Swap 5 Speed into Boxster S ?

[tahiles]

Sorry if this has been discussed, the search wasn't working for me. Anyone done this swap?

I don't like the 1st to 2nd shift problems and from what I understand it's about impossible to make the go away 100%.

So.....I'm not a track guy and I don't need to keep the car at 6500 RPM coming out of turn three.....all I need is smooth easy shifting and the ability to hit 2nd gear hard when I feel like dusting off the kid in the Civic.

What parts other than the tranny would I need?

[JFP in PA]

Sorry if this has been discussed, the search wasn't working for me. Anyone done this swap?

I don't like the 1st to 2nd shift problems and from what I understand it's about impossible to make the go away 100%.

So.....I'm not a track guy and I don't need to keep the car at 6500 RPM coming out of turn three.....all I need is smooth easy shifting and the ability to hit 2nd gear hard when I feel like dusting off the kid in the Civic.

What parts other than the tranny would I need?

Half shafts are different as well, as are the rear hubs, carriers, and ebrake assemblies.

[mikefocke]

So what are the 1st to 2nd shift problems you see and maybe someone can help with those. The alternative is to find a wreck and buy the trans with lots of other parts as JFP has described.

[tahiles]

2nd gear problems, grinding etc are WELL documented on all 6 speeds. The gears do not align perfectly until the car has warmed up and the gearbox has received some heat transferred from the engine block.

There are no known permanent fixes for these problems. Even a costly rebuild will only lessen the problems for a while.

A gear detent from G Box is a band-aid for a bullet hole.

My next Boxster/Cayman will be a 09 or newer with PDK.

No 2nd gear problems, no RMS problems, no IMS problems. Minus those alone are almost worth the price of admission...............

[JFP in PA]

2nd gear problems, grinding etc are WELL documented on all 6 speeds. The gears do not align perfectly until the car has warmed up and the gearbox has received some heat transferred from the engine block.

There are no known permanent fixes for these problems. Even a costly rebuild will only lessen the problems for a while.

A gear detent from G Box is a band-aid for a bullet hole.

My next Boxster/Cayman will be a 09 or newer with PDK.

No 2nd gear problems, no RMS problems, no IMS problems. Minus those alone are almost worth the price of admission...............

Don't know about that; I've driven a couple of Gbox fully rebuilt transmissions, and they 1-2 shifted fine, cold or warmed up. Granted, not cheap; but I would bet it would be less than the cost of going to a five speed, not including the hit the price of the car would take.

[tahiles]

Yeah I thought about that. I think a Boxster S with a 5 speed might be a pretty hard sale.

I'd like to sell the car right now but I'm afraid of the uninformed buyer who thinks a small 2nd gear grind when cold means the tranny is screwed. All it means is that it's a 6 speed Boxster with 70K on the clock. Quite typical.

If I was keeping the car I'd definately look into the G Box Rebuild. Any idea how much their "typical" customer lays out?

[JFP in PA]

Yeah I thought about that. I think a Boxster S with a 5 speed might be a pretty hard sale.

I'd like to sell the car right now but I'm afraid of the uninformed buyer who thinks a small 2nd gear grind when cold means the tranny is screwed. All it means is that it's a 6 speed Boxster with 70K on the clock. Quite typical.

If I was keeping the car I'd definately look into the G Box Rebuild. Any idea how much their "typical" customer lays out?

Depends upon what they find when they examine the innards of the transmission; recent overhaul on a six speed out of a Turbo ran $4,500, but the gear box was right when it was finished.

[tahiles]

Well the $4500 might be a little easier to swallow if the car is worth $45K.

It's a completely different matter on a 03 Boxster S worth 20 ~ 25K (on a good day!)

I's NEVER see the $4500 back...........

Also it's not like the tranny is toast and I HAVE to do something.

Edited June 21, 2013 by tahiles

[JFP in PA]

Well the $4500 might be a little easier to swallow if the car is worth $45K.

It's a completely different matter on a 03 Boxster S worth 20 ~ 25K (on a good day!)

I's NEVER see the $4500 back...........

Also it's not like the tranny is toast and I HAVE to do something.

Another option is to call Gbox and discuss your exact problem(s); the $4,500 gearbox probably needed a lot of work, yours may not.

And you should not be focusing on if a repair is recoverable at sale, they often never are; but you also need to recognize the potential reduction in value a bad transmission will have at sale time. If we get a car in for PPI with wonky gear box, we automatically assume the potential "pull and repair" cost as a "deduct" from the asking price........

[Silver_TT]

Gbox labor is $1,000 for a rebuild (could be a little more if extensive work is needed). The rest is going to be parts. $4,500 gearbox was $3,000 in parts, $1,200 labor and $300 shipping (one way). Gearbox now is very sharp, practically brand new. Stan (the owner) is very knowledgable and should be able to tell you a lot if you just have a conversation with him. I think he's been working on Porsche gearboxes for something like 25 or 30 years.