Disaster

[mkossler]

Hi fellow Pelicans, it's time for another galloping tale of woe. Disaster has struck. AND REDEMPTION FROM HARRYD! It's not cracked, it's a casting mark... THANKS Harry! 10/28 - I wish that took care of everything, other hijinx continue...

I picked up my more-or-less pristine 50K mile 82 SC Targa last month, driving it down from Saratoga NY to Savannah. The car passed PPI with flying colors, except that the 1st and 2nd gear synchros were worn. I decided to have the PO's ( that's cousin Dev, as great a guy as you'll ever meet) garage do the tranny work.

I wasn't floored when I drove the car after the "rebuild", I had to do a lot of double-clutching to get into gear, especially 4th, but I chalked it up to a new re-build and the need to break everything in.

Big mistake.

Admittedly, things did seem to loosen up a bit on the trip home. BUT... recently I was at a stop at a highway on-ramp, and as I accelerated onto the ramp I felt some vibration, which worsened as I sped up. Being the soooper geeeenius that I am, I immediately concluded that maybe something was amiss. I pulled over and slowed the car to an idle, and the vibration disappeared. Unfortunately, when I pulled into my driveway sometime later, I noted that something else had appeared. A leak. A drip-drip-drip leak.

I looked under the car, and it appeared that the leak was coming from the Shift Cover (the one that a fork is mounted on) on the transmission housing. Upon finally getting the car in the air, however, I found a crack in the transmission housing at the differential, just behind the left half-shaft. A big, honking crack that runs from the half-shaft seal down to the drain plug.

So my brandy-new, nearly-perfect example of an 82 911 SC, that I paid the premium for so I would avoid things like required engine and transmission services, must now have the drivetrain dropped and yet another transmission rebuild.

Time for an early-afternoon cocktail.

I am new to this game in Savannah. Does anyone know of a reputable garage in this area? My tools and garage are not sufficient to handle this job.

Oh, and does anyone have a 915 housing laying around? Please let me know.

I know it could be worse, but man, I am just sick over this one.

Looks great as long as you're not going anywhere -

[FinallyGotOne]

Man, I'm sorry to hear such a story, and you even made sure you were cautious about the PPI. All I can say is enjoy your cocktail. Mine would be a stiff one for sure!

[mkossler]

Thanks, FGO. It ain't gonna be a beer, I can tell you that.

[DanielDudley]

OUCH !!! Can't help you with the garage, but I would send the box out to a specialist, like Gary Fairbanks.

BTW, I have had the tranny out of my 80 928 four times, if that is any consolation. I wish I had sent it out to a specialist the first time. Or the second. Or ...

You see where I am going with this. Have you called the repair shop that did the work ? It would be reasonable to assume they might do something for you, or maybe have some spares to donate to the cause.

Hang in there. That is one nice car you have there. It's worth it, and you deserve it. Take your time to find the right shop and all will be well.

[K9Torro]

Hello Matt

I FEEL your pain , I have an amazing story to tell over a cold one some day. I am just South of you about 45 min on I-95, I can say hands down that one of the best shops for P-cars is located in Jacksonville, for you that is about a 1.5 to 2 hour drive. Check out www.autosportfl.com this is Al's shop and he is the best there is. He would also have a case for your repair. He stays busy and you have to set up a date to bring your car down, he does not like to have to many sitting at the shop at one time. I have a guy with a car hauler if you dont think you can make the trip, or if you have a tow vehicle you can rent a u-haul car hauler by the day over on Abbercorn near the college.

Todd

[CharlesJones]

Bad luck - that's a great shame. I don't know much about transmissions, but could the crack have possibly been caused by the garage which did the rebuild over-torquing the drain plug?

[HarryD]

Does it look like the "crack" in this thread: Crack, a big social problem....worse in a 915?

[mkossler]

Thanks for the commiseration, guys.

Daniel,

I will leave it to cousin Dev to talk to the garage - knowing him, he'll be all over them. I have to say that they have had a long relationship, and it has been a good one. I've got a feeling that this one is a case of someone in a hurry, because the tranny was only finished the day before I flew up to get it.

K9Torro,

Thanks for the information! A buddy of mine at Gulfstream mentioned someone in J-ville, but he didn't remember the name of the place. He also said that he is really busy. The car is drivable - I am sure I would have no problems getting to Jacksonville. I do have a jack, jack pads, and jackstands I can stow, just in case, if I decide to make that trip. I may have to bite the bullet and just try Hilton Head Porsche.

Charles,

Good question - I think I might even be relieved to know that was the cause. It might be worth seeing what torque is required to remove the drain plug.

I am assuming I need a complete box, to ensure that the housing mates up properly. Is this correct? To tell the truth, even it it wasn't required, I'd probably replace the entire housing anyway.

I'm really wondering what I'll find when the box is opened...

[K9Torro]

Matt -

Nothing again Hilton Head but if you are going to use a dealership to fix your car, (quite high) I would also recommend our local dealership here which is Brumos, they are a little busy over the next few days with RennSport III prep's but they do great work. They do all my warranty stuff, on my older iron if I cant handle it then it goes to Al's place.

