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jjrichar thanks again for the great writeup. I have used this 6 times now (4x with pan change) with no issues.

Jaymac17, I went with 3 ft lbs for the pan bolts (2 ft lb pass then 3 ft lb pass) and I have had no leaks, weeping or loose bolts after 6 months daily driving and 10 track days on two different cars (997.2 Targa 4 and 981 Boxster S).

Glad we have this type of community.

Jeff

 

[jjrichar]

Glad to have helped. My aim was to try and unveil the mystery behind the transmission and have people realise that it's nothing particularly special and that servicing is a simple process. If people are using the information so they aren't held to ransom by dealerships for basic maintenance then mission accomplished.

It's a funny thing, but when I bought the car I had the impression it was going to be difficult to work on. The more I do I realise it's actually very well designed for easy maintenance considering it's a mid engine car. There is far more mystery surrounding the car and it's workings than there needs to be in my opinion.

A question for those in the know about the transmission and the casing material. Is it aluminium or magnesium? My assumption is that it's aluminium (it's not painted and it looks like aluminium) and the aluminium screws are just for weight rather than galvanic corrosion concerns with a magnesium casing. If the casing is aluminium, I personally would be replacing the aluminium screws with standard ZF M6 screws they use on pretty much every other transmission pan they make with an aluminium casing. Saves the pain of the low torque to yield tightening procedures and you never have to replace them. I'm sure there is a way to easily test the casing material for someone with the knowledge.

 

[jellbob55]

I plan to do this DIY fluid change on my 2009 Cayman S. I'd like to get one of the hand pumps he used in the procedure. Does anyone know the details (brand, model, etc) and where I can get one?

 

[Gyri]

Excellent write up!!!! I am just going to start on this project on my 987.2 Cayman S PDK.

Started with me wanting to change a torn Drive shaft boot. But with the undertray off, I am eager to finish this as well. I already have a " transmission oil pan service kit" Porsche # 9G132102500-K, that has a few gaskets, O rings and a flattish filter element.

Since I couldn't find the details on this post, what is the fluid that you all used for PDK, and also the gear oil? I am assuming not all went with Porsche original.

Thank you!

 

[jjrichar]

Gear oil is any fully syn GL5 75W-90
Clutch fluid needs to be a specific DCT ATF. I use Nulon's product. It's a local producer here in Australia that is most likely not available elsewhere. I'm sure there are many alternatives.

 

[Gyri]

Thank you.

 

[gedwin]

Understanding that the clutch fluid drain plug is o-ring sealed and can be reused if in good condition, what about the 2 gear oil drain plugs? Do they use crush washers that need replacing?

 

[jjrichar]

Understanding that the clutch fluid drain plug is o-ring sealed and can be reused if in good condition, what about the 2 gear oil drain plugs? Do they use crush washers that need replacing?

No. They are standard ZF plugs they use on all their transmissions. They have a plastic washer that is embedded in the plug. The book talks about replacing the plug but it's not required. I've been re-using these plugs on all my transmissions for many years with no issues. They are very high quality.

 

[gedwin]

No. They are standard ZF plugs they use on all their transmissions. They have a plastic washer that is embedded in the plug. The book talks about replacing the plug but it's not required. I've been re-using these plugs on all my transmissions for many years with no issues. They are very high quality.

Great! Thanks!

 

[gedwin]

With the assistance of the information in this thread, I went ahead and changed the clutch fluid this past weekend.

Mine is a 2013BB with 60k miles, mostly commuter miles which ended about 5 years ago. Only put on a couple thousand miles/year last 5 years, and it has been in service for 8y 8 months. All street, no track, and I don't have Sport Plus, so no Launch Control/hard launches. PDK scheduled for both oil changes at 120k/12y. I was going to do both oils, but settled on doing just the clutch (no pan/filter) now, so I could focus on just it. Will do the gearbox in a couple months when I do year end service of engine oil, filter, brake bleed, etc.

This (clutch oil change process) really is no big deal. I put the car up on Quick Jacks, pulled the fill plug to see how high the level was (it started flowing out). reinserted it, then drained the clutch fluid. Fluid color was darker than the new fluid, but not terrible. I did one thing different than the posted instructions; When the fluid stopped dripping, I left the drain plug out, and pumped about half a liter into the fill to let it flush out more of the old oil that did not drain from the bottom of the pan. Reinstalled the drain plug, and filled with about 2.5L until oil flowed out the fill hole. Started the car and added about another .5L. When the oil cooler pipe was warm to touch, it then took maybe a few more ounces to flow strongly out the fill hole again (about 1 pump). I quickly reinstalled the plug, and that was it. It all went as expected.

I would only add that it was a bit messy, even with all the right tools, as oil tends to splash and drip. Otherwise, no issues. I recently purchased a Foxwell 530, which states that it will run the PDK calibration. I intended to do that after the test ride, but the process failed to start. That will have to be addressed with the manu., and is for another post.

Clutch take up is a bit better from stand still. Shifts under power were beginning to lose their sharpness before the oil change. they are better now.

I want to say thanks to jjrichar's for detailing your experience in this thread. Although I am an experienced DIY'er who started out as an auto tech many years ago, I was as spooked as many regarding the mysteries of the PDK. Your posting here in detail was integral in relieving my anxiety that this was something only a Porsche tech with PIWIS could perform. So again, Thank you!

