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Seeking Trustworthy 928 Transmission Shop in the Philadelphia Area...

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Old 08-02-2011, 09:03 PM
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nsantolick
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Question Seeking Trustworthy 928 Transmission Shop in the Philadelphia Area...

Hi all;

My car's having some transmission problems and I need to get it looked at ASAP. I'm in center city Philadelphia and am hoping someone here can recommend a good, trustworthy shop.

This is just for an examination, to help identify the problem. The car is drivable, but this must be taken care of ASAP.

It's losing fluid fairly rapidly, and it seems to come out MUCH worse than usual if, say, I'm accelerating up a hill. There's transmission fluid all over the place under the car and no obvious origin has yet been found, despite two attempts thus far.

A decent general shop in Philadelphia topped it off, wiped it down and ran it for a while on a lift, with an assistant giving it gas in different gears, generally with the brake pedal applied.

They suspected the pan gasket, but felt that there was more to it than that, and mercifully acknowledged that they weren't qualified/interested in messing with it, short of basic stuff. They felt it may need to be removed to get to "the real problem" and recommended taking it to a transmission specialist. At the time, I hadn't asked them for recommendations.

I'd love to have Mastertech check it out, but they're 279 miles from me, hence, this post. If I can't find a shop recommended by Renn Lister's, then I'll be up for a ~600 mile drive and the possibility of needing to rent a car or something to get back...

Anyway, I just need to find a shop with a good reputation with 928's, as close to Philadelphia as possible. Hoping for some input. Thanks in advance to any that can recommend a good place. :-)









Nick

1989 Grand Prix White - Automatic - 82,106 miles...
Old 08-02-2011, 11:03 PM
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Mrmerlin
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see if you can get a pick up truck rent a U haul trailer and take it to Mastertech, dont keep driving it with the leak once the clutches burn out its gonna cost more to fix things right now if your lucky you only have a line leaking or a bad pan gasket or the bowden cable housing is leaking or the cap is loose or the tank is cracked,
Worse would be if its leaking from the grate under the front of the trans,
this is a front pump O ring and TC radial seal that needs to be replaced
Old 08-02-2011, 11:21 PM
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mickster
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This list is very old but there are 2 or 3 close by-check with members here:
http://www.eatel.net/~dslabat/mech.htm#Pennsylvania

Also although Captain Earl is retired, he may be able to refer you to someone.
Old 08-03-2011, 08:59 AM
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Gary Knox
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Also, you can look into a good MB shop. Your four speed automatic is a Mercedes transmission.

Gary--
Old 08-03-2011, 09:14 AM
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I took mine to a really good and highly recommended MB shop on the north side of Houston. The owner told me that Porsche never used MB transmissions and he refused to even look at the car. Both the atitude as well as his possible lack of knowledge told me all I needed to know. I have to think he didn't want to get involved, there was nothing about the shop that suggests he is really that "unknowledgable".

Just suggesting that some MB folks may not be the solution either....even though they have the knowledge necessary regards the 928 MB transmission, the documentation, the tools, and the parts, they may not WANT to work on a 928 due to the additional complexities involved.....

and in my case I have since found the fluid level was low, the bowden tube not correctly adjusted, the kickdown cable botched up and too short, the vacuum tube connection ripped and leaking badly, the cooler return line aluminum sealing ring botched up and leaking, and the modulator valve set wrong. So, other than now having a transmission that is a bit reluctant to shift into 4th gear when warm, I have found my way through the issues that others avoided....the PO had the transmission "overhauled" , a new shift valve assembly put in, as well as a number of other new parts, and then the car set for a very long time......it wouldn't start as the bowden tube was so badly fit that the park and neutral switches were not actuated....your leak could possibly be the pan gasket, $35, the aluminum sealing rings on the cooler lines $2, the o ring on top of the "filling container", or the connections to the filing container, or the overflow tube etc....many things you can check yourself, most of which are cheap and pretty easy to resolve.

Last edited by tmpusfugit; 08-03-2011 at 10:01 AM. Reason: add info
Old 08-03-2011, 06:56 PM
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Is there anything in particular to be suspicious of knowing that when it's under a heavy load (gunning it up a hill) that a LOT of fluid comes out? (Enough to create a smoke screen behind me as the fluid hit the exhaust...) There's no smoke or anything with light driving...

