2nd Gear Adjustment?

[JZeke]

Last year I had my 2nd gear rebuilt at Gbox and their detent installed. Car is running Gbox-specified Porsche/Shell gear oil.

2nd gear remains notchy, and difficult from cold. I still skip from 1st to 3rd when cold, like I did before the 'box rebuild. Upshifts are still notchy after car has warmed through while downshifts into 2nd are smooth. Gearbox rebuild was extensive. Clutch was also replaced at this time (as was the IMS with an LN IMSS). All this said, is there any adjustment one can make to the engagement of 2nd? I have done searches on adjustments and 2nd gears, but the Venn Diagram of both issues don't seem to intersect where my issue is:

If/when your G86.2 Boxster S transmission has had its 2nd gear, 1-2 shift sleeve, pinion cone ring, and shift arm, and pinion bearing also replaced, running Porsche gear oil and you have persistent 2nd gear notchiness from cold, is there an adjustment one can make to the shifter assembly to improve feel?

[JFP in PA]

No.........................

[JZeke]

I was watching videos of gearshift linkage adjustment, using the green plastic shift cable tool and it seems people do something with them. I was hoping that someone had an experience with similar to share. But thanks for the feedback.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by JZeke

I was watching videos of gearshift linkage adjustment, using the green plastic shift cable tool and it seems people do something with them. I was hoping that someone had an experience with similar to share. But thanks for the feedback.

That just adjusts the gate angle for things like the 2-3 shift, or to set the neutral gate, it has no impact on how a gear engages.

[Starter986]

Originally Posted by JZeke

Last year I had my 2nd gear rebuilt at Gbox and their detent installed. Car is running Gbox-specified Porsche/Shell gear oil.

2nd gear remains notchy, and difficult from cold. I still skip from 1st to 3rd when cold, like I did before the 'box rebuild. Upshifts are still notchy after car has warmed through while downshifts into 2nd are smooth. Gearbox rebuild was extensive. Clutch was also replaced at this time (as was the IMS with an LN IMSS). All this said, is there any adjustment one can make to the engagement of 2nd? I have done searches on adjustments and 2nd gears, but the Venn Diagram of both issues don't seem to intersect where my issue is:

If/when your G86.2 Boxster S transmission has had its 2nd gear, 1-2 shift sleeve, pinion cone ring, and shift arm, and pinion bearing also replaced, running Porsche gear oil and you have persistent 2nd gear notchiness from cold, is there an adjustment one can make to the shifter assembly to improve feel?

What does Gbox say? Surely you've run across them your concerns?

[JZeke]

Originally Posted by Starter986

What does Gbox say? Surely you've run across them your concerns?

They say I need to drive it 1500-2000 miles before the synchro and associated parts break-in. I've only driven 750 or so since so I will give it time. Plus the weather is warming which will help, when it was super cold out the engagement was terrible. Like an old Ferrari 308/328 2nd gear (if anyone has driven those, they were basically impossible to get into 2nd until the gearbox oil came up to temp, having driven them can concur but I've only driven a few so not hard evidence either.)

[Smallblock454]

Originally Posted by JZeke

They say I need to drive it 1500-2000 miles before the synchro and associated parts break-in.

That*s BS.

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by JZeke

They say I need to drive it 1500-2000 miles before the synchro and associated parts break-in

Did they offer you their one month one thousand mile warranty..?
Sorry I could not resist

But, I concur with Smallblock it's BS..

[JZeke]

The shop that did the removal and coordinating with Gbox gave me a 1 year warranty on any work they performed or authorized from an outside vendor, so not too worried there. Gbox also offered a 1 year/12k mile warranty - guess I missed the referenced joke (which for me is typical lol.)

I mean it has gotten better, just not what I would consider ideal yet. I've been ruined by a decade of owning MX-5s with their super slick shifters. Driving the car to work and sitting in rush hour traffic the other day I didn't have issues with engagement feel like I did during the colder months so we will see.

[JZeke]

Wanted to revive this as info for anyone who is wondering about their shift feel:

It's the motor mount.

I decided to not heed the advice of my tech (who said the MM "looked fine") and inspect it myself. Whoa it was far from fine, cracked almost all the way round. I blame those isolator pads for hiding the truth. But after I installed a new one, shifting dramatically improved after break in. Say about 200 miles. Now 2nd grinds ever so slightly if I shift slowly into gear when its cold, but after a mile or so thats over. Plus the Gbox detent encourages really fast/smooth shifting into 2nd, not a slam into gear but a very quick movement that screams "racecar". Its honestly better feeling than the other gears now, very solid and positive!

So fix your Motor Mounts if your shifting s*cks!

/PSA

[husker boxster]

Have you done a flush or was one required after a period of time since you got the trans back in? The trans in my CSS went to AZ for what started as a 2nd gear rebuild but escalated to a toss onto the trash heap and replaced with a reman unit. I was required to flush the trans after 1500 mi, which I did. The guy in AZ who did the work recommended Amsoil, which I used initially and with the 1500 mi flush. I noticed notchy shifting during cold weather but it improved during the warmer weather. BTW, I'd just replaced the front motor mount a yr earlier, so that wasn't an issue. I will prob go to Mobil 1 for my next flush.

I mention all this because you may want to do a flush with your new gear. The AZ guy said it was important to flush your transaxle often, esp if you do track days. His recommendation was every 10K mi if you do track days. I may go every 2 yrs, but plan to change it more often than I used to (once at 50K mi). I just changed the fluid in my LE at 84K mi and will do it more often, maybe every 3 yrs, since she's a warm weather car only and never sees track use.