PDK Dual-Clutch Transmission Fluid and Filters replacement - Porsche Macan S 2015

CAUTION: There is an O-Ring that goes on top of the internal filter. Unfortunately, I neglected to show it in the video (unintentional cut during editing). If you are using my video as a guide - despite my disclaimer… :-) - then ensure you are installing that o-ring. I plan on doing a short video on this soon.
----------
Subscribe to our PorscheDIY KZbin Channel and THANK YOU for your support!
In this video, I show my experience servicing the clutch side of the PDK transmission in my Porsche Macan 2015.
I not only replace the fluid and external filter (spin-on), but drop the pan and replace internal suction filter.
Important points:
The underbody cross-strut should only be removed if there is no weight on the front wheels. The car must be on a 2-post lift, or jackstands, NOT on ramps. In my case, my car was on QuickJacks.
And the cross brace bolts should all be replaced with new ones, they are torque-to-yield.
Also, when refilling and monitoring the fluid temp, for the final top-off, the engine must be running, and the car must be level.
As stated, this video is only meant to show my own DIY experience and is not meant to be used as guide.
#DIY #Porsche #PorscheMacan #Macan #PDK #DIYPorsche #PorscheDIY #oilchange #PDKOilchange #PDKClutch #Transmission #Transmissionoilchange #oil #DSG

[@meseahunt]

thank you for taking the time to make this!! i will leave the videos up to "silent" type guys because if it was me my language would probably get me banned during the process.... 🤠 wish we lived closer so you could strawboss me when i have to do mine.....

[@porscheDIY]

Haha… Thanks!

[@frankcorsi7562]

Top illustration, mega thank‘s👍🏻

[@porscheDIY]

Thanks!

[@ed389]

Great video. The robot voice at first almost caused me to turn it off, but turned out to be a very informative and detailed video.

[@porscheDIY]

Thank you!

[@daveh7517]

Good job taking care of both filters. Also, 115k miles on your Macan!

[@porscheDIY]

Thanks for watching. If you haven’t subscribed to the channel, please do so and thanks for your support! I have a more videos planned soon.

[@MrNanah38]

Why do you need knew bolts for the cross brace?

[@healthwellness8111]

@@MrNanah38 They are torque to yield type bolts that experience a fair amount of stretching when they are tightened. They cannot be fully trusted to have full integrity. In a pinch, they will likely be just fine, however they are inexpensive and it's not worth the hassle.

[@nydrell1969]

Job well done 👍

[@porscheDIY]

Thanks!

[@tamartopuria6907]

Thank you

[@porscheDIY]

You're welcome!

[@healthwellness8111]

Another excellent video! Thank you for your work to make these maintenance and repair items simple and approachable 🙏🏼 Question - I've got 62k miles on my 2017 GTS and I'm going to do the PDK service. Was it worth the effort to do the internal suction filter? Do you think I should wait? I'm doing this PDK service at a 25K miles interval (first PDK service done at 37k miles) and will do the next service in another 20k-25k miles interval. Thanks again!

[@porscheDIY]

If you haven’t change the internal filter yet, I think is a good time now. I know that in the video I say 100K miles, but I actually change internal filter every other oil change. And I do mine every 20K miles. Hey, thanks for your kind words. I appreciate it.

[@healthwellness8111]

@@porscheDIY Thank you and you are welcome. I was unable to discern any dirt in the filter when you cut it open at 100k. I'll replace it on this PDK service and go to a 40k interval for the next internal filter change. I agree that the PDK should be serviced every 20k miles 👍🏼 🚗💨

[@Fab24hdumans]

Outstanding video.. I never tackled on the second filter ( 79k), til I see your video… and motul is definitely my next fill up compare to this crap OEM Volkswagen… I have a question for you, after u reach 40C, you turn off the engine, do I need to leave ALL the excess of fluids going out BEFORE plug in back? Or can I close immediately after? Thank you for your excellent video

[@porscheDIY]

You can install plug once it start spilling over.

[@curliedude]

Awesome step by step on changing Macan PDK Oil and both filters. Many thanks! Question - What torque wrench are you using?

[@porscheDIY]

Thanks for your kind words. For the torque wrench I'm using, check this link: a.co/d/3wYajrI

[@DontTellMeMore]

Nice video, thank you. Quick jack is off by 180 degrees.

