I picked up a new to me '08 997TT about 2 weeks ago. The car is a 6 speed with 11,500 miles on it currently. Park Place Porsche of Dallas did a pre-purchase inspection and found no significant problems and said the car was over-revved very few times and appeared well taken care of.

I've put almost 500 miles on the car with the majority of that being the 350 mile drive home. This morning my wife and I took the car to get breakfast. I drove the car very easy on the way there as the car was cold. I drove it easy on the way home as well, but taking off from a red light the clutch seemed to slip after each shift. It disengages fine and I can't feel any difference in the pedal. I ran some errands in the car yesterday and drove the car easy all day and never noticed any problem with the clutch.

I've read on here that the 997TTs have a lot of hydraulic problems regarding the clutch but it usually seems to be accompanied by leaking hydraulic fluid. There are no spots on my garage floor.

Do my symptoms sound like a bad clutch or hydraulics? Where would I look to find a hydraulic leak?

The car is bone stock.

 

Put the car in a high gear (5th or 6th) at about 50-60mph and step on the throttle if the revs climb up really fast and car doesn't move then you have a slipping clutch.

 

Its interesting that given you have only put 500 miles on her that the PPI didn't flag this. Its doubtful it would suddenly go out. I would give Park Place a call and discuss it with them. I just changed my clutch due to slippage from modifications and the disc was still 60%-70% and i have 17,500 miles. Obviously driver styles can affect a clutch but 11,500 shouldn't be a clutch issue unless the previous owner was a student driver education business
Do a search on the forum for the slave cylinder. Mine was done under warranty about 1000 miles ago.

 

As above. Sounds like the clutch is slipping, hydraulics will cause a very heavy clutch effort, and visible leakage. Another test that can be done in your driveway, in 4th gear slide your foot off the clutch, if it stalls the clutch is good. Just make sure there is nothing around to hit if it grabs. Now the car is stock, has it always been stock? The PPI should have picked up a reflash I would think.

 

They didn't mention finding a reflash in the PPI. Clutch appears to be good by 5th gear acceleration and stall tests. When shifting, it doesn't feel like the clutch is not engaging after shifts anymore. Now, when I shift there is knock after the clutch engages, similar to if you had a bowling ball rolling free in the trunk, but coming from the rear of the car. Also, as I pulled into my driveway, the check engine light came on.

Can anyone with a code reader read the check engine code(s)? If so, where is the outlet to plug the reader into?

 

The OBD port is under the dash by the left knee - very easy to see when you get down and look up.

 

Well this is getting weird.

Drove to the local AutoZone to get the code(s) read and, except for the first couple of shifts, the car ran fine. I should also note that the temperature was around 30F this morning when I was experiencing the problems and around 50F on the last drive. Could this be a differential problem I've been feeling? Reading through some old threads, it seems some people have noticed some binding/sticking/friction(stiction?) with LSDs when cold, but most seem to notice when turning the car. I don't know if my car has a LSD or not.

There were 2 codes, but both were P2190. The code reader tool said something about O2 being too rich at idle.

 

The car is under warranty so why not just take it to the dealer?

 

I'd like to but I'm about a 5 hour drive from the nearest dealer.

I did fill up with gas last night. It was 91 octane and there was no mention of ethanol on the pump. Could that have something to do with the P2190 code?

I drove the car down the street a few minutes ago and it had the same symptoms as earlier. When shifting up, it may be more like the engine is misfiring than the clutch is not engaging as the RPMs are not increasing. Maybe the knock is coming from the slack coming out of the drivetrain. I wish I could describe it better, but maybe someone who has had the same problem can relate.

 

Just discovered the leaking slave cylinder myself & clutch pedal is making squeaking noises ,we had the front drivers tire off & saw the leak coming through from there & also opened the front where you check the brake fluid & also saw leakage all the around that compartment.Apparently its a common problem & i will be scheduling a dealer visit this week ,iv'e already done a clutch & lwf upgrade.

 

Adam, perfect time to get the GT2 slave conversion

 

I know i know !! funny how we always seem to be able to justify the next mod where thinking about. i'm just wondering if the dealer will work with me & maybe just charge me parts no labor under warranty for the upgrade.

 

For some reason, I doubt that Adam..

 

Just a suggestion.... but since you're under factory warranty, therefore covered by Porsche roadside assistance, have Porsche come and get your car and fix it.

 

I took the car to the dealer Friday. It was not a clutch or hydraulic problem as I had initially thought. It was a misfire/hesitation as I had mentioned in my previous post. The dealer said the Mass Airflow Sensors are not reading correctly and need to be replaced.