Regardless of how you get them or who gets them for you, John, it would be good to see what code(s) are present...

 

HURDI ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Duh

 

No I do not. lol

 

yeh so am I lol.

 

Things not going as quickly as hoped. However I'm fairly certain it is an electrical issue. First the warranty doesn't cover the TCU since it is outside the trans, not part of inside the case. While a pain in the butt, I'm more concerned that the problems hasn't been solved yet. I was told it was the TCU and on Friday I was called to say "the is ready to go." Below is the top page of the six pages I am giving to the service guy at 9 am tomorrow morning. I will not be going back to them after this and will interview another shop that has very good references. However I do want this shop to make one more run at getting it right.

NOTES ON JOHN IRELAND’S 2000 911 CAB WITH TIPTRONIC

1. WHEN I PICKED UP THE CAR ON FRIDAY AND STARTED TO DRIVE HOME THERE WAS NO TIPTRONIC MODE, EITHER IN DRIVE OR IN MANUAL POSITION. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK AND THE CODES WERE CLEARED AND WHEN I STARTED TO DRIVE HOME AGAIN, I WAS ABLE TO DOWN SHIFT FROM THIRD TO SECOND JUST ONCE AND THEN I AGAIN LOST ALL MANUAL CONTROL. IN BOTH CASES I DID NOT GET THE TIPTRONIC FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS.

2. ON SATURDAY MORNING I WENT TO DRIVE THE CAR AND BARELY GOT OUT OF THE GARAGE WHEN THE FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS IMMEDIATELY CAME ON. I DROVE THE CAR TO STA AND LEFT IT THERE SATURDAY MORNING.

THE FOLLOWING IS TO DISCUSS THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ZF AND DAIMLER CHRYSLER TIPTRONIC TRANSMISSIONS AND TO CONFIRM THAT MINE IS NOT THE ZF, BUT RATHER THE DAIMLER CHRYSLER VERSION.

3. OVER THE WEEKEND I READ ALL MY 996 BOOKS TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND WHAT MIGHT BE THE PROBLEM. I CAN ONLY WONDER IF WHEN THE TCU WAS REPLACED, IT WAS REPLACED WITH THE MODEL FROM THE EARLY ZF TIPTRONICS. THOSE TRANSMISSIONS COULD NOT BE USED MECHANICALLY UNLESS THE SHIFTER WAS MOVED INTO THE MANUAL MODE.

4. I AM CERTAIN THAT MY MODEL HAS THE DIAMLER CHRYSLER TRANSMISSION INTRODUCED IN 2000 BECAUSE IT HAS THE ADDED FEATURE OF BEING ABLE TO GO INTO MANUAL MODE INSTANTLY BY SIMPLY UP OR DOWN SHIFTTING WITH THE TOGGLE BUTTONS ON THE STEERING WHEEL. AFTER SEVERAL SECONDS IT RETURNS TO THE AUTOMATIC DRIVE MODE. WHEN SHIFTED INTO MANUAL IT BECOMES FULLY MANUAL.

5. 1) THE FIRST PAGE DESCRIBES MY TRANSMISSION FUNCTIONS.
2) THE SECOND PAGE DESCRIBES HOW...“TO ACCESS ALL LOGGED FAILURES THE PORSCHE TEST ADAPTER 9616 MUST BE USED TO CONNECT THE PST2 TESTER DIRECTLY TO THE TIPTRONIC S CONTROL UNIT ELECTRICAL HARNESS.”
3) THE THIRD PAGE ARE JUST VARIOUS CODES THAT I THOUGHT RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION’S BEHAVIOR.
4) THE FOURTH PAGE HAS MORE INFO ON FAULT FINDING INCLUDING HOW IT CAN TAKE UP TO TWO HOURS TO ACCESS THE DAIMLER TCU BECAUSE ITS LOCATION IS NOT THE SAME AS THE ZF TCU.
5) THE FIFTH PAGE IS JUST A DIALGRAM SHOWING ZF COMPONENT LOCATIONS FOR COMPARISON WITH THE DAIMLER CHRYSLER UNITS.

