I have a 138k miles on my 82 SC, no tranny work. Just finished flushing and refilling with Swepco about 500 miles ago. Well worth it. I double clutch my down shifts, and have been known to (quote)perform the mystical "shift into 1st while still rolling" manuever. with no issues.

Hey Ron... I think the 3.2 came stock with the Carrera Tensioners, hence the "Carrera" Tensioner name?

365k on an original unopened 915? Absolutely Awesome! You get the high mile award on this thread so far!!! Do you remember the type of fluid you ran through it?

Not the Carrera! The '78 Targa. I have know idea what he was running. It was my first Porsche and I didn't know too much about them.

Oops! I stand corrected!

I hope that you have the same great experience with your '84!!

After my rebuild is completed, I'm sure I will be able to get more miles than the first run... I think it was definitely abused in it's early life!

Pat,
I didn't learn a damn thing! I test drove the car. I could test 1st gear was bad (BUZZING), and bought the car anyway. My first stop was the shop. $1700 later I got the Carrera back. Two weeks later I had the Targa in the shop. In one year I spent enough money for my mechanic to pay for a semester at Stanford!

142K on my 82 SC and no funny noises from the 915. Takes a sec to shift from 1st to 2nd tho.

I haven't driven one yet that was quick from 1st to 2nd.

1st was bad in the Targa or the Carrera?

And you paid $1700 to have what done to the Carrera?

When my tranny bit it, apparently the shifter fork inside the case broke 2 of the 3 studs or bolts that hold it together. It sounded like a skill saw blazing through a 2x4 every time I tried to shift while the car was moving. I could shift into every gear when the car was at a stop, just not while moving... If it weren't for that, I probably could have gotten another 40-50k miles out of it. Several of the synchros were worn, but not done.

That is a sound I don't want to hear! 1st was bad in the Carrera when I bought it !st was bad in the Targa when I had it fixed. It must be a theme with the 915's. Had the 1st and 3rd Syncro's replaced the slider, the dog house.... Funny thing though. The clutch was new. You think some one would have noticed the gear box....or maybe that's why is was forsale so cheap. $12500.00 two years ago.

15 more minutes to go!

1st is not synchronized, and was never designed to be shifted into while moving. With mine, I had no problem with first. Forget 2nd, and 4th, while 3rd was not quite so bad. No problem at all for 5th. I nursed it along for about another 100 miles, but finally 3rd was really getting ugly too... How many miles on the Carrera when you bought it? Am I to understand then that the Carrera tranny did have work on it?

Yes, your right, my bad. No syncro's on 1st. The Carrera had 125K miles on it when I had the trans worked on.
With the '78 Targa it wouldn't stay in 1st or 3rd.
With the '84 Carrera it was getting Buzzy just like the Targa did before it needed work. So I just had it done before I just too used to driving it.

Usually about 85K miles before it's time....

Not sure about the 1978 version but my 85 915 has syncros on everything except reverse. Reverse has kind-of rounded teeth on the gear to help get it into gear.