Questions on inherited car

Jd21476 · 03-30-2020, 11:33 AM

My father left me his 1983 Porsche 911 Slantnose conversion Cabriolet. The car has a from the mid 90's that was upgraded to a 3.4. I just got the car back from the mechanic and he went through it mechanically and he said it is a good car. I have a few questions.

1. What shifter is this? (picture below) I was told it has a G50 and it seems like 1st gear is up and to the left and then it seems to be a 5 speed although I went through gears 1-4 on a drive because I wasnt sure it was a 5 speed. Once at home, I put it in what I believe was 5th gear but it seemed like it had a lockout that then seemed to almost lock it into 5th gear and I had to reach down and manually move the little lever out of the way.

2. Neither of my power windows work. I tried both driver side switches and the passenger side switch but it does not work.

3. The power mirrors do not work.

4. The central locking does not work.

The good news is the headlights, turn signals, and all gauges seem to work just fine.

I checked all the fuses and they seem to be in tact. Is there anything else to check? I would love to be able to put the windows down.

darrin · 03-30-2020, 11:43 AM

A G50 transmission has a hydraulic clutch and has reverse up and to the left of first gear. 911s didn't switch to G50 transmissions until the 1987 model year. A 915 transmission would have been standard for your '83 and has reverse down and to the right - below 5th gear. A 915 uses a cable-activated clutch. The shifter mechanism you have looks aftermarket to me

911 window switches have a "habit" of failing, which could be the cause of your power window issue -- if you can track down a wiring diagram for your '83, you should be able to troubleshoot the window and mirror circuits, confirm whether the motors work if fed power, and get these back up and running.

boyt911sc · boyt911sc's Garage

JD,

You just picked up your car from the shop. Did you ask the mechanic about your transmission? Unless your mechanic is not very familiar with 911, he is in a very good position to answer most of your questions.

Does your shift knob have a diagram of the shift pattern? Where is the reverse located? Upper left or lower right? This you should know by now if you have driven the car already. Keep us posted.

Tony

Jd21476 · 03-30-2020, 01:38 PM

He said it was a G50 transmission and the knob does not have a pattern. I left before I could ask him these questions but figured someone on here would be able to tell me.

Trackrash · Trackrash's Garage

The 915 shifter, which is what you look to have, has a reverse lockout, sort of. Reverse is to the right and below fifth gear. You should not be able to shift from fifth to reverse due to the tab. You should be able to shift from neutral to reverse however.

You can tell if the car has been updated to a G50 by looking at the end of the torsion bars just in front of the rear wheels. Post a picture and we can tell. Unless the car has been converted to coil overs in the rear that is.

-Levi- · -Levi-'s Garage

take a picture of the transmission from under the car

darrin · 03-30-2020, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jd21476

He said it was a G50 transmission and the knob does not have a pattern. I left before I could ask him these questions but figured someone on here would be able to tell me.

have you put the car into reverse? On a g50, reverse is ALWAYS up and to the left of first. On a 915 (which was what your '83 was delivered with), reverse is ALWAYS down and to the right (below 5th) --

find reverse and you'll know which transmission you have

Jd21476 · 03-31-2020, 07:15 AM

So reverse is down to the right and the car is a 5 speed. The car runs real good and feels fast but its odd that the mechanic told me it was a G50 trans but it seems like everyone on here says it is a 915.

faapgar · 03-31-2020, 07:33 AM

Time for a new mechanic.

john walker's workshop · 03-31-2020, 08:33 AM

It has a 915 shifter so it is a 915 tranny. Simple.

dwelle · 03-31-2020, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faapgar

Time for a new mechanic.

this....

Trackrash · Trackrash's Garage

Time for some reading as well....

930cabman · 04-01-2020, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faapgar

Time for a new mechanic.

I will second this

911pcars · 04-01-2020, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 930cabman

I will second this

The tech you used may be a fine mechanic, but if he’s not familiar with air-cooled, Porsche-specific symptoms, diagnosis and repairs, you will end up paying for his learning curve. A good VW repair shop would be in the right direction, but a reasonable Porsche tech would be ideal and recommended.

Sherwood

Trackrash · Trackrash's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by 911pcars

The tech you used may be a fine mechanic, but if he’s not familiar with air-cooled, Porsche-specific symptoms, diagnosis and repairs, you will end up paying for his learning curve. A good VW repair shop would be in the right direction, but a reasonable Porsche tech would be ideal and recommended.

Sherwood

And there are a couple of good ones in SD.

Jd21476 · 04-01-2020, 09:47 AM

They are a reputable shop. I asked him what type of transmission when I picked up the car. He may have just assumed it was a G50 and never actually looked even though he told me he did.

RFP · RFP's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jd21476

They are a reputable shop. I asked him what type of transmission when I picked up the car. He may have just assumed it was a G50 and never actually looked even though he told me he did.

Well, this is just so wrong. If they are a "reputable shop" I expect a bunch of that reputation is bad! Dang, the guy just made up stuff. Anyway, the suggested reading is spot on... educate yourself on what you have, then you won't be at the mercy of poorly informed "mechanics."