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1st gear sucks! 1st gear sucks!
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Old 04-12-2009, 08:11 AM   #1
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1st gear sucks!
2000 Boxster S - 6 Speed
No aftermarket mods
82,400 miles

Ok... Can't quite put my finger on it, but...

When I bought my car a few months ago it had great pickup and if I wanted to I could peel out (not that I wanted to). Now for whatever reason 1st gear kinda sucks. Car just doesn't launch me into orbit like it did when I bought it. Higher ears still give me goose pimples on the highway, but 1st feels like I really have to push it now.

- I have no codes
- No idle problems
- Clutch is still engaging low
- I'm not experiencing gear "slippage" (as far as I can tell)

Took the car to a local indy shop and they said that the clutch still felt pretty good to them. They would need the car for a day or two to diagnose... Not excited about that idea.

Things I've read:
Could be the MAF. (Durametric data says it reads normal)
Could be the Cats. (Don't know what to look for)

Any ideas what else?

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Old 04-12-2009, 09:37 AM   #2
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Have you had the battery disconnected lately?
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Old 04-12-2009, 02:51 PM   #3
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My last "issue" with the car was a vacuum leak. While hunting it down the battery was disconnected a couple of times. Why do you ask?
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Old 04-12-2009, 03:10 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funkdefino
My last "issue" with the car was a vacuum leak. While hunting it down the battery was disconnected a couple of times. Why do you ask?
Because it takes up to a couple hundred miles for the DME to readjust it's mapping after being reset by disconnecting the battery. Before that time, the car will run a little funny.
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Old 04-12-2009, 03:27 PM   #5
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Hmmm... Come to think of it...

After the car came back from the mechanic the DME was reset. It drove great for about a day and then after that it went limp.

I'm gonna try disconnecting the MAF and driving around a little tomorrow. If that doesn't help I will try resetting the DME via the battery trick.

I am thinking that if the MAF is good and the DME reset helps couldn't there still be another issue if the car goes back to "limp 1st gear" a day later?

Thanks for replying - BTW

All help is very much appreciated!
Last edited by funkdefino; 04-12-2009 at 03:36 PM.
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Old 04-12-2009, 03:36 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funkdefino
Hmmm... Come to think of it...

After the car came back from the mechanic the DME was reset. It drove great for about a day and then after that it went limp.

I'm gonna try disconnecting the MAF and driving around a little tomorrow. If that doesn't help I will try resetting the DME via the battery trick.

I am thinking that if the MAF is good and the DME reset helps couldn't there still be another issue if the car goes back to "limp 1st gear" a day later?
I'd just drive it around, normally, for a couple of weeks and see if it goes back to the way it used to be.
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Old 04-12-2009, 03:42 PM   #7
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I guess that's the thing... I tried that. The car came back about 7 weeks ago. So the wait (I think) is over.
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Old 04-12-2009, 05:27 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funkdefino
I guess that's the thing... I tried that. The car came back about 7 weeks ago. So the wait (I think) is over.
Yeah, if you've been driving it, it should be back to normal by now. Have you been driving aggressively?
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Old 04-13-2009, 12:41 PM   #9
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Did you change tires?
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Old 04-13-2009, 01:02 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blue2000s
Have you been driving aggressively?
No more than any of us...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam
Did you change tires?
Not recently before or after this started happening.

Last edited by funkdefino; 04-13-2009 at 01:06 PM.
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