I may or may not flush again in the future to remove more of the old oil, but will change the gear box oil soon. At 10 to 12 year mark I will drop the pan and replace it along with all the oil. We'll see what the future brings...

 

[gedwin]

Follow up to my post #30 above, I completed the PDK gearbox oil change this past weekend. As with the clutch fluid change, I followed the instructions and had no complications. Trans shifts and performs perfectly, and I'm glad I did this myself. If you can perform engine oil changes, there really is no reason one can't perform this service. Thanks again for this post and advise!

 

[eyeofthetiger]

good to hear! were you able to get the PDK calibration / learning process done?

 

[gedwin]

good to hear! were you able to get the PDK calibration / learning process done?

No, I haven't tried again, since I can get no support for the device. Manufacturer says they only support direct sales. Seller says I have to go to the manufacturer. Amazon said I can return it, but that is not what I am looking for. My only question to them was, Can you confirm absolutely that the device can/does run the calibration. Because if yes, then it is something I am doing wrong, and I would figure it out. No one would answer the question, so for now I've moved on to other things. Running out of energy to fight things like this. It's so exhausting. I'm just getting old I guess. Maybe after a few software updates it will work. I'll try again soon...

 

[Petar]

Regarding PDK calibrating using foxwell (nt530), I did it once. You have to have car at operating temperature, with engine running. PDK in P, and foot on a brake during whole process. It should last around 15mins.

 

[gedwin]

Regarding PDK calibratiin using foxwell (nt530) , I did it once.
You have to have car at operating temperature, with engine running. PDK in P, and foot on a brake during whole process. It should last around 15mins.

That's great to hear! I tried it several times, ensuring that I met all of the criteria, but since it worked for you, I must have done something wrong. Will continue to try.

 

[ELCID86]

Parts Needed:
Drain Plugs
(1) Clutch Oil Pan drain, part No 9G1-321-825-02 Sealing Plug: PAF-008-528

I ordered parts to prep for this job and the drain pan part number has been replace with Sealing Plug: PAF-008-528 and is now ~twice the price ($13-14/each).

 

[deilenberger]

Regarding PDK calibratiin using foxwell (nt530) , I did it once.
You have to have car at operating temperature, with engine running. PDK in P, and foot on a brake during whole process. It should last around 15mins.

Did you notice any difference when done? It would actually surprise me a bit if there was a significant difference since the TCU should be capable of reading the travel needed to activate a clutch, and as it wears, compensate for that wear. Just curious since I have a 987 PDK and the Foxwell NT530..

 

[Petar]

Did you notice any difference when done? It would actually surprise me a bit if there was a significant difference since the TCU should be capable of reading the travel needed to activate a clutch, and as it wears, compensate for that wear. Just curious since I have a 987 PDK and the Foxwell NT530..

I had problem with PDK - occasional grinding noise when downshifting from 4->3 and 3->2, while PDK was cold. Changing PDK fluid didn't help, but calibration solved my problem!

I own apology to @gedwin and to all of you, I just retried calibrating with foxwell and it failed right away. I usually triggered recalibration with COBB access port, and thought that I did it once with foxwell, but now I am not sure anymore.

It is procedure that could be triggered either with PIWIS, or COBB, or maybe with foxwell. I read that people were able to start the procedure with foxwell for 987, so you should be OK.

Recalibration shouldn't be harmful if PDK is healthy, there are clunks and clutch slips, but I guess it's less stressful than aggressive shifting and driving.

 

[deilenberger]

I had problem with PDK - occasional grinding noise when downshifting from 4->3 and 3->2, while PDK was cold. Changing PDK fluid didn't help, but calibration solved my problem!

I own apology to @gedwin and to all of you, I just retried calibrating with foxwell and it failed right away. I usually triggered recalibration with COBB accessport, and thought that I did it once with foxwell, but now I am not sure anymore.
It is procedure that could be triggered either with PIWIS, or COBB, or maybe with foxwell. I read that people were able to start the procedure with foxwell for 987, so you should be OK.

Recalibration shouldn't be harmful if PDK is healthy, there are clunks and clutch slips, but I guess it's less stressful than aggressive shifting and driving.

Thanks for getting back to us. I know there are differences in the Foxwell software capabilities between various era Cayenne's (excellent on a 955/957, adequate on a 958) so it's not a huge surprise that the calibration for a 981 might not work correctly. Was an error message returned? How did it indicate it failed?

 

[gedwin]

I had problem with PDK - occasional grinding noise when downshifting from 4->3 and 3->2, while PDK was cold. Changing PDK fluid didn't help, but calibration solved my problem!

I own apology to @gedwin and to all of you, I just retried calibrating with foxwell and it failed right away. I usually triggered recalibration with COBB accessport, and thought that I did it once with foxwell, but now I am not sure anymore.
It is procedure that could be triggered either with PIWIS, or COBB, or maybe with foxwell. I read that people were able to start the procedure with foxwell for 987, so you should be OK.

Recalibration shouldn't be harmful if PDK is healthy, there are clunks and clutch slips, but I guess it's less stressful than aggressive shifting and driving.

I haven't tried again with the Foxwell, and I know there have been software updates, but I have state inspection coming up and I don't want to chance affecting the readiness for the test, since all codes must be clear before proceeding. So in the spring after the test I will update the Foxwell and try again.