G.96 reassembly--do you need to remove the shift detent?

Hi All, I was quite excited to open up my G.96 in my '99 C4 and find that it looks to be in decent shape. It was rebuilt ~55k ago and was leaking badly out of the shift shaft seal. But now, I've been trying unsuccessfully for 8 hours to put the nose cone back on. I've reviewed the threads here. I found a thread on another forum where the author recommends removing the shift detent. My problem is that mine is seized and starting to strip. Do I need the shift detent out to put it together? If the answer is yes, I can get more aggressive with a torch and extractors. I fear that it ain't gonna' come out regardless. Is there some other trick I'm missing? I've gotten it repeatedly about half an inch from together, and maybe even a little closer. But, I can't close the gap without it binding. I'd rather not spring for a full rebuild for this high mileage car. But I might prefer that to shelling out a bunch for a shop to reassemble an old transmission. Paul (My advice to anyone looking to replace a shift shaft seal: let it leak.)

Can you post a couple of pictures? I did my transmission last summer and it wasn't bad but I had to use a bit of maneuvering one of the sifter rods before they slid into place.

Well, I spent a few more hours with it and the answer is definitely "no." It doesn't help to have the shift detent removed and more travel to the selector. I can still get it within half an inch of together, but no farther. So close that all the rods are surely in place. As for pics, imagine it looking like a transmission that is almost, but not quite, together. Guts here, but I never removed anything. Given that this is the third weekend of this, I think the question is becoming whether to buy a GBox or sell it as-is where-is. Paul

Try putting a fat rubber band around that top roller bearing you see at the top of the stack to hold the rollers in tight against the inner race. The outer race is the last thing that has to slide over the rollers as the nosecone mates the main case. If the roller bearing cage is a little loose, the rollers will fall to the outside (spread out )and not go into the outer race, they will hit. As the outer race slides down over the rollers, the fat rubber band will just slide off and sit harmlessly around the shaft.

The transmission needs to be tilted at a pretty good angle when sliding the nose cone on or else most of the rods will not line up with the nose cone holes. If you are trying to slide it on like the way is sits (perpendicular) in the picture, it will never go on. When the transmission is at an angle (have a look at the other threads that deal with pinion bearing replacement for pictures) only one or maybe two of the rods need to me moved around to get it to slide into the nose cone. The ones with the pointy ends, the rest will slide in on their own. You are also missing a small bearing that engages with the middle shifter rod. The bearing goes right where the two zip ties overlap in your picture. To keep this from falling off while you are sliding the nose cone on, get some grease and put it on the bearing before sliding it onto the armature. This will keep the bearings from falling off. It fell off when I was doing mine and had to take it apart but again. If that bearing has already fallen off, fish it out with a magnet. That bearing also needs to go into the spool looking section of the middle rod (you have the sip tie going right around it in the picture). This will stabilize the middle shift rod and help aligning it with the nose cone. Don't give up, you are almost there!

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Brilliant! That does seem like the right amount of space to be causing my problem. I'll give it a try. As to tilting it--I'm awfully sure I'm getting the rods in place. One does need to rock it around a bit. Paul

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What about that small bearing that relates to the center shifter rod?

It was the big top bearing! I couldn't get a rubber band on it. Way too slippery. But I left the top seal out, lined up the bearing with a long screwdriver, then rotated the transmission with the yoke (this is a C4) while tapping the cone with a mallet, and it dropped right on! Hopefully it actually works when I get it back in the car! Thanks all!!! Paul

Welp. As I wondered ... it ain't gonna' shift. I thought the absence of movement in the shift lever was a bad thing, but I figured I'd get it in the car and see. Suspicion confirmed. Now I'm not sure whether to open the transmission up again or to just buy another one. Paul

The shift detent was jammed in the wrong spot. So, here we go trying to put it together again! Paul

See post #7. if that small bearings lips off during reassembly, all you will have is natural in every gear. Use a little grease to make it stick onto the shaft. Mine slipped off and had to take it apart. You are almost there.

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Yeah--that roller has stayed on for me generally. The nice thing is that you can hear it "clink" if it falls during assembly. My issue here was removing the detent per an old post on another forum. When I put it back after putting the case together, it jammed up on the far edge of the lever and wouldn't let it move. I'm still having a really hard time with the top roller bearing. I think I or somebody else damaged the retainer slightly, causing one or more rollers to hang out a little farther than would be ideal. I have some rubber bands coming that I hope will work. I'm the rare guy having a CHEAP experience with a 996, as you don't spend any money sitting on your own garage floor and only grabbing the occasional new seal! Paul

Maybe instead of a rubberband try using some heavy grease to keep the rollers stuck to the inner race of the bearing.

Well, I gave up and drove it up to GBOX. Good thing, too. I might have gotten it together, but he pointed out that my shift shaft was worn, which is common. So, there is no way my new seal would have stopped the leaking. He performed a proprietary fix that is much less expensive than the Porsche fix--which is a new shift lever. So, for very little $$, the case is back together, hopefully to not leak! GBOX is the best, as so many of you know. He asked how many miles were on it, and predicted it would need a full rebuild. I told him it had been rebuilt 30k ago, and he said that rebuilders often don't do the pinion bearing because it is a PITA. I told him to do whatever he needed to do. But, he gave the shaft a wiggle (while it was apart) and said the bearing was fine! He also noticed that per some internet instructions, I had greased the ***** on the release lever and the collar under the throw out bearing. He explained those are supposed to be dry. So, great free advice, and as we all know, don't believe everything you read on the internet! So, hopefully the car is back together soon! (Slammed with work and it's terribly hot). But if you need ANYTHING related to a Porsche gearbox, I can't recommend GBOX highly enough! Paul