Difficult shifting after tranny oil change

[geoff]

2001 2.7 5 speed with 997 short shifter installed. Last week I had the dealer do the 60K mile service, and also asked them to change the (manual) transmission oil. After convincing my service writer I did want to spend the $ even though Porsche says to only do it every 90K miles, it was done along with everything else. Before the 60K mile service, the short shifter was easy to shift even when cold. Now it's harder to shift when starting out until things warm up a bit. I checked today and the mechanic confirmed he did not adjust the shift cables.

Has anyone experienced this? Does everything loosen up after the new gear oil ages? My invoice says 80W90 gear oil, but I thought it was supposed to be 75W90. It's probably a typo on the invoice, but could this be a problem?

[RJG1]

Geoff- If they used 80W then your observation makes sense as its thicker oil and would require slightly more heat to thin out, 75vs 80 weight.

Bob

Edited June 25, 2009 by RJG1

[pk2]

What Bob says makes sense, Cold + heavy gear oil will do exactly what your describing. And that is more pronounced with s-shifter.

Another potential is your transe is overfilled. You don't fill some Box's transe.s with gear oil till it overflows and starts spilling out the fill hole (like the rest of the world does, even Porsche in most cases), You fill it exactly 13 mm down from the bottom of the fill hole. It's 'effn impossible to do as per manuals method.

You kinda have to know some trigonometry, be clever, have a pair of floor jacks, and forget the laughable method in the book to get the spec'd results (13mm down). It would be easy for a mechanic to be lax and just fill it up all the way out of ignorance or laziness. With a regular shifter and it's all it's leverage, you'd probably never notice. He could blissfully get away with it for years.

I'd ask Him (as per Bob) If he used the appropriate gear oil and, if he filled it to the tippy top. If affirmative on the second count, have him carefully re-read the appropriate manual and give you loner GT because to fill it to the proper height, as per books method. THat will take him all afternoon.

This 13nmm (or whatever) may not be a spec on your model year. Maybe your car is just fill-to-spill, but it (13mm down) is the spec on mine. Adjusting may not do anything to remedy your problem but If it did, it would go a long way to explaining all the silliness. ..keep us posted/

Regards, PK

Edited June 26, 2009 by pk2