Help - questions about a new 997 Turbo

[Turbo_Tania]

Hello

Me again. I am hoping some more experienced Porsche owners here can assist with my queries.

I've only had my car a few weeks and I'm the first to admit I have zero technical knowledge about cars (although I'm very willing to learn). So apologies if my questions seem silly.

Firstly, last night I jumped into the car and the following error message came up on the dash:
'Wheel Change? Input new TPC settings!'
It kept beeping at me with this message but the thing is, I haven't actually changed my wheel(s).
Does anyone know why this would come up?

Also I flicked through the settings to where it puts those numbers about the tires.
I'm not sure what they mean, in that they don't look like PSI or KPA.
But I did observe that they have changed since I purchased the car as I'm sure the front and rear were more similar
The reading was as follows:
2.8 2.3
2.4 2.8

Can someone please explain what this means and how I go about correcting them?
And what pressure I should put in my front/rear tires for non track day driving around?

I then checked my oil and it looks like it needs a top up.
What oil do you recommend I use?

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[hdoherty]

looking at your pressures on your thread would indicate that the pressure on your front left is 2.8bar, front right is 2.3 bar, rear left is 2.4 bar and rear right is is 2.8 bar. from my experience front tyres should be 2.3 bar and rears should be 2.8 bar. you need to adjust the pressures to suit.
before you add oil make sure you have checked the oil level when the car is hot and on and flat surface electronically. If it is down one segment it usually takes 1/2 to 1 ltr, again check your manual. As regards the oil type it is usually mobil 1, 0-40.

 

[Turbo_Tania]

Many thanks for the advice and quick reply - I really appreciate it.

My oil was down quite low (I think down 2 segments) but I'll check it again tonight ensuring I'm on flat ground first.

Where does one purchase oil from? Do service stations sell it?

 

[garyw]

From cold I'd suggest the tyre pressures should be 2.1 on the front and 2.4 on the rear..
When in use/warmed up they then should read 2.3 on the front and 2.7 on the rears.

Halfords nealry always has the Mobil 1 oil in stock.

garyw

 

[Turbo_Tania]

Hi Gary

Thanks for the info. I'll google my nearest Halfords and grab some oil.

Thanks also for suggesting I check the tire pressure when they are cold. I know that makes perfect sense, but sometimes unless someone specifically points these things out to me I would never think of it.

 

[Andy LT]

Hi Tania, yes the recommended (manual p.238) tyre pressures (partially loaded) are 2.3 bar (33 psi) front and 2.7 bar (39 psi) rear. If you drive with the tyre pressure display 'active' you'll see the pressure rise as the tyres heat up (iaw Charles' law!). (For info, for every 10 degrees C temperature change, there's an approx 0.1 bar (1.5 psi) rise/fall).

The tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) works by battery powered sensors in each wheel (mounted around the valves) transmitting their pressures to the TPMS receivers. If you change a wheel the TPMS will recognise the change (this is known as system learning), but will take time to do this (the car must see movement). I've heard that the TPMS can 'lose' reception from the sensors (due to interference) and will sometimes go through the system learning to reacquire the tyre pressure.

There's also the TPC mode where you can set summer or winter tyres by pushing the operating lever forwards against 'TPC' (just like initiating the oil level measurement against 'OIL'), so perhaps the TPMS somehow got into this mode?

(manual p.104)

Bottom line, if all the tyre pressures show up OK in the display then you're good to go (just get them to the right pressures!). If a sensor goes down (a receiver loses the tyre pressure transmission info) then the 'system learning' will try to reacquire it as the car is driven. Just check the pressures manually to ensure that everything is OK before going far.

Then let us know how you get on and we'll be back with more suggestions..........

Re oil yes Mobil 1 0-40W is recommended. Be very careful when doing the check- ensure you are really level- just a slight incline/decline can make quite a big change in the reading. One 'missing' segment on the display equals approx 500ml, but I only put about 250ml in at a time and then check again- do not overfill!

