Some ideas

Hi all, for the last few months, anytime I shift from 1st to 2nd or 3rd, it feel very clunky, notchy, almost like a switch.... the smooth feeling on the shifter is gone...

Also downshifting into first feels a little more notchy..

any thoughts? I know its hard to diagnose a feeling... but feel likes these is missing lubrication or something with the shifter or gears?

2005 Boxster 2.7L

thanks...

Based on my experience with my 2.7l (02) and its 5-speed I'd say the transmission fluid is due to be changed.

As an aside, I found after a fluid change after the new fluid had racked up some miles -- the number escapes me but not enough to warrant a fluid change based on miles -- my car's transmission shifting from 1st to 2nd got so bad I had to resort to shifting from 1st to 3rd until the transmission got warmed up. I attributed this to the transmission wearing out.

After a considerable time of putting up with this behavior I had the fluid changed again and the symptom went away. The 1st fluid change the fluid was not Porsche transmission fluid the 2nd and subsequent fluid changes have all been with Porsche transmission fluid. In case you're new here my 2.7l transmission now has over 245K miles on it and save for fluid changes has not needed any other servcing or work, thank goodness.

Anyhow, the symptom doesn't read like a clutch dragging. However, if the brake/clutch fluid hasn't been flushed/bled in a while (in say 2 years) you can try that. In fact, this should be done just for the sake of the brake and clutch hydraulic systems even if it doesn't address the shifting symptom.

Bottom line is a fluid change won't resurrect a sick transmission but it is a reasonable step to help one determine if the transmission is really sick or if the fluid is past its change by date. The same goes for the brake fluid flush/bleed. If the problem is not caused by a dragging clutch this fluid service won't help the transmission shifting symptom but it does help prolong the useful service life of the clutch and its hydraulic system.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

I don't even know where the tranny fluid is, or if there is a drain plug for it...(never did that before, did many DIY oil changes but thats about it)

but I appreciated you detailed response Marc.

It also appears that I have an RMS issue - small leak, but not going to repair that till I do the clutch... so I'm not sure if that has any impact on my notchy shifting situation or not.?!?!

Thanks

Quote
porschestar
I don't even know where the tranny fluid is, or if there is a drain plug for it...(never did that before, did many DIY oil changes but thats about it)

but I appreciated you detailed response Marc.

It also appears that I have an RMS issue - small leak, but not going to repair that till I do the clutch... so I'm not sure if that has any impact on my notchy shifting situation or not.?!?!

Thanks

the change interval in half. For instance if Porsche says a transmission fluid change should be done at 90K miles, change it at 45K to 50K miles.

At 38K miles the car's a bit under even that 45K mile mark though.

Plus, I do not think contamination is a factor in the transmission fluid so time alone doesn't play a role. Still, a transmission fluid change could still be just what the doctor ordered. Up to you if you want to take a shot or not. BTW, I never do this but had it done. A bit of a pain and messy and a shop is so much better equipped to do this than I am.

RMS leak based on what I've read, been told, even experienced, does not affect the shifting. There's some concern about the leak affecting the clutch or damaging the flywheel but I can't recall ever coming across anyone with a car with an RMS that did this.

My direct experience is I drove my 02 Boxster 8K miles after it was diagnosed with a RMS leak. The service manager told me there was no risk to the car, the engine or anything else. The parts were on order, but I was scheduled to leave on a two week road trip and based on what I was told I did so and drove the car like you wouldn't believe in empty areas of west and in some places with the ambient temp above 100F, in one place at 116F.

Had my car not been under warranty I could have waited until the clutch needed doing, but the trouble is I'd still be waiting. Not only is the transmission original so's the clutch...

Sincerely,

MarcW.

If you're having difficulty shifting and getting some clunking sounds, it could be the front engine mount. If the mount gets worn, it can allow the engine to shift around a bit and can cause difficult shifting.

The clutch may need to be bled.
The shift cables may need to be adjusted.
The front motor mount may be worn.
There may be play in the shift linkage.
Last (and not terribly likely to be the problem) you may need to replace the transmission fluid.

If you've had any work done in any of these areas, that its a prime suspect.

If you have a K&N short shift kit, it may be "normal"

possible causes of the shifting diffculty.

