Death of a gearbox!

Hi folks, I've been aware of a noise coming from the back of my car for a while now so took the opportunity to book the car in to get it investigated whilst down in Wales. My worst fears have been confirmed and the diagnosis is a replacement box is required. Has anyone else had to have have theirs replaced in the past? If so any idea hwat I am could be looking at as far as cost is concerned? Mark

A genuine Porsche exchange gearbox varies from £4000-6000 depending on the model. You should also consider getting it rebuilt, as the internal parts are now available. (They didn't used to be). Try 'phoning round the independents to see if you can find one who would be prepared to strip it and take a look first. Edit: Just looked it up. For a 3.4 Carrera 4, the exchange price is £4807.77 +VAT.

Thanks for this information Richard. I think the thought currently going through my head is more than "ouch". The car is currently with D9 in Bridgend who are not that keen on stripping the box down.

Unless they have the tooling required, then I can understand their reluctance. Shame it is stuck in the middle of nowhere. (Apologies in advance to Bridgend residents). Might be worth having a word with one or two indies more local to you, and get it recovered there if it looks positive.

Fortunately the car is not so bad that it can't be driven. I have got a couple of thother options that are nearby to me including Northways who I have heard good things about, as I have about D9. Sadly the same cannot now be said about the people I bought the car from. Enthusiasm and impetuosity have proven to be my downfall. Mark

Have a word with Autofarm or Hartech, they are well regarded in this respect, although the distance maty be a problem.

Mark Ouch indeed - bit of a nightmare. What sort of noise was the box making, and had you noticed anyting else amiss (so I can become paranoid)? Also wondered where you bought the car as you're not a million miles from me. Hope you get something sorted. Cheers Martin

Not sure about this listing on eBay which might be of interest. It says 997 in the title, but "911 OR 997" in the description. I'm not sure of the differences between 996 and 997 transmissions, but it might be worth calling the seller. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PORSCHE-911-997-6-SPEED-MANUAL-GEARBOX_W0QQitemZ180339892536

Might be worth checking out some breakers yards for a second hand unit e.g. http://www.v-zweeden.com/product_info.php?cPath=298_27_705_2506&products_id=950 http://www.porsch-apart.co.uk/ http://www.douglasvalley.co.uk/

Hi folks, Thanks for the thoughts. I bought the car from an independent (Non-Porsche) in Surrey, that was mistake 1. The second mistake was taking out a warranty thinking that it would cover the gearbox only to find that they class it as normal wear and tear. Maybe a tad niave of me to think that a porsche gearbox would not suffer wear and tear after only 70,000 miles. The noise started as a gradual whine not very reminiscent of a wheel bearing which I did think it was, sadly however it was not to be. Autofarm are not so far away that I should rule them out. Although I may find myself hitch hiking back down to Farnborough. [8|] Certainly the Sheffield option may be worth investigating. They have had several gearboxes come up on ebay over the past few months mostly tiptronics. Right now the Porsche dream has become a tad sour. Mark

I should also have mentioned that D9 are trying to track a replacement box for me, sadly they are breaking a 996 but its a... you guessed it ..... Tiptronic. drat! Mark

I remember several years ago Scouser going through a similar episode with his 996 3.4. Porsche UK or Germany didn't want to know, he contacted Getrag in Belgium who would do the rebuild over a weekend for him, just drive the car to them leave it and collect and drive back. Tempting option but almost the same cost as with a little goodwill via Porsche. He also spoke to Tech9 who had loads of used gearboxes from their racing exploits - they could have found all the bits eventually, but again it wasn't going to be that easy. Apparently you cannot buy just gear sets from Porsche, maybe this situation has changed ? some of the discussion is int hsi long RMS thread - just pick out the entries by Scouser. http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=76854&mpage=7&key=getrag

Yes it has. You can now buy all the internals for the manual transmissions. Sadly, not for tiptronics. Mark - If it's a whine, it sounds like a bearing issue, in which case a rebuild might be the more economic option.

Having now spoken to the guys at D9 (very up front and informative by the way) I reckon I have a bit of breathing space in which to formulate a cunning plan. So I reckon a few phone calls next week to try and establish what course of action to follow. The car is drivable if a tad noisy. Meantime all opinions will gratefully recieved. Thanks folks Mark

I had a gearbox let go on me in a 3.4 a few years ago. I managed to source a perfectly good 2nd hand 'box from Tech9 in Liverpool (for around £2500, I think). They would be my first port of call.

Ok the latest is folks that the car is back with me and I have agreed to take it to Cheshire to have the box rebuilt by Sports and Classic. Following an exchange of emails with Mike Bourke it would seem they have carried out a number of rebuilds in the past. So I will let people know how it goes in the next few months. Thank you meantime for all the advice and offers of assistance. Mark

Does it take that long to rebuild a gearbox? If so, no wonder its expensive!

The rebuild will take three days, the months refer to how long it will take me find my way there and back, twice!!!![ ][ ] Mark

Just a quick update to say my car is now residing for the next week in Cheshire having the gearbox bearings replaced. Whilst I was there dropping it off it was interesting to learn that this is a far from uncommon problem with 996's and Boxsters. It will be interesting to see how the box performs once I pick it up next weekend. Mark

How long have you owned the car? you might have some comeback under the sales of goods act. The seler can not just say they do not want to know

Unfortunately both the company I bought it from and the warranty company are saying its down to normal wear and tear! At the slightest mention of talking to trading standards the garage decided to get the legal hounds on the case. Hey ho we live and we learn. The sun is shinning and I'm still breathing so life is good. [ ] Mark

Sorry to hear about this ... if you don't mind me asking, out of interest, how much is the rebuild costing ? Just like to get an idea of how much to set aside now that I (like many others) have opted out of the OPC warranty scheme ?

Have sent you a PM Mark

I have now been reunited with "Perkie" and the gearbox rebuild has worked a treat so far. Having picked him up yesterday I enjoyed a nice gentle drive down through Chesire, Shropshire and Herfordshire then on into Wales and across the top of the Black Mountains to finally alight in Newport. The whining from the box has now gone to be replaced by a whining from my bank manager. Sadly the during the course of the rebuild a number of other items needed addressing including the replacement of the air-con condensers. Even so it still all worked out cheaper than any other price I had been quoted for fixing the box let alone the rest of the work! There is one issue now however and that is that at sub 30MPH the damned thing is squeeking like crazy from the front. Its driving me potty!!!! Mark