Low Gear Shifting

I'm driving a 2000 Porsche 911 Carrera with six forward gears named Portia. She can be very naughty at times. For instance, shifting from first to second can be very jerky. It's probably my fault, but I don't have that problem with second gear on up through sixth. Sometimes when starting on a fairly steep incline, especially when pulling out of the Porsche dealership, I have to really rev the engine to keep Portia from dying in first gear, embarrassing to say the least. Just slightly releasing the clutch in first gear will kill the engine if I'm not alert, even on level ground. Another problem which crops up once in a while is Portia upon start up not wanting to release her steering lock, so the key won't turn. A vigorous shaking back and forth of her steering wheel always solves that problem, but should this be occurring in the first place? Thanks in advance for any advice out there.

Never had this "steering lock" problem. I get in the car, put the key in the ignition, turn to first position, examine my oil level, then start the car as normal. I put the car in 1st gear, give it some gas while I release the clutch, drive to 3000 rpm, clutch/shift to 2nd gear, drive to 3000 rpm, clutch/shift to 3rd gear, drive to 3000 rpm, then clutch/shift to 4th gear, then clutch/shift to 5th. (I rarely use 6th gear unless I'm on the expressway. I like to keep the revs high around 3000) Once the car is at 180F, the I open it up for lot of man therapy if you get my drift. p.s. why did you name it "portia"? You know one of the inner moons of Uranus is also called portia? hahaha "Moon of Uranus"... that always get me! hahaha

Use your go pedal more. Not enough accelerator is my bet.

Make sure your wheels are not turned fully when you shut it down. I had that happen once when I pulled into my garage and think it was because the wheels where turned to far at shut down.

^^^ All good suggestions ^^^ You need to learn how to "feather" the gas/go pedal. There's a fairly fine line between burning the clutch and stalling the car - just takes a little getting used to. Once you figure out where the clutch grab point is, just kind of blip the gas a few times as you get to that point. After awhile you'll have to blip less as you feel the clutch start to grab. Good luck

If your wheels are pointed straight forward when you park, the ignition steering wheel lock pin doesn't engage. However, if your wheels are slightly turned, when you pull out the ignition key the steering wheel lock engages. Normally all you have to do is turn the steering wheel a little bit when you try and turn the ignition key. The steering wheel lock pin then disengages. Note: there was a problem with the steering wheel lock pin sticking/ignition key barrel not turning. There is an updated version. Shifting - practice practice. All manual cars are difficult to get up an incline. Don't be afraid to really give it some gas to get up a slope.

Thanks for your advice. I named her Portia since it sounds like Porsche. I believe Portia was a character in the Merchant of Venice.

I know what you're talking about. I had a 1974 MGB roadster prior to the Porsche. It's clutch was a lot more forgiving than Portia's. The MG would go into gear with a lot more play. Portia's shifting is very precise, and compared to the MGB, very smooth, and you get the feeling as you're shifting that each gear competently snaps into a pre-determined place without much effort. MG shifting was sloppier, no where as precise. Hard to put into words. Thanks for your input.

Everybody's comments much appreciated. Thank you.

To your issue with not stalling on hills etc., see the comments on eGas in this other ongoing thread: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...96-2000-a.html I find it is hard to feather the throttle and be smooth off the line, especially on hills, with '00 996 eGas. A bit more revs and clutch slippage than you would expect are needed. Looks like you've figured that out. I think the issue is that unlike a cable-operated throttle, the sense of adequate RPMs just off idle is not consistent, depending on what the computer brain thinks about the current parameters. Acceptable low RPMs with a slightly-open throttle one time will be different the next. So you get jerky starts and can stall sometimes when you are doing nothing different. In the VW/Porsche world, it could be worse. I drove a Passat one time with early electronic throttle technology that felt d@mn near undriveable to me because of this issue.

The steering lock problem can happen in any car. It�s especially an issue when the car is not in flat ground and/or the car moves after it�s shut off. If the steering gets locked, you shouldn�t have to move the wheel back and forth, but rather, only one direction away from the direction it wants to move and then you should be easily able to turn the key. As for difficult shifting in or out of first gear, it�s a common problem in these cars. Unless you rev it up to 4k or 5k RPMs, shifting at 3k requires throttle blipping or leaving a bit of gas on the accelerator as you clutch in. The former can be used to rev match, and the latter will help keep the RPMs �floaty� so that you have time to complete the 1-2 shift. And time you will need, because these cars want you to take time to shift - they are not built for slamming into gear, unless you want to end up with synchros that need replacement. The same goes for downshifting from 2nd to 1st, such as coming to a stop sign. A lot of cars have to be coerced into first gear carefully when cold. Some folks have to come to complete stop in extreme cold. It�s just the way these transmissions work, but they are blissful when fully up to speed and in gears 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

the steering lock is probably due to turning the wheel with the key out, at which point you put the key in start the car and turn the other way. As for the revving issue, maybe it is the issue with the clutch? The jerkyness may be shift cables? I am not sure though I'd take it to a mechanic if it gets really bad.

I find 3 to 4 to 5 to 6 are the "non smooth" shifts for me...not sure why. 1 to 2 to 3 can be automatic-smooth.

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Wait I usually don't use the gas, I feather the clutch to the grab point and go, even on some hills. Have I been killing my clutch? sorry to hijack the thread.

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You won't kill the clutch that way, but you will tend to "lug" the engine. The sweet spot is somewhere in between the two. The clutches are pretty robust in these things - give it a little more gas (just blib it a few times...).

Both of my 996 shift as smooth as butter. Either you have a mechanical issue or a technique problem. Reading the comments, I'd lean toward technique problem. Anybody can make a manual transmission car jerk, stall, etc. by not driving it correctly. Maybe get an experienced driver to spend some time with you practicing in a parking lot until you smooth it out? My 17 year old went from stalling to driving smoothly in one session, first time driving a manual transmission car.

A little thing I did to learn stick was i took my car up and down my driveway (a hill) after 2 days my shifting got smooth.