Rennshift reverse lockout question
 

Hi all, I just got a new Rennshift for my 901 and I can't figure out how to get the automatic reverse lockout working while I'm 33% reduction. It works in 20% but not 33%
I've searched all over and couldn't find anything online. I don't see any adjustments on the lockout.

I hope some can answer this. I have one on my 915 and have never been able to get it working either.

I've emailed jwest but haven't heard back.
Honestly if I had known it doesn't work I would've probably spent a little extra and got the Numeric shifter.
I can't believe it's never been discussed.

It works….you just have to adjust the shifter properly. Also, I am pretty sure the throw reduction is in the fore/aft directions and not in the left/right directions.

Can you explain how to adjust the lockout?
Right now when I go into first the shifter doesn't move fast enough aft to engage the lockout. I tired with it on and off the car so it's not a transmission issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvv1_tOMnZY

Checking the obvious first, when you adjusted the throw did you have both holes lined up in the shaft when reassembling?

I'm very impressed with this shifter. I researched quite a bit before purchasing.

Yes, I've watched all the videos and had both holes lined up.
Do you have the automatic lockout working on yours while in 33% mode?

You don’t adjust the lockout. It sounds like you need to adjust the coupler so the bottom of the shifter travels more aft and less forward in the housing. In other words, make the shift rod effectively shorter. Do you have over-travel stops backed out all the way so they are not interfering?

I don't even have the spots in. The only way I can make it travel more is my setting it back to 20%. I don't see any other adjustments.

Winders point is a good one. Adjust the coupler in the tunnel to change the fore/aft throw.

It's not even working while it's out of the car so I know it's not in the coupler.

Can you confirm you have a working automatic lockout while in 33% reduction?

It might be a manufacturing defect.

Mine was finicky. I didn’t want to take more time to adjust it all just right….so I put the manual lock out in and never looked back. It’s a cool nod to older cars. Just need to remember to use it. :)

The JWest instructions should be more comprehensive, or at least allude to the existence of the very useful instructional videos. Even with the pivot bushing in place, the shift rod will gain friction if the pivot bolt is torqued too much, and there's no torque value mentioned anywhere. It has a serrated washer, so I'm assuming "tight enough before it causes friction" is the correct torque...

I'm also wondering why JWest recommends not using 33% with the extended shifter...? Greater chance of hamfistery with the increased leveraged? I have a pretty light touch, and I wouldn't mind the reduced throw...but I digress...

I'm going through this all right now...When changing from 20% to 33%, I stupidly just removed the bolt and put it in the new hole (which moves the shift rod, rendering the setup useless). Then I found this thread and the video and corrected that error...but this is still an issue.

With the shifter assembly out of the car, there isn't enough clearance for the shift rod to fall behind the reverse lockout with the bolt in the upper (33%) hole. This seems...pretty glaring, so my assumption is that I'm doing something wrong, but...I see no way for the reverse lockout to possibly work in this configuration. I'm gonna email 'em.

Some photos illustrating the issue. The first two show the shift rod as far towards reverse as possible with this housing. The last photo shows the position of the shifter in 1st gear—the lockout tab can't fall into lockout position (it's also a janky photo—it's a hard one to take while holding the rod in position):

https://ensaster.com/pics/vehicles/9...ockout/cup.jpg

https://ensaster.com/pics/vehicles/9...ockout/max.jpg

https://ensaster.com/pics/vehicles/9...ockout/tab.jpg

Random info: The shift knob threading is 3/8-24. No M10 will screw in.

From JWest:

Hi, thanks for contacting me. The issue with checking the lockout outside of the car is that the shifter does not move all the way to the side and stay there when you actually select a "corner" gear. The uninstalled shifter can travel further to the side than the linkage will allow. Slop in the linkage allows the shifter to move back toward center, which gives more room for the lockout to pass. Not desired, but it is how it works out when dealing with upgrading one part of the system but being stuck with the factory internal transmission parts.

Tight linkage and 33% can result in not enough travel. Ffor this case we have an offset pawl to hit the stick up higher where there is more realized travel due to the angle.

We rarely encounter this issue as most people do not reduce the shift throw - it is difficult to shift slowly and precisely with the throw at 33% reduction on a 901/915 - the weight becomes so heavy to shift that it has to forced just to change gears and the synchros get trashed in short order. When people go to the short throw, they often change to the manual lockout, leaving a small number of people encountering the lockout compatibility.

I don't like to put too much stock in the lockout. If the lockout is engaged during a shift, it means that the driver forced their way past the gate springs to the "far side" of neutral and tried to enter the wrong gear intentionally. If the lockout was designed to hit the stop at the same time the springs pushed the stick over, the stick would bind between the lockout and the transmission internal shift forks with any movement of the engine mounts, body twist, etc. The lockout is last resort, the springs are the primary shift guidance.

Mentioning the offset lockout to the general population tends to confuse more than help so it is supplied on-request. The vast majority of people bolt the RennShift into their car with no changes and no adjustment and it makes a tremendous improvement. They are happy and move on. Mentioning more options adds unnecessary confusion for most people. In 20 years of evolving the shifter, we have found that less-is-more with instructions and directions for the typical customer.

I would not use the 33% setup and, as a racer, I would benefit from that setup more than a street car driver. Why would I not use the 33% setup? Because that almost forces a shift that is too fast for the 915. If you want your synchros to live, I would recommend using the 25% setup…