Do Boxsters hate sitting in traffic?
Discussion
Almost every issue I've had with the car and people I knew, the problems caused mostly engine overheating due to sitting still in traffic for a long time. If you are from London, you might have realized the serious congestion and roadworks in the last few years, even in less central areas it's extremely difficult to drive nowadays.
One might think that, a healthy engine and its circulation system should survive long waiting times in traffic, but looks like it gives a serious damage in the longer term if you are living in a busy area?
One might think that, a healthy engine and its circulation system should survive long waiting times in traffic, but looks like it gives a serious damage in the longer term if you are living in a busy area?
987 S has cooling issues if not moving much. It's mid-engined and needs airflow over the radiators.
I got stuck in horrendous traffic (roadworks and accidents) 2 or 3 times in my 987.2 S, and it didn't like it much. I would be amazed if it's not a well-known problem with mid-engined cars.
I got stuck in horrendous traffic (roadworks and accidents) 2 or 3 times in my 987.2 S, and it didn't like it much. I would be amazed if it's not a well-known problem with mid-engined cars.
ORD said:
987 S has cooling issues if not moving much. It's mid-engined and needs airflow over the radiators.
I got stuck in horrendous traffic (roadworks and accidents) 2 or 3 times in my 987.2 S, and it didn't like it much. I would be amazed if it's not a well-known problem with mid-engined cars.
Surely the same could be said of front engined cars sitting in traffic?I got stuck in horrendous traffic (roadworks and accidents) 2 or 3 times in my 987.2 S, and it didn't like it much. I would be amazed if it's not a well-known problem with mid-engined cars.
Does the 987.2 not have cooling fans?
981 just sits at 90 degrees no matter what (when up to temp).
ORD said:
987 S has cooling issues if not moving much. It's mid-engined and needs airflow over the radiators.
I got stuck in horrendous traffic (roadworks and accidents) 2 or 3 times in my 987.2 S, and it didn't like it much. I would be amazed if it's not a well-known problem with mid-engined cars.
The radiators are at the front, and have electric cooling fans for when sitting stationary.I got stuck in horrendous traffic (roadworks and accidents) 2 or 3 times in my 987.2 S, and it didn't like it much. I would be amazed if it's not a well-known problem with mid-engined cars.
I have a 986 and it has no problems in stationary traffic.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Indeed - the only time things aren't great is when the ballast resistors for the fans fail and you only have Stage 2 - as mine did. It never overheated as such, though, just got quite warm. I chucked some new radiators on it in January as one was weeping and the other would surely follow. An 82 deg thermostat really keeps the temperature down too. The worst possible time would be after an extended heat soak in traffic and if you were to then really accelerate hard, as it'll take a minute or two before any cooling effect is 'felt' back in the engine with the extended coolant runs.
not sure if this applies to Boxster - the tech I was talking to was referring to 991's;
anyway, he stated that the temp display in the car was engineered to show a temperature lower than the car was actually running at.
He stated that the 991's (NOT GT models) idled at 105C, yet the display was always sub 100 - to stop the owners panicking !
GT models have a true display of temp.
anyway, he stated that the temp display in the car was engineered to show a temperature lower than the car was actually running at.
He stated that the 991's (NOT GT models) idled at 105C, yet the display was always sub 100 - to stop the owners panicking !
GT models have a true display of temp.
Never had a problem with my 986s or my current 987s
Ref. buffered guages - totally understand why these exist after having an Elise with a digital engine temp guage. I'd sit there in traffic watching it creep up until (IIRC) 110 when the fan would (or should) have kicked in. Given the angst around K Series and HGF I would end up having kittens if ever sat on the motorway in chugging traffic.
Ref. buffered guages - totally understand why these exist after having an Elise with a digital engine temp guage. I'd sit there in traffic watching it creep up until (IIRC) 110 when the fan would (or should) have kicked in. Given the angst around K Series and HGF I would end up having kittens if ever sat on the motorway in chugging traffic.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
correct, buffered gauges are ridiculous, what is the point in it even being there, may as well just have one light which tells you whether car is ok to drive or not ok to drive, in fact wouldn't surprise me if that's where we are in a few years, just another example of how useless modern cars areAll this talk about buffered gauges.
My VW gets to 90 degrees when the coolant is 75 degrees (I can see this via my Polar FIS).
So based on that between the ACTUAL coolant temp of 75 and 105 (15 degrees either way) the gauge will always display 90.
105 is not hot enough to cause problems but at the same time no point worrying the casual driver because the gauge is creeping up slightly in traffic.
My VW gets to 90 degrees when the coolant is 75 degrees (I can see this via my Polar FIS).
So based on that between the ACTUAL coolant temp of 75 and 105 (15 degrees either way) the gauge will always display 90.
105 is not hot enough to cause problems but at the same time no point worrying the casual driver because the gauge is creeping up slightly in traffic.
Some would argue if you are that bothered, fit an aftermarket gauge.
:-)
I'm sure you can get something similar to a Polar FIS for your Porsches!
