Just bought a car... i have a few questions. any useful information is appreciated! thanks!!!



1. When shifting into reverse -- I seem to stall often. What is the trick for avoiding stalls and not burning the clutch out?

2. anyone know how to remove "limit exceeded" from the screen whenever I start the vehicle??

3. when should you keep the rpms -- when driving around the city?

4. sometimes when i m moving--- when i try shift into 1st.. it doesn't feel like it's possible - like something is blocking it -- normally its very smooth. why is this?

5. can you shift without engaging the clutch?

6. anyone install (hardwire) a dash cam? which fuses did you use (always on, and only on when the car is powered?)

7. anyone take the porsche driving experience-- worth it?

8. headlights are not super bright - anyone upgrade? any advice?

9. can you sinc the homelink garage door opener to condo garage door openers?

 

Should be able to.

 

Is this your first manual? Don't try to shift without clutching. On flat ground you should be able to back up in reverse without using the gas at all. If you can't, either you need more practice or your clutch is really bad. I've never owned a manual car that likes to go into 1st while moving although I can get my 997 into 1st fairly easily once I get below 10mph\16kph or so. Don't force it though.


These engines are best kept at higher revs and there's no need to shift until you get above +3k rpms, but keep it below 4k while it's still warming up. And don't lug the engine by pressing the gas hard in a higher gear at low rpms (<2k), downshift if needed or if say maybe you're moving slow in 2nd gear but youre below 2k just use light throttle at first until you bring the revs up.

 

Re #2, there is a speed limit minder that you can adjust through the pcm. It is probably set to zero, which is giving you the warning.

Re #8, the headlights burn at (I believe) 50% while operating as daytime running lights. Make sure you have them all fully on, ie, switch fully clockwise.

 

The limit exceeded message may be your speed limit setting. Go into the menus in the instrument cluster using the control stalk on the left side of the steering column. You'll find a setting for this where you can turn it off or change the speed.

 

Other cars run headlamps at reduced power for DRL but on 997.1 Porsche is at 100% (I don't think the HID bulbs can be run at reduced power). The HID bulbs can lose some intensity as they age - maybe time to replace the bulbs.

 

1. reverse should be treated like any other gear when engaging, just make sure to give it a little bit of gas (not enough to move far but enough to engage).

2. read above - they already answered that one

3. I try to keep my RPM's low when cruising say on the highway or a wide open road (ex. 2,500 RPM, etc.) but when I am driving in the city I go anywhere between 2k and 5k depending on how I am driving. I usually don't take her past 5k unless I am driving for fun and not to get from A to B

4. You may not know this but from a dead stop you can start moving from 2nd gear and not even need 1st if you know what you're doing. There is NO reason to shift to 1st once moving unless you enter a slow parking lot. Even then, I stay in 2nd for the most part. Shifting to 1st when driving is a bad habit.

5. No, not if you want a healthy gearbox.

6. I have exactly the setup you mentioned with my V1. I would imagine it could be used the same way with a dash cam. Search "Pre-wired Valentine 1"

7. I can tell you would get a lot from it.

8. not sure on this one. I take it you do not have Xenons?

9. Yes, as long as the garage door motor complies with Homelink which most do if they are relatively (past decade) new.

 

1. When shifting into reverse -- I seem to stall often. What is the trick for avoiding stalls and not burning the clutch out?

If the stall happens concurrently with the shifting that's an odd symptom. All I can think of is the clutch pedal is not fully depressed or there is something wrong with the clutch and the clutch is not fully disengaged.

If the car is used and new to you the clutch fluid could need a good flush and bleed. I believe the 997 models are like the older models and the brake and clutch hydraulic systems share fluid and while the brakes may not be affected by old fluid the clutch certainly can be.

If you mean to say you stall the car once it is in reverse and you go to back up that's a common problem with someone not accustomed to driving a manual. The reverse gear ratio is not as low as that of 1st, it is closer to 2nd. Thus the same clutch release/gas pedal technique that works so well getting the car moving off in 1st doesn't work so well in reverse.

All I can offer is you just have to pay more attention to your driving.

For (2) I can't help you other than to say this is probably covered in the owners manual.

3. when should you keep the rpms -- when driving around the city?

The RPMs at which you operate the engine is dependent up many factors but in 1st I generally -- if traffic conditions permit -- try to keep the engine RPMs at 1K or higher, in 1st gear. In 2nd gear I try to avoid driving around with the engine RPMS under 2K. In 3rd through 6th, 3K, though if one is on flat ground and doesn't require much acceleration the RPMs can drop to say under 2.5K without any real concern. (If you require more than just a touch of acceleration you need to downshift. This is what you have to accept if you opt for a manual transmission equipped car.) But you have to have a feel for the engine. In the case of my 2002 Boxster the engine is so tractable it is quite ok at 1.5K RPMs in 4th, though I seldom do that the engine doesn't complain. However, with my 2003 Turbo I never drop below 2K in 4th and generally keep the RPMs 2.5K or higher.

