Why are 1st and 2nd gears so harsh - please help

[racer_d]

If you haven't already done so, you might consider replacing the transmission gear oil. Not sure how old it is, but the newer it is, the smoother the car will shift. I would guess that its actually a gear synchro that is wearing out. Then again, they do wear out, so I wouldn't be suprised. Out of curiosity, how many miles are on the car? How many of those have you put on (ie, did you buy it used or new? do you know how the previous owner may have treated the car?)

To test if a bad synchro, try "double de-clutching" - this is when you would shift from 1st into neutral, let out the clutch, then put in the clutch again and shift into 2nd. More often then not, you won't get a "crunch" when using this method because all the internal parts are moving at the same speed. A grind when shifting comes from 2 parts traveling at different speeds, coming together. The job of the syncrho (synchronizer) is to get the two parts to rotate at the same speed.


I also believe that ALL manual transmission boxsters contain some notchiness in the 1-2 shift. That is likely why the dealer says its "within spec" or "seems ok". You might try to find other manual trans boxsters and test drive them for comparison. I know my 2000 Boxster had a notchiness (although it was 1000% smoother tham my old 911 transmission, so I hardly noticed it)

Be slow and deliberate in all your shifts. I've never driven a Porsche that responded well to rushing a shift.