2003 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA warning light

Engine-compartment
blower,

radiatorfan
Theradiatorandradiatorfansareinthefrontof
thecar.
Theengine-compartmentblowerismountedon
theenginecompartmentlid.
/?\.Warning!
Riskofinjury.
Aftertheengineisswitchedoff,theengine-
compartmentandcoolanttemperaturesare
monitoredforapprox.20minutes.
Duringthisperiod,anddependingontem-
perature,theengine-compartmentblower
andradiatorfansmaycontinuetorunor
starttorun.
I>Carryoutworkintheseareasonlywiththe
engineoffandexerciseextremecaution.
170Maintenance,CarCare
EngineOil
Engineoilconsumption
Itisnormalforyourenginetoconsumeoil.
Therateofoilconsumptiondependsonthe
qualityandviscosityofoil,thespeedatwhich
theengineisoperated,theclimate,roadcondi-
tionsaswellastheamountofdilutionandoxida-
tionofthelubricant.
Ifthevehicleisusedforrepeatedshorttrips,
andconsumesanormalamountofoil,theen-
gineoilmeasurementmaynotshowanydropin
theoillevelatall,evenafter600miles(1000
km)ormore.Thisisbecausetheoilisgradually
becomingdilutedwithfuelormoisture,makingit
appearthattheoillevelhasnotchanged.
Thedilutingingredientsevaporateoutwhenthe
vehicleisdrivenathighspeeds,asonanex-
pressway,makingitthenappearthatoilisex-
cessivelyconsumedafterdrivingathighspeeds.
Iftheconditionsyoudriveyourvehicleinare
dusty,humid,orhot,thefrequencyoftheoil
changeintervalsshouldbegreater.
Ifthevehicleisdrivenatahighrateofspeed,
climaticconditionsarewarm,andtheloadis
high,theoilshouldbecheckedmorefrequently,
asdrivingconditionswilldeterminetherateof
oilconsumption.
-Theengineinyourvehicledependsonoilto
lubricateandcoolallofitsmovingparts.
Therefore,theengineoilshouldbechecked
regularlyandkeptattherequiredlevel.
-Makeitahabittohavetheengineoillevel
checkedwitheveryfuelfilling.
-Theoilpressurewarninglightisnotanoil
levelindicator.
Theoilpressurewarninglightindicates
seriousenginedamagemaybeoccuring
whenlit,ifenginerpmisaboveidlespeed.

BrakeFluidlevel
Followtheinstructionsinthe"Cautions"chapter.
Useonlynew(unused)OriginalPorsche
brakefluid.
174Maintenance,CarCare
/!\Warning!
Brakefluidishazardoustoyourhealth,and
maybefatalifswallowed.
Brakefluidalsoattackspaintwork.
~Keepbrakefluidoutofchildren'sreach.
~Takecarewhiletoppingoffbrakefluidnotto
soiltheluggagecompartmentoritemsoflug-
gage.
Checkingthebrakefluidlevel
Thereservoirforthehydraulicbrakingand
clutchsystemsisintheluggagecompartment.
~Checkthebrake-fluidlevelregularlyatthe
transparentreservoir.
Thefluidlevelshouldalwaysliebetweenthe
"Min."and"Max."marks.
Aslightdecreaseinthefluidlevelduetowear
andautomaticreadjustmentofthediscbrakes
isnormal.
If,however,thefluidlevelfallsmarkedlyor
belowthe"Min."mark,thebrakingsystemmay
havedevelopedaleak.
~Havethebrakingsystemcheckedimmediately
atanauthorizedPorschedealer.
Changingthebrakefluid
Brakefluidabsorbsmoisturefromtheairover
time.Thisaccumulationofwaterlowerstheboil-
ingpointand,undercertainoperatingcon-
ditions,canaffectthebrakingaction.
Thereforehavethebrakefluidchangedinac-
cordancewiththechangeintervalsstatedinthe
brochure"Maintenance".
..
WarninglightUSA
0
WarninglightCanada
Thebrake-fluidwarninglightsintheinstrument
panelandon-boardcomputerindicate:
-brake-fluidleveltoolow,
-inconjunctionwithlargepedaltravel,
abraking-circuitfailure.

Ifthewarninglightsshouldlightupwhile
driving:

~Stopimmediatelyinasuitableplace.
~Donotcontinuedriving.
Pleasehavethefaultremediedatyournear-
estauthorizedPorschedealer.

