Making a case for changing coupler bushings every 40 years

[bkreigsr]

Shifter crapped out in the middle of Virginia on my way to Amelia Island.
77 Turbo Carrera 111,000 miles.
It felt like the entire trans-axle was coming apart.
This was the one thing I was not prepared for.
Bill K

[dicklague]

WOW!!! Maybe check it out every couple of years??

[cabmandone]

So what'd ya do?

[bkreigsr]

Originally Posted by dicklague

WOW!!! Maybe check it out every couple of years??

Right - but then I'd have to revise my psychology of 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'
Checking the bushes has been added to my nuts and bolts check list.

I was able to limp home with no reverse. I think I had about 10 more shifts left when I pulled into the garage. The coupler was hanging on by a thread.
Bill K

[piscator]

Didn't think they were fragile. Maybe carry a spare?

Robert

[porsche930dude]

flex tape

[cabmandone]

One more reason I'm glad I have brass bushings in my coupler. They might wear but they aren't going to disintegrate. You should have put up a thread. You probably drove past 100 Pelicans on the way to your destination. Probably drove right by my brother's place.

[OldSpool87]

Good for you for making that drive! Hope it all worked out and the time was enjoyed.

[Flojo]

The oily inside of the coupler bay is an issue as well!
urgently check the O-ring seal of the shifter rod coming out of the Transmission!

regarding the coupler itself: maybe the right time to get you early on Christmas and buy the WEVO PSJ coupler?!

https://www.wevo.com/Products/ShifterProducts/WevoShifterProducts_PSJ-911Stock.htm

[hughc]

Did the coupler pinch bolt fall out? Or did you remove it?

[bkreigsr]

The oil in the hole isn't bad, considering that this is the first light the panel has seen since it was assembled in 1976. Cleaned right up with a dry rag. And, yes, I know what a Wevo coupler is - this is not my first rodeo. I had one on my 85 track car and it transmitted too much road noise for comfortable highway cruising - sorry (YMMV). The factory coupler, with Stoddard bushings sold by our host is fine, thanks. If you guys have ever driven a first-generation four-speed, it is a thing of silken, buttery,beauty; and I'd like to keep it that way.

A contributing factor to the disintegration of the original bushes might have been that it was only 12 degrees outside when I left NJ. The car has never been out in temps that low - and for a 900+ mile trip? Temps in Virginia were in the 40's. Last Wednesday, if I had made it, Florida was only in the 50's.

I did breakdown the coupler-to-shift rod connection before I decided to take pictures.

This was last year:


Bill K

[bkreigsr]

Originally Posted by cabmando

One more reason I'm glad I have brass bushings in my coupler. They might wear but they aren't going to disintegrate. You should have put up a thread. You probably drove past 100 Pelicans on the way to your destination. Probably drove right by my brother's place.

Hi Nick. I did not make it down. I thought the insides of the transaxle were coming apart, so I did an about-face in Virginia, and made it back to NJ. What I did see though was a bunch of bikers and biker tow-rigs heading to Daytona.
Are you coming to Hershey?
Bill K

[Gordo2]

While you are at it - check / replace the shift rod bushing that mounts just under your shifter.

I replaced my shift rod bushing when I first bought my car in 2004 timeframe.

I rebuilt my trans about a year ago and was driving last summer when I suddenly found it very difficult to get into gears. Of course I immediately freaked, thinking something inside of the trans came loose. Fortunately I was close to home when it started acting up.

I troubleshoot easy to hard - started at the shifter and moved my way back to the trans. I was relatively happy to find that the shift rod bushing broke free from the mount, causing the sloppy shifting issue (happy that I didn't have to crack the trans back open...)

Couple bucks, an hour or so replacing the bushing and I was back in action. Quick tip if you install a new shift rod bushing - soak it in warm water before you try to install it in the mount.

Gordo

[AHudson]

Sorry you didn't get to make the rest of the trip down. As countless others have probably expressed, it was a formidable gathering of Porsches, and the Werks on Friday was spectacular.

I did those bushings in my 85 911 just a few years ago, and the other ones (original?) were yellow and a couple were partly disintegrated. Made a big diff to refresh and re-adjust. Have just purchased Stomski engine mounts to tighten it up a little more.

This past summer I picked up an original 914-6 in truly excellent condition (former Parade winner) but shifted like a wand in Cool Whip: no definition anywhere and 2nd gear was more hope than skill. Yep, know all about the 901's reputation, but - -

Once in there, the bushings looked like yours (but no bad metal) all broken up or powdered. New bushings, springs, and stiffer engine mounts made it way tighter and slicker. Hardly a G50, but man, night and day from what it was.

Hope your is resolved soon so you can get that beautiful 77 930 back on the road.

[seafeye]

Might be a shameless plug. But I replaced my coupling and transmission mounts with the Stomski products. Night and day difference.
I think if you replace the coupling. Then the transmission mounts should come next.


https://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/ksearch/pel_search_2016.cgi?command=DWsearch&description=Stomski

[mepstein]

Originally Posted by seafeye

Might be a shameless plug. But I replaced my coupling and transmission mounts with the Stomski products. Night and day difference.
I think if you replace the coupling. Then the transmission mounts should come next.


https://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/ksearch/pel_search_2016.cgi?command=DWsearch&description=Stomski

All the cars at our shop get a Stomski coupler. It just makes the shifting better.

[bkreigsr]

Can anyone venture a guess as to what happened here?
I took the coupler apart and the pivot pin looked like this.

There are three gouges, equally spaced, around the circumference.
One of the gouges has a little nub sticking out. Believe it or not - this is the only thing that kept the pin for falling completely out and making my trip even shorter.

I bought the car, with impeccable records, at 90K miles, but maybe the prior owner had a history of abuse? Pretty certain this did not happen on my watch. I've done at least 5 of these couplers in my time, and none looked like this; but they weren't from the hand-built homologation cars.

Thanks to all who have replied.
Bill K
two gouges in \/ this \/ photo

[sugarwood]

Can someone explain to the n00bs what we've looking at in the first 2 photos?
What is wrong in the photo?

[seafeye]

The coupling is coming apart.

[seafeye]

I found these transmission mounts made a huge difference to shifting as well.



Easy 1 hour project.