You'll find Mobil 1 0-40W at Halfords (this is 20% off at the moment for 5 Litres, so it's well worth buying this quantity, as the 1 Litre bottles work out as being over twice as much per Litre).

(Which is why oil changes at OPC can be very expensive, as they often charge per Litre!)

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_241643_langId_-1_categoryId_165581

Hope this helps,

Andy L-T

PS there should be a good lot of Turbo owners at Silverstone on 23 May to chat 'ownership' tips to...........

 

[Turbo_Tania]

Hi Andy,

Thank you so much for the information.

I think something is wrong with my car because I checked it again today it was still giving the message.
Also, when I went to the option of showing the readings, the left hand side of the car would not register at all.
I think the front right was 2.3 and the back right 2.8.

I took it for a little drive an an additional ! symbol came up on the central dial. I'm not sure what that is referring to?

Then when I came back from driving around the corner, it gave unusual readings like -0.1
Perhaps I went into the wrong section? I don't know. But I'm a little concerned as I've only just bought the car.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated

 

[944s2]

Go high tech[]

Check tyres with a good pressure gauge and see what they actually are

 

[clarkes]

ORIGINAL: 944s2

Go high tech[]

Check tyres with a good pressure gauge and see what they actually are

and then get the car to an OPC quickly!

 

[Turbo_Tania]

ORIGINAL: 944s2

Go high tech[]

Check tyres with a good pressure gauge and see what they actually are

lol yes I will endeavour to do this tomorrow!

 

[Turbo_Tania]

ORIGINAL: clarkes

ORIGINAL: 944s2

Go high tech[]

Check tyres with a good pressure gauge and see what they actually are

and then get the car to an OPC quickly!

This is a worrying comment. I'm going to contact the trader I purchased it from tomorrow.....I do hope nothing is wrong with it

 

[Turbo_Tania]

Oh another random comment - I used to drive a 996 Turbo and it had the rear sensor which I've become very accustomed to.

My new car however doesn't come with it which is most frustrating. The first time I reversed it I nearly crashed into a wall as I was rather gung-ho expecting it to start beeping for me before I suddenly realised how close I was. I jumped out the car to find I'd stopped about 10mm away.....

I really miss this feature and find it strange that this would be an extra (didn't realise my car doesn't have it till after I purchased it)

Or is it the case that this is not an optional extra and mine just isn't working?!

 

[garyw]

Rear sensors were an option on the 997, you should be able to see the sensors on the rear bumper, the same sort as the 996 had.
Easiest way I can think of to see if you have them..

garyw

 

[Turbo_Tania]

ORIGINAL: garyw

Rear sensors were an option on the 997, you should be able to see the sensors on the rear bumper, the same sort as the 996 had.
Easiest way I can think of to see if you have them..

garyw

Ok cool. Many thanks for the information, Gary

 

[Peely]

Tania, I had the same ! on the dash recently after an alloy was removed and deflated and then put back on and re-inflated.

The only problem was that it hadn't been re-inflated to the correct pressure.

Before any OPC visit I would check all the tyres with a reliable pressure gauge, because with the sounds of it at least one of them is under-inflated, hence why you are seeing ! on the dash.

Oh and you will need to drive the car for a few miles to get a reliable reading.

 

[Turbo_Tania]

ORIGINAL: Peely

Tania, I had the same ! on the dash recently after an alloy was removed and deflated and then put back on and re-inflated.

The only problem was that it hadn't been re-inflated to the correct pressure.

Before any OPC visit I would check all the tyres with a reliable pressure gauge, because with the sounds of it at least one of them is under-inflated, hence why you are seeing ! on the dash.

Oh and you will need to drive the car for a few miles to get a reliable reading.

Thanks for the comments! I'm definitely going to go for a drive tonight to a servo to pump the tires up and see what the readings are.

