Carrera 4s 2nd gear struggles

[amcamc]

just about to buy my first 911 and have a question?
on my test drive I found 2nd gear a bit hard to select.
the car is a 997 4s with a short shifter, is this a bit of a quirk of the marque or should I be worried.
i have searched but found varied answers, just wondered what the consensus is ??
many thanks in advance

 

[FERNO]

Shouldn’t have any issues getting into 2nd especially if all other gears were smooth, have you tried a car with a pdk box it’s very engaging when in Manuel mode & I have never had any issues.

 

[raykelly]

Hi!
Yes, I have a "notchy" box. Yes reading forums etc... there are many views. Im guessing mine is the syncros. Has it got worse? No, its still the same with 25kmiles later. I bought my car with 36K miles or so. I didn't notice it when I test drove it. I did notice one morning doing the school run. When transmission oil is cold it seems to happen or more prone to happen. However, if you were to floor it, all gears work in harmony. Silky smooth. I love the manual box.

My 2nd and 3rd are like this. More so 2nd. I have found when changing down into these gears I blip the throttle and it helps. That is, I do not get any notchiness. I changed my gearshift to the Short Shift Kit and had it fitted by OPC. I think it actually improved it a little. I would say, that its normally changing down I have found it. But it can happen changing up, especially when cold. Unless you floor it like I said earlier...which you wouldn't want to do when the car is cold anyway.

A few occasions I have experience not being able to get into 1st gear when to take off at lights etc.. I find I have to go to 2nd and then 1st. Again, this to me is not the transmission oil. Am I concerned? No. Im used to it and it doesn't happen anymore because of how I drive it.

I've read threads about new cars having this and others never having this.

I think at some stage I will have the 1st, 2nd and 3rd syncros replaced but for now, the car is perfect.

 

[tscaptain]

With short shift 2nd can be a bit sticky when it's all cold. Should be smooth when everything has warmed up though

 

[Gordon Attar]

Do not buy it unless they replace the synchro it will only get worse its an ongoing issue with 4 wheel drive cars thats got better over the years but still shows up occasionally

 

[amcamc]

Thanks for the reply
I really wanted the manual, however I know the PDK is fantastic - unfortunately my budget only stretches to 997.1 so no access to PDK only tiptronic, which is not a patch !!

Shouldn’t have any issues getting into 2nd especially if all other gears were smooth, have you tried a car with a pdk box it’s very engaging when in Manuel mode & I have never had any issues.

 

[amcamc]

Thanks for the reply Raykelly
I think it did improve as the drive went on, so could well be temperature related/ transmission fluid ?
I have read that when cold the transmission oil can make 2nd a bit of a challenge, but when warm all is well.
Also read that when cold a blip of the throttle helps to locate 2nd.
I will take the car out again just to confirm this is the case.

 

[amcamc]

With short shift 2nd can be a bit sticky when it's all cold. Should be smooth when everything has warmed up though

I think you are right, the rest of the box was smooth as silk.
I will definitely test again to make sure all is well once warmed up.

 

[amcamc]

Do not buy it unless they replace the synchro it will only get worse its an ongoing issue with 4 wheel drive cars thats got better over the years but still shows up occasionally

Thanks for the reply


I will ask about the gear synchro while haggling a price - fingers crossed.

 

[Horsesoldiers]

To add to the above, a sports shift is notchy when cold. Get the oil temp up to normal and it should be fine. If not then maybe another issue....

 

[amcamc]

To add to the above, a sports shift is notchy when cold. Get the oil temp up to normal and it should be fine. If not then maybe another issue....

thanks for the reply
I think this is what was happening, It's the first one I've driven with a sports short shift.
I will take it for a decent run before I part with my money just to make sure all works well when up to temp

 

[jcat]

Had a 2s 997.1 low miles/use for 6.5 years now. Had notchy 2nd since then and only really noticed it 1st Autumn after I bought it. Had it checked out and was told clutch is the fix(OPC, decent guy). He also said he’d got an old boy with 997.1 140k miles on ODO, still original clutch and similar issue. Fine when warmer weather and well used. I’ve done 27k miles since I bought car and no issues.

 

[amcamc]

Had a 2s 997.1 low miles/use for 6.5 years now. Had notchy 2nd since then and only really noticed it 1st Autumn after I bought it. Had it checked out and was told clutch is the fix(OPC, decent guy). He also said he’d got an old boy with 997.1 140k miles on ODO, still original clutch and similar issue. Fine when warmer weather and well used. I’ve done 27k miles since I bought car and no issues.

I’m gonna put it down to quirk as long as it gets easier when warmed up

 

[Gordon Attar]

The car should have had a gear box oil change by now.
Would suggest lower mileage C2S would be better bet.

 

[tscaptain]

I had a Gen 1 C2S from new with short shift and that was notchy from 1st to 2nd when cold. I agree 2wd is a better bet but that depends on personal preference. Anyway, lower mileage than what - I can't see the mileage on the car in question? If it has a full service record and has a smooth change when warmed up it would be fine by me, all other things being equal.

 

[pse_SC]

...have you tried a car with a pdk box it’s very engaging when in Manuel mode...

Que?
Is this the version where the car forces you to drive on the right, Mee-ha Fawlty?

 

[Rodney Naghar]

...have you tried a car with a pdk box it’s very engaging when in Manuel mode...

Que?
Is this the version where the car forces you to drive on the right, Mee-ha Fawlty?

Lol it's a water cooled Porsche joke. The digital screen for the A/C/heater since the 986/996 read 'Manuel' instead of 'Manual' when you put it in manual mode []

 

[Garry Smith]

Had this issue with my 997.1 C2S X51, I thought it was a weak synchro but I was advised it was a dragging clutch (even though it didn't display any other symptoms of dragging) clutch was replaced and it totally cured it.

 

[amcamc]

Many thanks for all the replies.
Just as an update - I went ahead with the purchase after a second test drive.
I am now the proud owner of a 2007 Carrera 4S in Basalt Black with Turbo Alloys.

Gear change is perfect, just takes a bit of getting used to.

Absolutely loving the car !!!

 

[tscaptain]

Excellent, well done. All you need to do now is join the Club![]