Stiff Shifter?? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Baconaire · 02-03-2005, 08:23 AM

Hi All,
I recently became the proud owner of a 98 Box with manual transmission, 35k miles. Love it, but I feel like shifting is stiffer than it should be. Its hard to describe but it feels notchy. What I mean is when I shift, its kind of a 2-push process. One push to get out of the current gear, then it gets a little hung up in the middle and requires a firmer push into gear. Of course this is all with the clutch fully depressed.

I'm wondering if that is just the way it is, or whether something can be lubed, or checked. Do I look at it from underneath the car or take the boot off to examime all the linkages? I feel like it should be smoother.

jwocky · 02-03-2005, 08:34 AM

Perhaps there's a short shifter kit installed in your car by the previous owner, which would definitely make it notchier than stock.

Jason

Baconaire · 02-03-2005, 08:56 AM

I'll check that out but I highly doubt it since the car is bone stock. Thanks for the idea.

Perfectlap · 02-03-2005, 09:54 AM

wow nice color and with a hardtop! nice...
my last car required two pushes and then I changed the turret oil with Redline MT-90. A noticeable improvement. Then the next week I replaced the turret oil again (I didn't do such a good job of sucking out all the old oil the first time) and replaced the rubber boot covering the turret. Oh my god what a difference. The old boot was torn and beat. It was now like I put in an s2000 gearbox. Then I sold the car the next week. I should have done it much sooner but the new owner called me while he drove it down to Florida from New Jersey and told me the Miata felt like a shifter kart.

Baconaire · 02-03-2005, 11:03 AM

Yes, it was love at first site! I think I got a good deal.

Thanks for the info. That sounds like it could be the answer. Can you give me more specifics about replacing the boot and oil. I have the service manual so I will see what I can find in there. Thanks a lot.

RandallNeighbour · 02-03-2005, 11:37 AM

Is the turret oil the same as the transmission fluid, or something else? I've never heard of this before. Please explain in detail if it's something other than standard transmission oil.

PS - This thread's title gave me a little chuckle and I almost posted something a little, ahem, well, you know... A comment from the gutter!

Perfectlap · 02-03-2005, 11:43 AM

Don't know about the Boxster, but in my Miata it was the same oil in the turret as the tranny. I purchased RedLine for the diff, but that was a different fluid alltogether. 30,000 miles does seem like a lot of miles for a boot.
But again my Boxster only has 12,000 miles so I haven't disected anything yet.
Check the Renntech forum I've seen toolpants posting on their and he seem like
biggest DIY boxster owner here.

yeah the title should read "notchy shifter", my friend who is an ER resident says since cialis came out they have had allot of stiff shifters. Appartnely the only way to fix the "stiff shifter" is to withdraw fluid from the "shifter" just like you would withdraw turret oil!

IceBox · 02-04-2005, 11:30 AM

Ummm...The Miata shifter and the Boxster shifter feel very different one from the other. No comparison can be drawn beyond the most general. The Miata's shifter has always possessed a 'notchy' feel, as most Japanese trannys do, while the German cars I've driven have a more vauge and flimsy feel. Sticky shifters are NOT the norm for any Boxster I've had the opportunity to drive and this may be something beyond a little lubrication in the turret well. The Miata I drove for 5 years had a shredded upper rubber seal boot and yet this didn't impede it's nice shifting in the way you describe. And it was a '90 so it's boot was likely FUBAR for some time before I purchased it. The NSX I bought after also had a nice notchy feel feel to it but never did it require any 'effort' to move the gear shift from gear to gear. And my Boxster (a 2001) has a very smooth throw (if a little long) and as I said, my only complaint is a slightly 'vague' feel from gear to gear. No stickyness. Hope this helps. :dance:

Brucelee · 02-04-2005, 02:59 PM

"stickiness is not a common characteristic of the Box shifer. Could be a number of issues (clutch related, shifter lube, gearbox lube).

RandallNeighbour · 02-05-2005, 04:01 AM

could someone in the know please answer my question?

Is turret oil and transmission fluid the same thing? I've never heard of this and I'm having my transmission replaced as you read this, so I need to instruct them to change the turret oil as well if it's different from the transmission fluid.

Brucelee · 02-05-2005, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baconaire

Yes, it was love at first site! I think I got a good deal.

Thanks for the info. That sounds like it could be the answer. Can you give me more specifics about replacing the boot and oil. I have the service manual so I will see what I can find in there. Thanks a lot.

BTW-what color is that? I love it! Beauty.

Baconaire · 02-05-2005, 09:03 AM

I could also use some clarification about 'turret oil'. I have the service manual and there is no mention of 'turret oil'. Only 'transmission oil' and 'gear oil'.

Also, the manual says to access the drain/fill plugs you need to remove the 'transverse strut panel'. Can I assume that is a protective panel somewhere near the middle of the undercarriage?

Brucelee, I'm not sure what the color is called. I've looked at the long list of porsche names and by process of elimination I'm guessing it is Zenith Blue. I'll have to check the codes.

Brucelee · 02-05-2005, 09:06 AM

If you pull away the covering in the lower right front side of the Front trunk (in back of headlight) the color is actually specificed in English.

Baconaire · 02-06-2005, 08:12 AM

Thanks for the tip. It is Zenith Blue Metallic.

Brucelee · 02-06-2005, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baconaire

Thanks for the tip. It is Zenith Blue Metallic.

Very unique, very pretty indeed!

IceBox · 02-11-2005, 01:24 PM

Ther is no turret or turret oil in a Boxster transmission. It's a cable type shifter. Don't worry 'bout turret oil unless you're retro-fitting PLap's old miata tranny to your car.