I recently purchased a 996 and handed the teener down to my son. I’ve been putting off doing any trans work until it grenaded while he was driving it yesterday.

I can row through all of the gears with my foot off the clutch and the car at a standstill. Towing it home, it sounded like a coffee can full of rocks… 

So sadly, the car is sitting in the garage until I find a good shop… I swore to my friends & family (just 2 days ago) that my wrench turning days were over so I’d really prefer to flatbed it somewhere rather than pull the transaxle myself. The hands have finally healed up after paint & body, lol.

Anyone with experience @ aatransaxle.com in Duvall???
Any other recommendations?

Thanks!

If it was me, I would have Dr. Evil do the rebuild.

He is the EXPERT on our 914 trannys.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=56892

If it made a racket while towing it, all bets are off.

I would contact Dr Evil, purchase a used box, and send him your core (or whats left of it).
Between the parts from a spare trans & leftovers from yours you might have enough parts for one whole trans.

Matt,Tail or sideshift?

The old man died son runs it now...

Jay at Squires is good and hungry, Bellvue

John Walker is Great also...not so hungry...Seattle

Mark Peters
Service Manager
GERBER MOTORSPORT INC.

PORSCHE AND EUROPEAN CAR SPECIALISTS
VINTAGE AND MODERN RACE CAR PREPARATION

4021 22ND AVENUE WEST, SEATTLE, WA 98199
PH: 206-352-6911 FAX: 206-352-2235

Met this guy and was thoroughly impressed with his depth of knowledge and experience. He's a straight forward guy, that is he has any reservations he'll let you know, should be a walk in the park for him.

Mark Peters went back to UK...$$$$

Well then never mind. I had not heard from him for awhile, that explains it.

It's a side-sifter. I'll give Jay at Squires a holler and then if I don't get a good vibe, I'll be on the phone to Dr. Evil.

Thanks for all of the input!

This kind of sounds like a CV Joint let go.

Foot on or off clutch? If off I assume with engine off. If that is the case, can you run the engine and get through gears with the clutch in?

If it is only making noise while rolling, I too would suspect a CV joint.

If it is the tranny concur about Doc Evil if nobody local.

Foot off the clutch - it is engaged, engine is running and the car is not moving. If it was a CV joint, that would be great.

I haven't got underneath it with the car yet with it in gear, clutch engaged and the thing in gear yet to see if anything coming out of the tranny is actually turning. I hope to get out of work at a reasonable time tonight to take a look.

BTW, spoke to Jason @ Squires and he sounds like a great guy. I understand it is difficult to get a real estimate w/o actually having seen the thing, but he quoted $4K for a R&R + rebuild with new syncros and the possibility of a ring gear or two...? I've never cracked a transmission myself so I dunno. Transmissions and differentials the two things that I'm afraid to touch myself and this has both.... :/

I agree,likely the pinion failed.

get a hold of rich d on post #4.

he might be able to help you out in a couple of ways.

$4k?! $75.00 to ship to The Evil One and a lot less than $4k.

Get someone local to R&R, ship to DrEvil and you'll be half that.

http://www.aatransaxle.com/
A long time repair shop,a good rep,a straight shooter.
Just a few klicks up the road,pull it for you too.
I am sure you will be satisfied with the service.
The downtime to re+re the box if it's important that the originality is retained is likely 3+ weeks.
If the box is damaged beyond repair,a replacement might be sourced from them.

The guy who did mine with all new parts was 1700, hes got spare cores down here.
PM me if you happen to need help like a complete core or something.
Im sure as a community we will get you sorted out.

x2

You will have to beg to get Mark to rebuild it as I did for my ghia transmission and wait months for him to find time to slip it in to his schedule. AAtransaxle does Vanagon Syncro rebuilds and transaxle mods now for the whole North America and are swamped.
Contact RichD to see if he has a good used spare in storage...

Definitely check the CV joints, the symptoms sound pretty similar to when one of mine let go.

$4K is a reasonable price for a tow-it-in-and-drive-it-out transmission rebuild, done with all new parts by a full-time pro.

Just bringing the transmission in (doing the R&R yourself) can knock several hundred off the cost. Getting good used parts for the badly worn items can knock off a bunch more. Someone who does these rebuilds in his spare time, rather than as a full-time job, will knock more off the cost.

Doing the job yourself (and counting your labor as free) knocks yet more off the cost. But unless you have "adult supervision", it may be difficult to tell what parts are badly worn and which ones are still serviceable. Getting the Dr. Evil tranny rebuild video will show you what gets done and how, but even with pictures it can be a little difficult to tell what parts are OK and what are not.

A used transaxle will almost certainly work better than what you have--but it's unknown how long it will work. It will be much cheaper than any rebuild.

Your current trans may not be worthwhile to save, if things inside have gone wrong badly enough.

You may be able to substitute beer and BBQ for some, most, or even all of the labor for the above options. Especially if you have a heated garage to work in. I would seriously consider that option. Heck, one of the veterans of the Doc's PNW tranny clinic may be able to walk you through the process. Or perhaps do the procedure while you "supervise"...

--DD

If you need a rebuilt tranny, I have one in my shop that was rebuilt at the last transmission clinic at McMarks shop. Not sure if I'll ever use it, so if your in need I might be persuaded to part with it. But I would check the CV's before I did anything.

Good luck
Jeff

Check CV, not sure I understand the symptoms but I've had the clutch diaphragm fail in the past as well. If it is the tranny, just get the Dr. Evil DVD and do it yourself. I did, it's $50 for a gasket kit. I'm in the Seattle area and have the tools I can loan. If pinion, you'll need a core for the pinion but your synchros and dog teeth are probably still good.

Thanks all, I agree that 4K is at the tippy-top of the spectrum, but I want a the full R&R and these guys sound like the sh*t. I didn't ask about a warranty, but that could be the clincher.

I've yet to have the time to get under the car to verify it isn't CV's, but the weekend is right around the corner and Sat & Sunday are mine, not my employers... fingers crossed.

Whichever route I go, I'll share the details.

A pic to share for fun... Ahhh much want back on the road!

Some things have changed in the last 24 months. I completely recommend against using ANY used bearings in the rebuilds. People are still doing it, but it is an unknown variable as to when, not if, it will fail. All old bearings that I have seen in the last 24mo have had light pits in them that are not easy to see if you dont know what to look for. This leads to noise and failure. I can get all of the bearings at a serious discount and can get your box here, built and back for wayyyyy less than $4k. Currently I have discounts on 1/R sliders to, for 50% off of retail. So, what I am saying, is that I can do it better and for less Hit me up and I can get you shipping info. PM and I can tell you the prices of parts and what to expect so you have data to go off of.

How could I say no to the man himself... I'll send you a PM. Thanks!

Happy to help

i can't think of anyone better than john walker in the seattle area - especially if you just bring the tranny to him - john has helped me for 15+ years and he can do this stuff with his eyes closed, great prices, and he has bunches of parts - you just have to do it his way and on his schedule - you won't be disappointed! hope this helps, brad in seattle