Ok to jack up ONLY the rear to change out trans fluid
 

Hi all,

Been reading guides on doing the trans fluid on this car. Seems like I have to remove the diagonal aluminum support braces, which should only be done with the wheels off the ground (i.e. suspension unloaded) to prevent changes in alignment geometry.

Now, I'm not too worried about getting the right amount of fluid in the trans (i.e. trans level or not) as I have that taken care of seperately, but I wanted to know this:

Is there any reason that I SHOULD NOT remove the aluminum diagonal support braces when the front wheels are loaded/on the ground? I.e. do they somehow still bear a load from the front (I can't see how)?

As a side note, I'm going to be swapping in Mobil One Delvac 75w90, which is $52 for a gallon from Grainger supply. I'll post thoughts afterwards.

You would be better off if the car was up level; trans will drain better and checking or adjsuting the fluid level is easier.

Understood. However, I am inferring frmo your post that front end load will not affect rear end diagonal brace removal - if this is incorrect, please let me know :)

+1 on that. I would feel a lot better about being under a car supported by 4 jack stands, rather than two and some chocks that may/may not squirm.

Its better to take an extra couple minutes and do it the correct way. You have a lot to lose and a little to gain, think of it that way!

Gentleman (and ladies!) -

I will either be driving the front end of the car up on stacked 2x6's, ramps, etc...

And then jacking up the rear. Haven't finalized htat yet.

However, I will certainly be leaving the front suspension loaded.

My main concern is that by some freak of porsche engineering, leaving the front suspension loaded and removing the rear diagonal support braces could mess with the alignment. I've seen weirder things :)

I genuinely appreciate the concern - but please bear in mind that I am trying to get a question answered too :) Still awaiting that answer in the affirmative...

To address your concern, I do not believe that the front end being either loaded or unloaded makes any difference; because ours are on a lift, all the suspension is unloaded, but I really do not see any reason for concern.

A suggestion to make your life simple in the future: Mark the location of your drain plug on the panel you need to remove, and while it is out of the car, use a 2” or so metal hole saw to put an access port in the panel so it will never have to be removed again to drain the gearbox…………..next time you just remove the drain plug............

JFP,

I thought of this many times, and when I was ready to drain my tranny oil I was going to post the question.

It's great having a pro tech on a forum that's willing to take their time to help out us DIY'ers. Thx.

Regards,
paul...

Not a problem. An HVAC contractor set us up with a "panel punch" which put a hole in without a lot of de-burring needed afterwards. Neat tool..........but you can probably get a hole saw for less.

http://www.newportus.com/ppt/images/RHP-58.gif

I've used those punches before (Greenlee makes good ones -- hope they're still made in USA!) and I would definitely try this route before the hole saw for the same reasons you stated. Thx.

Regards,
paul..