Have you had to replace your gearbox?

[mylamb]

Hi Guru's

Quick question...

My 2001 S has a pretty bad crunch going into second. If you really pay attention (which I do) you can minimize this, and drive pretty smoothly. Obviously, I can't let a friend drive the car without warning them of this condition! Also, it's not a good idea to track it because the shift into second cannot be rushed. I have had both a Porsche specialist & the dealership recommend replacing the whole box.

The specialist, gives me good deals & is extremely trustworthy. They said that Porsche does not sell replacement parts for a 986 S manual gearbox - it's not rebuildable. The only solution is a replacement. The dealership said the same thing. I do have an aftermarket warranty that offers bumper to bumper coverage & shouldn't be a problem. However the dealership was telling me that almost no aftermarket warranty will pay for a replacement box - they will try and get the service dept to tear down the gearbox & find the problem. Tear downs, are of course, not covered & can take 20 hours. The specialist said they won't do a tear down - just try and get them to pay for a replacement.

Just curious as to your thoughts & experiences. Have any of you had to replace a 6 speed manual? Did you have a warranty? Did it go smoothly or did you have to fight like crazy to get it covered? Any advice is appreciated. Obviously, I'm going to try the specialist first & let them work their magic with the warranty company!

[racer_d]

What is it that they think is wrong? Actual damaged gears inside the transmission? Maybe its just bad synchronizers? I would think there are enough "wrecked" boxster Ss that finding a "used one" is a fair alternative.

The likely argument for "replacement" vs "rebuild" is the time it takes. It would cost a dealer a lot more "booktime" to remove, rebuild and re-install than to simply remove bad unit and replace with "new" unit. Whose to say the "new" unit isn't simply a "remanufactured" used one?

I am suprised it hasn't happened yet, but now with 986's being 3-11 years old, you will see a lot more "rebuilds" than "replacements".

Warranty companies are in business to MAKE money, not spend it on claims. I imagine you will have to "fight" for coverage. You don't mention how many miles the car has, or if you are the original owner, but these answers may make the company less likely to happily pay out your claim, imho.

In my 17 years of Porsche experience (356,914,911 and Boxster), I have NEVER driven a Porsche that rewards or appreciates "fast shifts"... Fast shifts usually translate to "hard shifts" which cause damage. The best way to shift is to make it feel like you haven't shifted at all. That takes time, patiences and smoothness.

[mylamb]

Racer_d

They both said that synchros on 2nd are shot. It's still drivable but the recommendation was to have the box replaced. I am the 2nd owner & it has 51,000 miles. My warranty is good until 118,000 miles. I would be fine with it being fixed rather than replaced (as long as it's covered!) The warranty company seems to work pretty well with the specialist, but they really hate my dealership & they get into arguments over prices & hours all the time. I have actually stopped using the dealership completely.

[RandallNeighbour]

I had a "brrrraaaaaat" kind of sound in 1st and 2nd on my 5 speed (MY97) and discovered it can't be rebuilt as of yet. Aftermarket companies will eventually build tranny parts, but until then, it's replacement only.

Try to get your warranty company to pay for a replacement. Hopefully, they'll give you a new tranny. If not, you'll be forced to do what I did... take a salvaged unit with lower mileage on it and have it installed.

The labor is about 8 hours I think.

[Kurt W]

I'm new here, and within a week of joining this group, I'm essentially in the same position with what sounds like the same 2nd gear (only) crunch. It happens whether or not you're going up or down into 2nd. The local dealer diagnosed it as bad (they're words) and PCNA rep has yet to confirm, which I'm told they need to do. But I've been told they will either repair or replace it. What scares me is they admitted to me that they've never repaired one before, and I don't want them to learn on mine They also mentioned that it would need to be torn down whether or not they would repair it. Seems like a lot of trouble if its just going to be replaced anyway! It sounds like these units may not be as robust as they could be. BTW, its a 2004 S 6 Speed with 28K miles that I am otherwise very happy with.

[Brucelee]

Subjectively, we have not had alot of posts on tranny problems. My guess is that this is relatively rare.

I do think the synchros seem to be the primary issue we do hear about.