Oil Leak - Pulling Trans to change RMS, IMS, Clutch, etc

[Paul]

Here's a picture of when I did mine (even easier with the motor on a lift table)

[Paul]

Air Oil Separator.

[Paul]

This tool makes replacing the RMS correctly as simple as unwrapping a stick of gum.

[Paul]

Oil fill tube:

[woodsman]

why would the oil fill tube need to be replaced? what goes wrong with it?

[Paul]

Age and vibration, it is attached to the motor which rocks on its mount when compared to the oil fill cap which is mounted on the firewall. Also a failing AOS causes low vacuum that collapses the tube when off throttle.

In regards to the RMS, I use the sheet metal screw method to remove them.

[woodsman]

Wow that was QUICK!!! thanks for your expertise and the good pictures. I was going to put my tranny back in today but may now wait to install the oil fill tube since mine is leaking alittle- the AOS was replaced about 50 miles before I stopped driving it last fall. Is it a concern about air pressure/vacuum?
PS How the heck did you take the last picture?...mechanics secret third hand?..

[Paul]

When a AOS fails it can introduce high vacuum levels to the crankcase and since the oil tube dumps into the crankcase, the high vacuum levels can make it collapse and ultimately leak.

[woodsman]

would a bad AOS cause a strong oily odour around my car after shutting it off?

[drbodzin]

Have any of you replaced the transmission Main Shaft Seal? Any advice? Thinking I want to do that since I have the transmission out.

And Paul, thank you for posting the pics of your work.

[Homeboy981]

On a 6 Speed… Instructions say to drill a hole and insert a drywall-type screw and then, using prybar/pliers you can extract. I found that part to be true.

The tricky part was putting the transmission seal back in! Make sure you get it in FAR ENOUGH! If you are replacing the Throwout Bearing guide Sleeve, as you should, take the old one, invert it, and insert it FORCEFULLY (up to and including banging it with a mallet HARD). It MUST SEAT very well up against the lip of the transmission housing to seal.

My PO did not seal it well and ruined the clutch/flywheel/Throwout Bearing. There was also a couple pounds of grease mixed with dirt INSIDE the tranny housing…it was a mess!

TEST IT BEFORE YOU INSTALL:
CAREFULLY tip the transmission housing forward so you can test the seal for runs, drips or errors. Also, IF you notice ANY transmission fluid leaking out at time of re-assembly… the seal is NOT SEATED ENOUGH.

Here is a pic of the seal in question.


Again, this is a Boxster S model, with a 6 speed. The 5 speed has a larger flange and is a larger diameter.

Hope that helps you get it together!

Originally Posted by drbodzin

Have any of you replaced the transmission Main Shaft Seal? Any advice? Thinking I want to do that since I have the transmission out.

And Paul, thank you for posting the pics of your work.

[drbodzin]

Homeboy, thanks for that detail instruction on Main Shaft Seal. That will help me a a lot.

[drbodzin]

My trans is from a Base 1998 and has the main seal as part of the throw out bearing guide tube. Does anyone know the Torque Values for the three screws that hold the guide tube? I can't locate then anywhere.

Originally Posted by Homeboy981

On a 6 Speed… Instructions say to drill a hole and insert a drywall-type screw and then, using prybar/pliers you can extract. I found that part to be true.

The tricky part was putting the transmission seal back in! Make sure you get it in FAR ENOUGH! If you are replacing the Throwout Bearing guide Sleeve, as you should, take the old one, invert it, and insert it FORCEFULLY (up to and including banging it with a mallet HARD). It MUST SEAT very well up against the lip of the transmission housing to seal.

My PO did not seal it well and ruined the clutch/flywheel/Throwout Bearing. There was also a couple pounds of grease mixed with dirt INSIDE the tranny housing…it was a mess!

TEST IT BEFORE YOU INSTALL:
CAREFULLY tip the transmission housing forward so you can test the seal for runs, drips or errors. Also, IF you notice ANY transmission fluid leaking out at time of re-assembly… the seal is NOT SEATED ENOUGH.

Here is a pic of the seal in question.


Again, this is a Boxster S model, with a 6 speed. The 5 speed has a larger flange and is a larger diameter.

Hope that helps you get it together!

[Paul]

Well done! Using the correct tools always produces a better chance of success.

How much oil was in the IMS tube?

[drbodzin]

Originally Posted by Paul

Well done! Using the correct tools always produces a better chance of success.

How much oil was in the IMS tube?

Hi Paul,

I didn't think to measure the amount of oil that came out of the IMS tube, but I would guess it was about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup. Does the amount of oil in the tube have any significant meaning?

[drbodzin]

Today was a full day of working on the car. Started the day by attacking my filthy transmission and getting it cleaned up and ready to be re-installed.

The transmission was super dirty.





My wife just had to get a shot of me doing my work.



Here's the trans all nice and clean after some scrubbing and power spraying.





Here's the main shaft with the throw out bearing tube removed and ready for a new tube, seal and o-ring.

Does anybody know the torque values for these screws. I can't find them anywhere.

[drbodzin]

Then is was on to installing the clutch and pressure plate. But first I had to tighten the flywheel bolts. In order to do the the 120 degrees after torquing to 19 ft-lbs I used an angle measurement tool. I tried to locate the printed degree wheel from 101Projects.com, but it impossible to find it. So I had to improvise.

Locked the flywheel with a $0.75 metal strap from Home Depot. Worked great.



Attached the angle measuring tool (has a magnet) to the side of the breaker bar and noted the angle. Then calculated what the angle would be after 120 degrees. I think I liked using this method a lot and would recommend it to any one else.





I'm installing a new clutch disk and pressure plate for the 987 instead of the 986. Read that it was a nice upgrade.



Guess there is a side that is suppose to face the trans. Make sure you install it the correct way.



The new 987 pressure plate.



All done with the clutch install.

[drbodzin]

Last project of the day was to remove the old water pump and thermostat and install new ones. The new thermostat is a low temp unit.

Here are the olds and new units. It was pretty tough to get to all the screws to remove the units. I really thought it was going to be really hard to get some of the screws back in. Really tight quarters, especially the top left screw on the themostat.



But, I was able to get the new one back in without too much trouble. I then installed the water pump - forgot to take a picture though.

[Paul]

FSM says 26 ftlbs for the guide sleeve for the release bearing on transmission housing for a 97-99 Boxster 5 speed.

[drbodzin]

Originally Posted by Paul

FSM says 26 ftlbs for the guide sleeve for the release bearing on transmission housing for a 97-99 Boxster 5 speed.

Awesome! Thanks Paul