Todd

[azasadny]

Sorry to hear about this. You'll get it fixed and will look back on this and smile (or grimace)...

[mkossler]

Originally Posted by HarryD

Does it look like the "crack" in this thread: Crack, a big social problem....worse in a 915?

YES! Yes it does. Well, except that mine leaks. Still, you have given me hope. Bless you sir! I will go back under and see what's what, and see if I can't get a picture.

[mkossler]

It is a casting mark. A picture is at the bottom of the post. Man, you actually have to grind/file it to tell it's not a real crack.

The leak is traveling aft along the bottom ridge of the housing, from the shift cover I suspected at the beginning. It looks like maybe a broken stud, maybe a broken gasket at the stud. Either way, who cares?

Naturally, I don't have a hex tool big enough to remove the drain and fill plugs to continue at the moment. Hopefully I can find something local.

Glory Be!!!!! Ah, clean livin' and pure thoughts, baby! Maybe I should change my nickname to "Cry Wolf".

Man this place is absolutely the best! Let me put that another way - the people here are the best. Thank you all so much!

Pic:

[mkossler]

Okay, just to follow through -

I got the 17MM hex bit, and drained the transmission (there wasn't much left, about 1.5 quarts) oil. Then I removed the Shift Plate (number 9 in this diagram).

It became clear where the leak was once I removed the plate, since there was an area where the gasket was soaked in oil. What made no sense was that there was no clear reason WHY the leak would be there - the gasket was fine, and the housing was reasonably clean of old gasket material.

I didn't find the cause until when I began to re-mount the plate with the new gasket. What I found was that the plate was not flush - it was hanging up slightly on the pins in the plate that obviously are there to keep the fork positioned (you can see them in the diagram linked above).

Closer inspection of the holes for the pins showed a small ridge where one pin was hanging up. It looked like someone had tightened two nuts with the plate seated askew.

Anyhoo, I seated it square, and used a piece of wood & small hammer to try to tap the pins in. Worked like a charm. It seated perfectly, and I tightened everything up. No leaks so far, and that is a BIG improvement over the drip-drip-drip before.

By the way, could it be any harder to fill that transmission? Holy cow!

What I cannot for the life of me figure out, is why it chose that moment to start leaking. Why didn't it leak immediately? Regardless, it's been a few hours and no sign of leaks. I am pumped!

Cheers, remaining crack-free (and that's a good thing) ,

Matty K.

[Paulporsche]

Glad to hear your got it worked out. What does Cousin Dev have to say about all this?

[mkossler]

We're not quite all there yet. There is still another leak. It looks like it is coming from somewhere above the plate where the rear stabilizer bar passes under the tranny. Damn!

Something happened in there to cause this, I don't know what. I'll find out though, no doubt.

I sent Dev an email early this afternoon. He sent back a "Holy *****!" email, and immediately called me. He's planning a call / visit to his mechanic on Monday. He was more upset than I was. I hope I have more good news for him before then. I really, really don't want to see that relationship go south after all this time.

Goes to show ya, never sell to family unless it's your kid - and in that case, just give it to 'em.

[DanielDudley]

Not that I want to burst your bubble, but if that's what it's like on the outside ...

[Gene Wilkes]

make sure the vent on top of the tranny is turned in the proper position. If it's backwards it will leaks tranny oil like crazy!

[Jandrews]

So what caused the vibration mentioned in your first post?


JA

[mkossler]

islandmanpa,

Thanks for the tip. We'll be talking to the mechanic that did the work on Monday, and I hope he can provide some feedback.

--------------------

Our thinking (okay, hoping) right now is that the vibration was the result of me decelerating and backing way off the throttle when I had to stop before turning onto the on-ramp. There was some popping, and I think the airbox pop-off valve may have engaged. Is it possible that it could have taken some time to re-seat properly, causing misfiring?

It was vibrating REALLY badly. Enough, I think, to loosen anything on a fresh tranny rebuild that had not been torqued or seated correctly, or could have put any old seals over the edge.

After the vibration ceased, the car ran and shifted the same as it had previous to the "event".

When I emptied the tranny, the drain plug had no metal chips on the magnet. Also, the view from through the shift plate cover in the gear housing looked fine, as well as I could assess from my rookie viewpoint and my Service Manual.

What sucks right now is that the remaining leak is at the front tranny cover. The (much, much slower) drip gathers at the seam with the gear housing. The grounding strap appears to be soaked in oil, and I suspect that the nut holding that grounding strap could be my culprit. From my limited view, I can't yet find any fresh oil on the exterior of the front cover above the bottom two nuts.

To find out any more, I am going to have to pull the rear swaybar and the tranny mount crossmember. I have a jack to support the tranny body (and magazines to cushion the tranny from the jack plate), but let's say I do that and the nuts are torqued properly - now what?

[Gunter]

Input shaft seal?
Open the cover over the tunnel under the carpet.
Any oil in there?

Reverse contact plug not tight?