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As promised in the thread by the previous owner mile2424 here's one to document my troubleshooting and hopefully repair of the gearbox in my newly acquired 2011 Spyder..
After traveling coast to coast over the holidays the car arrived in NC the other day.
So far I've only driven it up and down the driveway but as mile2424 stated in the other thread there is currently no alert posted. I did hear some mechanical noise at times when selecting between D/N/R. This appears consistent with what would occur during a "stage 1" overtemp.
Hooking up the Durametric did reveal one PDK related code:
PDK Gear Selector - PDK GS
1802: Shift/keylock solenoid position implausible
Cleared it and it did not immediately return. Not convinced this is related to the overheating issue the previous owner experienced. Could be an artifact of the car sitting, being towed and perhaps low/disconnected battery. If it returns I'll of course have to give it some attention but for now I'll focus on the overtemp issue. First step will be to try to decide whether it's an actual overtemp or erroneous sensor data. The temp sensor TSB was complied with just a few thousand miles prior to this failure. For now my thinking is to do the following:
- Check sensor supply +5 and ground inputs at the gearbox clutch side connector
- Check sensor resistance at room temperature and compare to chart
- Check sensor resistance behavior during warm up while on the lift
- Drive it and see what symptoms re-occur. I'd like to log sensor resistance data while doing this. Considering using a logging multimeter or using a PIWIS to display and log temperature.
Hoping this will give me a good idea of whether the sensor behavior is normal or not. More to follow but progress will likely be sporadic as I have a couple of other projects that will have to take priority.
Took the first small steps in the troubleshooting process this evening.
- Check sensor supply +5 and ground inputs at the gearbox clutch side connector
Disconnected the cable at the transmission and measured a solid 5V sensor supply voltage on the connector (pins 13 and 14)
- Check sensor resistance at room temperature and compare to chart
Since it's really hard to access the connector on the transmission with it still on the car I instead accessed the connector at the controller end. Measured a steady 0.9 kOhm (pins 3 and 13) which translates to 10 deg C (pretty close to the temperature in my garage at the time).
I also, took a quick look at the cooling valve on top of the transmission. Nothing obvious wrong but will have to take a closer look later if the following steps indicate an actual overtemp condition.
Next planned steps:
- Check sensor resistance behavior during warm up while on the lift - Drive it and see what symptoms re-occur. I'd like to log sensor resistance data while doing this. Considering using a logging multimeter or using a PIWIS to display and log temperature.
Considering the level of contamination around all of the electrical connections, I wonder if simply separating, cleaning and resetting all connections/codes might clear the problem.
At work with potentially dirty electrical connections it's our first stop "separated and cleaned cannon plugs, ops checks good"
Sometimes a momentary interruption or short of a line/connection can log a code elsewhere that doesn't actually represent a failure of that specific line/system.
Considering the level of contamination around all of the electrical connections, I wonder if simply separating, cleaning and resetting all connections/codes might clear the problem.
At work with potentially dirty electrical connections it's our first stop "separated and cleaned cannon plugs, ops checks good"
Sometimes a momentary interruption or short of a line/connection can log a code elsewhere that doesn't actually represent a failure of that specific line/system.
That's a good point, seeing a lot of issues with connectors and harnesses at work too. While the pins looked clean and non pushed back it sure wouldn't hurt to hit them with a bit of cleaner and disconnect and reconnect it a couple of times. Planning to monitor the sensor resistance when wiggling wires too.
Considering the level of contamination around all of the electrical connections, I wonder if simply separating, cleaning and resetting all connections/codes might clear the problem.
At work with potentially dirty electrical connections it's our first stop "separated and cleaned cannon plugs, ops checks good"
Sometimes a momentary interruption or short of a line/connection can log a code elsewhere that doesn't actually represent a failure of that specific line/system.
Cleaned the connector and the area around it carefully. Used electronics cleaner on the pins and seated and unseated the connector a couple of times.
Is there an. Overboot missing from that sensor or are the wires sealed into the plug, looks unusually open ???
I don't think there's anything missing. The wires go through a rubber piece inside the connector that should seal it from dirt. I can compare the next time I have the Cayman up on the lift.
Took if for a short drive around the neighborhood today (enough to get it properly warmed up). Ran great, perhaps a little rough down-shifts initially but smoothed out later during the drive. Not worse than I've felt with the Cayman before though.
Next step will be to do a few drives with a PIWIS hooked up to look at the behavior of the temperature sensor.
Do you mean to say that “failure” was only a dud cannon plug? I’m going to have to read the original story. Wow.
That would be great but I think it's way too early to say that it's fixed. At this time I fully expect the issue to show up again.
Next step is to put some miles on it while monitoring the temperature using a PIWIS. If during that I don't see it misbehave I may start believing the connector clean-up did it.
That would be great but I think it's way too early to say that it's fixed. At this time I fully expect the issue to show up again.
Next step is to put some miles on it while monitoring the temperature using a PIWIS. If during that I don't see it misbehave I may start believing the connector clean-up did it.
Wow, that would be a major score if true!
Shame on the Porsche dealer for not taking the extra 2 minutes needed to clean the contacts the last time they did work on the transmission. Makes me even less likely to bring my car to a dealer anymore when they don’t even bother to do some minor WYAT maintenance cleaning.
01-07-2020, 08:40 PM
987 Spyder PDK troubleshooting (and repair?)
