996 Loss of 1st Gear
Discussion
1998 Carerra 2 Manual with LSD and 144k miles.
Taking my car off the drive this morning, I seemingly experienced a total loss of 1st gear. It has occasionally been jumping out of 1st when cold for some time and last time I drove it (in traffic) 1st gear was a pig. This morning I couldn't find it anywhere in the gate at all, it just generated a grating / crunching sound. Clutch is recent and fine.
Besides this, 2nd (and other) gears seems fine and it doesn't make much whining noise generally.
Going to look more closely at the gear linkage tomorrow (the cables themselves certainly don't appear to be broken) and anything obvious.
Anyone else got any experience of this or thoughts?
Taking my car off the drive this morning, I seemingly experienced a total loss of 1st gear. It has occasionally been jumping out of 1st when cold for some time and last time I drove it (in traffic) 1st gear was a pig. This morning I couldn't find it anywhere in the gate at all, it just generated a grating / crunching sound. Clutch is recent and fine.
Besides this, 2nd (and other) gears seems fine and it doesn't make much whining noise generally.
Going to look more closely at the gear linkage tomorrow (the cables themselves certainly don't appear to be broken) and anything obvious.
Anyone else got any experience of this or thoughts?
If you stop the engine and put it in first gear then start the engine and can pull away then there is nothing wrong with the gearbox. As above the clutch is dragging and not disengaging properly. If the car will not start and tries to move straight away then it is definitely fubarred!
Had my gearbox rebuilt at a similar mileage... early signs were jumping out of 1st/2nd gear and extreme difficulty getting it in to 1st. Final straw was complete loss of 1st gear. IIRC, rebuild was c.£3-3.5k including a pinion bearing as the diff was whining (not LSD).
Hope yours is the clutch, but suspect it may need a rebuild.
Hope yours is the clutch, but suspect it may need a rebuild.
It is not possible to engage 1st using either end of the linkage, even putting it onto 1st with the engine switched off and trying to engage it with a clutch up just results in grating noises. The clutch also beautifully engages every other gear.
So it looks like I'm looking at a rebuild or secondhand box.
If you know of any low-ish mileage cars being broken send me a PM
Thank you for the advice so far.
So it looks like I'm looking at a rebuild or secondhand box.
If you know of any low-ish mileage cars being broken send me a PM
Thank you for the advice so far.
They sometimes pop up on Ebay, but you're not going to be sure of the history and they still seem to be £2k+. By the time you've picked it up and had it fitted, you're close to rebuild money.
I'm assuming you're not going to drive it now, so it won't get any worse - you could get away with just replacing 1st gear (can't remember if 2nd is on the same shaft). My 'box was pretty shagged when they took it apart and it required a lot of parts - plus the diff, as mentioned, and I also had a new clutch as well while the 'box was out.
Good luck!
I'm assuming you're not going to drive it now, so it won't get any worse - you could get away with just replacing 1st gear (can't remember if 2nd is on the same shaft). My 'box was pretty shagged when they took it apart and it required a lot of parts - plus the diff, as mentioned, and I also had a new clutch as well while the 'box was out.
Good luck!
My 997 C2S had the same problem . Started to get Very hard to engage and finally chipped a tooth . Sounded like a bag of nails .
Cost a fortune because first is attached /part of the main shaft so requires new main shaft and then they decide to modify the replacement shaft and a few of the other gears and syncros won't fit .
Most Porsche dealers hadn't ever rebuilt a gearbox and just wanted to fit an exchange box at about £7k from memory ? They all said it was a rare thing to happen .
I took the box out myself and the great guys at Hardy Engineering at Leatherhead rebuilt it . I sourced the parts required from main agents still a very costly experience . Mine has the LSD which made the replacement box even more expensive if I had of gone that route .
Replaced Dual mass Flywheel and clutch assembly whilst it was out . Pig of a job on your back , I wouldn't recommend it .
2nd gear is a bit notchy until the box has warmed up but I believe this is quite common ?
Cost a fortune because first is attached /part of the main shaft so requires new main shaft and then they decide to modify the replacement shaft and a few of the other gears and syncros won't fit .
