5th gear rubbing trans case

To those who have swapped the 5th gear set, I am concerned about rubbing that I am seeing between the larger 5th gear and the case.  I know in the picture there appears to be a very small gap between the gear and the case, but there is not... it rubs.  When I checked the original 5th gear that was removed, it appears to have fit the exact same way.  I have no recollection of there being a spacer/shim when I removed the original 5th gear.  There is no sign of wear on the case below the gear, so it seems it either does not rub during operation or I have somehow missed a spacer that belongs under this gear.

Is this fitment normal?  

thats normal. bearing in the aluminum end cover is what controls the thrust loads on the mainshaft, when you put the cover on and tighten up the bolt in the end is pulls the mainshaft back and you end up with more clearance between the gear and case.

Sharkey...I'm sure Razrbak is pleased with your answer!  

I noticed in the pic of his 5th gear that the teeth have a double row of grooves.  I've seen this on images of gear sets I've been scoping out for my transaxle.  My 1st impression was a damage condition.  

However, since you didn't comment on the grooves, I'm guessing this is also "normal" for this particular Porsche component.  Correct?

Raymond-P wrote:Sharkey...I'm sure Razrbak is pleased with your answer!  

I noticed in the pic of his 5th gear that the teeth have a double row of grooves.  I've seen this on images of gear sets I've been scoping out for my transaxle.  My 1st impression was a damage condition.  

However, since you didn't comment on the grooves, I'm guessing this is also "normal" for this particular Porsche component.  Correct?

the grooves on the teeth are normal, and you will find them on gears in just about every automotive transmission. the grooves are for identifying the gear, generally for different ratios, but also slightly different designed gears for similar applications. both the amount of notches and the location on the gear are taken into consideration. this is really only used during manufacturing and factory assembly, generally you wont find documentation in a service manual stating what the grooves actually correspond to.

Perfect... thank you, Sharkey!