I just talked to the shop manager from where I had it in Philadelphia last week or so. I felt very confident in him, as he was VERY familiar with 928's, even importing and converting a few gray market 928's back in the day. He had an customers OB in the shop at the time as well.

Anyway, he felt it may be a seal between the transmission and the differential??? He mentioned the possibility of some sort of bronze bearing up front??? He strongly felt that the transmission is going to have to be removed to fix the problem, but admitted that this is not "their thing" and recommended a transmission specialist.

When I had the fluid topped off again, at another shop, I examined it myself again and couldn't find anything obviously leaking, with the car idling. Whatever is wrong does seem to be associated with heavy loading.

The Philadelphia shop did wipe the transmission off and ran the car on a lift, with the brake applied in a few gears and couldn't find anything leaking, even with giving it some throttle. A few days of being parked later, I found a small puddle under the transmission. Just a few ounces, at most, and this was the first time I've found that since it's been back on the road.

I've tried calling a shop in Allentown but couldn't get through, but I'm leaning towards getting it up to Mastertech ASAP now, despite the 279 mile distance. I'll try that shop again, but if that doesn't work out, I think I'd just assume take it to NY.

By the way, it's rare, but there have been a few times where things would happen like, say, from starting the car to putting it in reverse produced nothing. Moving it to drive, then to reverse made it perform normally.

This car did sit for over a year, on jackstands. Months into that, I found a small puddle of transmission fluid under the car. Not much at all, but felt that it was normal, from the fluid coming out of the torque convertor as I've read in posts here. It was freshly rebuilt just a months before that.

Oh well. Hope it turns out to be something simple.
Old 08-03-2011, 07:07 PM
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mickster
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Originally Posted by nsantolick
Is there anything in particular to be suspicious of knowing that when it's under a heavy load (gunning it up a hill) that a LOT of fluid comes out? (Enough to create a smoke screen behind me as the fluid hit the exhaust...) There's no smoke or anything with light driving...

I just talked to the shop manager from where I had it in Philadelphia last week or so. I felt very confident in him, as he was VERY familiar with 928's, even importing and converting a few gray market 928's back in the day. He had an customers OB in the shop at the time as well.

Anyway, he felt it may be a seal between the transmission and the differential??? He mentioned the possibility of some sort of bronze bearing up front??? He strongly felt that the transmission is going to have to be removed to fix the problem, but admitted that this is not "their thing" and recommended a transmission specialist.

When I had the fluid topped off again, at another shop, I examined it myself again and couldn't find anything obviously leaking, with the car idling. Whatever is wrong does seem to be associated with heavy loading.

The Philadelphia shop did wipe the transmission off and ran the car on a lift, with the brake applied in a few gears and couldn't find anything leaking, even with giving it some throttle. A few days of being parked later, I found a small puddle under the transmission. Just a few ounces, at most, and this was the first time I've found that since it's been back on the road.

I've tried calling a shop in Allentown but couldn't get through, but I'm leaning towards getting it up to Mastertech ASAP now, despite the 279 mile distance. I'll try that shop again, but if that doesn't work out, I think I'd just assume take it to NY.

By the way, it's rare, but there have been a few times where things would happen like, say, from starting the car to putting it in reverse produced nothing. Moving it to drive, then to reverse made it perform normally.

This car did sit for over a year, on jackstands. Months into that, I found a small puddle of transmission fluid under the car. Not much at all, but felt that it was normal, from the fluid coming out of the torque convertor as I've read in posts here. It was freshly rebuilt just a months before that.

Oh well. Hope it turns out to be something simple.
U-Haul or see if someone on RL has a trailer to loan...
Old 08-03-2011, 07:32 PM
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nsantolick
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I've never driven a vehicle on a trailer, and don't really want to try to learn in center city. Tried just backing up a trailer once to unload a jet-boat, or whatever you call getting the thing into the water. It didn't work out well. I just don't see that happening, unfortunately. :-(

The Philadelphia shop suggested that it'd be at least $500 to have flat-bedded by the least expensive trucker they use, and he's probably not available for 3 weeks.

