Will occasional overrevving lead to engine damage

[GOOFY]

Hi

Think I overrevved the engine today - couldn't help it, hood down, sun shining, had to give it a blast ! Don't think I hit the rev limiter, as I did not feel a sudden cut out, all I remember was the sound of the engine becoming turbine smooth and very high pitched with a fall off in acceleration before I snatched second gear.

I very very rarely rev the engine past 4000 rpm (Beetle owning habit!) . In fact I can count on my hand the times I have exceeded 5000 rpm in the last 2 years (5k miles). I commute in London and I have hit the rev limiter once since owning the car ! I have read "Honest John's" column in the Telegraph in which he says "one should "stretch" the engine occasionally - at least once a month to maintain the top end smoothness". Does this apply to Boxsters ? Mine has done only 25k miles and I don't want it becoming lethargic at high revs, nor do I want it to get RMS/ crank bearing damage by hitting the rev limiter to often .[]

Boxster 2.5, True flow, By pass Exhaust.

 

[Glyn]

The rev limiter is there to prevent damage so you will not have done anything, though you would have noticed if you hit the limiter - it is very pronounced, keep enjoying the car

 

[jimso]

ORIGINAL: GOOFY

I very very rarely rev the engine past 4000 rpm (Beetle owning habit!) . In fact I can count on my hand the times I have exceeded 5000 rpm in the last 2 years (5k miles).

I would heartily recommend that you release the shackles so to speak. As Glyn says, the rev limiter is there to prevent damage. Porsches are built to be driven hard. Things are just starting to buzz around 5k. Go on"¦ you know you want to"¦ []

 

[oliver]

You'll only 'over-rev' the engine by missing a gear - ie going from 5th to 2nd instead of 4th on a down change, or from 2nd to 1st instead of 3rd on an up change.

The rev limiter won't save you if you do that.

 

[THX911]

ORIGINAL: GOOFY

Hi

Think I overrevved the engine today - couldn't help it, hood down, sun shining, had to give it a blast ! Don't think I hit the rev limiter, as I did not feel a sudden cut out, all I remember was the sound of the engine becoming turbine smooth and very high pitched with a fall off in acceleration before I snatched second gear.

I very very rarely rev the engine past 4000 rpm (Beetle owning habit!) . In fact I can count on my hand the times I have exceeded 5000 rpm in the last 2 years (5k miles). I commute in London and I have hit the rev limiter once since owning the car ! I have read "Honest John's" column in the Telegraph in which he says "one should "stretch" the engine occasionally - at least once a month to maintain the top end smoothness". Does this apply to Boxsters ? Mine has done only 25k miles and I don't want it becoming lethargic at high revs, nor do I want it to get RMS/ crank bearing damage by hitting the rev limiter to often .[]

Boxster 2.5, True flow, By pass Exhaust.

Everyone has already covered the rev limiter but I will just add: if you are not going past 4000rpm ever or rearly then IMHO you are not using your Porsche fully. The key is to let the car warm up fully and then play with the full range as it is a sports car designed and built by a company whose heritage has been into motorsports...

The thing you should never do is, as mention, hit the rev limiter on a downshift i.e. 5th to 2nd, etc; this would also get logged on the onboard computer and will be read out at service or most likely after it has been tow-ed to the garage. You don't have extended warranty but anyone with extended warranty or even manufacturer warranty can have the warranty voided if the engine is damaged on an extreme downshift which hits the rev limiter.

Whoever has informed you that RMS is/maybe caused by overexerting the engine or hitting the rev limiter is also talking out of where the sun don't shine... don't know about the crank bearing damage but do you seriously think a sports car manufacturer would have engines being damaged if you make use of the full rev range?

I think every Porsche should have a sticker on the steering wheel saying:

"Once the car is fully warmed up, drive it like you stole it but keep to the speed limit on any given road." []

 

[gdavison]

ORIGINAL: THX911
I think every Porsche should have a sticker on the steering wheel saying:
"Once the car is fully warmed up, drive it like you stole it but keep to the speed limit on any given road." []

Yeahhh !! Once Engine, Tyres, Brakes are "warmed up" and if your "ready" yourself .. go for it, Boxsters love a little wellie []

 

[Alex Postan]

ORIGINAL: GOOFY
I have read "Honest John's" column in the Telegraph in which he says "one should "stretch" the engine occasionally - at least once a month to maintain the top end smoothness".

