So you’re stranded on one side of the river with only a 981 Porsche Cayman….

It appears that I may be about to embark on my own twisted version of a river crossing puzzle.

Here's the puzzle:

There's a truck, trailer, and workshop in Florida.

There's a 981 Cayman missing 5th and 6th gear in Seattle.

There's a home garage with very basic hand tools and a set of QuickJacks in Seattle. There is also an old Dodge Caravan in the garage, which I can borrow for short periods as needed.

There's a free transmission in Alabama.

There's me, with a trip already planned to see friends in Seattle.

There's a two-week time limit from when I leave my house to when I need to return to it.

The end goal is to have a running, driving Cayman in Florida while spending the smallest amount of money.

I think I've solved it, but before I reveal my (insane) answer does anybody else want to take a stab at a solution?

Right about now, the Suddard boys had solution to their river problem.

"Missing" 5th and 6th as in "the shifter can't find them" or as in "there is an equivalent quantity of metal bits floating around" or somewhere in the middle?

matthewmcl said:

"Missing" 5th and 6th as in "the shifter can't find them" or as in "there is an equivalent quantity of metal bits floating around" or somewhere in the middle?

That's the fun part--I have no idea!  The Porsche dealer told the seller that the entire transmission needs to be replaced, but that's all I know. 

Enjoy a bit of extra flat six sounds and slightly reduced fuel economy on a slightly leisurely drive home?

If the plan is to replace the trans, hopefully one of the steps is buying a few sets of specialty sockets and a transmission jack. Oh and some coolant.

You don't want the hassle. Just sell it to me.

I'm sure it will limp along just fine in 4th.

Those are odd gears to have fail.  I am making the assumption that it had the hamfisted-driver synchro hub spline foldover problem that plagued 01Es and 02A/02J/02M transmissions, since both gears share a hub.

In reply to dps214 :

I use an ATV lift as a transmission jack, it was much cheaper.

In reply to Tom Suddard :

What route are you looking at taking?

Oh, my guess. Cross country fuel hurts, so fly and drive. Pay freight to ship the good tranny to Seattle and swap there.

In reply to Tom Suddard :

You're welcome to stop/stay here in Biloxi if your route passes this direction. 

Ummm , any YouTube videos to give you an idea what you are getting into ?
 

ask on Pelican parts forum what "got yeahs" could get ya !
 

are you 110% sure the replacement gearbox is good and the same part number ?
 

what parts might be back ordered so you better bring them with you ?   Thinking hoses , gaskets etc.

is the garage heated ?

Sounds like a fun adventure .....

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

I'm sure it will limp along just fine in 4th.

 

Those are odd gears to have fail.  I am making the assumption that it had the hamfisted-driver synchro hub spline foldover problem that plagued 01Es and 02A/02J/02M transmissions, since both gears share a hub.

The beauty of porsche long gearing is that 70mph in fourth gear should be under 4000rpm.

These transmissions have a somewhat known issue with third gear (and/or fourth? I can never remember) synchros, mainly in the gt4 but also in the normal cars. Not sure I've ever heard of fifth/sixth gear issues but I honestly don't pay that much attention. The shift cables can be a bit finicky/prone to wear, but I don't think I've heard of it getting that bad that it wouldn't engage gears.

I recently helped a friend do this job (clutch replacement). It's fairly straightforward and shouldn't really need any parts unless you break a coolant line or have trouble with the exhaust hardware. The base and S transmissions are different but I think the only difference is the gearing (both use the same clutch). There's also LSD/no LSD but that's also all internal and shouldn't affect fitment.

You will need some coolant and some special sockets. I don't remember exactly but I think hex key, torx, and external torx. I don't think there's any triple square bolts as long as you're not touching the clutch but I don't remember exactly. Also swivel sockets and a bunch of extensions for the hard to reach upper bellhousing bolts. And ratcheting wrenches usually come in handy, in those even number sizes that basic kits usually leave out.

Aren't both fifth and sixth gears just overdrives anyway?

Big deal.

Are they 100% sure it's the trans and not shifter cables?  

In reply to dps214 :

The 016 in my Quantum was about 4000 at 75mph in 5th.  Small tires, 4.11 final drive, and 5th was in the mid .9xx range, overdrive only on a technicality.

Granted, a Porsche six doesn't sound as awesome as an Audi five at 4000rpm but I sure one could manage 

If it follows VWAG fastener theory, major driveline fasteners like bellhousing and axles are XZN aka triple square.  Having done no major repair work on Boxsters other than brake boosters and rebuilding umpteen dozen top mechanisms, I can't say for sure.

Visit your friends in Seattle. Fly. While there, have the car and transmission shipped to your house in Florida. Fly home. Fix the car in your well-equipped shop.

Google says it's 3041 miles or so from Seattle to Ormond Beach, and that the average gas price is $3.41/gal. At 20 mpg, because no OD, that's $5633. Then add the cost to get out there, and food & lodging on the way back.  I bet my plan is cheaper.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

The clutch is all triple square but the bell housing bolts are external torx. The axle bolts might be triple square, I managed to stay away from that step.

Funny story, when I did the clutch on my 986 there were I think four unique types of fasteners (one of which was a nut on a stud) plus one hole that just didn't get used on early cars. After that experience I was prepared this time around with a piece of cardboard to track the bolts, only to be slightly embarrassed to go through that trouble and then pull the bolts out to find that they're all identical. So porsche has slowly started to learn how to use appropriate hardware.

I agree that just having the car and trans shipped home is the best plan if a bit un-adventurous. Maybe not quite the cheapest but probably pretty close and no risk of breakdown, no disruptions to the already planned trip, and no stress of doing the trans swap on a time limit.

Uncle David (Forum Supporter) said:

 

Google says it's 3041 miles or so from Seattle to Ormond Beach, and that the average gas price is $3.41/gal. At 20 mpg, because no OD, that's $5633. Then add the cost to get out there, and food & lodging on the way back.  I bet my plan is cheaper.

Help me through that math, how the hell did you get $5k lol?

In reply to Slippery :

Slipped a decimal me thinks.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

That makes way more sense!

Just because this hasn't been stated explicitly- this is a manual transmission and not a PDK, correct?

If manual, maybe.  If PDK, no way.

Yeah that should be a little over $500. That mileage is probably a bit conservative but that fuel price is for 87 octane not 93, so it would probably work out to at least a few bucks extra. Add in a couple of nights in a hotel and buying tools I'd guess the total cost ends up close to $1k. Shipping for the car and trans should be under $2k total.

Where in Seattle? I have a lift and heated garage in Tacoma I could probably be persuaded to move the racecar off of for a few days.