Most Porsche dealers hadn't ever rebuilt a gearbox and just wanted to fit an exchange box at about £7k from memory ? They all said it was a rare thing to happen .
I took the box out myself and the great guys at Hardy Engineering at Leatherhead rebuilt it . I sourced the parts required from main agents still a very costly experience . Mine has the LSD which made the replacement box even more expensive if I had of gone that route .
Replaced Dual mass Flywheel and clutch assembly whilst it was out . Pig of a job on your back , I wouldn't recommend it .
2nd gear is a bit notchy until the box has warmed up but I believe this is quite common ?
My 997 C2S had the same problem . Started to get Very hard to engage and finally chipped a tooth . Sounded like a bag of nails .
Cost a fortune because first is attached /part of the main shaft so requires new main shaft and then they decide to modify the replacement shaft and a few of the other gears and syncros won't fit .
Most Porsche dealers hadn't ever rebuilt a gearbox and just wanted to fit an exchange box at about £7k from memory ? They all said it was a rare thing to happen .
I took the box out myself and the great guys at Hardy Engineering at Leatherhead rebuilt it . I sourced the parts required from main agents still a very costly experience . Mine has the LSD which made the replacement box even more expensive if I had of gone that route .
Replaced Dual mass Flywheel and clutch assembly whilst it was out . Pig of a job on your back , I wouldn't recommend it .
2nd gear is a bit notchy until the box has warmed up but I believe this is quite common ?
Cost a fortune because first is attached /part of the main shaft so requires new main shaft and then they decide to modify the replacement shaft and a few of the other gears and syncros won't fit .
Most Porsche dealers hadn't ever rebuilt a gearbox and just wanted to fit an exchange box at about £7k from memory ? They all said it was a rare thing to happen .
I took the box out myself and the great guys at Hardy Engineering at Leatherhead rebuilt it . I sourced the parts required from main agents still a very costly experience . Mine has the LSD which made the replacement box even more expensive if I had of gone that route .
Replaced Dual mass Flywheel and clutch assembly whilst it was out . Pig of a job on your back , I wouldn't recommend it .
2nd gear is a bit notchy until the box has warmed up but I believe this is quite common ?
UPDATE
So having weighed up the advice, I ended up agreeing a good deal with a German Ebay seller seemingly of good repute who was selling an 87,000km (54k mile) gearbox from a 2000 model year 996.1.
I had the box fitted today by James of JMB Automotive (Dorset) - a great guy with extensive OPC experience and very reasonable rates, using the lifts and some help from Andy over at AW Motorsport, Southbourne, West Sussex. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend both of these outfits. It just needed a new RMS (didn't appear to have been fitted correctly when recently replaced along with a clutch and IMS by another specialist prior to my ownership). This time it went in with the correct Porsche tool... We filled the new box with Millers NT+ gear oil.
So the new box is silky smooth, much nicer to use throughout the gears than the original, commensurate with it having a very low mileage.
Any thoughts as to what my G96.00 1998 box with an LSD and 144k miles but in need of a rebuild might be worth?!
Thanks for all the tips. Jon
So having weighed up the advice, I ended up agreeing a good deal with a German Ebay seller seemingly of good repute who was selling an 87,000km (54k mile) gearbox from a 2000 model year 996.1.
I had the box fitted today by James of JMB Automotive (Dorset) - a great guy with extensive OPC experience and very reasonable rates, using the lifts and some help from Andy over at AW Motorsport, Southbourne, West Sussex. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend both of these outfits. It just needed a new RMS (didn't appear to have been fitted correctly when recently replaced along with a clutch and IMS by another specialist prior to my ownership). This time it went in with the correct Porsche tool... We filled the new box with Millers NT+ gear oil.
So the new box is silky smooth, much nicer to use throughout the gears than the original, commensurate with it having a very low mileage.
Any thoughts as to what my G96.00 1998 box with an LSD and 144k miles but in need of a rebuild might be worth?!
Thanks for all the tips. Jon
Edited by jonindorset on Saturday 17th February 07:34
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