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BirdDog · 05-25-2016, 06:34 PM

The original Porsche maintenance schedule said the fluid was "lifetime", but the transmission manufacturer has said it's best to change it every 50k miles or so.

I did mine at the beginning of 2015 (my Boxster S had 73K miles on it)

First, you need this:

http://www.amazon.com/Pentosin-1058206-ATF-1-Synthetic-AutomotiveTransmission/dp/B00JMAQ0LW?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Pretty sure that was the best price I could find when I did it, but look around. I would refrain from using any other fluid even if they say that it's compatible. You can get single quart (liter) bottles from O'Reilly auto parts. Probably other places too, but getting that big bottle from Amazon worked out cheapest for me.

That should be more than enough to do a fluid change (without flushing the converter). The fill process can be messy (you pump fluid in until it comes raining down out of the fill port). If you want to also flush the converter, there was a thread on the forums that discussed flushing the converter using successive fill and drains. I think 3 or 4 times would give you a pretty thorough flush. I just did a drain and fill with a new filter and planned to do it again in 15K-20K miles.

You'll also need the filter and gasket set. Got mine from Pelican.

You'll need a pump to pump in the new fluid. I bought mine at Northern Tool and Equipment (under $10). Performance Tool "Quart and Gallon Fluid Pump" #W1139.

Plus sockets to get the drain plug and fill plug out as well as the bolts holding the oil pan on. The fill plug is a big one (17mm hex) and I believe the drain plug is a standard size too (by standard I mean the same across all the Tips), but the bolts holding the oil pan on can be one of 3 different sizes (all the same). The bolts holding my oil pan on were a different size than those listed in the 101 projects book and different than what some others on the forums said that theirs used. Best to get under there and check before you start the job. I believe you have to pull that big aluminum plate off to see them though. My rear main seal had been leaking and many of the forward pan bolts were packed solid with dirt. I used a dental pick to clear them out.

Be sure you loosen that big fill plug at the beginning. You need to be able to fill the transmission and the time to find out that the plug won't come loose is not when you are getting ready to fill it.

You'll have to have the car level, and up in the air when you do the fill. I used 4 jack stands, one under each jack point, and an extra one and my big jack under the engine just to play it safe.

Lastly, you'll need a way to measure the transmission temperature. You have to do the final fill with the tranny between 90 and 100 F. I picked up an infrared laser thermometer at Harbor Freight for $15 and that worked great.

I plan to do another fluid and filter change this fall. At that point I'll only have 15K-20K miles on it since the first change, but I already have all the tools and it's under $100 to do the whole job. I like to be proactive.

Sorry for the long post - hope this helps!

P.S. you can see the whole procedure in an episode of Wheeler Dealers that's available to view on YouTube. They change the fluid and filter on a 2000 Boxster S.

05-25-2016, 06:34 PM	#10
BirdDog Registered User Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 419	The original Porsche maintenance schedule said the fluid was "lifetime", but the transmission manufacturer has said it's best to change it every 50k miles or so. I did mine at the beginning of 2015 (my Boxster S had 73K miles on it) First, you need this: http://www.amazon.com/Pentosin-1058206-ATF-1-Synthetic-AutomotiveTransmission/dp/B00JMAQ0LW?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 Pretty sure that was the best price I could find when I did it, but look around. I would refrain from using any other fluid even if they say that it's compatible. You can get single quart (liter) bottles from O'Reilly auto parts. Probably other places too, but getting that big bottle from Amazon worked out cheapest for me. That should be more than enough to do a fluid change (without flushing the converter). The fill process can be messy (you pump fluid in until it comes raining down out of the fill port). If you want to also flush the converter, there was a thread on the forums that discussed flushing the converter using successive fill and drains. I think 3 or 4 times would give you a pretty thorough flush. I just did a drain and fill with a new filter and planned to do it again in 15K-20K miles. You'll also need the filter and gasket set. Got mine from Pelican. You'll need a pump to pump in the new fluid. I bought mine at Northern Tool and Equipment (under $10). Performance Tool "Quart and Gallon Fluid Pump" #W1139. Plus sockets to get the drain plug and fill plug out as well as the bolts holding the oil pan on. The fill plug is a big one (17mm hex) and I believe the drain plug is a standard size too (by standard I mean the same across all the Tips), but the bolts holding the oil pan on can be one of 3 different sizes (all the same). The bolts holding my oil pan on were a different size than those listed in the 101 projects book and different than what some others on the forums said that theirs used. Best to get under there and check before you start the job. I believe you have to pull that big aluminum plate off to see them though. My rear main seal had been leaking and many of the forward pan bolts were packed solid with dirt. I used a dental pick to clear them out. Be sure you loosen that big fill plug at the beginning. You need to be able to fill the transmission and the time to find out that the plug won't come loose is not when you are getting ready to fill it. You'll have to have the car level, and up in the air when you do the fill. I used 4 jack stands, one under each jack point, and an extra one and my big jack under the engine just to play it safe. Lastly, you'll need a way to measure the transmission temperature. You have to do the final fill with the tranny between 90 and 100 F. I picked up an infrared laser thermometer at Harbor Freight for $15 and that worked great. I plan to do another fluid and filter change this fall. At that point I'll only have 15K-20K miles on it since the first change, but I already have all the tools and it's under $100 to do the whole job. I like to be proactive. Sorry for the long post - hope this helps! P.S. you can see the whole procedure in an episode of Wheeler Dealers that's available to view on YouTube. They change the fluid and filter on a 2000 Boxster S. __________________ 2001 Boxster S - Speed Yellow, Black Leather, Tiptronic, Jake Raby rebuilt 3.2 with IMS Solution Last edited by BirdDog; 05-25-2016 at 06:37 PM.