[@porscheDIY]

Thanks! I was asking myself “what do you mean?”. I then realized what you were saying…. The Quickjacks are indeed 180 off, when I look at factory videos. Is there any difference or impact?

[@porscheDIY]

I didn’t see anything in the manual stating that it must be used in a certain direction. I guess, as long as both of them are in the same direction, is OK. As a matter of fact, some drawings do position the QJ’s the same way I was positioning them. I don’t believe there is any difference…. But you may know something I don’t.

[@robertm1692]

18:05 Bless you.

[@porscheDIY]

Haha… I’ve seen this video multiple times and never realized I sneezed on it… 😂😂... so, as funny as it was, a sneeze is a very personal matter, so I had to edit it out...🙂 Thanks for letting me know...

[@atrzebunianiebies]

Great video! Thank you! Quick question, after starting the car and cycling through the gears after initial refill, do you keep the car running for 2nd refill and then wait until it reaches 40 degrees to do final refill with car still running?

[@porscheDIY]

First fill: CAR OFF fill to spill //// Second fill: Turn Car ON, cycle through gears, then TURN OFF, fill to spill with CAR OFF //// Third Fill: Turn Car ON, wait until it comes to temperature, Fill to spill with CAR ON.

[@atrzebunianiebies]

Just the info I needed. Thanks again!!

[@vo2098]

Is it not possible to skip the 2nd fill and just straight into having it running @40c and fill?@@porscheDIY

[@porscheDIY]

@@vo2098 The first fill ensure you have enough oil to cycle through gears so that the inner parts and channels of the transmission gets filled. The second fill ensures you won’t have a low level while waiting for the car to get to temperature, during 3rd fill. In any case, this is how the manual specifies to do it… so, following the manual. Thanks for your comments and for watching!

[@mzhrvc]

New subscriber thanks to your macan videos! Do you know where i can get the repair and service manuals for the 2019 Macan S?

[@porscheDIY]

Thanks for your support! I have access to the 2016-17 manual (found it in the MacanForum and downloaded it), but I would not know where to get access to your year Macan manual. Sorry. At this point, I think this is all controlled and you would have to pay for the manual.

[@1jbunceiii]

I just paid $985 for just the external filter and refill. The dealer wanted $1700 for internal filter, external filter and fluid

[@porscheDIY]

Wow! Thanks for the information.

[@gianfrynco]

Ottimo lavoro e ottimo video. La procedura è la stessa per un Macan 2021 ? Grazie

[@porscheDIY]

Grazie! Non penso che la trasmissione PDK sia cambiata per la Macan di seconda generazione, quindi devo pensare che sia la stessa. Una rapida ricerca delle parti di cui avrai bisogno per una Macan 2021 dovrebbe dirti se è la stessa. Se hai intenzione di eseguire questo fai da te, dai un'occhiata alla nota che ho scritto nella descrizione del video. Molto importante. Grazie ancora e grazie per il vostro supporto!

[@gianfrynco]

@@porscheDIY Grazie molte

[@nicholasrubino5426]

Why is the Porsche fluid green? Is MOTUL whats highly recommended, over Pentosin or OE brand? Im about to turn 60k mi and thinking about just doing the fluid and external filter. Great video

[@porscheDIY]

Thanks for watching and for your support!! And also for the kind words…. I’m not sure why the color is green, it could due to the base color (distillation process, etc), but what matters are the physical and chemical properties of the oil. The OE oil is a rebranded Castrol. In my opinion there are a lot of lubricants that are better than Castrol, like the ones you mentioned. At the end of the day is a matter of preference. I like Motul, it’s been good to me, and that’s what I use. Other folks use Pentosin or Redline. As long as you stick to the change frequency regime (40K miles or less), I think you’ll be OK.

[@nicholasrubino5426]

@@porscheDIY Thanks for the follow-up, yeah Im about to turn 60k, and definitely going to add this to the list of maint. items Im doing as I just purchased my new-to-me 19 Macan

[@frogsk1n727]

I just completed all 3 oil changes per your videos.. I noticed the service kits sold online come with an additional small o-ring (both filters come with their own), that I never used. Did I miss something?

[@porscheDIY]

If you are referring to the spin-on filter, yes, that filter comes with the o-ring. There was one small o-ring in the kit that I didn’t have to use either.

[@abbas78861]

Did you also change the MTF final gear oil with the Motul multi dctf or did you use oem?

