joehonee

Sorry for the vague post title but it was the best I could come up with.


This last weekend I took a 700+ mile roundtrip from RI to the Porsche swap meet in Hershey, PA. I purchased my 03 996tt X50 a few months back and am impressed by the vehicle every time I get behind the wheel. This trip was a great way to experience the car under many different lights.


One thing I noted when I was doing some city driving and also in traffic is that it is a little difficult to make a smooth 1st to 2nd gear change. I tried many different approaches (various rates of acceleration) but struggled with it a bit. No matter how I tried the transition I couldn't get away from the following:


1) Depressing the clutch simultaneously while I let up on the gas seemed to lead to the engine with a slight "freewheel" affect.


2) If I tried letting up on the gas prior to depressing the clutch the car would surge a bit causing a clunk. The surge is caused by braking affect the engine has on the drivetrain. I think it is sometimes referred to as compression braking.


Obviously both scenarios made me feel like I was a novice driver despite driving standard sports cars and bikes my whole life. Please let me know if this is a typical characteristic of these cars or if I am simply driving it wrong. Also, I have seen a fair amount of posts regarding engine/transmission mount replacements. Could it be that my mounts are compromised? This would certainly contribute to the deceleration clunk as the power plant rocked.


Thanks


The car has 23K laps on it and I have replaced the clutch assist spring with the lighter McMaster spring to gain more clutch feel.

"02996ttx50

could well be. the trans mount if original could still be shot from age. it's the rubber bits. ( r&r w 997 part ). a new trans mount and swapping for semi solid motor mounts tightened up my car considerably.

when was the last ( if ever ) trans oil flush? 23k miles is nothing, but 14 years is a long time for gear oil to sit.

Kevinmacd

These cars do have a notchy 1-2 shift. Not sure if what you are experiencing is the normal notchiness. Not knowing how the previous drivers drove it, the synchros could have some wear. The 1-2 synchros do seem to wear more than the other gears!

Berra

It's usually notchy but 1-2 shift can be done seamlessly. Following 1), you can do it. This also depends on the revs, higher revs help to make a seamless shift. I always go to 2.5-3k rpm in first before shifting.

wyo

I also find it challenging to make a smooth 1st to 2nd shift
All other gears are very silky
I don't have this issue with my 2000 996 C2

Dock

When disengaging the clutch, "lead" with the clutch pedal, followed by throttle being backed off the appropriate amount. It doesn't take much clutch lead, but it's required.

After the 1-2 shift, make sure you're not attempting to reengage the clutch with low RPM. Throttle blip if the RPM has dropped too much.

Practice, practice, practice.

The stock 996 Turbo has always had a challenging 1-2 shift in terms of nailing the smoothness.

MrFixedIt

If I shift out of 1st at 2,500rpm under light throttle, I would call the shift very smooth. I have had my 996tt for about 2 months so I know how you feel. I like shifting when I am pushing the car, but sometimes in parking lots, I am left questioning my abilities.

Macster

FWIW, my Turbo shifts without much drama cold or hot from 1st to 2nd or any gear to any gear. I have to admit that I generally avoid shifting from 1st to 2nd at RPMs under 2K RPMs. These engines are not stump pullers even though they make great amounts of torque at higher RPMs (after the boost kicks in).

Besides the above possible insight I do not have any additional insight into why this is so other than I have been driving a manual for decades but even when I stop and think about it I'm unable to describe the timing/process. It is pardon the expression automatic and I don't think about it. If I did I probably wouldn't shift as smooth.

By way of comparision my Boxster requires a bit of warm up or the 1st to 2nd shift is a bit difficult. (At 310K+ miles on the transmission it is wonder it shifts at all.) Anyhow, it shifts a bit difficult but not terribly difficult but bad enough I skip 2nd and go from 1st to 3rd a few times until the transmission is ready to shift smooth. This only requires I drive long enough to do this 1st to 3rd thing a couple of times.

Can't help you improve your shifting technique other than to recommend practice and strive to be smooth with the clutch especially when letting the clutch out when starting out or after shifting.

