2003 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA warning lights

FuelQuality
Yourengineisdesignedtoprovideoptimumperformanceandfueleconomyusing
unleadedpremiumfuelwithanoctaneratingof98RON(93CLCorAKI).
Porschethereforerecommendstheuseofthesefuelsinyourvehicle.
Porschealsorecognizesthatthesefuelsmaynotalwaysbeavailable.Beassuredthatyourvehiclewilloperate
properlyonunleadedpremiumfuelswithoctanenumbersofatleast95RON(90CLCorAKI).
sincetheengine's"ElectronicOktaneTMknockcontrol"willadapttheignitiontiming,ifnecessary.
Fuels
containing
alcohol
and
ether
SomeareasoftheU.S.requireoxygenatedfuelsduringcertainportionsoftheyear.
Oxygenatedfuelsarefuelswhichcontainalcohols(suchasmethanolorethanol)orether(suchasMTBE).
Undernormalconditions,theamountofthesecompoundsinthefuelwillnotaffectdriveability.
YoumayuseoxygenatedfuelsinyourPorsche,providedtheoctanerequirementsforyourvehiclearemet.
Werecommend,however,tochangetoadifferentfuelorstationifanyofthefollowingproblemsoccurwithyourvehicle:
-Deteriorationofdriveabilityandperformance.
-Substantiallyreducedfueleconomy.
-Vaporlockandnon-startproblems,especiallyathighaltitudeorathightemperature.
-Enginemalfunctionorstalling.
Fuels
containing
MMT
SomeNorthAmericanfuelscontainanoctaneenhancingadditivecalledmethylcyclopentadienylmanganesetricarbonyl(MMT).
Ifsuchfuelsareused,youremissioncontrolsystemperformancemaybenegativelyaffected.
Thecheckenginewarninglightsonyourinstrumentpanelmayturnon.
Ifthisoccurs,PorscherecommendsyoustopusingfuelscontainingMMT.
4

Inthedriver'sseat...
I>Checkoperationofthehorn.
I>Positionseatforeasyreachoffootpedals
andcontrols.
Toreducethepossibilityofinjuryfromtheair-
bagdeployment,youshouldalwayssitback
asfarfromthesteeringwheelasispractical,
whilestillmaintainingfullvehiclecontrol.
I>Adjusttheinsideandoutsiderearviewmir-
rors.
I>Buckleyoursafetybelts.
I>Checkoperationofthefootandparking
brake.
I>Checkallwarningandindicatorlightswith
ignitiononandenginenotrunning.
I>Startengineandcheckallwarningdisplays
forwarningsymbols.
I>Neverleaveanidlingcarunattended.
I>Lockdoorsfrominside,especiallywithchild-
reninthecartopreventinadvertentopening
ofdoorsfrominsideoroutside.
Drivewithdoorslocked.
Ontheroad...
I>Neverdriveafteryouhaveconsumedalcohol
ordrugs.
I>Alwayshaveyoursafetybeltfastened.
I>Alwaysdrivedefensively.
Expecttheunexpected.
I>Usesignalstoindicateturnsandlane
changes.
I>Turnonheadlightsatduskorwhenthedriv-
ingconditionswarrantit.
I>Alwayskeepasafedistancefromthevehicle
infrontofyou,dependingontraffic,roadand
weatherconditions.
I>Reducespeedatnightandduringinclement
weather.
Drivinginwetweatherrequirescautionand
reducedspeeds,particularlyonroadswith
standingwater,asthehandlingcharac-
teristicsofthevehiclemaybeimpaireddue
tohydroplaningofthetires.
I>Alwaysobservespeedlimitsandobeyroad
signsandtrafficlaws.
I>Whentired,getwellofftheroad,stopand
takearest.Turntheengineoff.Donotsitin
thevehiclewithengineidling.
Seewarningson"EngineExhaust".
I>Whenparked,alwayssettheparkingbrake.
MovetheTiptronicselectorleverto"P"orthe
gearshiftlevertoreverseorfirstgear.
Onhillsalsoturnthefrontwheelstowardthe
curb.
I>Whenemergencyrepairsbecomenecessary,
movethevehiclewellofftheroad.Turnon
theemergencyflasheranduseotherwarning
devicestoalertothermotorists.Donotpark
oroperatethevehicleinareaswherethehot
exhaustsystemmaycomeincontactwithdry
grass,brush,fuelspillorotherflammablema-
terial.
I>Makeitahabittohavetheengineoilchecked
witheveryfuelfilling.
Controls,Instruments
13