I'll make some more calls tomorrow though. Maybe that Allentown shop can get me in. They've generally been kind about it, but you know, a lot of "Porsche" shops are quick to confess they don't like 928's... lol

Isn't it bizarre though that we couldn't find any obvious leak, despite a topped off transmission, running, under load, on a lift? Leaving puddles sometimes, but not all times???

I really love the car otherwise. Hoping for the best here. I can deal with having this or that fixed, but I really can't afford to have it off the road for long right now.
Old 08-03-2011, 09:12 PM
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FWIW there is a drain hole on the side of the transmission its made so the rear seal of the diff or the trans if it begins leaking the fluid will not mix with the other unit ,

this drain hole is on the left side of the trans where the mating plate is its about 4 inches up from the pan seal the mating plate connects the transmission to the differential if you see fluid or fresh wetness then its a good chance the transmission rear seal is failing and the fluid will drip out of this area.
If on the other hand the grate under the transmission torque converter is wet then the front seals are leaking..
Old 08-03-2011, 09:17 PM
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Tony
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This guy and no one else. Steve Cattaneo.

He's in upstate NY perhasp too far away?
Old 08-03-2011, 09:42 PM
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thedugger1
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Nick,

Who do you use in Center City philly?

Earl Gillstrom mentioned that there was a good mechanic in West Philly...I'll check my notes to see if I have the info. You could trying "The Porsche Specialist" out of Broomall, PA. I've never used them, but they always have a healthy selection of porsches they are working on and the fact that they are off the beaten path means their pricing is probably OK.
Old 08-03-2011, 11:25 PM
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M. Requin
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Originally Posted by nsantolick
When I had the fluid topped off again, at another shop, I examined it myself again and couldn't find anything obviously leaking, with the car idling.
This is a big red flag. Wonder just what "topped off" meant to that shop. As has been covered over and over and over here, fluid level is critical, and the achieving the correct level is not necessarily, let's say, intuitive. And overfilling leads to purging the excess. Your problem may be more complicated, but may have been exacerbated by overenthusiastic "topping off". As all have said, get it to someone who actually knows wtf, and I think the best way to do that is the way you have started on, query this list. Good luck.
Old 08-04-2011, 12:13 AM
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More recently, from May 2011......

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...ns-follow.html



My car is back on the road... :-) Comments & questions follow...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After around 18 months, I finally got around to finishing up my car and getting it back on the road. Needless to say, I'm pretty pleased. :-)

I bought it about 3 years ago. I made a lot of mistakes, particulary with no PPI and questionable shops at first. Then my transmission blew (at around 78,000 miles.) It was rebuilt by Mastertech Transmissions in New York, whose reputation gave me a lot of comfort. With the rebuild, I had them install a rebuilt torque tube and a constantine clamp.
Shortly after that though, I had problems with my igntion system, and as the work list piled up, it ended up being parked and forgotten for a while. Since it was last driven, I've changed the spark plugs, installed new plug wires, new coils, caps & rotors. I've installed a 928 Motorsports aluminum radiator. Pirelli P-Zero run flat tires on Porsche BBS wheels off an 2003 car and an Orange brand tire pressure monitoring system. The battery has been replaced with a yellow Optima, which easily fit with room to spare. (Can't remember the size I choose, but I researched it here first...)

I finished it off with one of Roger's stainless rear muffler bypassess. (It's combined with his high flow catalytic converters and an X pipe.) SOUNDS EXCELLENT!!! ;-) Actually, it's quite acceptable at lower RPM ranges. When you're gunning it, it roars. I was concerned about the fatigue of the additional noise on long highway trips but don't feel it's bad at all relative to the original factory system. Just perfect for me. :-)

Wow. After most of this time being spent driving an 1983 Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel, the 50 mile ride in the S4 today was awesome. A few hundred more horsepower will do that, I suppose. ;-)

I love the way the car handles now. The Porsche wheels are awesome quality. They felt VERY light, relative to the aftermarket club sport II copies that my car had before. Love the tires too.

I did what I could to research run flat tire technology and, after finally driving the car, I absolutely love it. I heard about performance issues, but there's so little quality commentary out there, it was hard to understand. I feel that the extra thick sidewalls ARE NOT a problem. I understand that these tires weigh a bit more than tires with normal sidewalls but when comparing amongst 30+ tires online, I saw a wide range of tire weights too.

