DIY PDK clutch fluid change

DIY PDK clutch fluid change: Use procedure at your own risk. I decided to change it myself as the local dealer has never done one, suggested not changing it at present 88K, and I wanted to be able to check the fluid level myself as I know it would not be done regularly if it required a trip to the dealer. I used the following procedure to change the PDK clutch fluid on my 987.2 . Surprisingly, fluid will over-fill out the fill hole if the car is level, cold, running or not. I jacked the car up (over a pit for access) about 9" higher on drivers side. Initial state of the transmission was ambient temp. Started the car, cycled gears, removed fill plug and slowly lower right side until a few drop emerge; measure height. This height/angle adds a double check for the fill level. I then drained and captured all of the oil into a thoroughly cleaned 1 gallon glass container. I jacked up the front left to remove some additional fluid; about 3.45L total. The container was then marked with the level of fluid, dumped, and refilled with new fluid. I prepared the lid of the glass container to have 2 bulkhead 3/8" fitting with one having a tube which goes to the bottom of the container. I used a hand pump (actually an unused power bleeder) to pressurize the glass container to 10psi and fill the trans with new fluid. I jacked drivers side to max height to get as much fluid in as possible before starting. When a drop emerged, I started the car, cycled shifter, and added the balance of the fluid. I then verified the amount by letting the car sit, starting the car, and lowering the left side of the car while measuring the height at which a drop emerged. This matched my measured height before draining any fluid at the start of this procedure. This height can be used in the future to check fluid level (at the same ambient temp). At this point, I am confident that I have the same amount of fluid in the car, but of course no assurance that it had the correct level when I started. The car's records show fluid has never been changed, so it was the original factory fill level assuming it has not lost any. I will have the level verified by the proper procedure, but after that verification, I can now annually check the level myself and change the fluid as needed.

Did you cycle anything with a scantool like the shop manual says?

yes, the manual says something like "cool the transmission until oil temp is 60 degr C, stop the oil pump" and then I don't remember what to do. I think it was to fill more.

Hey , thanks for doing this and posting on RL that you did. I was thinking that it might be possible by jacking up the vehicle if needed to fill . A question...... roughly how far down from the 9" before the pentosin started to drip out? How much more came out by jacking the front? ( ie. was it worth the time? )

thanks for sharing. how much clutch fluid did you end up filling with? Just 3.45L? how did you put the transmission into "filling mode" which is the procedure for PDK ?

He didnt put in fill mode. He was able to put the required amount in by lifting the drivers side hence the fill hole higher putting the pdk on an angle.

i guessed that but isn't the fluid about 5-6 litres in total and you need to use PIWIS /Durametric to put PDK into fill more to release all fluid so you can replace it all?

5.2 litres is the dry fill capacity. Draining from pan drain plug will still leave fluid in the pan , cooling lines and transmission cooler, internal pumps etc. The piwis is only used during the filling of the PDK to shut the pump off iirc so that another half litre or so of pentosin can be added. This is the reason the op tilted his car so he could get more fluid in. Makes you wonder why they just didn't put the full hole a little higher on the case

Planning to do a PDK clutch fluid change and a differential gear fluid change today on my 987.2 Cayman S ( PDK ). Since there wasn't enough documents or pictures on the internet, I have some questions regarding the task. I want to know which one are the diff gear filler and drain plugs, and which are the clutch filler and drain plugs. I figure the black one on the trans pan is the clutch drain. PLUG #4 in the picture should be the drain plug for diff. But which one is the diff filler and which one is the clutch filler? I was told not to touch PLUG #5. Anyone has any idea? Or none of the plugs in the pictures are the right one? Thanks in advance.

The procedure is rather difficult and requires use of a PIWIS to do it properly, and must be done with the transmission in a specific small temperature range (between 30-40C). Even if you DIY everything else, both the chance and consequences of a small mistake on this job is pretty high, so you might want to punt this one to a local shop that has the right tools, does it all the time, and is fully insured. To answer your question, though your #2 is is the ATF clutch filler screw, fill until it drips out. At that point, start the car and let it idle in P. Top off again, then replace the plug. Go through gear positions R-N-D-P with about 1 second between. Remove the plug, top off again, then torque to 26ft-lbs. Your car needs to be perfectly level for this.

