PDK Transmission Failure
Rennlist Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,641
Likes: 147
From: Norcal
well, not exactly. they have authorized the replacement thereof, but only if the replacement of the electronic control module (i don't know exactly what it's called) doesn't remedy the problem, first. there in lies the rub; at the current time no faults are showing on the dash, so i don't think they're going to show up on their diagnostics. as i said earlier, the dealership said there was nothing wrong with the car, and that the transmission was operating as it should.......or in other words, why replace anything if it's working? how do they know what to fix other than going by the pictures/videos i sent them of the (dashboard) faults? or does the diagnostic equipment point to actual problems even though no faults on the dashboard are showing? if it does, then why is there uncertainty whether the control module will fix the problem or not?
AutoX
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
991s also 2013. New car. Similar issue, parked up for a few minutes returned no gears pdk error. Also occurred when in heavy traffic on hotish days. Turned out to be a software threshold temperature setting. Dealer said it was a known issue, software update altered this threshold and have never had the issue again. Some 35k miles on and all is good.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 184
Likes: 1
From: Annapolis, MD
Yeah. No one looking to buy this car in the future will question why a low-mileage, two-year-old car needed a new transmission.
Thread Starter
Three Wheelin'
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,341
Likes: 56
From: los angeles
Just spoke to the Service Adviser......the control module didn't remedy the situation so a new transmission is on order and will be installed.
Thread Starter
Three Wheelin'
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,341
Likes: 56
From: los angeles
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Rennlist Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,641
Likes: 147
From: Norcal
same reasoning why I would never consider a pre owned manual transmission vehicle..the great unknowables are the conditions of the gear teeth and synchros of the tranny and the gear sets of the differentials if previous drivers were careless or clueless or evil down shifters...the wear item clutch, t/o bearing and flywheel are trivial by comparison
Drifting
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,042
Likes: 30
From: Beautiful North Carolina
I hate to hijack, but...
I looked at a slightly used Boxster a couple of years ago. The owner/seller took me for a ride, and I couldn't help but notice that at 55 MPH as he slowed for a stop sign, he's run it down through the gears (clutch disengaged the whole time) until at about 40 MPH he'd slide it into first. This did not impress me. Seems to me that it's unnecessary synchro wear. I wait until the car is stopped or nearly stopped to go into first, but maybe I just don't know how to drive? He didn't beat up on the clutch or do anything else particularly bad, but that jamming into first at a high speed really bothered me.
His attitude on the price and refusal to let me test drive (no insurance, he claimed) led me to not buy the car. He ended up selling it back to the dealer.
I would never consider a pre owned manual transmission vehicle..the great unknowables are the conditions of the gear teeth and synchros of the tranny and the gear sets of the differentials if previous drivers were careless or clueless or evil down shifters...the wear item clutch, t/o bearing and flywheel are trivial by comparison
His attitude on the price and refusal to let me test drive (no insurance, he claimed) led me to not buy the car. He ended up selling it back to the dealer.
Rennlist Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,641
Likes: 147
From: Norcal
I hate to hijack, but...
I looked at a slightly used Boxster a couple of years ago. The owner/seller took me for a ride, and I couldn't help but notice that at 55 MPH as he slowed for a stop sign, he's run it down through the gears (clutch disengaged the whole time) until at about 40 MPH he'd slide it into first. This did not impress me. Seems to me that it's unnecessary synchro wear. I wait until the car is stopped or nearly stopped to go into first, but maybe I just don't know how to drive? He didn't beat up on the clutch or do anything else particularly bad, but that jamming into first at a high speed really bothered me.
His attitude on the price and refusal to let me test drive (no insurance, he claimed) led me to not buy the car. He ended up selling it back to the dealer.
I looked at a slightly used Boxster a couple of years ago. The owner/seller took me for a ride, and I couldn't help but notice that at 55 MPH as he slowed for a stop sign, he's run it down through the gears (clutch disengaged the whole time) until at about 40 MPH he'd slide it into first. This did not impress me. Seems to me that it's unnecessary synchro wear. I wait until the car is stopped or nearly stopped to go into first, but maybe I just don't know how to drive? He didn't beat up on the clutch or do anything else particularly bad, but that jamming into first at a high speed really bothered me.
His attitude on the price and refusal to let me test drive (no insurance, he claimed) led me to not buy the car. He ended up selling it back to the dealer.
Last edited by MKW; Sep 3, 2015 at 11:17 AM.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 108
Likes: 6
From: SoCal
I looked at a slightly used Boxster a couple of years ago. The owner/seller took me for a ride, and I couldn't help but notice that at 55 MPH as he slowed for a stop sign, he's run it down through the gears (clutch disengaged the whole time) until at about 40 MPH he'd slide it into first. This did not impress me. Seems to me that it's unnecessary synchro wear. I wait until the car is stopped or nearly stopped to go into first, but maybe I just don't know how to drive? He didn't beat up on the clutch or do anything else particularly bad, but that jamming into first at a high speed really bothered me.
Here's a common scenario: you accelerate hard in 1st and 2nd then realize that you're really loud and breaking the speed limit, so you immediately shift to 6th and go about normally. The problem here is that the 6th gear synchro on the S2000 is tiny since it's only designed to accommodate the small RPM drop from 5th to 6th. The correct way to go about getting to 6th in that situation is to clutch in, row through 3rd, 4th, 5th, and finally 6th before finally clutching up. The same applies when downshifting unless you clutch up in neutral at some point to slow down the input shaft.
This is highly specific to the S2000, though. Nearly every other car has synchros that are beefy enough to slow down or speed up the transmission from just about every gear. But out of habit I end up rowing through all of the gears anyway.
Rennlist Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,641
Likes: 147
From: Norcal
I bet that " WOT 1st and 2nd , then quickly into 6th gear " behavior occurred daily with some S2000 drivers at their freeway on - ramp , merging in quietly to heavy traffic at 60 mph like a choir boy !
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 108
Likes: 6
From: SoCal
Exactly! And I have to admit that I was guilty of that too until I started reading about S2000 gearbox teardowns and the reasons behind the failures. The fragile synchros on that car are a blessing and a curse. It's got some of the most precise and satisfying shifts of any manual gearbox I've ever used. On the flip side it can't take very much abuse.