2000 986 S 6 speed manual tranny fluid... hmmm. - Page 2 - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Hello so I'm posting this because is seems to be an anomaly against the recommendations. I just changed the trans fluid in the 2000 S. The old stuff was pitch black, and stunk. Not burnt, just very strong old oil smell. Vehicle has 126k kms and could have been original fluid. Anyhow, based on all the recommendations , I simply went with the pricey Classic Porsche GL-5 oil in the metal tins. Well, it now requires a LOT more effort to shift gears. Quite a bit more pressure on the lever to get it into 1, 2 3, etc... the old, black, expired fluid allowed for less effort. No grinding, just resistance going into gear. I'm wondering if this isn't too slick on the syncros, but this is THE recommended oil from Porsche for this 6 speed trans is it not?? So my question is, any other fluid recommendations? Any additives thats have proven to work? Thanks, Dan

Consider your shift cables and age of motor and transmission mounts. I tried all kinds of transmission fluids and factory Porsche has worked best. I heavily track my car as well. Once the fluid warms up, it works very well.

Thanks. As the conventional wisdom goes, this is the best fluid I suppose. I did install one of the cheap short shifter over the winter, and perhaps the throw is just too short. I just ordered a Ben's shifter, will see if that alleviates it. Not much else I can do.

You won't be disappointed in the BAD shifter, I switched from an ebay special to that one and it is awesome. I'm just waiting for the side shifter linkage now, to go along with Numeric cables, but so far it's fantastic. Side note, are you in Ontario Canada or Ontario California?

When I decided to change my transmission oil in my 2002 S 6 speed, 50K miles I went with the oil from the dealer (images attached of the plastic bottle) to see if that would assist with the slight problem of shifting into 2nd gear (when cold mostly). Is this the same oil as what you used but in the metal cans?

Fluid specification

Four yrs ago when I was having my bore scoring fixed the first time, I also sent my trans to a specialist in AZ to have the 2nd gear synchro fixed. He recommended Amzoil AND that I should change the trans fluid often since I DE my Cayman. I also drive my Cayman in the winter and found the Amzoil to be stiff until it warmed up. For the last change I switched to Liqui Moly and like it very much - not stiff in winter. For those who track their cars, be sure to change the trans fluid (manual or PDK) often. It's not a difficult DIY and is much cheaper than a replacement trans (I ended up with several bad syncros and a chipped tooth, so went with an $8K reman unit). PDKs run in the $20K range for a replacement.

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Which specific Liqui Moly did you use? There seems to be 2 different ones, if I cross reference on the Liqui Moly site they don't list the 986/987, only the 996, which is part 22090, my local supplier has 22090 and 20012, which look very similar. I assume it's 22090 that you used?

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Whichever one is 75W90 GL-5 should be correct.

It must have been 22090, that one is listed as fully synthetic GL4/GL5 while 20012 is GL4+ (not sure what the difference is between GL4+ and GL4/GL5) I found a 3rd one on Amazon that is just GL5, but it doesn't show on the Liqui Moly site so I'm not sure on that one. I ordered 22090 so I guess I'll find out.

SWEPCO 202 is top notch oil

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Hi there, I hope it'll help. I think the leverage on the generic blue clone is too short. Should arrive in a day or two. I'm in Ottawa. @Boo, I have no idea if it's the same oil. This one was specced by my local Porsche dealer for this 2000 S 6 speed. Different part # and oil. Pic attached. I wonder if anyone else has any other input? I don't necessarily want to drain it, replace with something else with a less desirable outcome, and then refill with Porsche fluid again. It's a hundred bucks a pop, but, in the grand scheme it's better than driving with trans performance I'm not happy with. Though I could just reclaim this stuff. It has 50 km's on it. Maybe I'll try Swepco and LM. I'm not convinced it's syncro related, as ALL gears require too much pressure to engage.

Yeah the blue ebay specials are way too short. A mechanic I trust recommended I remove it, so I went with the BAD, which is shorter than stock, but not overly so. Probably similar to a 997 short shifter. Ottawa is about 4.5 hours from me, so not neighbours, but nice to see a fellow canuck on here. There are a few of us... If all gears are hard to get into I feel like it's something else. It is weird that it started happening after you put new oil in, can't explain that one.

Yes, that part is hard to explain. You mention also the shifter was changed at some point in time. Maybe it is good to understand when you started noticing the hard gear engagement. Was it only the difference before / after fluid change? Or any other things done in between? The shifter might be it, but also a worn clutch (or clutch hydraulics etc) could give similar issues.

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Hm, i'm not sure if porsche has different types of transmission oils, but since it says classic it should be tje right stuff. Just suprised it doesnt say gl4/gl5, as I have been told the boxster 986 should have a oil with combined specification (also gl4 compliant). I changed mine a year ago, and the indy here (with a lot of x porsche classic center mechanics) said to use Mobilube PTX 75w90. It is gl4 and gl5. Put that in at it works fine, although mine is also slightly hard until warm.

Yeah, all I know is that it's what the dealer gave me. I specified the 6 speed. I believe the ideal oil for the 5 could be different. I'm actually considering clutch drag right now as well. Classic symptoms for the shifter, difficult initial engagement of any gear but once in can go in and out effortlessly. However the clutch seems to act fine. Engagement point is a little higher than 50% of pedal throw, doesn't creep. Doesn't lose pressure. Still not sure... the Bens shifter just arrived and I'll throw it in this coming weekend. It could be the ebay short shifter design. Will check back in then.

Per others on the forum and a call to gbox, this is the correct transmission oil 000 043 305 49. Not the classic stuff. Even with the correct stuff, gears can be tough to get into the first few times if it’s cold out. I wonder if bleeding your clutch may help. It probably never gets done until clutch replacement time and it gets hot in that engine bay.

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I’m not a huge fan of my engagement either. I think the dual mass flywheel may be shot. With clutch out there is some chatter, but clutch in it goes away. Plus the sometimes mushy feel on engagement. I’ll be changing everything soon enough…just trying to muster the time and energy 😅

The fluid type and viscosity isn't going to affect your "shifting" immediately, its far more likely there's a problem elsewhere, like it was overfilled, a vent is plugged, a shift cable got stuck, but replacing fluid will not cause a hard shift from an immediate drain and fill. Also, yes 75w-90 fluid does stink, all the time, that part is normal. Gearbox and differential oils smell bad, usually the thicker they are the worse they smell, don't know why.

To follow up, I removed the generic blue short shifter that was installed at the end of last season and replaced with a BAD bearing shifter and new ICT knob with setscrews. World of difference. The other combo had the unfortunate attributes of being too short and rubbery at the same time. This is perfect. It's not quite in Miata or RX7 territory, but it's pretty close especially given it's a cable action unit. So, problem solved. Thanks.

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Really eh, so perhaps I should swap it out. Thanks.

I'm in the habit of updating posts... people don't do it enough when asking for solutions. Just wanted to post an update, after about 200km with the Porsche fluid, AND a new BAD shifter, the transmission is very slick. It's hot around here, so that may have a little to do with it, but it's been getting progressively smoother by the week. Now, it's delightful. Almost no effort to snick into any gear. I'm wondering what the reason would be for a gradual improvement..... I can only think of two things- A) There was some sort of glazing on the syncros that has gradually cleaned off under the proper fluid. Or B), The fluid itself has changed in some way, either more or less friction. In any manner, things are good. Interesting.