Transmission repair
 

2002 Boxster S transmission rebuild. We would like to replace the brass bushing in the first picture. The shaft from part number 2 fits in this bushing however loosely. Porsche sells only the entire assembly of the rear transmission case for over $500 and all the associated parts would have to be swapped over or replaced at considerable effort. Does anyone have a simple or possible solution?

See if the guys at GBox transmissions can help you, there are fairly close to you.
PORSCHE RACING AND STREET GEARBOXES-GBOX Transmission

If Gbox cannot help, you are kind of screwed. This bushing is machined after being pressed in, which requires some special fixtures to accomplish. Porsche has never sold it separately. We have done a couple of these and had to buy the entire tail housing from a dealer to do them.

There are shops out there that can perform this repair that is MUCH better than stock. If you have ever seen these bushings they are a real joke they look like a sewing machine thimble :p. I know this first hand as my 02 S 6 speed box had a severe case of jumping out of 2nd gear. I had no idea of previous history as I purchased this vehicle through a 3rd party that was not told by the previous owner that there was an issue with the transmission. Anyway back on topic. Here in Georgia I was fortunate to find an independent German car repair place that specialized in Porsche's. They had seen many 986/996 transmissions with 2nd gear issues. The shops owner ( a machinist ) developed his own repair using a VERY robust bronze bushing that really makes the OEM bushing look like a joke :mad: . He developed a fixture that allows him to " line bore " the case to be able to install the larger bushings. He also found on the net a gasket/seal that fits perfectly making this repair oil tight. The owner told me he's never had one come back for the same condition they are that stout. We did the " while your in there " thing to the tune of $2500.00 but my transmission shifts perfectly and I have zero worries it will occur again. I know Gbox is highly recommended and you should check them out but I would also go to a PCA event and ask around you may get lucky and find a local shop that can do the repair. In my opinion if you are planning on holding onto the car for any length of time repairing the transmission with the OEM bushings is not a very good option. Good luck with the repair and keep in mind 2nd gear is a weak spot on these transmissions. :cheers:

Transmission repair
 

Froze the driven shaft and heated the interference fit parts. Shaft is back together this evening. A friend is cooling the reverse bushing with dry ice. See that the oven temperature of 450 degrees stained my parts.

Behind the 8 ball
 

2002 Boxster S transmission rebuild. I haven't located the clear sealant for closing up the transmission case. The clutch plate looked like it could use replacing. A kit including both the clutch plate and the pressure plate was not that much more than just the clutch plate alone, so I ordered the kit. Then I tested the dual mass flywheel and it performed poorly, so I ordered a new one of those. Heck, now as long as I'm in there for that much money and work, I might as well replace the IMS bearing. We have now purchased a DOF (direct oil feed) kit from TuneRS [ Direct Oil Feed (DOF) – 97 – 05 Early Style 986/996/997 | TuneRS Motorsports | Online Shop ] and a set of tools from LN engineering http://lnengineering.com/products/ims/ims-pro-tool-kit-everything-you-need-to-install-a-classic-single-or-dual-row-ims-retrofit.html . This will take us a bit longer to install, but it should maximize the fun content.

You guys are pretty ambitious. When I tossed the pinyon bearing in my trans I just unbolted it and bolted up a used one from a dismantler. Still going strong 3 years long.

Super impressive. I like the post about the machinist line boring a new bronze bushing in place - doing what Porsche can't afford to. Excellent photos as well! Way to go.

Steel Single Row Bearing going in with DOF
 

We will be installing a SKF 6204 2RSJEM bearing for $13 (steel single row)
SKF 6204 2RSJEM Light Series Deep Groove Ball Bearing, Deep Groove Design, ABEC 1 Precision, Double Sealed, Contact, Steel Cage, C3 Clearance, 20mm Bore, 47mm OD, 14mm Width, 1470.0 pounds Static Load Capacity, 2860.00 pounds Dynamic Load Capacity: A

This bearing will be used in the DOF installation mentioned previously.

Installation tools will be here in Albuquerque w/ Roadrunner Region PCA

Loctite 574 arrived this afternoon. Transmission is reassembled torqued to 18 ft-lbs. DOF IMS bearing when an install kit arrives and then back on the road again!

Transmission drying in the sun after cleaning. I suppose I have to clean up the dining room now.

Just a data point that illustrates the significance of your DIY repair of the 6 speed gearbox - the local Porsche engine/trans repair shop estimates a basic charge of $3500 to do the 2 mainshaft bearings and second gear.The "while we're in there" items would be extra -like the CMS arrester. http://rennlist.com/forums/boxster-and-boxster-s-986-forum/820682-transmission-repair.html
So thanks for posting your project.Yours is one of very few gearbox projects detailed.

I started doing these 4 years ago (this way) and FYI the seal I use is a standard issue 915/901 shift shaft seal.

Glad to see someone else figured it out :) Everyone wants to sell us the "shift selector" whatever... they don't wear out.


B

Car reassembled last night. Transmission shifting smoothly and confidently. Second gear seems rock solid on both max acceleration and deceleration. My fingers are crossed, but there seems to be no evidence of any transmission issues!

Great Post guys !!

The factory part number for the shift shaft bushing is 996.303.515.00 and list for about $2.57. We've been replacing them for years.

Kudos the California Motor Sports
They post the part number, the price and some advice to help us Forum members and they don't even push their own excellent products - so I will do it for them - go here to see what they do:
PORSCHE 986 BOXSTER TRANSMISSION – California Motorsports Inc
No affiliation - I wish there was ! I need a bunch of their stuff.

The shift shaft seal is part number 996.303.517.00

Hi,
Is it possible just to replace the shaft sealing ring (OEM 996-303-517-01)? I'm not having any 2nd gear issues just a small leak coming from the gear shift lever. Looks like it would be a tranny-in job over about an hour? Thanks!

You need to remove the tail housing to replace the seal as the shaft is secured inside the transmission, might as well replace the bushing as it is the reason the seal is leaking.