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Another amateur op-ed, that one's gonna need a metal patch. I don't think there's any gain in hunting down all the cracks, cleaning them all and then trying to weld them shut. I would grind a rectangle around the mess, then cut out the cracked area with a small grind wheel, fit an alum plate in there and weld around the plate.
I tried welding an oil pan, and it's not very good metal. Prolly could have done it, but I ran out of Argon. No reason to leave that messed up metal in there. Looks like a take-apart job to fix what's wrong, then some welding.
OK so the car is an '88 Manual also does it have LSD, if not you may consider adding it while it out and apart.
IMO an '88 is a very nice ride and MY, I don't know the overall condition of your car and if it's something you are fixing up and keeping or if your just solving a know issue with a driver car and plan on selling the car down the road.
The trans case will never look correct w/o timely and involved work IMO, if it were mine I'd be looking for a replacement case and be done w/ it, you did say that it shifts great and you haven't seen any other issues with the trans.
Would swapping out your known good internals and installing new seals be that expensive?
I did see a recent post for a complete 5 spd for sale w/ under 100k mi on it.
How much you spend and how you decide to repair it really depends on what you want to do w/ the car, right?
Another amateur op-ed, that one's gonna need a metal patch. I don't think there's any gain in hunting down all the cracks, cleaning them all and then trying to weld them shut. I would grind a rectangle around the mess, then cut out the cracked area with a small grind wheel, fit an alum plate in there and weld around the plate.
I tried welding an oil pan, and it's not very good metal. Prolly could have done it, but I ran out of Argon. No reason to leave that messed up metal in there. Looks like a take-apart job to fix what's wrong, then some welding.
I don't disagree at all, but that's a compound curve. So the patch will need to be compound and will need to be non-square since sharp corners on a casting will breed cracks.
I'll have to climb under my car to have a look at it this weekend.
My 1988 S4 IS a good looking car and well cared for, the interior is nice, the motor is nice, the AC works, the HVAC now works. The electrics work. I am thinking the car is worth getting the transmission done the right way is worth while.
This morning I looked at a transmission from a 1980-82 928. It was apart and had a good case and a lot of the internals and gears. The shop doesn't service 928's anymore so they will offer it to me cheap. I need to figure out if the case will be compatible. The case had PN 928.301.101 6R stamped on the side. Anyone know if it will work?
You need to talk to Greg Brown @ Precision Motor werks. He KNOWS 928s knows transmissions. He did the rebuild on mine He is also very good at welding and fabrication so fixing your case should be no big problem. (714) 879- 9072
the early case is not compatible nor are the gear sets
My 1988 S4 IS a good looking car and well cared for, the interior is nice, the motor is nice, the AC works, the HVAC now works. The electrics work. I am thinking the car is worth getting the transmission done the right way is worth while.
This morning I looked at a transmission from a 1980-82 928. It was apart and had a good case and a lot of the internals and gears. The shop doesn't service 928's anymore so they will offer it to me cheap. I need to figure out if the case will be compatible. The case had PN 928.301.101 6R stamped on the side. Anyone know if it will work?
I don't disagree at all, but that's a compound curve. So the patch will need to be compound and will need to be non-square since sharp corners on a casting will breed cracks.
I'll have to climb under my car to have a look at it this weekend.
No, just cut in a rectangle in the recess of the corner. I doubt you'll need a curve in there. A lot can be done with a 1/4" piece of alum, and I don't see the cracks extending into the curve area. I could be wrong, but I don't think it'll need to be shaped.
I wanted to give a status update - I decided to go down the path of repairing the existing case. The transmission was removed from the car and the internals removed from the case and inspected. No damage or strange wear found to the internals. I was able to contact the previous owner who was aware of the patch prior to his purchase and he noted the shifting was fine during his 10K miles of ownership.
The case was sent off to a local qualified welder and repaired and the transmission was re-assembled by the local Porsche dealer who has the respective tools. Worn parts were replaced (seals and bearings), the gears and ring/pinion were all in good condition too.
Sadly, I wasn't able to get any pics of the internals, but I will snap some picks of the weld as soon as I get the car back. I have a leaky radiator that needs fixing (see recent post) and then the car is back on the road.
Lastly, I did happen to score a spare 1988 5spd/LSD tranny with 80K in known working condition. So at least I have a spare.
Stay tuned for more info and pics and thanks again for all your support.
Mike
04-07-2016, 02:08 PM
He is also very good at welding and fabrication so fixing your case should be no big problem. (714) 879- 9072
