peterm

Ok well it took 7 months but it seems my new old boxster is missing second gear. I suspect this is a clutch issue. First is fine upshift and it seems to be searching around a bit once engaged and seems to slip

Macster

A slipping clutch -- if it is slipping -- does not generally result in missing a gear shift.

The test for a bad clutch, a slipping clutch that is, is with everything warmed up take the car out and on 4th or probably 5th gear -- you want to pick a gear ideally is 1:1 so there is no torque multiplication but with modern manuals there is no longer a 1:1 gear, 4th is usually a under and 5th a bit over -- and give the engine full throttle at around 2K RPMs and hold the gas pedal down as long as you can as long as it is safe. As the engine gains RPMs if the the clutch is bad RPMs will go up without a corresponding increase in speed. In this case the clutch is slipping.

There will be no need to repeat the test. The clutch either slips or it doesn't. If it slips then it should be replaced -- the disc, pressure plate, release bearing, and any other hardwre in the bellhousing that the tech deems necessary -- along with possibly the flywheel unless the tech deems the flywheel reusable. This depends upon if the thing has been overheated or if the dual mass feature is no longer working to spec. I have visited Porsche dealer service departments and the techs routinely send out flywheels for resurfacing if they are otherwise ok.

The transmission may have a problem with 2nd gear. The transmission or possibly the linkage. To properly diagnose this I think you will have to have the car checked by a qualified/experienced tech who should be able to tell the difference between something wrong internally vs. something wrong with just the linkage.

If the clutch is slipping you want the 2nd gear shifting issue diagnosed so when the transmission is out of the car to repair/replace the clutch the transmission can be fixed to address the 2nd gear issue (if of course it was diagnosed as a transmission problem) and any other issues that are found once the transmisison is opened up at the same time the clutch is being renewed.

If the clutch is not slipping if there is something else wrong with the clutch -- mechanically -- there is a problem that doesn't allow the clutch to disengage completely -- this can affect shifting but it would affect shifting of all gears not just 2nd. Depending upon a tech's diagnosis the transmission may still have to come out of the car and the clutch may still need to be replaced.

San Rensho

I don't understand what the problem is. Does It go into second?

Schnell Gelb

Is it a 5 spd or 6 ?
2nd is a big issue with the 6 but not the 5 and the diagnosis/fix would be different.

peterm

it is a 5 speed and now has new clutch and flywheel which was toast. Seems perfect now with no linkage issues seen- only issue is the 3k to fix it!

Macster

A $3K repair bill for these cars is not that uncommon. Spent $3K for a new VarioCam solenoid and actuator. When the time comes I'll probably spend $3K on a new clutch/flywheel.

So the new clutch made the "missing" 2nd gear reappear?

Odd but who I am to argue with results. Glad you got it sorted.

peterm

smooth as silk- I think the gear issue (gear slippage) was related to non functional flywheel as it was completely stripped and "blue" . When I limped to the garage I couldnt get forward motion until 5k on the tach

Macster

Oh, "slipping gear". I thought the problem was a "missing" gear.

The flywheel was "functioning" (though with that level of slippage probably rendered unusable from severe overheating). The problem was the clutch had lost its spring pressure.

A tech showed me what this "looks" like the other day when I caught him the middle of a 996 clutch job and he just happened to have the old hardware on his work bench.

Where the diaphragm spring fingers press against the release bearing these finger tips get hot and deform (and even wear away a bit based on the one he showed me) and as a result the spring can no longer exert sufficient force to keep the disc from slipping between the flywheel and pressure plate.

The cause of the finger tips getting hot is probably due to a dragging release bearing.

Bottom line is all is right with your car now. Resume enjoying the heck out of it.