996TT02

Car will be at mechanic in a couple of weeks, just need the time to sort out supply of bearings etc so I can buy whatever needs buying after the box is taken apart and inspected.

Mechanic is very smart fellow and likes to do things properly, but he's not a Porsche specific guy.

He's asking me for specs for the box. I am not up to speed on gearboxes but he mentioned something about clearances etc what I also understood is that he wants info to be able to evaluate wear on items such as synchro rings so that we can decide whether they need to be replaced or not. And other stuff, probably related to reassembly. Like I said, gearboxes 'r' not me.

I have the 2099 page manual but the information about the tranny only goes as far as torque values, so is pretty useless.

Does the information I want exist somewhere apart from inside Porsche's vaults? I see offers of "workshop manuals" but I suspect half of them are what I already have, the other half, no idea.

"02996ttx50

after inspection of all the gears, replacing thrust/pinion bearing(s) and first/second, with all associated parts ( synchro's etc ) is a properly refreshed gearbox. assuming all other gears are not unduly worn and in need of replacing. its usually the bearing(s) ( which are sealed and dry out ) and 1st/2nd under "normal" wear. unless the cars been tracked a lot, from third gear on, should be fine but 3rd in tracked cars also gets major abuse/wear.

he's probably referring to the shim tolerances which porsche initially screwed up allowing a propensity for a condition known as "2nd gear pop out" to occur as the original clearances were not "quite" right and the new specs called for them to be re-shimmed. or as it was explained to me years ago.

once they realized the error of their ways, they changed the specs and the tolerances which changed where fourth gear sits in the gear stack placement, and voila, no more 2nd gear pop out.

so, when you DO find the new(er) specs? try to make sure they are the amended updated specs from porsche circa '03 onward?

couple folks that would know and might possibly offer some assistance if you could ever reach them, would of course be bill rader, matt at gt gears and/or roger at CA motorsports ( which oddly is in AZ )

996TT02

Hopefully I have only got a noisy bearing as discussed on t'other thread. Fingers crossed anyway. Car won't be doing any serious mileages in my hands - it's not a daily and I have other toys - so I'm not too concerned about bits that may "only" have 20k miles of life left on them, that's probably 10 years worth to me. Can understand why rebuilds are expensive, the cost of parts, wow.

Kevin

It might be wise to pack up your gearbox and send it to Germany for a rebuild.

There are specific tools required for this gearbox. It is a tough box to learn on and get it right the first time. Are you willing to pay the labor twice to have the box torn back apart? The value of this gearbox exchange from Porsche is around $12K..

Good luck..

"02996ttx50

yeah, the parts are reeaaly expensive. then add to that, most that work on g50 boxes act as if they are the wizards of oz, or something. though it IS beyond the scope of what most regular techs can or will do. its far more common to have folks that "specialize" in opening/working on our boxes and if i were you? i'd find one, and wouldn't let anyone work on the box that asked ME for the proper specs! ack.. the guy i have used ( other than a porsche master tech once-then twice, when he had to RE-DO his own work! ) is an aircraft engineer that also works on cup cars and porsche transmissions as a sideline. but its not for amateurs, for sure.

add: i just saw kevins contribution and his advice is of course, sage. but i myself could point you to THREE competent porsche g50 gearbox builders who could do any/all of the work, and even then depending upon your geography. i'll give ya a hint. colorado or ca motorsports..or if in la??

i could also direct you to folks that wouldn't bend you over. bearings and nothing else. $3500/4k max. plus 6 hrs to R&R the box in/out of the car. so add that as far as labor is concerned.

last thought. there are only so many things that could be of issue, so it's not a "pick and choose" kinda deal. a competent "re-builder" wouldn't let you button it up with just bearings per se, if you also needed a 2nd or a 3rd gear. there would be no point. but they WILL let you button up without replacing unnecessary parts e.g. gears and the like, if they aren't needed.

again, its the bearing(s) that are heat cycle sensitive, so they are gonna "go" one day or another, whether gears or synchros do, or not.

Freddie Two Bs

Anyone in the northeast, just in case?

"02996ttx50

actually no, sorry. my days in nyc are far behind me. west of the mississippi is another story.

either way, if you dont have someone can drop the box AND r&r/open it.. you'd have to ship it anyway, so the shipping charges are just part of the hassle.
being in a large metro area *sometimes* has its advantages .. for things like this.

996TT02

I'm not in the US unfortunately. Keeping my options open, I may end up sending it to the UK, just enquired. I'm confident that the cost of removing the tranny and taking a look inside won't be too high so if that's all that gets done here I'm OK with that. End of the day I'd still need to get just the tranny shipped (hence removed) so it's really just the opening up that's "extra".

But I'm confident of this garage's skills, was recommended by my usual spannerman who for personal reasons could not do the job himself and both the head honcho and his guys seem smart fellows, so there's a better than even chance that they will sort it out. Will take the gamble.

Now for the manual...?

"02996ttx50

gauge the shop and their "fairness" with their estimate of dropping and reinstalling the trans. 6 hours, tops. some places might tell you ten or more. who knows. but 6 is what it takes. but dont think that will include the opening up of the box. at least another grand to open and close it. then add parts/labor on top of that etc. and you're in the greek isles or somewhere?! i have no idea what options exist other than as you say EU/UK shops.

but..gl w it.

32krazy!

undercover performance in maple shade nj can open it rebuild it with zero issues. they have tim941nyc doe all their transmissions. he is THE guy in the n.e

James88

I had mine rebuilt recently in Oz from memory around $2800AUD, it shifts and operates better than ever. Sorry I can help with advise on a shop near you but GLW it.

"02996ttx50

^ did yours need more than bearings? i didn't hear of your having a repair done... price was right for a refresh though!

James88

Yes, Just bearing and refresh.

"02996ttx50

^ nice! smooth as butter now! makes all the difference in the world. fresh bearings and oil.

Bernie930

Kevin, just shut up when u don't know what ur talking about!!! There is plenty good builders in NA, just not Colorado!!! Once again Kevin shut the **** Up!!!