Leaking PDK gearbox - places for repair?

[alex]

Fellow Porsche enthusiasts,

Please can you recommend me gearbox specialists who have repaired the PDK gearbox? There is a leak probably from the bleeder screw area (no.5 in attached picture - maybe an internal seal has perished - a factory troubleshoot document suggests "Radial shaft seal on mounting for drive shaft 1 / drive shaft 2 damaged"). Operation seems fine otherwise. The car is a 987 gen 2 Cayman S and resides in the South-East.

I understand Porsche / ZF (the gearbox manufacturer) do not release technical information and their recommendation is to replace even if the fault is small. I would rather not pay £7k + VAT for a new gearbox (on exchange basis).

Thanks!

 

[Motorhead]

Alex,

Unfortunately I think that you’re going to struggle finding someone. As far as I’m aware, officially no-one is able to repair PDK transmissions since Porsche won’t supply parts and a replacement is the only option. I’m not sure where you obtained your exchange figure but I was under the impression that a (fitted) replacement was more than double that price.

As you say it’s ZF transmission and you may be able to find a ZF specialist who can assist in curing your leak. Here are a couple of links that could be useful:

https://www.autogearbox.co.uk/dsg-gearbox-repairs/

https://austrin-engineering.co.uk/

Jeff

 

[SteveAndrews]

While researching for repair to my tiptronic some time ago I came across https://www.stephensengineering.co.uk/ based in Ware. I notice they have a comment about fixing a Macan PDK box so it might be worth giving them a call. Good luck

 

[alex]

Jeff, Steve,

Thank you both for your suggestions. I'll make some enquiries.

 

[JohnCRS]

Hi Alex

I assume that it is a weep rather than a full scale leak. There was a thread on here last year about problems with leaking sump pans. https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1064563

However you might find this thread helpful as it sounds closer to your issue.

http://www.911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=126057&sid=5b15bc172c7b1d0f0efa2998a8c35e8e

I suggest you give the area a good degrease and clean. It will help pinpoint the source and give you a better idea of how serious it is. What you see now could have built up over a long time.

Whilst parts are not readily available, there are specialists that can provide seals and ZF experts who can take them apart. It depends whether anything else is found to be wrong.

Good luck, and please let us know how you get on.

 

[alex]

Hi John,

Thanks for the message. The gearbox and undertray were cleaned up by the indy I use for servicing. I returned after several hundred miles. I did mention the possibility of a sump pan / gasket weep / leak (with air flow making it look worse), however they were certain it was coming from the bleeder screw area.

I didn't see for myself in person but below are some photos.

I suppose the good news is that fluid levels are ok and operation seems fine. I am waiting for a response from one of the aforementioned gearbox specialists but it doesn't seem promising at the moment (lack of parts mentioned) so I may change tack and have the sump pan / gasket changed first. It's cheaper than a new gearbox and less invasive than opening up the gearbox when parts appear to be virtually non-existent.

Will keep this thread updated.

 

[JohnCRS]

I guess it depends if the oil is getting anywhere it shouldn't within the gearbox. But if that is the situation after a few hundred miles and it is still working fine, then I would live with it and deal with it if and when it gets worse. From the photo's the sump pan etc. look OK

However, another thread on here is relevant, but not conclusive.

http://www.911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=121334&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=40

(I think the idea of applying sealant is worth a try if you have nothing to lose. It is certainly a cheap way of determining whether or not the bleed valve is the culprit.)