sjsfiji

All,

I asked my indy about how the shifting of gears esp. from 1 to 2 seems harder (i.e. got to coax it slowly into 2nd, can't speed shift) compared to others cars i've owned (VW, Honda, etc...). He said that that's normal on the G50 tranny and that's why he prefers the older tranny. Do you guys have the same experience? Is this normal behavior of the tranny or are my mounts on linkages need adjustment/replacement.

TIA,

sjsfiji

mcipseric

motor mounts, linkages (get a FD golden rod and SSK) and bushings need replacement.

chaoscreature

I have never owned an older Porsche but the G50 is not the greatest transmission ever built imho.
I test drove a few 993's before I bought mine and none of them had a great shift feel, though some were better than others. My comparison for shifting is from mostly Ford transmissions like Toploaders and more recently T-56 6 speeds.
To combat this on my car I run 75-90 NS gear oil from Red Line, semi-solid motor mounts, and have replaced all the shift linkage components with heim joints. It got better, but still requires a delicate hand.
Do the steel synchro's make a big difference?

sjsfiji

thanks for the replies

jscott82

When you say you can’t speed shift it, what happens when you do? grind? won't go into gear?

Couple of random ideas though:
There are a couple of plastic bushings in the shift leaver that can wear out and make shifting less precise/more difficult.

There is also a rubber dampener between the shift linkage and the trans that softens the feel. The Porsche RS shift rod (goldenrod is knockoff of the factory unit) addresses that.

If you are getting grinding when you shift too quickly it's most likely syncros. Try matching your revs better.. the closer you match, the less work the syncro needs to do. On upshifts, the heavy dual mass flywheel will be working against you though. You just have to give the 40lb chuck of iron time to spin down a bit before you shift... Otherwise replacement is not cheap.

I had an odd problem with my first 993, the shift fork for 1-2 was bent (by previous owner, not me). Would grind only when accelerating hard. Dealer went round and round replacing syncros, gear sets, etc, etc… till they finally found the bent fork.

sjsfiji

When you say you can’t speed shift it, what happens when you do? grind? won't go into gear?

I do not really speed shift as if I was racing, just the normal speed like in the other cars I've owned. My indy told me to pause slightly in neutral after coming off of 1st and to let it drop into 2nd, which seem to work. If I go any faster, it feels gritty and almost grinding. Hope that's clear. TIA

Ed Hughes

"Speed shift" is a subjective term. I don't think any Porsche of the air-cooled variety, lends itself to "speed shifting". But, my 993 G50 allows a quicker shift to 2nd than my 915.

jscott82

+1 on subjectiveness.... is your indy experienced with 993's?
more random thoughts...
worn syncros will cause what you describe
wrong trans oil will also cause it (many thoughts on what is the right one, I won’t go there)
1-2 shift on a G50 is a double whammy...
1)The dual mass flywheel is heavier than most cars and therefore the motor takes a split second longer once you let off the gas to drop RPM necessary for a smooth shift....

2)G50 has a big ratio split between 1 and 2 so you also have to drop few more RPM.

So you do need a brief (very brief) pause to properly rev match a 1-2 shift. A lighter weight flywheel will help speed things up (assuming everything else is working correctly).