Quote:
Originally Posted by ganseg
Just bought a 2001 Boxster S with 118,000 miles. When cold it is very slow to go into any gear. About 3 miles later it is ok. I did a drain and fill with Porsche fluid - no change. I do not know if it was ever changed before.
In my BMWs, I always used Redline in the trans and diff. BMW specs a lighter gear lube than Porsche, but I was hoping that a lighter fluid would make it easier to shift when cold. Anyone successfully using Redline and which viscosity? Thanks.
|
So I think that I can add some help to this thread. The oil debate seems to NEVER end, and that is due in part I think to the fact that most shops have a oil of choice. So here is the reality with regard to the 986 gearbox.
The reason that companies like Gbox and others put a disclaimer to use only Porsche OEM fluids, is for their protection. Some synthetic oils do not work well inside these gearboxes as they are simply too slick to allow the synchronizers to work at their optimum ability. As such, I myself do not recommend them. I know however that there are any number of shops that use them all the time.
The Porsche oil is quite expensive and not easy to find. There are several other oils out there that will do the job just fine, but will have their own unique characteristics. One of them will be that shifting will be stiffer when the gearbox is cold. This is NOT a bad thing. You want oil to adequately coat the synchronizers, and gears to protect them when they first start running together.
Going to a lighter fluid to remedy this cold start up feel, is not a good idea. In making the shifting slightly easier you are also wearing the internals, especially the synchronizers, more quickly. This will also result in a earlier rebuild time.
So on and on the debate goes on. Here is what most every rebuilder, at the end of the day is going to say, unless they have some oil they use on everything. Pretty much any 90 weight non synthetic oil will be just fine for your gearbox. You can spend the money on the OEM oil, which experience has shown one to work better than the other in terms of what they recommend. (get the shell oil if you can find it) Or you can certainly use a wide variety of others. Just keep in mind that synthetics CAN wear some parts prematurely, even if they are also protecting others.
As I mentioned, many shops have a favorite oil, usually one that has shown itself to work in a wide array of gearboxes. For me, I tend to recommend the Swepco 201 for the street and the 210 for the track. There are other blends that I think some people have had issues with, but these two, as far as I know have never caused any issues in any Porsche gearbox.
I hope that this is somewhat helpful. Feel free to give me a call with any more specific questions. I am always around to help.
Erik Johnson
(970) 344-7761 phone