"To answer your question, though your #2 is is the ATF clutch filler screw, fill until it drips out. At that point, start the car and let it idle in P. Top off again, then replace the plug . Go through gear positions R-N-D-P with about 1 second between. Remove the plug , top off again, then torque to 26ft-lbs. Your car needs to be perfectly level for this. " The above is correct for using a piwis . If you are DIY then you need to know how much you drained out and tip the car as per the OP in ordere to get the right amount in. I would just measure the amount removed and jack the car higher than needed and put the same amount in. It wont be much more than 3.5 litres if that. The OP did a great write up and having watched it performed at the dealer on mine I see no reason it cant be done this way. What comes out must go in. BTW at the dealer the mech screwed the plug back in as the fluid was rolling out saying " better to have a little more than a little less" not letting equilibrate till none was coming out the fill hole.

Ok thanks to sjfehr and Docdrs . My plan was exactly like Docdrs metioned. Going to measure how much came out and put same amount back in. Do any one of you know which one is the filler plug for the gear (diff)? I have 3 bottles of Moutl 75W140 ready to put in (it has a OS Giken LSD in it). Thanks.

Thank 69911e as he had the balls to diy first. You should message him and find out his thoughts a year later.

Just finished mine. For those who wonders here are the plug location pictures. The torque for both gear and clutch fill plugs (9G1-321-805-00) is 65NM, new drain plug (9G1-321-825-01) is 15NM, New diff drain plug (9A7-008-526-00), unknown torque and I set it to 10NM. Using similar method as 69911e, I was able to get just 3L out from the clutch and 2L out from the gear (diff) from my 09 987.2 PDK . New fluids in, and car ran fine. If I am were to do it again, I probably will replace the trans pan gasket as it weeps a little.

FYI, I know that this is a 987 thread, but the 981 FSM warns to put tape over the pan gasket edge to prevent oil from touching the gasket. They don't say why, but I assume one of the fluids is caustic to the gasket. From what I understand, the original pan was aluminum in color and leaked and the black pan is the improved pan. For those doing this without a PIWIS the oil in your double clutch casing may not be changed as the stated FFL3 fill is over 5 liters. V6

The PIWIS is only used to deactivate/ activate the pump so the last .5 litre or so of fluid can be added. By tilting the car it allows you to add the last amount of fluid to get the same amount in as came out. The Piwis has nothing to do with draining the clutch

Update: I realized that I never provided an update for this... Everything was fine. I had the car at the dealer for software update and had them check the fluid. It was correct. So, if your fluid level is correct before you start, this method will work for a fluid change. Thanks to those who have added photos for clarity to my verbal description.

Hello Manchi, I don't think 65nm is the correct torque for the fill plug. I found this online - shows the clutch fill M18 x 1.5 plug is 27nm/20ft lbs torque.

Are there any scan tools other than the PIWIS that will perform the "FILL PDK" function? I have an ICarsoft Por2 and it will not. I've tried to check on Autel or Durametric, but the User Manuals are inconclusive? And I would prefer not to pay thousands for a Diagnostic ODBII scanner to conduct maintenance chores... although I'm sure my PCA group would love to access to a capable tool. My 2011 Turbo S is an older car and I see there are older releases of PIWIS available.

Hi Leo, Welcome to Planet-9, the Friendly Porsche Forum for Porsche Owners with questions.. I'd suggest you take a bit of time to look around. The answers you seek have been answered. This thread is 8 years old - lots has been happening since this thread was new. I'd suggest going and looking through our Diagnostics subforum.. https://www.planet-9.com/forums/porsche-diagnostics-and-programming.349/ and if I knew what year/model Porsche you're asking about, I could possibly direct you right to a thread with the answer you seek. Which beings up two things: - We understand that thanks to Facebook, people expect instant answers. FB provides those - of dubious quality - and then forgets the question was ever asked and answered. That leads to repeated questions that knowledgeable people get tired of answering, so you get more wackjob answers. Not so on Planet-9, our answers/posts are generally reviewed/curated so to speak - and bad answers are weeded out or commented on. So - spending some time searching here will result in much better information than you can get from Facebook. Resist the impulse to instantly ask a question - before introducing yourself. That's a tradition here. We like to know our members... you can introduce yourself and your Porsche in: https://www.planet-9.com/forums/new_members/ - "Better questions get better answers" - we have no clue what year your PDK equipped Porsche is. We don't know the model. We don't have the very basic information needed to make an intelligent answer. That doesn't stop people on Facebook, but it sure does here. Please provide at least the minimum needed so we can ID your car and provide an answer for your car. Meanwhile - as above - Welcome to Planet-9, you'll find us a friendly group here. Also - before posting photos - please read