A-Sensor
B-Switchforautomaticanti-glareoperation
C-Light-emittingdiode
AutomaticAnti-GlareInterior
MirrorandDriver'sDoorMirror
Sensorsonthefrontandrearsidesoftheinte-
riormirrormeasuretheincidentlight.
Themirrorsautomaticallychangetoanti-glare
positionorreverttotheirnormalstate,depend-
ingonthelightintensity.
Whenreversegearisselected,automaticanti-
glareoperationisswitchedoff.
Note
Theincidentlightintheareaofthesensors
mustnotberestricted,e.g.bystickersonthe
windscreen.
Switchingofftheautomaticanti-glare
operation
I>PressswitchB.
Light-emittingdiodeCgoesout.
Switchingontheautomaticanti-glare
operation
I>PressswitchB.
Light-emittingdiodeClightsup.
/!\Warning!
Riskofinjury.Electrolytefluidcanemerge
fromabrokenmirrorglass.
Thisfluidirritatestheskinandeyes.
I>Iftheelectrolytefluidshouldcomeintocon-
tactwiththeeyesorskin,immediatelyrinseit
offwithcleanwater.
Seeadoctorifnecessary.
Riskofdamagetothepaintworkandplas-
ticparts.Electrolytefluidcanberemoved
onlywhileitisstillwet.
I>Cleantheaffectedpartswithwater.
Controls,Instruments
29

0
SafetyBeltWarningSystem

Anaudio-visualwarningsystemisintercon-
nectedwiththedriver'ssafetybelt.
Everytimetheignitionisturnedon,thegong
willsoundforabout6secondstoreminddriver
andpassengertobuckleup.
Thesafetybeltwarninglightsintheinstrument
panelandon-boardcomputerwillgooffassoon
asthedriverhasbuckled
up.
Inertiareelretractor
The
combinationlap/shoulderbeltwithinertia
reellockingmechanismadjustsautomaticallyto
yoursizeandmovementsaslongasthepullon
thebeltisslow.
Rapiddecelerationduringhardbrakingoracolli-
sionlocksthebelt.Thebeltwillalsolockwhen
youdriveupordownasteephillorinasharp
curve,otherwise,theshoulderbeltwillnotinhibit
yourupperbodymovement.
t>Assumeacomfortablesittingposition.
Theshoulderbeltshouldalwaysrestonyour
upperbody.Theshoulderbeltshouldnever
bewornbehindyourbackorunderyourarm.
t>Tofasten,graspbeltandpullthebeltina
continuousslowmotionacrossyourchest
andlap.
t>Insertbelttongueintobuckleoninboardside
ofseat.Pushdownuntilitsecurelylockswith
anaudibleclick.Pullthebelttocheck.
t>Pullshouldersectiontomakesurebeltfits
snuglyacrossthepelvis.
t>Beltsshouldfitsnuglyacrossthepelvisand
chest.Makesurethereisnoslackinthebelt.
t>Tounfastenbelt,pushinreleasebutton
(arrow)onbuckle.Belttonguewillspringout
ofbuckle.
t>Toreleasealatchedbelt,leanbacktotake
thebodypressureoffthebelt.
t>Tostorelap/shoulderbelt,allowthebeltto
retractasyouguidethelatchtoitsstowed
position.
Pleasenotechapter"Automaticlockingretrac-
tor".
t>t>t>
Controls,Instruments
39

t>Donotaddanyadditionalcoveringsor
stickerstothesteeringwheelorinthearea
ofthepassengerairbagandsideairbags.
Doingsomayadverselyaffectthefunctioning
oftheairbagsystemorcauseharmtothe
occupantsiftheairbagsystemshoulddeploy.
t>Donotundertakeanywiringforelectricalac-
cessoryequipmentinthevicinityoftheairbag
wiringharnesses.Doingsomaydisablethe
airbagsystemorcauseinflation.
t>Ifthewarninglightcomeson,theairbagsys-
temshouldberepairedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedPorschedealer.
Note
Airbagcomponents(e.g.steeringwheel,door
trim)maybedisassembledonlybyanauth-
orizedPorschedealer.
Whendisposingofausedairbagunit,oursafety
instructionsmustbefollowed.Theseinstructions
canbeobtainedatanyauthorizedPorsche
dealer.