Fuel
/!\Warning!
Fuelishighlyflammableandharmfulto
health.
I>Fire,openflameandsmokingareprohibited
whenhandlingfuel.
I>Avoidcontactwithskinorclothing.
I>Donotinhalefuelvapors.

Topreventdamagetotheemissioncontrol
systemandengine:
I>
Neverdrivethetankcompletelyoutoffuel.

I>
Avoidhighcorneringspeedsafterthewarning
lightshavecomeon.
Followtheinstructionsinthe"FuelEconomy",
"EmissionControlSystem"and"Fuellevel
gauge"chapters.
Check
enginewarninglight

Ifthewarninglightsintheinstrumentpaneland
on-boardcomputercomeonandremainson
whiledriving,itsuggests:
-animproperlyfastenedtankcapor
-refuellingwithenginerunning.
176Maintenance,CarCare

Openingthefillerflap

Thefilleropeningisunderthefillerflapinthe
frontrightfender.

I>
Withthevehicleunlocked,pressonthefront
partofthefillerflap(arrow)toopentheflap.
Thefillerflapiscentrallylockedalongwiththe
otherlocks.

Ifthereisadefectintheautomaticunlock-
ingsystem:
I>
Openthepassengerdoor.

I>
Pulltheringintheright-handdooraperture
(arrow).

Unleadedfuelsmaynotbeavailableoutsidethe
continentalU.S.andCanada.Therefore,werec-
ommendyoudonottakeyourcartoareasor
countrieswhereunleadedfuelmaynotbeavail-
able.

Octaneratings

Octaneratingindicatesafuel'sabilitytoresist
detonation.Therefore,buyingthecorrectoctane
gasisimportanttopreventengine"damage".
TheRONoctaneratingisbasedontheresearch
method.TheCLC(U.S.CostofLivingCouncil
octanerating)orAKI(antiknockindex)octane
ratingusuallydisplayedonU.S.fuelpumpsis
calculatedasresearchoctanenumberplus
motoroctanenumber,dividedby2,thatiswrit-
tenas:
RON+MON
2
orR+M
2
TheCLCorAKIoctaneratingisusuallylower
thantheRONrating:
Forexample:95RONequals90CLCorAKI
178Maintenance,CarCare
Fuels
containing
alcohol
andether

SomeareasoftheU.S.requireoxygenated
fuelsduringcertainportionsoftheyear.Oxyge-
natedfuelsarefuelswhichcontainalcohols
(suchasmethanolorethanol)orether(suchas
MTBE).
Undernormalconditions,theamountofthese
compoundsinthefuelwillnotaffectdriveability.
YoumayuseoxygenatedfuelsinyourPorsche,
providedtheoctanerequirementsforyourve-
hiclearemet.Werecommend,however,to
changetoadifferentfuelorstationifanyofthe
followingproblemsoccurwithyourvehicle:
-Deteriorationofdriveabilityandperformance.
-Substantiallyreducedfueleconomy.
-Vaporlockandnon-startproblems,especially
athighaltitudeorathightemperature.
-Enginemalfunctionorstalling.
Fuels
containing
MMT
SomeNorthAmericanfuelscontainanoctane
enhancingadditivecalledmethylcyclopentadienyl
manganesetricarbonyl(MMT).
Ifsuchfuelsareused,youremissioncontrol
systemperformancemaybenegativelyaffected.
Thecheckenginewarninglightonyourinstru-
mentpanelmayturnon.
Ifthisoccurs,Porscherecommendsyoustop
usingfuelscontainingMMT.
PortableFuelContainers

A
Danger!
Portablefuelcontainers,fullorpartially
empty,mayleakcausinganexplosion,or
resultinfireincaseofanaccident.

t>Nevercarryadditionalfuelinportablecon-
tainersinyourvehicle.

