thal

Well the central shaft and trans input shaft of my 84 5spd are damaged due to the rear coupling clamp coming off.

I have done nothing yet, aside from pondering what should I do next, and starting to research costs of parts, rebuilds, etc.

The car is in decent condition, only has a little over 79k miles. However the paint's not great, the drivers seat needs to be recovered, the dash is cracked, my temp control module just recently fried, and I have a couple of nagging oil leaks.

While I have decent mechanical aptitude, I have never taken apart a manual transmission.

So here I am, considering what to do next. Money's tight right now with my daughter's upcoming wedding, so I'll be able to do nothing till mid-next year at the earliest. Thus I'll lose another season of driving while paying for insurance.

Here's what I've considered:

1. Do nothing, attempt to sell the car in as-is condition, fully disclosing the issues to someone who wants the car for parts, track car, or has experience with a trans rebuild. Life goes on.

2. Buy a rebuilt trans and TT, swap out, and move on. At an estimated $3000 or more, this one's tough to swallow.

3. Spend about $1000 minimum in parts and learn how to rebuild TT and replace input shaft (assuming no other issues lurking in the trans). I'm concerned I'll get into something I can't finish, and end with a situation that's even worse than where I'm at right now.

So... what would you do if you were in my situatiuon?

I appreciate your thoughts.

Landseer

Do not sell the car unless you were ready to do that anyway.

Be very patient.

The TT should be a very available, inexpensive part from a private party that has an extra. Self-install NAPA bearings for $80 and you are good.

The USA 84 transmisslon, if it was shifting well, still has value. An input shaft swap might be doable at home depending on your skills.

Another early 5 speed box can probably be found, too.

Where are you located? That might be good to know.

I've removed/replaced a few transmissions this year in my basement. Its really not that hard to do, either.

Black Sea RD

Keith,

Depends on how much you want to keep the car, how much spare time, will power, mechanical ability, tools, understanding family, etc. you have.

If not so much then sell it off. These kind of projects always turn into a bunch more money and just as important, if not more so, time, than you originally think. Trust me.

Then hunt for another one in better shape now that you have a better understanding of what a 928 is about and what to look out for.

You'll make someone like Landseer happy to get a project and you'll have a better one to drive and enjoy. It's all good.

Best,

thal

Before this happened I was not planning to get rid of it, quite the opposite. I know it needs a new fuel pump and filter, front rotors are under min thickness, so I was thinking of upgrading the brakes, and doing a self repair of the dash.

This issue just kinda took the wind out of my sails, so to speak, and I'm mulling over what to do. Not planning any rash decisions, just looking for alternative points of view from those with more experience.

I'm in NE PA, about 50 miles due south of Ithaca, NY.

I've appreciated both your replies.

Thanks, Keith

Jim Devine

If you can't drive it for a while- drop all but the comp insurance. I've done that with long term projects- no need for full coverage for something that isn't going on the road.

Start looking on Craigslist etc. - you might get lucky
& find a non runner parts car cheap.

Don't make a quick decision.

Above all, start & run it often! Fuel stabilizer,
new coolant - anything you can do to keep from having to correct problems that crop up when stored.

Best of luck...

Jim M.

Don't sell it or part it out. What other 928 owners are in the area? Make it a big tech session for the group. All it will cost you is some liquid refreshments and maybe a little food, plus the replacement parts. It's also a good opportunity to utilize the knowledge of other owners. The DFW group does this all the time. We help and share our projects and problems. Between all of us we've just about done it all. Individually most of us are still rank amateures.

zoltan944

I would think you could source a trans and TT for your rear for about $500? several hundred more for LSD. I think 928partseast or however the name goes with the 20% discount should be able to be what I mentioned plus a little freight shipping.
I sold a complete early car 5-speed conversion which is everything needed to swap to 5-speed for $1200

Jim Chambers

I am about to re-install my rebuilt tube. The thought of a clamp coming loose makes me nervous. I have new bolts for both clamps and will torque to spec. I don't recall anything in the WSM about using a thread locker. Should I use Locktite or some such product?

Mike Frye

+1. I've had my 5-speed out and apart twice (ok, not really apart, but opened.) I'm sure you can find a good used replacement for donor parts to to replace it right around here somewhere.

I definitely know what you mean by having this one 'take the wind out of your sails'. We've all had that kick to the chest when you thought you were over the hump and had some time to drive it before the next big issue.

There are a few of us in the area that could help out this fall or winter if you want to do it over time if you have garage to do the work in. At the very least let's plan to pull the trans and TT so the broken parts are no longer part of your car. I think more clearly when things are compartmentalized like that. Then each issue is smaller and more manageable.

Let me know if you're up for pulling it in the next few weeks and I'll head on up there. I work for pizza and Guinness.

thal

Thanks for the kind comments and offers.

I would think thread lock would be a wise choice. I had never had the rear coupling off, so it must have either loosened on its own, or the PO had it apart and did not re-torque adequately. I can tell you it's now on my, "routine check" list!

I agree with you Mike on getting things out and assessing the situation more clearly. My wife's been magnanimous and offered to let me keep the car in the one-car "that's MY spot" garage we have over the winter if need be. She's a winner in my book.

Mike, if you're in Jersey Shore PA, I know where you're at. The "Jersey Shore", now that's quite a hike. I'll let you know when I get the urge to remove the drivetrain.

Mike Frye

Keith, I had no idea there was a Jersey Shore PA. No, I'm 'Down the shore' as they say, but I've got a brother in Dingman's Ferry and we go up there for snowboarding a few times each winter. So it's just a great way to stretch the legs a bit on the car.

Let me know when you're ready to do the surgery. We might even be able to borrow Adam Gs transmission cradle (official Porsche special tool #????). This is supposed to keep you from dropping the trans on your hand as I've now done twice while trying to balance it on my floor jack.

thal

Hah! That's funny.

I think Jersey Shore PA is a cruel parody started by some disgruntled lumberjack who was sick and tired of never seeing bikini-clad girls, so invented "Jersey Shore, PA" in hopes of getting all the blondes to try his little town. Go to Google Earth and see where it "really" is.

Anyways, I happen to have a trans cradle that fits on the end of my floor jack, so I'm good there. I'm also a knuckledragger who works for pizza and beer, so there's no shock to my system with that choice. I'll work on timing and see if we can work something out. I appreciate the offer.

Black Sea RD

Hi Jim,

Blue Loctite formula is a safe bet for those fasteners. Allows you to remove them in the future if needed without too much hassle.

However for our 1989 928S4 and even with my 1986.5 928S track car, I followed the WSM's, used a good torque wrench and torqued those fasteners to the correct settings with no loctite. Never had one come loose in years of track days and tens of thousands of highway miles.

Cheers,

928mac

Pics of the damage/area would be good for us that are wondering which bolts/ where/ how

thal

well I don't know if the link below works, but I posted a picture with description of the event back on 8-21-10. see if you can find that. It's not all that gruesome, and the picture's not too good. unfortunately the coupling is still somewhere inside the torque tube and out of sight in the picture, so I don't have a picture of it to share.

Please forgive the following description if you already know this, inside the torque tube is the central shaft that has grooves machined around the circumference near each end. At each end is a split coupling that uses a bolt which should fit inside these grooves. As you tighten the bolt the coupling closes together in turn closing the trans input shaft ID spline onto the central shaft OD spline.


https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...-came-off.html