I have a 2006 carrera cabriolet with the 6 speed and 52k miles. Until the oil gets fully up to temp it grinds going into 5th gear. Local shop says its not linkage, etc, and needs a rebuilt trans. While I'm sure the other gears aren't like new, I'm a bit reluctant to spend that kind of money if I don't have to.

Has anyone had this problem fixed out of warranty and if so what did you do and how much did it cost?

Thanks!

 

Have you changed the trans fluid? A number of people, me included had difficulty shifting into first from time to time and had a second gear crunch until the fluid warms up. A large majority when changing the trans oil to Mobil PTX either saw big improvements or in my case the issues went away.

 

How do they know it's not the linkage or cable stretch?
did they take it apart?
I'd get a second opinion.

 

SoCal's recommendation to change the fluid is worth nothing. I'd not venture away from the fluid Porsche says to use though.

However, 52K miles ain't that many miles and I think the transmission fluid service is not scheduled until 90K miles.

Try the fluid change if you want. I'm in favor of a proper fluid service before throwing wrenches at a transmission problem.

Before you do the transmission fluid service though consider having the brake fluid and clutch fluid flushed and bled.

It has been my experience with my 2002 Boxster that letting this brake/cluth fluid flush/bleed service go while the brakes appear to be unaffected the clutch action and shifting action are affected, negatively affected. In my experience affected to the point I was considering having the car in for a new clutch possibly even a transmission repair/rebuild.

And with over 300K miles on both the clutch and the transmission I was quite willing to believe the clutch replacement was (finally) due and the transmission had reached the end of its service life, too.

However, after the flush/bleed the clutch was just fine. Smooth engagement was once again the norm. And the shifting difficulties had gone away and the transmission was also just fine.

You can always throw a transmission/diff fluid change at the symptoms if the brake/clutch fluid flush/bleed doesn't help.

Just to cover all bases when you have the car in for the brake/clutch fluid service mention the symptoms to the tech and ask if he would give the shift linkage an inspection. This is in line with Hella-Buggin' and his concern about the linkage.

 

Mobil PTX is a Porsche recommended oil...as well as others.

 

I have a similar issue on my 47k 2006 carrera s cab. I first noticed the grind right after I had a new clutch installed last month. The Indy shop asked if I had ever noticed a crunch going into 5th, which I answered "No"

If the car is on and sitting in my garage, it grinds every time I press the clutch and shift into 5. If I do it slowly, then there is no grind. I had the transmission fluid changed and cannot yet tell any difference. I also experience a noise shifting into reverse on a cold transmission and have the intermittent difficulty going into first at low speed. Things improve greatly with a warm engine.

My shop thought it was a synchronizer issue, and recommended avoiding aggressive shifting into fifth. Interestingly, when driving I don't feel and grind or issue with the 4-5 shift. Only makes the noise at rest.

I am going to check the shifter cables and make sure they were properly replaced into their clips during the clutch change. I also saw a post on pelican parts (I think) on doing a clutch adjustment.

Let me know if anyone has any suggestions. I had never shifted into 5th when the car was a thing rest in the garage while running, so I honestly don't know if this is a new problem or not.

 

I have the same 5th gear grind when cold, occasionally 5th->6th when cold, and maybe 1/50 times going into reverse. Aside from that and a bit of 1->2 notchiness, it performs well. I changed my tranny oil with PTX to no avail. Interested to see how things work out in this thread.

I am going to start calling shops. I can probably stomach changing a couple synchros, but I fear I will be told I have to change a laundry list of parts "while in there" making it a full on rebuild at huge cost.

 

FWIW I started this thread and ended up getting a rebuilt transmission from Porsche installed. Not a cheap solution but everything works well now and I have a 2 year warranty on the rebuild.

 

I've been following this thread.
I too have the same 5th gear grind when cold in the wifes 2006 C4S. It has 77,000km (27,500 miles) on it.
I refilled the tranny with (very expensive) PTX to no avail als. I just shift a little slower when its cold.
Thing is 5th gear synchros do not wear out, 2nd gear will die well before any subsequent gears.
Badshot, did the dealer find the problem with the gearbox?

 

No they did not tear it apart to find root cause. The decision to go with the rebuild is that we checked out the linkages, clutch hydraulics, etc. Its a lot of hours to open one of the transmissions up, and parts are expensive. I didn't really have the time or inclination for this to be a fishing expedition. Transmission came from Porsche in a crate, got installed and the old one went back for the core charge. Total time IIRC for swap in/swap out was 5 or 6 hours.

 

Check that the shifter cables are actually in the retainer detents under the car - they want to pop out. If they're out, put them back in and wire tie them into position so they stay put. When they pop out, it can effect the accuracy of the shifter.

 

Here is the update of my issue:

inpirchases the little green shifter adjuster and adjusted my cables under the console. No help.

Next, I put the cars up on jack stands and checked the cables under the car. All was in the right place and secured.

Finally, I purchased a motive power brake bleeder and bled the clutch line. This was a tight space to work, but the result is no more grind going into 5th!!

if I quickly shift into reverse I still get a little chatter, but things appear to be much improved. Can’t wait to put a few more miles on her and see how everything feels. Cannot comment on any improvement on getting into 1st gear yet.

Cheers,

RTF

 

Glad your making progress - that sure beats a transmission rebuild.

Try putting ​​​​the shifter into 1st or 2nd before shifting into reverse (you don't have to let the clutch out, just move the lever there) and it should stop the slight grind when you shift into Reverse. Also, make sure the car is stationary.

Here's the setup I use for bleeding the clutch master with my power bleeder. It's a pass through Craftsman ratchet with silicone hose and collection bag (hose and bag are from speedbleeders). It works great since you don't have to remove the ratchet from the bleed nipple to loosen or tighten it.