Is it just me or is Honest John a complete numpty? How on earth do high revs stretch an engine? And if they do, In which direction? Lengthways or sideways? I have obtained top end smoothness, also known as my personal rain sensor: I am bald and the top end is delightfully smooth.[]

 

[SNDa]

ORIGINAL: Alex Postan

ORIGINAL: GOOFY
I have read "Honest John's" column in the Telegraph in which he says "one should "stretch" the engine occasionally - at least once a month to maintain the top end smoothness".

Is it just me or is Honest John a complete numpty? How on earth do high revs stretch an engine? And if they do, In which direction? Lengthways or sideways? I have obtained top end smoothness, also known as my personal rain sensor: I am bald and the top end is delightfully smooth.[]

don't forget to add it provides improved aerodynamics when the roof's down []

 

[Tool Pants]

This is a local 1997 Boxster. The owner was into autocross. He sold the car a year ago, just after I took the picture. I also know the new owner.

Original engine and it runs fine.

 

[Brian Halling]

Fascinating - but what does it mean?

 

[Rodney Naghar]

Is that the number of spark ignitions whilst under Rev 1 (Red range) / Rev 2 (eg 5th to 2nd) and the time spent in those rev ranges?

 

[Mark_Bennett]

ORIGINAL: Rodney Naghar

Is that the number of spark ignitions whilst under Rev 1 (Red range) / Rev 2 (eg 5th to 2nd) and the time spent in those rev ranges?

Number of spark ignitions and the last occurence of each. Total running time of engine is also shown.

 

[Rodney Naghar]

Lol there was me thinking he spent 1944 of the 1954.2 hours of the engines life over-revving it!
He must try harder![]

 

[channella]

To offer another perspective, our diesel volvo regularly sees the otherside of 4000rpm (mind you it then runs out around 5000 rpm) - actually sounds quite good and goes very well too.

 

[Tool Pants]

Here is an interesting one. I took this picture a few years ago of a 1998. Range 1 is a minus 1. I have seen other cars with a negative number.

 

[JCB..]

ORIGINAL: Alex Postan

Is it just me or is Honest John a complete numpty? How on earth do high revs stretch an engine? And if they do, In which direction? Lengthways or sideways? I have obtained top end smoothness, also known as my personal rain sensor: I am bald and the top end is delightfully smooth.[]

No it isn't you Alex, the man, or at least the contents of his column, are often full of drivel.

IMHO

 

[gdavison]

ORIGINAL: JCB..

ORIGINAL: Alex Postan

Is it just me or is Honest John a complete numpty? How on earth do high revs stretch an engine? And if they do, In which direction? Lengthways or sideways? I have obtained top end smoothness, also known as my personal rain sensor: I am bald and the top end is delightfully smooth.[]

No it isn't you Alex, the man, or at least the contents of his column, are often full of drivel.

IMHO

Seconded or is that now thirdered !

 

[Rodney Naghar]

Here is an interesting one. I took this picture a few years ago of a 1998. Range 1 is a minus 1. I have seen other cars with a negative number.

Misfire due to cracked coil pack?

 

[Mark_Bennett]

After a couple of years of ownership, mine said 65,536 of one, and zero of the other (the downshift one). This with only a few hundred hours of running. The last would have been 2 min before droppiing the car off at the OPC for the service.
The Porsche Centre were quite concerned at my driving, and would not accept that I had knowingly hit the rev limiter just a handful of times. As I knew I had not hit the limiter (nor anywhere near it!) on the drive to the OPC I knew it was wrong. "No" said the OPC... "That's impossible"...
I think I then worked it out I would have hit the limiter once every 30 seconds or something, and they still insisted it was right...[&:]

I posted this on the old Boxster Register Yahoo gGoup (now sadly gone) and someone said that was the same number as the number of rows in an Excel spreadsheet - it is 2 to the power of 8 and to get this on the display is obviously an error code (probably the highest number it can display too).

Just remembered after seeing the above []

 

[Rodney Naghar]

Do these readings trigger when you go into the 'red' or when actually bouncing off the limiter? In all the readings I've seen, they seem very high if it's the latter.