{)Warninglight

Thecentraltriggeringunitmonitorstheoper-
ationalreadinessoftheairbagsystemandthe
warninglight.
Anymalfunctionsthatmayoccurwillbeindi-
catedbythewarninglightsintheinstrument
panelandon-boardcomputer.

t>Inthefollowingcasesyoushouldimme-
diatelyconsultanauthorizedPorsche
dealerinordertoassuretheairbagsys-
temisfunctioningproperly:
-
Illuminationoftheairbagwarninglightduring
travelorrepeatedilluminationlongerthan5
secondsaftertheignitioncircuitisturned
on.
-
Illuminationfailstolightupduringignitioncir-
cuitactivation.
Iftheairbagsonthepassenger'ssideare
switchedoffbythechild
restraint
system,or
ifaninstalledchildrestraintsystemisdetected
whentheignitionisswitchedon,thewarning
lightflashesfor60secondswhentheignition
is
on.
A.Danger!
Ifthelightdoesnotflash,theairbagsare
notdeactivatedandachildrestraintsys-
temmustnotbeinstalled.
t>
Havethefaultremediedimmediatelybyan
authorizedPorschedealer.

Airbagmaintenance

Inordertoensurelong-termfunctioning,theair-
bagsystemmustbeinspectedbyanauthorized
Porschedealerafter4,8and10yearsfromthe
dateofmanufactureshownonthesafetycom-
pliancesticker,andevery2yearsthereafter.

Importantinformation

IfyousellyourPorsche,notifythepurchaser
thatthevehicleisequippedwithairbags,and
referthemtothechapter,"AirbagSystems",in
theowner'smanual(safetyanddisposalrules).
Furtherinformationontheairbagsystemcanbe
foundonstickersatthesunvisors,aswellas
onallairbagcomponents.
Forspecialrecommendationsontheuseofchild
restraints,pleaserefertothechapteron"Child
RestraintSystems".
Controls,Instruments
45

RolloverProtectionSystem
TheRolloverProtectionSystemonthe
Cabrioletconsistsoftwosupplementalsafety
barsthattogetherwiththefrontwindshield
framehelptocreateoccupantsurvivalspacein
caseofrollover.Becauseoftheextremeand
unpredictableforceswhichcanbeencountered
inarollover,itisnotpossibletoguaranteethat
occupantswillbeprotectedfromallcontactwith
exteriorobjectsortheground.However,the
RolloverProtectionSystemisdesignedtomain-
taintheoccupantsurvivalspace.
TheRolloverProtectionSystemisactivated
automaticallyintheeventofanaccidentorex-
tremedrivingsituation.
Theprotectivedevicesarelocatedbehindeach
rearseatandrapidlydeploywithinafractionof
asecond.
Theycandeployunder:
-Extremetiltingofthevehicle.
-Lossofgroundcontact(e.g.Goingoverthe
crestofahillathighspeed).
46Controls,Instruments
/!\Danger!
Riskofdeathorseriousinjury.
I>Donotblockareaofsupplementalsafety
barswithobjects.
Intheeventofadeploymentevent,suchob-
jectscouldpotentiallypreventsuchdeploy-
mentfromoccuring,orsuchobjectscould
impactthecaroccupantsathighspeed.
I>Donottamperwithorworkonwiringandor
componentsofRolloverProtectionSystem.
I>Allworkregardingthissystemmustbecar-
riedoutbyyourauthorizedPorschedealer.
I>Checkfunctionsandperiodicserviceintervals
accordingtomaintenanceschedule(seeyour
authorizedPorschedealer).
Toavoiddamagetotheconvertibletop:
I>Ifthesupplementalsafetybarsareextended
foranyreason,donotopenorcloseconvert-
ibletop.
@
Warninglight
Thewarninglightilluminateswhenignitionis
switchedonandgoesoffwhenengineisrun-
ning.
Shouldthewarninglightsintheinstrumentpanel
andon-boardcomputerilluminatewiththeen-
ginerunningorwhiledriving,itmeansthata
faulthasbeendetectedinthesystem.Theoper-
ationofthesystemmaybecompromised.
SeeyourauthorizedPorschedealerimmediately
andhavethefaultremedied.

