Mokagirl

I just bought my first Porsche, a '93 RS America. Great car, previous owner had the engine work done 12 months ago -- so no leaks, great compression, etc. But the third gear synchro is totally shot. It's got 48K miles and I'm hearing things like $2300 to rebuild or $1600 to swap out with another car. The car currently does not have a limited slip differential but I think if I rebuild or swap I should try to have one added. One bid for a rebuild with a limited slip was almost $5,000. Question -- should I rebuild, and if so should I ask for all new synchros, anything else I should do while this is done, should I swap, how important is the limited slip on this car. I welcome your advice. I have to admit, I am suffering from sticker shock.

John D.

Hi Mokagirl,

This may not be the answer you want - but I'd suggest rebuilding. If you swap - you may end up with another tranny that simply needs to be rebuilt - ending up in the same place as you are now..?? As for the LSD - I'll let someone else handle that, as none of my P'cars have it - so I'm not sure what I'm missing.!!!

Best to you!!!

jet911

Mokagirl,
I agree with John - rebuild. I'm not as familar with G50 trannys as I am with 915s, however if you do decide to rebuild, I would replace all synchros, or at the very minimum, 1 - 3, and the guide sleeves. Since the engine/tranny have been dropped and the tranny disassembled, you might as well replace as they are relatively cheap, then you won't have to worry going forward. Intersting that 3rd syncro is shot - wonder why?
Good Luck!

Carrera51

Mokagirl:
Rebuild what you have. Buying a used gearbox is a bit of a risk. I know a guy who got burned doing this. Ended up rebuilding the trans he got to replace his.

Put in the LSD. My car has it. My dad's doesn't. When I drive his on the track, I definately feel the difference through the corners.

Doug&Julie

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by jet911:
<strong>Intersting that 3rd syncro is shot - wonder why?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">If a car does a lot of "around town" driving, 3rd gear is the most used, thus gets the most wear. I've seen it a number of times, including a '73 911 parts car I purchased a couple of years back.

...oh, and another vote for rebuild, especially if you plan to keep this car a while.

Cheers!

JasonAndreas

Porsche sells remanufactured transmissions that come with a two year warranty, a core trade is required. You need to call around to various dealerships as their prices can vary by over 50%. To give you an idea of this, when looking at Porsche crate motors for an RSA the lowest price I found was $8000 and the highest was around $15000. This was for the same exact motor in a crate sent from Porsche in Germany. Without option M220 (lsd) the special order part number is 950.300.010.HX (911C2 91-94), with option M220 the number is 950.300.020.HX. Check out <a href="http://www2.us.porsche.com/english/usa/ownerservices/parts.htm" target="_blank">Porsche Remanufactured Parts</a> for more info.

Trader220

Mokagirl, you're scaring me. Please tell us you did not buy the RS America from Chequered Flag? I loved the price when i saw the pictures. The more i learned about the dealership and the car the quicker i turned tail and ran.

upallnight

I would think that if your car becomes a collector item at a later date in time, (RS America are probably collector item now) having all the numbers match would make it an even more collectible Porsche. If it was my car I would have the gearbox rebuilt.

Like some people have already mentioned, no use buying someone else troubles.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Mokagirl:

I'd just chime in here and tell you to rebuild what you have. Used trannys are a roll of the dice and a client of mine recently was burned buying a "reputable" supposedly rebuilt G-50.

Have a pro who is intimately familar with G-50's, go through your gearbox and overhaul it as needed. You should replace 3-4 syncros, an operating sleeve or two (depending on inspection) and some other small items. If you have the budget and you are intending to drive the car rather "briskly",...... you can install the Motorsport steel syncros to make it far durable.

Then you know exactly what you have and that is worth a great deal.

GrantG

If you are going to track the car, definitely go with an LSD (or torque biasing diff like Quaife). 911s need LSD's less than many other cars (due to the weight distribution), but they still will be a significant help getting traction out of slow/tight corners. The RSA has a fair amount of torque, so I'd definitely want the LSD (even my 73S with far less torque spun its inside rear pretty frequently coming out of hairpins)

Mokagirl

Wow, thanks everyone. This was more helpful than I wold have guessed, havingnever posted on a Disucssion Forum before! I learned a lot and have moved forward with your ideas. I interviewed 4 mechanics, found one I like and am currently having the transmission rebuilt. Will see what is inside and follow your recomendations for upgrades. I am still undecided about the limited slip, big cost upgrade for what seems to be a "limited" application. I do intend to take the car to Willow Springs for track days and the like but can't see myself seriously "competing" and we just don't have that many wet or snowy roads here in Southern Cal. Still open for advice, but thanks everyone for such great help.