Michael Benno

Hey folks, I wanted to give you an update on the repair of my cracked 1988 S4 5spd transmission case. The gearbox is back in the car and works flawlessly!

For reference, you can read the Original post.

All the suggestions and recommendations provided were super helpful and helped direct me to an appropriate solution.

In the end the transmission was removed from the car, drained, and the internals inspected and no damage was found to the gears or other components. What caused the crack remains a mystery. The synchro gaps and gear wear were checked and rebuild was not recommended. Additionally, the crack was far enough away from any internals that the welder decided a few external beads of weld would be sufficient.



The welds are not as pretty and I would have liked and the transmission case was not cleaned. I would like to have seen both done better. To me it looks like the weld was not TIG but rather just laying down some alumn rod to fill. The welder was aircraft certified with a good reputation and I have to trust he chose the correct method and was not worried about heat migration to the internals and didn't use TIG so there was no arching in the bearings. I spoke with him briefly and he was aware of all both of these concerns.

Also, I should note that my local Porsche dealer, Sunset Porsche, did all the work and they were fantastic to deal with. The were very helpful in searching for used cases, and spare parts, and sourcing a suitable welder. The repair was about $2200 including the welding $225. It's pretty pricey but there is a lot of labor in removing and reinstalling the case. In hindsight, I probably could have done the removal myself.

Most importantly, I have my car back after a LONG time at the shop. New lease on the transmission, new radiator, and new TB/WP/PK tensioner.

Mike Benno

Chris Lockhart

Glad it worked out for you. Thanks for the update. Now go drive the heck out of it.

RFJ

Looks good I think that is the right way to do it.

Chalkboss

Glad it worked out for you and you are rolling again. I have heard good things about Sunset... for a Dealer, that is.