FuelEvaporationControl
Fuel
tank
venting
Theevaporationchamberandthecarboncanis-
terpreventfuelfromescapingtotheatmos-
phereatextremehighoutsidetemperatures,
whendrivingabruptlyaroundcurvesandwhen
thecarisparkedataninclineorinanyother
nonlevelposition.
Vaporcontrol
systemandstorage

Whenthefueltankisfilled,vaporsarecollected
intheevaporationchamberbyaventlinelead-
ingthevaporstothecarboncanisterwherethey
arestoredaslongastheenginedoesnotrun.
Purge
system

Whentheengineisrunning,thefuelvaporsfrom
thecanisterwillbemixedwithfreshairfromthe
ambientairofthecanister.Thismixturewillbe
directedtotheintakeairhousingbythetank
ventline,mixedwiththeintakeairandburned
duringnormalcombustion.
WasherFluid
Thereservoir,withabluescrewcap,isinthe
luggagecompartment,totherearleft.
Capacity
-Withoutheadlightcleaningsystem:
approximately2.5liters.
-Withheadlightcleaningsystem:
approximately6.5liters.
Cleanwaterisgenerallynotenoughtocleanthe
windshieldandheadlights.
Itisadvantageoustoaddawintercleanergiving
antifreezeprotectionorasuitablesummer
cleaner,dependingontheseason.Followthein-
structionsforthemixingratio.
t>Donotuseenginecoolantanti-freezeorany
othersolutionthatcandamagethecar's
paint,inthewasherreservoir.
t>Pleasenotealltheinformationonthecon-
tainerofthecleaningagent.
e

Warning
light
Thewarninglightsintheinstrumentpaneland
on-boardcomputerlightwhenapproximately
0.5literisleftinthereservoir.
Maintenance,CarCare
181

Washing
Thebestmethodofprotectingyourcarfrom
thedamagingeffectsoftheenvironmentisfre-
quentwashingandtheapplicationofapreserv-
ative.Theundersideofyourvehicleshouldalso
bewashedthoroughly,atthelatestwhensaltis
nolongerspreadontheroads.
Thelongersalt,roaddustandindustrialdust,
deadinsects,birddroppingsorsubstancesfrom
trees(resin,pollen)areallowedtoremainonthe
bodywork,themoreseriousistheirharmfulef-
fect.
Newcarsshouldbewashedcarefullywithplenty
ofclearwatertoprotectthenewpaintwork.
Darkpaintfinishesshowupthesmallestofsur-
facedamage(e.g.,scratches)morereadilythan
lightercolors.
Darkcolorsarealsomoresusceptibleto
scratchingbecauseofthecompositionoftheir
pigmentsandrequireparticularlycarefulpaint
care.
[>
Donotwashyourcarinbrightsunlightor
whilethebodyworkisstillhot.
[>Whenwashingbyhand,useabundantwater,
asoftspongeorwashbrush,andPorsche
carshampoo.
[>Beginbysprayingthebodythoroughlywith
watertorinseawayloosedirt.
186Maintenance,CarCare
[>
Afterwashing,rinsethecarwithplentyof
waterandthendrywithachamoisleather.
Donotusethesamechamoisleatherfor
dryingasyouuseforcleaningthewindshield
andwindows.
/!\.Warning!
Moisturewhichgetsontothebrakesduring
acarwashcanreducebrakingefficiencyor
makethebrakespullunevenlywhichcould
increasethedangerofanaccident,causing
seriouspersonalinjuriesordeath.
[>Alwaysapplythebrakesafewtimesafter
washingthecartotestbrakingefficiencyand
drythebrakediscs.
Whendoingthis,takecarenottohamper
otherroadusersbehindyou(trafficconditions
permitting).

Automatic
carwashes
Optionaladd-onpartsorpartswhichproject
beyondthecontoursofthevehiclemaybe
damagedbydesignfeatures(e.g.brushes)of
automaticcarwashes.
Thefollowing
parts
areparticularlysuscep-
tibletodamage:
-Windshieldwipers(alwaysswitchthemoffto
preventthemwipingunintentionallyinintermit-
tentorsensoroperation)
-Externaltelephoneantennas(alwaysunscrew)
-RoofTransportSystem(alwaysremovecom-
pletely)
-Fixedrearspoilerorextendedrearspoiler
-Wheels(thewidertherimandthelowerthe
tireheight,thegreatertheriskofdamage)
-High-glosswheels(topreventthesefromget-
tingscratched,donotcleanwiththewheel-
cleaningbrushesofthecarwash).
[>
Pleaseconsulttheoperatorbeforeusingauto-
maticcarwashes.
[>Washanddrybyhandallpointsnotreached
byacarwash,suchasdoorandlidseamsor
doorsills.
Note
Automaticcarwashesspraywateratodd
anglesandhighpressures,whicharenotseen
innormaldriving.Therefore,watercansome-
timesfinditswayintothepassengerscompart-
mentduringorshortlyafterthecarwash.