My excuse is and I'm not complaining is in my experience I've never run into anything that caused me any trouble with shifting other than the transmission fluid.

A couple of times the clutch felt kind of funny and this was cured with a flush/bleed of the fluid, but no motor mounts have caused any problems (even though the front one was discovered to be cracked), and thankfully the linkage has held up just fine.

But all of the things you suggest are easy to eliminate save the linkage adjustment one I guess.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

Quote

Boxsterra [ PM ] - Yesterday at 4:53:38 pm
The clutch may need to be bled.
The shift cables may need to be adjusted.
The front motor mount may be worn.
There may be play in the shift linkage.
Last (and not terribly likely to be the problem) you may need to replace the transmission fluid.

I haven't tried any of this... all good suggestions...

Can any of this be done by myself or more involved?

Thanks...

If you've bled the brakes on this car or another car or the clutch on another car odds are high you could bleed the clutch on your car with no problems though you'd need the steps/procedure.

There are DIY on this, or you can pick up a copy of the Boxster Bentley shop manual.

Shift cable adjustment is based on what little I've read and know about this, very tricky. Special tools may be needed. But I may be mistaken. I'm sure someone else has better info on this.

The front motor mount can be checked and if cracks are visible in the rubber or if there are other signs of problems the mount can be replaced. Again there should be DIY write ups on this. The task is not real hard but there are ways to do it wrong and doing it wrong can cost you.

Play in the shift linkage suggests worn linkage (or worse). AFAIK there are no servicable components in the factory shifter or its linkage. Thus if the play were in the external shifter/shift linkage a new shifter would be required. A shifter R&R can be a DIY project but you want the correct instructions for your car and the shifter you select so you do the job right.

If the play is internal in the transmission...well, that's probably beyond the average DIY'er.

Transmission fluid is a DIY job though as I think I touched upon earlier it can be a messy job to do. Unless you are a diehard DIY'er fluid changer this is one fluid change job I'd leave for the pros.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

Thanks for the reply Marc, I don't have the Boxster Bentley shop manual, but I do have the Automotive Expert software, which has helped me in the part for various projects.

I'll look up some of these items on there and see the details of the procedures.

Thanks

and the cost is 3 liters of fluid at $46/liter. The labor works out to 0.3 hours at $150/hour or $45.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

Just did this on my 2000S as preventative maintenance. Although I agree that the fluid change may be helpful, I did not notice any difference in my shifting after I changed the fluid.

dghii
2000 Boxster S 6speed 112k miles

had no effect. The tech commented on the appearance of the fluid as it drained from the transmission. Looked like new.

But it was due based on my fluid change schedule.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

Clutch bleed
typically requires a pressure device, such as a Motive pressure bleeder
some people have a little trouble reaching the bleeder nipple, otherwise the procedure is easy

Shift cables adjustment
this can be done from within the passenger cabin, requires a normal wrench or two
the adjustment is under the center armrest, doesn't require removal of the center console, just the bottom panel of the compartment (1 torx screw)

The front motor mount may be worn
if the mount has more than ~50k miles you can pretty much assume this needs to be replaced
this is not too hard a DIY - see [www.pedrosgarage.com]

Play in the shift linkage.
this mainly only applies to older cars
it is possible to DIY without too much trouble

Replace the transmission fluid
believe it or not, this is probably the most difficult and expensive of all of these items
it requires a special (not too expensive) tool to remove the drain plug
it requires some tubing or a pump to get the new fluid in
the recommended (Porsche) fluid is expensive

On our 01(base) it was a combo of things. I replaced all the drive line mounts(front-motor, 2-rear-gearbox) at around 50k which were surprisingly bad considering the car gets very mild usage(no abuse, DE's, or track, etc..). This got rid of a whole host of vibrations, rattles, poor shifting, and got the car to feel more connected(ie tight). I also changed out the gearbox fluid and upgraded to the 997 shifter housing. The shifter housing upgrade was one of the best upgrades done on the car for the $$. The car gets bi-annual brake/clutch fluid flushes, so , this was not of a concern for me. The car now shifts far better then it ever has, much nicer to drive.
regards

How is the 997 shifter better than the 987 shifter? is it smoother?