The fronts, as I recall, are 27 pounds. With the same size, normal tires averaged closer to 24. Not all that dramatic of a change, at least when one considers the range of wheel weights. Either way, although additional unsprung weight isn't great, the difference with the run flat tires I choose isn't much relative to the range of other tire or wheel weights. I read something about "centrifical weight" and its consequences but honestly haven't yet read enough to understand how it affects performance. I should also say that after extensive researching, I do understand how it is ESSENTIAL to pair run flat tires with a tire pressure monitoring system. I choose the Orange 409 model, and can't be happier. Simultaneous readouts in LED of all 4 tire pressures rotating with simultaneous temperature readings. An alarm will sound if either goes out of range, and identify which wheel is suspect... $139 delivered...

I debated, and overthought, of course, what to do about the 1/4 tank of 18 month old gas that was in the tank. The station that does the inspections for me is across the street, and they were possibly going to change the fuel pumps for me today, so after reading a few articles online about old gas, I decided to see what happened. The car started up without problems and although it wanted to stall when cold, there were no problems with the aged gas.

They weren't able to do the fuel pumps today, so I ended up putting around 45 miles on it before filling with super and adding two bottles of Techtron. Just wanted to comment though - I didn't have any problems with the older gas. I'm pleasantly surprised.

There is one problem though...

I lost a bit of transmission fluid, as I now understand is normal, from letting it sit so long. With the radiator, I believe I lost another quart or so of tranmission fluid. I explained the procedure to the shop to fill and provided them with 2 quarts of appropriate synthetic fluid.

I feel that they didn't add it to a properly warmed transmission. They used two full quarts to top it off. I'm suspiscious that it's overfilled and wonder what the consequences are. Is this something I should be particulary concerned about? Is it okay, if it's overfilled a bit, to drive it a few hundred miles and have it rechecked and adjusted when I get the fuel pump work done???

As far as the performance of the transmission, it was mostly normal, most of the time, but there were a few times where it seemed "off."

During one full throttle blip, the car didn't shift to third and its rev limiter kicked in. Another time, earlier today, with mild acceleration from a full stop, it didn't shift until around 4000 rpms, then shifted with a chirp to the tires.

Anyway, does anyone know if this can be related to excessive transmission fluid levels? It has sat, so who knows, but the transmission was recently rebuilt by a very competent specialist. Could this be vacuum related perhaps?

Anyway, it was great to move on after all these problems I've endured. I have a lot of other projects planned for my car and generally liked doing most of the work myself. Sure, I burnt my finger and have arms that are scraped to all hell but, dam, it was worth it.

Hope this transmission thing isn't anything serious. Any input would be most appreciated...
Old 08-04-2011, 12:24 AM
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So, its been rebuilt by the best there is, and you are having problems with it?

You want to say more about this?

Why you aren't taking it back there immediately?

Did you get involved in "managing" what this high quality shop was and wasn't allowed to replace during the project? Did they replace the TC bearings & seals?

Are you trying to find another shop to "check" the work of the rebuilder?

I'm sorry, but am really trying to follow the logic, as I have for over 3 years, and keep getting confused about your approach and the cut/run moves and adversarial relationships that you seem to have with shops.

The work you described, not many days ago, had to run upwards of $4G. (Mastertech rebuild, rebuilt TT, Constantine clamp)
Fluid level change (slight) due to radiator swap I get. Possible introduction of foreign matter I get too.
Overfill I get. Not sure what instructions you gave the "shop" refilling -- thats alarming in itself -- btw nearly all automatics are to be filled warm, idling --- instruction not required.
Tangential, then central, ref to leaking trans then starts alarming me.
Cost to transport to NY is small compared to investment and severity of issue, but something else could be going on here, reading between the lines.

Why not: Guys, just had X rebuild trans & TT. It leaks. What should I do?

You now want another shop involved? Not getting this.

Last edited by Landseer; 08-04-2011 at 11:02 AM.
Old 08-04-2011, 11:36 AM
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After a swift readthrough, I'll suggest that you call Mastertech and describe the symptoms. My guess is that Steve has a good relationship with a local-to-him transporter who can come and get the car if necessary.

Good luck with your quest!


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