HERE IS HOPPING ALL THIS CAN GET FIXED TODAY.

While the warranty coverage was still to be determined, I found that the price of ordering a new TCU from Porsche was just under $2500 plus another $250 for delivery in one week...otherwise it was two weeks. When the warranty washed out, I suggested we go look at LA Dismantlers and get a used one.

Now the wrench who is doing the work has many many years working on many many variations of the 911. I partially think that because the shop has the primary job of getting cars they sell ready for delivery to buyers, that they put my car to the side and did not give focused attention to it. Monday will tell me more and decide my next move. In the meantime on Tuesday I'm driving a 2004 Targa. I want to see if it rattles as much as the 2008 that I drove.

More to follow.

 

I really don't understand your diagnostic efforts here

Any shop you go to - ask them if they have a pts-2 or a durametric
Both will give a full readout of error codes with the specific transmission module as well as reset any adaptation issues

And you have the ZF transmission - your dme wouldn't even work with the later Mercedes transmission

 

So then the ZF does have the same feature as the Daimler Chrysler and can go into manual just by using the toggle switch. I don't find that in the literature I made my conclusions from.

My diagnostic efforts are just that...and information gathering and trying to confirm the evolution of the early 3.4 996. The shop I went to has a large lap top size diagnostic code reader. I am just skeptical of diagnostic systems that rely so completely on plugging in a computer. I prefer the mechanical age. I probably should go back to the Model T.

Thanks for the reply.

 

JI, you have a ZF transmission- not Mercedes one. If shop is telling you otherwise, change the shop. I know you have 996 books, pull out your 996 The Essential Companion and read the part about transmissions. Here is the PDF version.

https://books.google.com/books?id=Ra...ission&f=false

 

Don't you just love these types of warranties where they pick and choose what they're willing to cover or attempt to wiggle out of paying because of some silly technicality? But yet, when they're attempting to sell you the warranty, they act like it's a MUST HAVE and if you reject it, you could be stranded on the side of the road and risk being molested by Harambe.

Or, they claim their coverage is "bumper to bumper"... my translation - they cover the bumpers but nothing in between! Anyway, John, keep us updated, I hope you have a better "tranny" story than the KK (north carolina one) story a few month back. That was a train wreck from the beginning. Kalash came to the rescue on that one.

 

You shouldn't be giving any advice to a professional mechanic. It's an insult to them and they will take it as such. Take the car from the current shop to one that knows what they are doing. Don't try to argue using the "research" you dug up on the internet.
That warranty you got it probably not with the paper it's was written on. The TC is outside of the transmission case so it's not covered???? What a load of crap is that? This alone tell me that the warranty you've got is $hit.

Get the car out of there!

 

The shop should at least tell you what codes they have read from your car. Then you can go online and do your own due diligence if you want, before replacing a $2,500 part.

 

To each his own. I realize that this is likely exaggeration, but having owned sports cars on either side of the 1996 OBD-II cusp, I'll gladly take the OBD-equipped car over a similarly complex car with no diagnostic functionality. After helping my nephew wrench on his '76 Camaro a while back, I found myself wishing it had OBD-II (and maybe fuel injection).

Hopefully the new week will bring news of a breakthrough...

 

The car is at the new shop...they don't sell cars they just work on them and also build and race Porsches. I'll report back when I have something specific to say that adds to tiptronic information.
But even in limp mode it was so nice to be back in the Porsche...I really like this car...it deserves to be fixed and kept on the road just for the pleasure it gives me. Thinking that AutoX is where I should take it. Not expecting to win anything, just enjoying the car in its stock form. In the meantime my wife has found that she really likes the GTI...and it is a great car for taking more than two people to dinner. Thanks to all here for your advice and information.

 

Mercury is in retrograde... just sayin'...

 

AutoXs are for slow cars.