RetractableRearSpoiler
Therearspoilerreducesairresistanceand,par-
ticularlyathighspeeds,reducesrearaxlelift.
Automaticcontrol
Therearspoilerautomaticallyextendsatap-
proximately75mph/120km/handretractsat
approximately37mph/60km/h.
50Controls,Instruments
C1
Warninglight
Thewarninglightintheinstrumentpanellights
foralampcheckwhenignitionisswitchedon.
Thewarninglightsintheinstrumentpaneland
on-boardcomputergooniftherearspoiler
doesnotextendatmorethan75mph/120
km/horiftheendpositionisnotreached.
Iftheautomaticcontrolfails:
I>Stopthecaratasafeplaceandextendthe
rearspoilermanuallybypressingthespoiler
rockerswitchA.
A.Danger!
Riskofanaccident.
Thespoileraffectsmovementofairaround
thevehicleandisusedtomaintainaerody-
namicstabilityasvehiclespeedsincrease.
Ifthespoilerdoesnotextendautomatically
duetomechanicalmalfunction,drivingsta-
bilitywillbeadverselyaffectedbyin-
creasedrearaxlelift,whichcouldleadto
lossofcontrol.
I>Adaptyourdrivingstyleandreducespeedto
thechangedaerodynamicconditions.
I>Havethefaultremediedatanauthorized
Porschedealer.
I>Donotexceedthepostedlegalspeedlimit.
Risk
ofan
accidentandlossofcontrol.
I>Donotoperatethespoilerrockerswitchma-
nuallywhiledriving.

ClutchPedal
Theclutchpedalmustbedepressedfully
beforethestarterwillengage.
/!\.Warning!
Riskofanaccident.
I>Alwayscheckthemovementoftheclutch
pedalbeforedrivingandmakesurethatitis
notobstructedbyafloormatoranyother
object.
I>Securethefloormattopreventitfromsliding
intopositionsthatcouldinterferewiththe
safeoperationofyourvehicle.
YourPorschedealerwillbegladtoofferyou
floormatsofthecorrectsizeincludingase-
curingpossibility.
Toavoiddamagetotheclutchandtrans-
mission:
I>Alwaysdepresstheclutchpedalfullywhen
changinggears.
I>Donotholdthecaronasteepgradewiththe
clutchpedalpartiallydepressed.
Shouldthefreetraveloftheclutchpedalsud-
denlybecomebigger,itcouldmeanamalfunc-
tionoftheclutch.SeeyourPorschedealerfor
correction.
52Controls,Instruments
ParkingBrake
Parkingbrakeforceismechanicallytransferred
totherearwheelsbymeansofcables.
I>Usetheparkingbrakeonlyafterthevehicle
hascometoafullstop.

Setting
theparkingbrake
I>Pulltheleverallthewayup(seearrow).
Withtheignitionon,theparkingbrakewarn-
inglightsintheinstrumentpanelandon-board
computerwillcomeoniftheleveriseven
slightlyraised.Afirmpullupwardisrequired
toproperlyengagetheparkingbrake.
Ifthebrakeisnotfullyset,thevehiclemay
rollwithoutcontrol.
I>Movetheselectorleverto"P"(Tiptronic)or
movethegearshiftlevertoreverseorfirst
gear(Manualtransmission).
I>Beforeexitingthevehicle,makesurethatthe
parkingbrakeisfullysetandthevehicleis
notmovingatall.
Releasingtheparkingbrake
I>Pulltheleverslightlyupasyoudepressthe
releasebuttonA,andthenpushtheleverall
thewaydown.