But I have some thing else to recommend you can try.

Do an E-Gas calibration.

From memory: With the ignition off and your foot off the gas pedal during the process turn the key to on. Leave the key on for at least 60 seconds. Turn the key off and leave off for at least 10 seconds. Done.

The next time you start the engine the calibration process will be complete.

Also, with a "new" car (used but new to you) you don't know how it has been driven. A 700 mile drive as highway/freeway speeds should "blow" out the cobwebs if any exist but the engine maybe not and the engine may need help.

You could try a bottle of Techron. I use the bottle that treats 20 gallons of gasoline but after shaking the bottle some dump the entire contents of the bottle into the gas tank then fill up the tank with the proper grade of gasoline.

Drive the car as you normally would drive it. When the fuel tank level gets down you can add a 2nd bottle then fill up the tank again or just fill up the tank. I'd try a 2nd bottle.

The recommendation is after you finish with the Techron to change the oil/filter. The Techron purposely has a vapor and a liquid deposition phase. This can result in the oil getting a bit more contaminated than it would normally and the last thing these engines need is more oil contamination. They get enough as it is.

s65e90

It's a cable actuated transmission. It will always feel a little different and something directly actuated

mark_schnell

Mine has a tough 1-2 shift too. People said "check mounts" and "flush fluid", "maybe an actuator", "slave cylinder", "replace the clutch", rebuild with new synchros", etc. Basically, everything. Some people say theirs are butter smooth. I wonder from this thread if there's a perception difference here.


I'm coming from a BMW M5 six-speed, and a BMW Z3M 5-speed as my most recent rides. The M5 is still my daily driver. It shifts 1-2 "butter smooth." If I drive the 996TT like the sedate gentleman I should be at my age, then the Porsche is fine. But if I floor the accelerator in the 996TT in 1st and go to 6500 RPM before shifting, I have to granny shift to 2nd or risk missing it and grinding the synchros. Not "butter smooth", which is sad, because part of what I was looking for with this car was fast 0-60. Can't do that if you have to let .35 seconds go between 1-2.

Berra

That does however sound like the synchros are worn a bit.

Also, asking on forums is helpful, but...it also reminds me of the times people google about a headache or something and it shows that one has 5 days left to live.

Dock

I think the issue discussed by joehonee relates to smoothly accomplishing the 1-2 shift in terms "feet and hands", not an issue of the mechanical smoothness of the shifter/transmission.

joehonee

Sorry I have been off the grid. The symptom I am concerned with is the deceleration feeling when you shift from 1st to 2nd under LIGHT acceleration during "around town driving". This decel seem to also cause the drivetrain to rock and occurs when you reduce throttle before disengaging the clutch. Most cars I have driven seem to have far less resistance to "coast on" just before and in between gears. This car seems to have a ton of drivetrain breaking when off the gas and even when the clutch is disengaged. I have tried to avoid it by staying on the gas closer to the disengaging of the clutch but that seem to cause a "freewheel" revving effect on the motor.


I do not see the same symptom in between any other gears. Note that I do not think it is transmission issue because there is no resistance in the disengaging of 1st gear or engaging of 2nd gear. I have had another cable shifted car (VW Corrado SLC) so I understand they are not as smooth as mechanical linkages.


It is very likely that I simply need some more seat time. Poor me!

Kevin

As 02996TTX50 (Mark) has mentioned, I would look at your tranny mount.

Then look at the Guibo rubber 4wd front driveshaft coupling>>these are cracking

You also need to examine your CV joints/axles>>>torn/ ripped boots.

Then look at how your tailpipes align with your rear bumper>>worn motor/engine mounts

Dock

Practice is the key. It took me awhile to be able to nail my 1-2 shift every time. It's easy to have a clunk on the 1-2 shift if you don't execute the correct timing actions of both feet. Concerns about not being able to accomplish smooth 1-2 shifts started right after the 996 Turbo was released. I think it may be because of 1st gear's 3.82 ratio, and the assisted clutch.