Small shavings are destined to be in the oil. I'd def change oil after break in. Its not "needed" but it could def help prevent some micro vibrations in the gearing due to damage. Plus metal in the oil affects the heat transfer rate.

 

There's a magnet on the drain plug AND the synchros in it are carbon lined. There's really no good reason to change it. When we run the 24 Hours of Daytona we take a gearbox that has a single practice session of break in on it, and race the race without changing the oil. There's careful and then there is OCD...

 

Thank you for resting some of my OCD concerns..

 

Good point. I forgot about the magnet. This is def OCD level.

 

Checked my service records and you were indeed correct Both the LSD and oil were changed at the 1200mile break in service.

 

GTGears saying that this would be unnecessary maintenance is good enough for me. I'll wait until 10K miles or 6 track weekends in that case. Thanks!

Phew!

 

Is changing the gear lube a reasonably-DIY procedure, like engine oil?

 

Yes.

One other thing to mention... when guys start burning up brake pads and figure out that PTV isn't all that, and start buying my 981 LSDs, I want you to be aware that they do have a break in period.

I tell all my LSD customers to change the gear oil at 1000 street mile OR their first track day, whichever comes first. Even though we REM finish our clutches, there is still a combination of friction material (proprietary alloys) and steel (from the plain plates) that comes off during the intial bedding in of the LSD. It is enough that I prefer to see an early oil change versus leaving it in there. It's not the end of the world, because as I mentioned, we have run long races without changing the oil. But for someone who does not have a race team budget and who wants to maximize the longevity of their gearbox, I think it is cheap insurance.

 

are you saying no need to change the oil/filter at 1k miles or no need for a filter change when changing the oil at 1k?

 

That refers to the gearbox oil, not the engine oil.

 

The trans axle oil change should be easier than the 987 since the support plate under the trans axle doesn't have to come off - they put a hole under the drain plug. Since the cars have PTV with LSD what is the correct gear oil to use? All I can find is it takes 3 liters not the fluid type.

Update: the dealer looked up the trans axle gear oil and it is Mobil 1 Mobilube PTX 75W-90, thoughtfully only available from Porsche.

 

What do you guys recommend for intervals for changing the gearbox oil under aggressive street use? I've had my car for about one year now and 5k miles.

 

Spoke to my service tech who is a Porsche only specialist and not a dealer,
he said there is no reason to even think about changing the gearbox/differential oil
prior to 12/15k miles and at that only if you track the car occasionally. You can do it earlier if the car sees track duty on a regular basis.
And this is somewhat pricey at around $800-$900 for the oil change on a GT4(prices I was quoted dont beat me up on that).

 

The only consistent intervals I've seen around here are GTGears' recommendation of every 6 track weekends / 12 days, a frequently quoted 10K total miles interval for cars that see some track time, and of course Porsche's own whopping 120K miles interval. Neither of those first two fits your profile of course, but fwiw I see 30K as an oft-quoted gearbox interval on other cars owned by enthusiasts who are fastidious about maintenance.

 

I changed the gear oil in my Spyder using the Porsche gear oil I bought from SunCoast. 3 liters did it. No magnet or sealing washer were detected with the stock drain plug. I installed an M22 X 1.5 magnetic drain plug with sealing ring in its place. The car seems to shift smoother but I also passed 2000 mile break in.