I understand what you're saying but for the 5% who want to know exact temps vs the 95% who would react if the gauge went too high or the buzzer went on...
:-)
I'm sure you can get something similar to a Polar FIS for your Porsches!
I understand what you're saying but for the 5% who want to know exact temps vs the 95% who would react if the gauge went too high or the buzzer went on...
Ohhh, a diesel jibe.
Aren't you funny / original.
As I have mentioned I have a Polar FIS which integrates completely into the OEM Multi-Function Display and displays the values I want as digital values.
I would be very surprised if such a similar device did not exist for a Porsche, or one of the many OBDII Bluetooth / Phone apps.
Aren't you funny / original.
As I have mentioned I have a Polar FIS which integrates completely into the OEM Multi-Function Display and displays the values I want as digital values.
I would be very surprised if such a similar device did not exist for a Porsche, or one of the many OBDII Bluetooth / Phone apps.
I disagree with you. The gauge only needs to indicate when something is wrong. Many cars don't even have temperature gauges.. Corsa VXRs... Fiesta STs... etc?
And the only one being b
hy here is you.
Straw man my arse, frankly.
I simply entered a discussion. Heaven forbid a non-Porsche owner enter such a sacred area!
And the only one being b
hy here is you. Straw man my arse, frankly.
I simply entered a discussion. Heaven forbid a non-Porsche owner enter such a sacred area!
Edited by xjay1337 on Monday 4th April 15:26
No, it doesn't necessarily. Besides, water temps are not that important. Oil temps are arguably more important.
Water temp is only taken at a specific point within the coolant system as opposed to a peak within the cylinder heat.
At BEST it's an approximation of the coolant temperature at one specific point at one specific moment in time.
Water temp is only taken at a specific point within the coolant system as opposed to a peak within the cylinder heat.
At BEST it's an approximation of the coolant temperature at one specific point at one specific moment in time.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Wow, get over yourself you intolerable oaf. Mate, just move on!
wooleyjoe:
I can't help you regarding Porsche GT cars, but I would imagine being part of the VAG group they would follow similar programming.
However Polar have released firmware for Audis so if your car is compatible you can find your true values out.
My coolant normally sits between 75 and 85.
Audi support is quite new to the Polar stuff, so it's quite limited to 2003-2008 A/S 3 (8P) - A4s / A6s not supported at the moment. It is in development. The Canbus system is old/weird on these so that's why it's taking a while!
wooleyjoe:
I can't help you regarding Porsche GT cars, but I would imagine being part of the VAG group they would follow similar programming.
However Polar have released firmware for Audis so if your car is compatible you can find your true values out.
My coolant normally sits between 75 and 85.
Audi support is quite new to the Polar stuff, so it's quite limited to 2003-2008 A/S 3 (8P) - A4s / A6s not supported at the moment. It is in development. The Canbus system is old/weird on these so that's why it's taking a while!
The coolant level light on my wife's bmw came on, and she told me. Where was the temperature gauges needle? I asked. I don't know, she said.
That's the problem with most drivers, they don't even look at the basic information in front of them.
Personally I want precise information. I don't want to know if something is wrong, I want to know if something is out of the ordinary (eg coolant leak, fan broken, thermostat stuck), so I can investigate before something big goes wrong (eg engine overheats and seizes).
I can understand damped gauges so the needle doesn't wobble around. I had no idea damped could mean giving a single reading within a range of actuals.
Does my 996 have a damped gauge?
That's the problem with most drivers, they don't even look at the basic information in front of them.
Personally I want precise information. I don't want to know if something is wrong, I want to know if something is out of the ordinary (eg coolant leak, fan broken, thermostat stuck), so I can investigate before something big goes wrong (eg engine overheats and seizes).
I can understand damped gauges so the needle doesn't wobble around. I had no idea damped could mean giving a single reading within a range of actuals.
Does my 996 have a damped gauge?
I agree on the problem with a buffered gauge, and actually that was a bit my point with the thread. Most owners have no idea, about the delicate water coolant system in 986s so they barely look at the temperature. And when something goes completely wrong, it is really wrong. I even witnessed official services that do not take some necessary actions as they only follow tick and box procedure while inspecting cars during major maintenance. (Ballast resistors, radiators state in terms of cleaning and etc..)
My second point, about the reliability of the system in the long term. Yes, a really good clean system should able to survive long stops at a busy traffic by kicking of fans on different stages. But how often? If a car like 986 or 987 being exposed to this sort of driving more than twice a week or even more, I think it is an issue that probably even designers did not estimate.
If the gauge is properly indicating what actually is the real running temperature, one might respond it and fix it much earlier.
My second point, about the reliability of the system in the long term. Yes, a really good clean system should able to survive long stops at a busy traffic by kicking of fans on different stages. But how often? If a car like 986 or 987 being exposed to this sort of driving more than twice a week or even more, I think it is an issue that probably even designers did not estimate.
If the gauge is properly indicating what actually is the real running temperature, one might respond it and fix it much earlier.
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