extra tranny oil?

Hendog · Hendog's Garage

This is my first DIY job on my Porsche. I've just drained the oil from my G50 tranny. I first pulled the filler plug as suggested by the wiser ones: what surprised me was the omount of oil that came out

I didn't think you could overfill the tranny if done on the level. Before proceeding with the drain plug I thought I should get an idea of how much "overfill" there really was. I drained the pan into a egg carton and filled eight of the12 troughs! I don't know exactly how much that is but it seems to be a lot. Any thoughts? Can overfilling the tranny be detrimental?

creaturecat · 02-26-2005, 09:39 PM

8 of 12 troughs! Hmmmmm...what is that in quarts?
here are some egg facts :

http://www.trilogyegg.com/new_site/facts.htm

djmcmath · 02-26-2005, 09:58 PM

It shouldn't be possible to overfill, technically. At the top of the tranny, there's an overflow spout. If there really is too much oil, it'll bubble out the top. No worries about past damage due to overfilling, methinks.

My concern would be that it had the right amount of oil, and now that it's down to where you're thinking the fill line is, it's low. Stupid question -- is the car level? If the front is low, then you'll end up with less volume beneath the fill line (if that makes any sense). Or perhaps the last time it was filled, they had the front higher than the back?

Welcome to DIY Porsche-wrenching. It's a great life.

Dan

Hendog · Hendog's Garage

It's possible that the car is not level. The back end jack stands are of equal height on each side. The front end stands are of equal height on each side. The fron may be lower than the back, although how do you tell? Is there a place on the car onto which one can confidently place a level and check?

MBAtarga · 02-27-2005, 07:20 AM

How about the previous owner had the car jacked up from the driver's side and topped it off without letting it back down to level? That would explain the excess fluid.

Hendog · Hendog's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by MM83targa
How about the previous owner had the car jacked up from the driver's side and topped it off without letting it back down to level? That would explain the excess fluid.

Maybe, but we'll never know. Could be also because I had the front lower than the back so I raised it. To get it "level" I measured from the floor to the metal lip that runs underneath the doors, both at the rear wheel and front wheel. It wasn't level frnt/back at first now it is. Is this considered level?

jevvy · 02-27-2005, 08:46 AM

Hey Hendog

What oil are you going to put in there and how grubby was the stuff you took out

Be nice if you could let us know how many miles on the tranny and some before and after thoughts on feel and change etc

good luck with the rest of your DIY jobs

Hendog · Hendog's Garage

I'm about to put in Redline 75W90NS. I had a little difficultly putting it in first when cold (not unusual I hear). It was a bit notchy 1 to 2 and slightly so from 2 to 3 after warming up. The car has just under 62K Km on it (38500 Miles). I'm hoping to feel a smoother shift when warmed up. I'll have it done in the next hour or so and take it out later on. I'll post the impressions. BTW the drain plug looked usual for wear compared to what I've seen on other posts.

Any thoughts on my mehtod for leveling the car?

djmcmath · 02-27-2005, 01:50 PM

The difficulty in getting into first is caused by slowly failing synchros. When it eventually goes out entirely, you'll probably want to rebuild the tranny. Until then, you can prolong the agony by double-clutching on your down****s.

Level probably doesn't need to be measured with a laser-sight. Eyeball the rocker panels, window-sills, and bumpers. Shrug, call it close enough, and go with it. The engineers actually gave a pretty reasonable tolerance on tranny fluid. There was another long thread about underfilling the tranny to exactly the tolerance level in order to reduce sprung weight and rotational mass. iirc, the general populace decided that if you fill to the normal fill line, you're giving enough extra to be safe, even if the car isn't precisely level.

Dan

Hendog · Hendog's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by jevvy
Hey Hendog

What oil are you going to put in there and how grubby was the stuff you took out

Be nice if you could let us know how many miles on the tranny and some before and after thoughts on feel and change etc

good luck with the rest of your DIY jobs

The new Red Line has definately made an improvement in shifting! I noticed it IMMEDIATELY as I put it into first. Going from first to second took little effort as well. Shifting has improved. The G50 still retains some notchyness, but it's as if the shoulders of the notches are well greased and rounded and wide. There is no "pushing" past a narrow tight unwilling notch anymore.

When I drained the old oil I thought I might be wasting my time since it came out clear looking (golden like the new Red Line) until the end of drain when it got milky. After properly leveling the car I pumped in approx 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 litres.

Brake caliper rebuild, Ferodo pads, brake line changes, oil change are next.

I truly appreciate the help from this BBS and the willingness of the experienced to share their knowledge with us who are learning as we go. It gives me confidence to pull a wrench.