Lblackman

Folks ... I am baffled and concerned here.

This morning I was messing with my car - pulled open the front plastic panels in the trunk to look for the place to install my Dension BTA.

I couldn't see well, so I pulled the car part way out of my garage to get some better light. I never did figure out how to install the Dension piece (my fault, not the part) so I put the plastic stuff back in place. When I went to start the car, it started fine. Put it in gear and the car moved a bit forward then stopped, like it had hit a wheel block. I did not drop the clutch or let it burn. I tried several times to move the car forward or back, but always with the same result.

I could roll the car, so transmission was fine.

I ended up calling Porsche Roadside Service. Driver got here quickly, and he tried to help me get it moving. His conclusion was that there was something wrong with the brakes. No sign of a clutch problem/

So ... I get the call from the dealer - they think the clutch is shot!!! I cannot believe that ... car has 8800 miles on it, most of that highway driving. It has 6 or 7 track days. I don't abuse it. I drove my 01 Boxster S for 80,000 miles and it had the original clutch when I sold it.

Can ANYONE help me out here -- any ideas at all as to why the car wouldn't move? ( I disconnected the battery to try to re-set the brain, but to no avail. It was showing PSM failure on the dashboard when they loaded it on the flatbed.)

Thanks

Lorne

Coochas

The PSM failure message makes me wonder if in fact this is a brake problem in that PSM does apply the brakes as part of its normal stability management. Maybe if the PSM has failed, the brakes are being forced on in error.
I would think this would be easy to see.

Is the dealer telling you this is warranty work or otherwise?

Lblackman

Dealer update ... they have pulled the clutch and report that the eight connecting bolts in the mechanism have been sheared off, indicating that the clutch has been abused in some fashion. Clutch needs to be replaced, as well as a connecting fork (?) that is showing signs of excessive heat. The only way they can imagine that having happened is the clutch being dropped in a jack rabbit start from a dead stop. I have never done that with the car.

If this is the situation, I expect when they put the new clutch in and test drive the car, it will replicate the original problem - I.e. the car won't move. And they will have to go to work on the original source of the problem.

Two possibilities, from my point of view. The inability of the car to move this morning, due to some other failure, and my trying to get it to move, destroyed the clutch. In that case, the clutch is a symptom of the other problem, and I will argue vociferously that the clutch is a consequence of the first failure, and as such should be warranty work.

Second option -- someone else has really abused the car. We were on the road for the last two weeks, with someone staying in the house. I cannot imagine that he took the car out, but .... ???

More to come.

L

Stephenkng

Did the person had access to your car???????

marky522

PSM warning light came on because you disconnected the battery. I havent seen or heard of this problem, the only way this could have happend the way your suggesting would be the transmission locked up, and you NAILED it, but it still would have bogged the engine severly so i doubt this is the case. Honestly going by what you said the best senario is your car was driven HARD while you were gone, I cant imagine what someone would have to do to shear the clutch bolts.

Mark

Lblackman

Yes ... it was in the garage, locked, but keys were left. No way to know if it was driven unless the dealer can read any over revs during the time away. I would like to think that the guy staying here wouldn't do this, but I am concerned!

Lorne

Lblackman

Transmission lock-up feels like what was going on, though I have no idea why that would have happened. It ran fine last night when we first got home and I went out to get some food. When the car wouldn't move, I made several attempts to move it, but never rev'd the engine hard, and backed off as soon as it was clear that there was resistance.

L

sharmat

Did you note the milage on the car before you left?

Lblackman

nope ... wish I had.

Reality is, if this guy is the source of the problem, he has no money and couldn't pay for the repairs anyway.

Nicolaasdb

or maybe you are a very bad shifter?! If you don't know what you are doing when shifting and maybe not pushing the clutch all the way down??

I grew up with stick shift, but since living in the states for 10 years and driving automatic...when going back to holland I make huge shift mistakes, just because I am used to automatic transmission.

997, esq

Doubt this is the case, given the longevity of his Boxster clutch. Plus, 8K miles would require some HUGE frigging mistakes!

I am personally getting images of the OP's house-sitter taking a joyride (like the valets in the Ferrari in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, for those of you who like 80s movies). That would seem to be the most likely explaination.

Lblackman

Hmmn. Hadn't considered the possibility that I suddenly lost all of my gear shifting skills. 56 years old, have only ever owned one automatic transmission. About 70 days on the race track with manual transmission Porsches. Have never had to put a new clutch in a car.

But I guess anything is possible.

abe

abe

Likemystoppie?

Why SHOULD Porsche p/u the warranty work if it was clearly abuse? Sounds like a bad situation no matter what. .....


Boy it sure would suck if that guy was the culprit........

Lblackman

Frankly, my only hope that Porsche will pick up the warranty is if,when they put the car back together, they find something else that was the underlying cause. i.e. whatever it was that prevented the car from moving. But mostly I am trying to accept the probability that I am f***ed.

The thing that is most pervasive is worrying what that underlying cause is -- is this a fragile car that I cannot have confidence in to drive the way I intended? I bought the car because I wanted something that would give me more "go" on the track, and expected that it would be as bullet-proof as my Boxster was.

L