[@porscheDIY]

I used OEM gear oil for the gear/front differential compartment of the PDK transmission and for the rear differential. But I’m so pleased with Motul that I plan on using MOTUL GEAR 300 LS 75W-90 for those two applications in the future. I used Motul Multi DCTF for the transfer case, and is working great.

[@Fab24hdumans]

Good day, just realize before starting that I have only ramp, it this gonna make impossible to reinstall the cross strut? My wheels have the same exact spacing with the well. Thank you

[@porscheDIY]

I would not remove that crossbar unless the wheels are suspended. That crossbar is part of the suspension. You would be removing that crossbar in a loaded condition. Do you have stands? Raise the car with a jack and then support with stands. That’s what I would recommend.

[@porscheDIY]

In addition, to refill the fluid you need to make sure the car is leveled, so you need to raise the whole car.

[@jahongfintech]

I couldn't take the cross-struts off... car is on jack stands, and I used 20v brushless drill, any tips?

[@porscheDIY]

Brushless drill is not going to do anything… you need an Impact Wrench Tool. Mine is a Kobalt Impact Wrench (24V) 650-ft-lbs of breakaway torque. Alternatively, use a 1/2” breaker bar. All those screws are torqued to yield. It needs quite a force to get them loose.

[@jahongfintech]

@@porscheDIY thank you for your reply! Before I start…And I could finish the fluid filling with a manual water pump right?

[@porscheDIY]

@@jahongfintech I’m not sure what you are referring to when you say a water pump. Assuming you mean one of those 12V small pumps… yes, that should work. Just make sure that the pump doesn’t have any water or humidity…. Also, make sure you follow workshop manual guidelines on filling. It requires 3 steps, and you need an OBD2 tool for the last step to ensure PDK reaches temperature.

[@jahongfintech]

@@porscheDIY the pump is: Koehler Enterprises RA990 Multi-Use Siphon Fuel Transfer Pump Kit (for Gas Oil and Liquids), Red medium

[@porscheDIY]

@@jahongfintech I see… yes, I have seen others use this one… but it will take time… you’ll have to pump 6.5 liters (6-1/2 bottles)… so a lot of patience. Also, I would secure the tubing to the pump with some duct tape, so that these don’t become lose.

[@ortcloud99]

when should you replace this internal filter versus external?

[@porscheDIY]

The external filter should be changed with every fluid change. I change mine every 40K miles. I changed the internal filter after my 3rd oil change (~110K miles).

[@JohnnyDaines]

How important is it to do both the filters? I just did the external filter and the fluid change and I figure that’ll be good enough since it was designed to be easily serviced that way

[@porscheDIY]

Thanks for watching… How many miles in your Macan? I would replace internal filter at 80K miles (which would be the 2nd clutch fluid replacement) or 120K miles (certainly no later than that).

[@JohnnyDaines]

@@porscheDIY no problem, yeah it’s got 60k miles on it and I don’t know if the previous owner did it at 40k miles so I just did it now as preventive maintenance.

[@brianthomson3318]

I just did my 2015 Macan S transmission today and followed your directions. I put 6.0 liters into but I can't get it to take 6.5 liters. The vehicle is level. I replaced the suction filter plus the spin filter. I've got a hesitation/shudder now happening between 3rd and 4th gear. Any ideas. Just to make sure I'm not crazy there's the drain plug and fill plug and you fill thru the fill plug only correct? I have the same exact scanner as you I ran my temperature until it 33°C then checked the fill and once I removed my fill plug I immediately started having ATF come out of the fill plug hole. Any insight or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time and consideration.

[@porscheDIY]

Did you follow 3 steps? (1) initial fill until spill - reinstall fill plug; (2) turn car on for 30 seconds going through different gears, then turn car off and fill to spill and reinstall fill plug; (3) turn car on and monitor temperature, wait until temp is 30C and fill to spill (I waited until temp was 40C). Do not let temp exceed 50C. Reinstall plug.

[@brianthomson3318]

​@porscheDIY yes sir I did all 3 steps I'll do the last step again today with the temperature reading at 40°C

[@porscheDIY]

@@brianthomson3318 which DCT fluid did you use?

[@brianthomson3318]

I double checked everything and the levels levels seem to be correct. The only thing I can make sense of is that maybe the bottles of the liqui Molly we're over filled. I jist did the transfer case today as well. The shutter that I was experiencing yesterday is now gone. Everything seems to be acting and operating appropriately. Thank you so much for your responses and all of your help. Hopefully I'll be able to return the favor someday.

