter/?slide=1

includes GT3 and GTS

I'm pretty sure you knew this before you bought your 997.1 S.