Hopefully that solves all the error messages

 

[Andy LT]

Hi Tania, the first thing to do is to check the pressures manually with a pressure gauge as already suggested. From the -0.1 reading you got it sounds as though the TPMS is in one of the 'info tyres' modes, where it's monitoring tyre pressure against an input having been made of either 'summer' or 'winter' tyres and a 'partial' or 'full' loads selection (as described in the manual p.104-108). (You can only get into the TPC mode when the car is stationary, the same as for entering the 'OIL' check).

The ! tyre pressure warning warns about loss in pressure in 2 stages, depending on the amount of pressure loss (shows 'add air' for 3- 6psi pressure loss), then will warn about a flat tyre above 6psi pressure loss).

Having checked pressures manually using a gauge drive the car with the basic tyre pressure function showing in the computer display (this should be 2.3 bar front, 2.7 bar rear, partial load). It can take up to one minute to show all the readings, with -.- showing in place of the pressures until then. Full 'system learning' could conceivably take place if one of the pressure transmitters was playing up temporarily. It could be a TPMS battery around the valve playing up, but these should last 7-10 years and as you have 'lost' the display from both the left side tyres I wouldn't suspect that for now.

If you've checked the pressures manually and know they're OK then the car can be safely driven. If the TPMS doesn't show the pressures on all 4 wheels after a good amount of time has elapsed (2-3 mins) then I'd be asking questions at an OPC etc........

Hope this helps, - as ever, let us know how you get on.

Andy L-T

 

[blaine54]

Tania,

No need to panic. Just go to the petrol station and inflate the tyres to the recomended pressure either in the manual or on the drivers door jam (black sticker, which you can see after opening the drivers door). If you flick through the modes on the computer you'll be able to select reset on the tyre sensors. Then go for a bit of drive and the system as mentioned previously will go through it's 'learning' process. No need to go to a dealership, the warning light will come on if there is a discrepncy of something like .4 of a bar between comparable tyres. Until it resets you'll get a yellow flat tyre looking symbol, a red exclamation mark & the -0.whatever on the tyre display. It just sounds like the dealer put some funky pressures in to start with, but nothing 5 minutes at a petrol station won't sort out. Also on the oil, you may find for the first few thousand miles it drinks the stuff like it's going out of fashion. Again don't worry, as the engine beds in the consumption becomes a lot less. My first 997 used about a litre and a half in the 1st 5000 miles & then settled down to the odd top up now & again. Mobile 1 is the recommended, you'll even find a sticker reminding you when you lift the engine lid.

 

[Turbo_Tania]

ORIGINAL: Andy LT

Hi Tania, the first thing to do is to check the pressures manually with a pressure gauge as already suggested. From the -0.1 reading you got it sounds as though the TPMS is in one of the 'info tyres' modes, where it's monitoring tyre pressure against an input having been made of either 'summer' or 'winter' tyres and a 'partial' or 'full' loads selection (as described in the manual p.104-108). (You can only get into the TPC mode when the car is stationary, the same as for entering the 'OIL' check).

The ! tyre pressure warning warns about loss in pressure in 2 stages, depending on the amount of pressure loss (shows 'add air' for 3- 6psi pressure loss), then will warn about a flat tyre above 6psi pressure loss).

Having checked pressures manually using a gauge drive the car with the basic tyre pressure function showing in the computer display (this should be 2.3 bar front, 2.7 bar rear, partial load). It can take up to one minute to show all the readings, with -.- showing in place of the pressures until then. Full 'system learning' could conceivably take place if one of the pressure transmitters was playing up temporarily. It could be a TPMS battery around the valve playing up, but these should last 7-10 years and as you have 'lost' the display from both the left side tyres I wouldn't suspect that for now.

If you've checked the pressures manually and know they're OK then the car can be safely driven. If the TPMS doesn't show the pressures on all 4 wheels after a good amount of time has elapsed (2-3 mins) then I'd be asking questions at an OPC etc........

Hope this helps, - as ever, let us know how you get on.

Andy L-T

Hey Andy

Thanks again for the detailed reply

Everyone's advice and patience has been extremely useful and I can't thank you enough.

My evening will consist of two things - checking the pressure readings manually and RTFM