Another rule of thumb is for gears 1 to 4 I upshift when the gear times 10 + 10 equals the speed. Say I'm in first gear and the speed climbs to 20mph (1 time 10 + 10). I upshift to 2nd. In 2nd if the speed climbs to 30mph (2 times 10 + 10) I upshift to 3rd and in 4th then when the speed climbs to 50mph (4 times 10 + 10) I shift into 5th. For 5th and 6th I select the gear which has the engine operating at a comfortable RPM that allows me to maintain speed without lugging the engine.

4. sometimes when i m moving--- when i try shift into 1st.. it doesn't feel like it's possible - like something is blocking it -- normally its very smooth. why is this?

You should avoid shifting into 1st until the car is stopped. If you have the clutch pedal fully depressed, and assuming (as I touched upon above) the clutch hydraulic fluid is fresh and properly bled, and there is nothing amiss with the clutch's function, there will still be a normal reluctance of the hardware to engage 1st from 2nd (or even possibly neutral). What I do is coast to a stop in 2nd and then when it comes time to stop depress the clutch and slip the tranny into neutral and then stop the car and release the clutch.

You should never force a gear to engage. This leads to more serious transmission trouble.

5. can you shift without engaging the clutch?

Only if you earn your living driving a car that is in an event televised every 2 weeks during the spring, summer an early fall months. Otherwise, no. Hell no.

Ignore those few motoring "Gods" who'll offer you can do this with some kind of hokey pokey with the gas pedal and shifter.

Given reasonable treatment the clutch and transmission should last a long time. My 2002 Boxster is on its original 5-speed transmission and its original clutch and the car now has over 287K miles. I can assure you while I enjoy my car the idea of shifting without using the clutch doesn't even come to mind let alone come into practice.

If you wanted to shift without using a clutch you should have bought a Tip or PDK equipped car.

For (6) I have a GoPro but it is battery powered. While I have a V1 installed in one car (my Turbo) and an aftermarket NAV unit in both my Turbo and my Boxster, in the Turbo both the V1 and NAV unit are powered from a Y-connector plugged into the dash's cigarette lighter socket.

For (7) I've never taken the Porsche driving experience but I have read posts by others who have and I don't recall anyone complaining about not getting their money's worth.

For (8) for regular headlights perhaps the enclosures are just yellowed/pitted and the amount of light the headlight can emit is reduced? I do not recall if the bulbs dim over time. I do know they burn out and need to be replaced. I generally replace these in pairs. If your car has bi-xenon lights they should be quite bright. There could be something else going on, perhaps a bad headlight switch that is failing to turn on the headlights or with bi-xenon one or both igniters are growing weak. You probably should have the headlights checked by a qualified tech.

If you are just not satisfied with the headlights you may be able to upgrade to bi-xenon lights -- my Turbo has these and they offer some of the best lighting ever and on bright at night they transform the night into day. Makes my Boxster headlights seem like they are illuminated by old oil lamps by comparison.

For (9) I can't help you other than to offer this is probably covered in the owners manual.

 

Dennis, I had to wait until I went for a drive today, but you were correct about how to adjust the speed limit setting. It is indeed on the instrument cluster, and not in the pcm, as I incorrectly stated earlier,

Sorry to the OP for the incorrect info.

 

1. When shifting into reverse -- I seem to stall often. What is the trick for avoiding stalls and not burning the clutch out?
Learning where the bite point is and gently applying the clutch with sufficient gas is an issue of practice and learning with the new car. Practice, practice, practice. Enough gas, let out clutch to bite point, then let out and more gas at same time.. till clutch is out.

2. anyone know how to remove "limit exceeded" from the screen whenever I start the vehicle??
Is this the speed limit setting? Its configured in the On Board Computer - you can pick a speed limit which beeps at you when you exceed it.. its usefull as an auditory reminder for lower speed town regions (25-30mph for example) or for known speed trap areas.

3. when should you keep the rpms -- when driving around the city? 1,500-3,000 depending on cruise or acceleration normally covers most activity.

4. sometimes when i m moving--- when i try shift into 1st.. it doesn't feel like it's possible - like something is blocking it -- normally its very smooth. why is this?
RPMs too high? 1st is to start the car moving, so if you are already moving, an interlock prevents engaging 1st to prevent damage to the gearbox/engine. You may have to come to a near stop to engage 1st while in motion.

5. can you shift without engaging the clutch?
You can, but it requires precise timing... not something for normal use but only emergencies (ie the clutch cable snapped or something).

6. anyone install (hardwire) a dash cam? which fuses did you use (always on, and only on when the car is powered?)

7. anyone take the porsche driving experience-- worth it?

8. headlights are not super bright - anyone upgrade? any advice?
Headlights are just fine.. make sure the covers are clean. Brighter headlights are not better - you may see just a bit further (with little benefit to driving safety) but others will be blinded more (with less safety).

9. can you sinc the homelink garage door opener to condo garage door openers?
If you have the opener control/button, you should be able to program the homelink system, so long as there isn't some really unusual system installed.