/!\Warning!
Dangeroffireandseriouspersonalin-
juries.

t>Donotapplyadditionalundercoatingorrust-
proofingonorneartheexhaustmanifold,ex-
haustpipes,catalyticconvertersorheat
shields.Duringdrivingthesubstanceusedfor
undercoatingcouldoverheatandignite.
t>Beforeapplyingfreshunderseal,carefully
removedepositsordirtandgrease.Onceit
hasdried,thenewundercoatingcompound
formsatoughprotectivecoatingwhichpro-
videsefficientrust-proofingofthefloorpanels
andcomponents.
t>Alwaysapplyafreshcoatingofsuitablepre-
servativetounprotectedareasaftercleaning
theundersideofthebody,thetransmission,
theengineorcarryingoutrepairstounder-
body,engineortransmissioncomponents.
Effectiverust-proofingisparticularlyimportant
duringthecoldweatherseason.Ifyourcaris
drivenfrequentlyinareaswheresalthasbeen
spreadontheroads,thewholeenginecompart-
mentshouldbecleanedthoroughlyafterthe
wintertopreventsaltfromcausinganylasting
damage.Afullunder-bodywashshouldalsobe
performedatthesametime.
190Maintenance,CarCare
Door,roof,lidandwindowseals
t>Washdirt(e.g.abrasion,dust,roadsalts)
fromallsealsregularlyusingwarmsoapy
water.Donotuseanychemicalcleaning
agentsorsolvents.
Whenthereisafrosthazard,theouterdoor
sealsandthefrontandrearlidsealscanbe
protectedagainstfreezingintoplacebyasuit-
ablecareproduct.

Inordertopreventdamagetotheanti-fric-
tioncoating,theinnerdoorseals,thecon-
vertibletopsealsandhardtopsealsmust
notbetreatedwithcareproducts.

Headlights,lights,interiorandexterior
plasticparts
t>Use
only
cleanwaterandalittledishwashing
detergenttocleanlightlenses,plastichead-
lightlenses,plasticpartsandsurfaces.
Donotcleanwhendry.
Useasoftspongeorasoft,lint-freecloth.
Gentlywipethesurfacewithoutapplyingtoo
muchpressure.
ThePorscheinsidewindowcleanerisalso
suitableforcleaningplasticsurfaces.Follow
thecleaninginstructionsonthecontainer.
Neveruseotherchemicalcleanersor
solvents.
t>Rinsecleanedsurfaceswithclearwater.

Fabric,upholstery,carpetsand
floor-mats
t>Useonlyavacuumcleaneroramediumstiff
brush.
t>RemovestainsandspotswithPorschestain
remover.
ThePorscherangeofaccessoriesincludes
floor-matstoprotectthecarpetsinsummerand
winter.
A
Warning!
Riskofanaccident.
t>Alwayscheckthemovementofthepedalsbe-
foredrivingandmakesurethattheyarenot
obstructedbyafloormatoranyotherobject.
t>Securethefloormattopreventitfromsliding
intopositionsthatcouldinterferewiththe
safeoperationofyourvehicle-donotlie
themlooselyinthevehicle.
YourPorschedealerwillbegladtoofferyou
floormatsofthecorrectsizeincludingase-
curingpossibility.
192Maintenance,CarCare
Alcantara
Donotusealeathercareproducttoclean
Alcantara.
Forregularcareitissufficienttocleanthe
coverwithasoftbrush.
Cleaningwhenlightlysoiled
t>Wetasoftclothwithwateroraneutralsoap
solutionandwipeoffthedirt.
Cleaningwhenheavilysoiled
t>Wetasoftclothwithlukewarmwateror
thinnedwhitespiritanddabthedirtfromthe
outsidein.

Safetybelts

Ifitbecomesnecessarytocleanthebelts,you
canuseanymildwashingagent.
Allowthebeltstodrypriortoretracting,but
avoiddirectsunlight.
t>Onlyusesuitablecleaners.
Ifunsuitablecleanersareusedoranyattempt
ismadetodyeorbleachthebelts,theweb-
bingmaybeweakenedandthusconstitutea
safetyrisk.