Yeah, it was NOT a pretty sight. The usual 356 transaxle failure:
sheared differential carrier bolts. Of course, before they shear, they
work loose, and egg-out the bolt holes in the ring gear, and dif
carrier. As they continue to back out of their holes, they "machine"
the differential case side cover, leaving a fine, aluminum "paste",
which circulates through all of the bearings (including the one that
Porsche won't let anyone else sell, and sells for NINE HUNDRED
DOLLARS!!!). Luckily, for me, I was only doing about 25 mph when the
bolts finally sheared, and none of the fragments fell into the
differential. So, my R&P, spiders, as well as my other gears were found
to be in good condition......well, except fourth, which was discovered
to be defective. The main shaft was bent about 1" out of true. No,
it's not a good practice to straighten them, although some shops do.
Luckily, for me, the #1 Porsche 356 transaxle guru is a friend, and
saved me a TON of money. Example: he has the last, known stash of the
"Porsche exclusive" 900 friggin dollar bearings that he was able to buy
directly from the bearing manufacturer, before Porsche bullied the small
manufacturer into selling exclusively to them, for under $300. Also, as
he has been doing Porsche transmission work for over 40 years, he's
accumulated a tremendous stock of NOS, and good, used transmission
parts. He saved me, literally, thousands of dollars. I was tempted to
just do the thing, myself. However, after Mike (356 transaxle guru)
came to my workshop, and walked me through the disassembly (delivering a
constant commentary/narrative on the one or two zillion subtleties of
the Porsche type 741 transaxle), I decided I'd rather stick to
commercial marine diesel engines, and reduction gears the size of a
Volkswagen.
The whole experience REALLY reinforced my love for Spridgets, and Brit
cars, in general. I've been driving Brit cars for 40 years, now, and
have found them to be terrific fun, for very little money, and VERY
reliable, given competent maintenance. I've owned five 356s during a
slightly longer time period (42 years), and, although there's nothing
like driving a 356, at ANY price, when something goes wrong with a 356,
it usually can't be fixed along side the road, and it's going to be very
expensive to fix.
Rule Britannia!
Bud Osbourne
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-spridgets@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-spridgets@autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Ed
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 9:00 PM
To: spridgets@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Tire availability?
<<356 transaxle rebuild,>>
AAARRRRGGGG!!!!!
<< followed by having to spend "matching funds" on
the wife (she's NOT a "car babe").
Ooops, but triple above????<G>
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