[@AngelA-fj8ft]

Does the 718 Boxster also have an internal suction filter? Or no?

[@porscheDIY]

Macan PDK and 718 PDK are manufactured by different companies. The 718 has an integrated filter in the pan. www.fcpeuro.com/products/porsche-pdk-transmission-pan-911-boxster-cayman-genuine-porsche-9g132102500

[@thiagopereira4043]

I do not have the OBD to check the temp. Any tips?

[@porscheDIY]

My advise is, let an independent shop or a dealer service department change the PDK fluid for you. I would not recommend a DIY on this if you don’t have the proper tools, including a way to monitor temperature. To set the correct oil level, you need to have access to the transmission oil temperature as measured by the internal sensor.

[@YoshiV819]

Did you ever run a clutch calibration with your maintenance tool? Notice it's an application on my Autel, some Audi guys say to do one every 10K miles.

[@porscheDIY]

I haven’t. I’ll do some research on this.

[@porscheDIY]

I consulted with some of my buddies, one of which owns a very reputable Indy shop in Toronto and he does a lot of mods and tuning to exotic cars, but also works with Porsche and Audi. He owns Garage Auto Sports (garageautosports.com)… he is top of the line! He says the following about the calibration process: “Honestly I’m not sure if it’s possible to do with a launch, we normally do it with ODIS, or PIWIS for you, but I can confirm that one of our Autel scanners will do it as well. VCDS has the ability to walk through the steps, but won’t actually give you the needed instructions to follow those steps which makes it useless. It’s not strictly required since microslip adaptation will take care of 90% of the wear difference, but it is 100% required after a fluid change, which should be done every 60k anyway”. To note, when he says 60k, is 60,000km (since he is in Canada). About 40K miles for us in the USA. Since I didn’t perform this calibration, I’ll have to do it as soon as possible. I have PIWIS 3, so I’ll perform it with PIWIS and make a video. I won’t risk performing this process with my Launch X431. Thanks for your comment!

[@YoshiV819]

@@porscheDIY there are plenty of KZbin videos using VCDS on Audi. I have a Launch X431 Pro Mini as well and don't think I would trust it either. I bought an Autel because the subscription on the Launch had expired and I wanted to try something different. I know a lot of shops use the Autel. I like it better, the software is generally more flexible and intuitive. So is microslip adaptation different than calibration? I'm at 30K miles on my 21 and plan to do the PDK fluid before a long road trip this fall so I'm doing the beta on this job now.

[@porscheDIY]

@@YoshiV819 The way it was explained to me by Bill (from Garage Auto Sports) is that micro slip adaptation occurs automatically in the PDK. Hence why is not necessary to do a recalibration/adaptation until fluid is changed. No need to do recalibration every 10K miles as stated in some of those forums, because microslip adaptation should take care of issues in between. After a fluid change you should do a PDK recalibration. The clutch bite point recalibration is said to be “highly recommended”. But you can also do full recalibration. I didn’t perform this recalibration immediately after my fluid change. I did it actually yesterday, but still did it, using PIWIS 3. I performed the full recalibration and it made a difference in shifting. Smoother shifting. Is also relearning my driving. I will be publishing a video on this soon.

[@YoshiV819]

@@porscheDIY Interesting!

[@MrNanah38]

What obt scanner can the DIY use to reset computer.

[@porscheDIY]

You don’t reset computer, but rather recalibrate clutch bite through adaptation and distance sensors. You can use whatever scanner has transmission control calibration for Porsche. I personally have Otofix D1 Max, but I believe other more affordable OBD scanners can accomplish this. You can also monitor fluid temperature for the last step of change. I also have Launch X431 with the capability. Thanks for watching.

[@MrNanah38]

do you have a video of how to calibrate it after the install?@@porscheDIY

[@porscheDIY]

@@MrNanah38 PDK Clutch Calibration - 2015 Porsche Macan S kzbin.info/www/bejne/foStopmhp7p1q5Y

[@alaminalamin8678]

Please tell me how many liters of gear oil is needed in this car

[@porscheDIY]

Go to 0:56 seconds of the video. There, I tell how many liters. About 5.5L if you are not removing the pan and internal filter. About 6.5L if you are removing pan and replacing internal filter.