Low range didnt want to engage, then worked....

[motoadve]

Went off roading and just before hitting the hard section I stopped for a while,and when I re started the car and wanted to put low range, it will just do nothing! no light no engage nothing.

Shut the car re started and worked fine.

Drove the nasty long downhill, with low range and the differential on.

At the bottom, my friend's tire blew out , so shut the car put spare tire , then re started and was in low range, tried to put differential on, and nothing, wouldnt engage.

Drove 5 minutes stoped again , and this time engaged.

No alarms or warnings on the instrument panel, so i guess its ok.

But I dont like having this issues.

has anyone heard of something like this before?

[RFM]

I never was off road so it is only a suggestion, read the manual attentively, all doors-hood-rear door+window closed? car in complete stand still? brake pedal activated? air suspension in highest possition?

[Carbon_Ali]

Hey everyone,

Being a proud owner of a "new to me" 2005 Cayenne S for 4 months now, I discovered this site only yesterday and I have to say that it is a well of information and one of the BEST Porsche-related sites on the web. Keep up the good work, I'm seriously considering becoming a contributing member !

Ok, 'nuff said about me, on to your problem :

To engage low range, you

1 - Put the Cayenne to a complete stop (with the engine running)

2 - Step on the brake pedal (not sure if this is needed, just to be on the safe side)

3 - Put the transmission into neutral position ('N', this is MANDATORY to engage low range, NOT mandatory to engage the diff lock)

4 - Push the selector up once (for low range mode) or twice (for rear diff lock) or three times (for some additional and unnecessary stuff I don't have installed ;))

And be sure to push the selector all the way up (you'll hear it click). I remember that the first time I took my pig offroad I was so nervous that I did it wrong half the time. The level of the air suspension and the windows position is irrelevant to engage low range (this I'm sure of), I don't know about the doors (but I will check this later on when I'm in the parking lot).

A malfunction in the low range and diff-lock modes is signaled by the 3 LEDs next to the selector flashing for a few seconds. If these do not flash, you're either not doing it right or your selector (or LED panel) is due for a checkup, but at least your transmission is not faulty.

Hope this helps,

Ali

Edit: I just checked, no need to close the doors to engage low range.

Edited September 10, 2008 by Carbon_Ali

[darrinsmith]

To engage low range, you

1 - Put the Cayenne to a complete stop (with the engine running)

2 - Step on the brake pedal (not sure if this is needed, just to be on the safe side)

3 - Put the transmission into neutral position ('N', this is MANDATORY to engage low range, NOT mandatory to engage the diff lock)

4 - Push the selector up once (for low range mode) or twice (for rear diff lock) or three times (for some additional and unnecessary stuff I don't have installed ;))

Third time is the longitudinal lock (locks front and rear together), one thing I have found that is *really* annoying is that if you should engage the PASM and traction control while the longitudinal diff's are locked it will "unlock" them.

I found this out the hard way when I had trouble getting up a really long steep sandy hill.

I would reverse back, engage all the diff locks then try to power up the hill. As the car started swaying a little in the sand tracks and losing traction, the PASM and traction control would engage and unlock centre diff, end result car slows down and gets bogged. Although you can turn off (mostly) the PASM, traction control cannot be disabled.

Took a few attempts to get up, but made it in the end. Although as far as I can tell, there is no way the car can put itself out of low-range, it's only when you go all the way to diff lock that the car can unlock itself. Unfortunately it doesn't give you any warning either (you just have to notice the little lights on the centre selector). I have confirmed that this is the correct behaviour for the vehicle.

I bet this is the problem you were having. BTW my car is a 2003 turbo, but I assume the controls and systems are the same in the later models.

Cheers

Darrin Smith

[mudman2]

For beach/sand work you should not need to lock anything, just turn off PSM and keep the revs high. The locks are more for rock climbing. Its a bit scary with all the noise but it works. The faster you go the better.

To engage low range, you

1 - Put the Cayenne to a complete stop (with the engine running)

2 - Step on the brake pedal (not sure if this is needed, just to be on the safe side)

3 - Put the transmission into neutral position ('N', this is MANDATORY to engage low range, NOT mandatory to engage the diff lock)

4 - Push the selector up once (for low range mode) or twice (for rear diff lock) or three times (for some additional and unnecessary stuff I don't have installed ;))

Third time is the longitudinal lock (locks front and rear together), one thing I have found that is *really* annoying is that if you should engage the PASM and traction control while the longitudinal diff's are locked it will "unlock" them.

I found this out the hard way when I had trouble getting up a really long steep sandy hill.

I would reverse back, engage all the diff locks then try to power up the hill. As the car started swaying a little in the sand tracks and losing traction, the PASM and traction control would engage and unlock centre diff, end result car slows down and gets bogged. Although you can turn off (mostly) the PASM, traction control cannot be disabled.

Took a few attempts to get up, but made it in the end. Although as far as I can tell, there is no way the car can put itself out of low-range, it's only when you go all the way to diff lock that the car can unlock itself. Unfortunately it doesn't give you any warning either (you just have to notice the little lights on the centre selector). I have confirmed that this is the correct behaviour for the vehicle.

I bet this is the problem you were having. BTW my car is a 2003 turbo, but I assume the controls and systems are the same in the later models.

Cheers

Darrin Smith

Edited November 25, 2008 by mudman2

[mattscott]

I know i'm new, but in sand you still want your lockers on. My other car is a modded land rover, I off-road all of the time.

[darrinsmith]

I know i'm new, but in sand you still want your lockers on. My other car is a modded land rover, I off-road all of the time.

Yeah I agree

Perth is really sandy and I've done a lot of sand driving (mostly in the sand dunes at the beach), having the locks on will power you out of almost anything (assuming tyre pressure is correct and you have a decent run-up) I run about 18psi even on the 19" wheels. The sand here can get really soft, and is very fine.

The Cayenne will just stop in this type of stuff in "normal" 4WD mode. With the longitundinal locks on I was able to get up a hill that without the locks on I couldn't even get a third of the way up.

Anyway I just wanted to re-iterate how capable the Cayenne is off road. Before it, I had Jeeps, they were good, but the 4WD system was like something out of the dark ages compared to the cayenne's. It would belly out and then dig the back wheels in and then you were REALLY stuck! I know the last jeep I had ('06 WK Grand Limited 5.7) wouldn't do what the Cayenne can in sand.

Everyone's situation is different, so get on out there and have some fun! Just remember to take your recovery gear and a friend to help you dig :-) or better still another 4WD to pull you out!