Newbie- started in 3rd gear 😱

Day 3 of my 2002 996.2 and I�m at a stoplight thinking I�m in 1st ready to go, and I�m actually in Reverse. I panic and over-compensate and now I�m letting the clutch out and I�m in 3rd and lug forward with a fair amount of smoke out the back. Car seems to be fine, it�s got 60K miles regularly serviced. But there is a smell. Did I do damage? Will the smell go away? I�m I going to get my first big repair bill?

I porsche is no different then any other car. U smoked the clutch. Might be fine, might not....time will tell. If the clutch was in decent shape i doubt u will have a problem.

Don�t panic next time. If the driver behind you starts honking, then let them act out while you shift it to the proper gear. I�ve been honked at plenty of times for stalling my car. They get over it quite soon.

Quotes source post: 19862345

Will it stink like this for awhile?

Quotes source post: 19862514

Can for a few trips in the car. Burnt clutch stinks. It just needs to air itself out.

Yeah, I taught my son and daughter how to drive a stick in my 996 about 10 years ago. The smell goes away. Regardless of miles, the best advice I can give you is get your ducks lined up on what service and parts have been refreshed over the years and when, so you can get a checklist together and gameplan for what you will need to do going forward. Remember, these cars are 20+ years old. Clutch, flywheel, IMSB, RMS, AOS, Water pump, etc will all need to be refreshed depending on age and wear and can be done pretty easily at once with a good indy. I also have a 996.2. Awesome car. I bought it in 2002. Never plan on getting rid of it.

Quotes source post: 19862283

If the clutch is original, you will want to replace it. You can get an experienced 996 owner to see how the clutch action is and it will help with any decision. But the silver lining if replacing the clutch is that the transmission has to come out and that allows you to change the IMS bearing at the same time. I think that is what most of us did: at time to replace the clutch, replace the IMS bearing. Your experience of accidently having in reverse happened to me in the first months of my ownership. It will go away., Some things you can do that cost little or nothing. 1) get a flashlight and look into the radiators. Vacuum out the debris, 2) Check the coolant level and top it off. Look at the last number on the radiator cap and if it doesn't end in 04, replace it before it leaks.

Quotes source post: 19863053

Will do- thanks for the advice. I asked Porsche to get a release of the service records from the previous owner- hopefully that happens. And I�ve already lined up an Indy service center. I was surprised at how expensive just an oil change is!

I agree with De Jeeper. No need to freak out over this. The clutch is likely fine. Drive the car as if nothing happened. If the clutch shows signs of a problem then replace it. Don't drink too much of the "while i'm in there water" either. Worry about that when the time comes.

don't worry about it, the smell will go away for 1st gear worries - shift to 2nd and then into first that way you know you're in the right gear son learned to drive manual on the 996 you can do it!

Quotes source post: 19862283

Quick question. Did you make sure the convertible top works before you bought it? Just wanted to make sure. Looks like you are somewhere warm. Not like here.

Quotes source post: 19863408

Have you ever performed an oil change on a car before? The 996 is relatively easy to work on when it comes to regular maint. items - especially oil changes. Indys and dealers charge a lot for oil changes on these cars but you can do it for a fraction of the cost if you DIY. There is tons of 996 DIY oil change info. on this site and renntech.org. As far as the clutch is concerned, relax and take your time when getting to know any new manual trans. F*ck other drivers, don't panic and allow yourself to hastily toast your clutch or gearbox.

What DreamCarrera says. It isn't hard to Chage your own oil and filter. You can do it with the wheels on the ground. This is a car that benefits from frequent oil changes, so learning how to DIY will add up fast.

Welcome to the world of Porsche 911. The 996 is a fine entry point. Nothing will be cheap at any shop, particularly a dealership. Change your own oil. Flex that mechanical muscle in your brain. Take the challenge. Add to that manual transmission experience at every opportunity. In a year or so you won't even think about it anymore, it will just happen. Most importantly of all:

I did. Removed the hard top and operated the soft top. I think the hard top will stay on until we get past "winter" in California.

The clutch disk material is made up of Organic materials and metal particals in a resin to bond them together ...The bonding resin will start to melt/burn at about 750F which can happen during prolonged slipping....temperature rises the longer the slipping .. The burning smell/stink/smoke is from the resin burning...IF too much of the resin/material has burned off the clamp pressure will noticeably increase ( harder to push the pedal down) ...So if you don't notice and increase in pedal effort then you are likely fine... The burnt resin will also leave a "glaze" on the flywheel and pressure plate that can cause additional slipping until it wears off which it will do with normal use....

I wouldn�t sweat it. You caused a little bit of wear, but no way to tell exactly how much wear. For everyday driving, to increase longevity of the transmission and clutch, be semi-patient with these components. While the 911 can be a quick car, and the newest ones are insanely quick 0-60, I always drive my manual trans Porsches with a methodical, eager, but patient approach. In other words, don�t slam gears. Think of changing gears as a process of deselecting the gear, spinning up the next synchro, and then guiding the level into the next slot. Also try to rev match.

A worthwhile exercise I had my kids go thru when learning the clutch was to find a large flat parking lot and have them slowly release the clutch (without any throttle) to understand where it catches. Sure, plenty of stalling until they figured it out, but what they learned was that they could release the clutch without any throttle and the car would move forward in first gear w/o a problem and build speed with just the rpm at iddle level. Then they learned to smoothly apply the throttle, listen to the engine and understand the rev range and smoothly shift to second (not jam it in) and so on, as they went up and down thru the gears. For sure, stopping on a hill is another game, but unless you understand where and when it catches when releasing the clutch on a flat surface without throttle, it's tough to execute on releasing a clutch on a hill from a stop. So we found some small inclines and then larger inclines to put it all together with feeling for the "catch" while giving it a bit of throttle and listening for the rev range. Its the old story of seat time with your hands and feet to make it second nature. Takes time but it's worth it. But yeah, I still stall the car every so often when I am not paying attention. Typically when i listen to the radio(not often) and dont hear the rev range. Then you start it up and continue on. Just part of the fun.

The other day I went to change my oil on base (car skills shop). The told me to use the double lift, where the car goes on a platform which raises the whole car, and also has a secondary lift that lifts the car off the wheel. As you can imagine, there are multiple steps to get the car on. I didn't think I slipped much at all, yet I too was rewarded by the foulest of stenches! So, I'm not sure it takes much as all to get that. No ill effects that I can tell. Including after a 205KPH (127MPH) jaunt on the Autobahn today after visiting Nuremberg, but my winter tires set is not the most balanced! Life is good, all in all