Please help me make sense of these Range 1 & Range 2 Ignition figu

[PJF]

I am hoping one of you much more knowledgeable than I can tell me what the following info means from reading my ECU. I believe that Range 1 is times that the rev limiter has been hit and the last hour it happened. I believe Range 2 is the number of times the redline has been surpassed mechanically (i.e. an incorrect downshift that the rev limiter cannot stop). However, I am baffled by the numbers I am seeing. Can the below figures really mean that my car has hit the rev limiter 5677 times in only 1092 hours of operation? More troubling, has my car had the redline surpassed mechanically 449 times, the last being at operating hour 404?

I recently purchased the Durametric Software and was surprised by these figures. The car has 31,500 miles and seems to run very strong. Knock on wood; I do not seem to have an RMS issue or any other mechanical problems. However, the numbers below indicate that this motor has had the crap beat out of it. I am not the first owner and this really concerns me. I would think the Range 2 violations would cause fairly immediate problems if they damaged the motor. From the figures, the motor is nearly 700 operating hours from the last violation and running strong. Also, I find it hard to believe that the rev limiter has been hit on average 5 times per hour of operation on the car.

Anyway, my overriding question is should I be extremely worried that this motor has been beat terribly and will cause me problems down the road, or is the fact that it is running strong an indication that no damage has been done? I do know one thing; I wish I had the Durametric software before I bought the car last fall. I would have questioned the purchase after seeing this. If I were buying a car today, I would buy the $200 software to check any potential purchases. This info could be as important if not more so than a PPI which I had done by a Porsche dealer on this car. Of course, they said nothing regarding these figures in the PPI, so I assumed all was well. Now I am sweating. Please make some sense of this for me. I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,

Pat

Ignitions (Range 1) 5677 / 1081h

Ignitions (Range 2) 449 / 404h

Operating Hours Counter 1092

[Loren]

Have a look at these two threads where Tool Pants explained over revs Stage 1 and Stage 2...

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...indpost&p=11317

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...findpost&p=5243

[PJF]

Loren,

Does it seem possible that ther acn be that many Range 1 and Range 2 occurances and the car still be running fine. I would think over 400 instances of Range 2 would make an engine nearly disintegrate. On the contrary, my car seems to be running strong with no white smoke or RMS evidence. Without seeing these figures on my DME read-out, I would think that my engine was running fine and the car was great. These figures are just making me worried. Should I be, and what should I be looking for?

Thanks for the insight,

Pat

[Loren]

Range 1 means nothing - except the that the rev limiter is doing it's job.

Range 2 "can" damage the engine. Range 2 are most often caused by missed downshifts or spinning the car and not putting the clutch in.

There was speculation that "ignitions" meant actual firing of each cylinder. That would mean that 6 "igntions" would be one complete crankshft revolution. If the car is running fine with Stage 2 occurances then it is likely fine. Just be aware that a dealer and/or Porsche can (but does not in many cases) use numerous Range 2 occurances as "abuse" for any warranty claims.

[PJF]

Range 1 means nothing - except the that the rev limiter is doing it's job.

Range 2 "can" damage the engine. Range 2 are most often caused by missed downshifts or spinning the car and not putting the clutch in.

There was speculation that "ignitions" meant actual firing of each cylinder. That would mean that 6 "igntions" would be one complete crankshft revolution. If the car is running fine with Stage 2 occurances then it is likely fine. Just be aware that a dealer and/or Porsche can (but does not in many cases) use numerous Range 2 occurances as "abuse" for any warranty claims.

Thanks Loren. Your insight has made me feel alot better. My car is out of warranty, so I doubt Porsche would step up anyway. However, I will be taking the Durametric software and reading the DME on any future Porsche purchases. Seems like a cheap way to understand how the car was driven to me.

[claudiu]

Sorry to butt in, but is it then true that owning an automatic/tiptronic Porsche means you will not face the danger of over-revving your engine?