986 2,5 Automatic transmission fault.

[Kristoffer Sellebjerg]

Hi!

 

I have som issues with the transmission on a 1997 Boxster - 2,5l engine and automatic transmission.

 

The car has been in storage for around 3 years. 

 

After the first startup it runs great - but then...

 

The first sign of trouble with the gearbox was a stiff gear selector when the transmission warmed up. Nothing when cold - but after a good drive or 15 minuts in idle - the gear lever was very stiff and almost stuck. 

 

Then - out of a sudden, the gearbox would not engage in any gear (P would engage though). Checked the shift cable and mechanism - all was operating normal. 

 

Then I decided to check the oil level. When i removed the filler plug - oil was dripping out (Maybe around 200ml). This made me kind of uncomfortable - so I pulled the pan and the oil filter down. The oil is brown - but clear. Some sticky black oil in the bottom of the pan - and the filter looks quite dirty too. In the pan and on the filter, some of the oil looks kind of weird ( Like when you have coolant fluid in the engine oil).

 

So - could it be the oil cooler that has an internal leak - and leaks coolant into the gearbox oil? Is this a common issue on the 5hp19 gearbox? 

 

I found the reason that the transmission will not engage in any gear. The gear shifter arm - on the inside of the transmission connects to a dark brown/black plastic arm which I thought looked a bit loose. Could pull it right off - and it turned out it has snapped (See picture).

 

So my questions are:

 

Why did it snap? 

Is it hard to replace?

How do I determine if there is actually coolant in the oil?

Is it too late to save the transmission?

 

Hoping for some clever people to check in on this ?

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2019 by Kristoffer Sellebjerg

[mikefocke]

I've seen very few if any transmission experts posting on all the forums I frequent. Partially because few OBD2 transmission diagnostics are available cheaply. But mostly because people with the TIP just take it to a ZF specialist as they may be less inclined to DIY.

[crwarren11]

I am not an expert but went through a tip rebuild on a 2000 Boxster. If you have a coffee looking mixture in your trans oil then it indicates an intermix. The only place this can happen is with the atf cooler which is exactly what failed in mine. The intermix will destroy the clutches inside the transmission. In my case I tried to only replace the atf cooler and put in new atf but after a few weeks it failed again due to the clutches slipping. 

 

Ultimately I had to pull out entire trans and empty/replace the torque converter of all intermix and replace all clutches and plates. 

 

Sorry, I don’t recognize the part that you broke. 

Edited February 5, 2019 by crwarren11

[Kristoffer Sellebjerg]

Hello there!

 

Just to follow up on this - I replaced the manual selector valve in the front part of the valve body in the gearbox today. No need to remove the valve body. Could just lower it an inch or so - and then replace the valve. Solved the problem!

 

Will monitor the coolant level and if it drops - get the ATF cooler checked for leaks.