down shift keeps gringing into reverse gear
 

All of a sudden, when i downshift from 5th to 4th it grinds into reverse gear...its getting harder to avoid.

Prior, when downshifting from 5th it effortlessly passed reverse and slid smoothly to 4th. Now I make an extra effort to avoid reverse but pulling the stick down and left,

What could have possibly changed? Could it be the coupler has slipped? Is there a safety mechanism out of place?...No issue with shifting into gears.

reverse for me is to the right and down...915

Take the shifter out and check the bushing where it pokes into the rod. They crumble after a while

As Porsche930dude says, check all bushings, replace as needed (our host sells them) and consider a Karsten Spring as well as the Ultimate Shift Rod bushing as part of your R&R process (search the forum for info on those and how/where to purchase).

makes sense.. but is it possible the coupler
adjustment might work?

Yes, it might. But unless you’ve recently replaced the bushings and know that they are good you would do well to check them out.

Stock shifter? Reverse lock out not functioning?
Pull boot and static check the shift action, then adjust accordingly so spring on lockout cam engages to prevent going into R.

Somehow you’re missing the lockout function and it’s usually a shift rod not doing the job due to excess slop or travel limitation. Maybe shift assembly needs some cleaning and grease?

Of course going from 5 to 4… R won’t (or most likely not) be avoided on a power slam if a hair out of adjustment.

I’m with P930Dude & Winter - I replaced ALL bushings - including the shifter cup…and added the spring, which once you get used to the feel of it, there’s a sure snap over to the 3-4 plane.
It’s not a cure-all but a maintenance necessity to check replace these plastic nylon bushes…after 40 yrs even the coupler of still original.
You don’t want to adjust coupler to the tolerances worn bushing or an old worn coupler. Though minuscule, the adjustment could affect the shifting later on or might still not better than before.

2¢

changed coupler bushings
 

I changed the coupler bushings and the shift bushings 5 to 6 years ago.
Hope its an adjustment on the coupler, although it shift 1 thur 4 fine...5 and reverse are more difficult to "find"...

Hope ITS NOT the lockout, Such a pain getting the boot off...having to take out the console. what is a pain

QUOTE=EC900;12540835]Stock shifter? Reverse lock out not functioning?
Pull boot and static check the shift action, then adjust accordingly so spring on lockout cam engages to prevent going into R.

Somehow you’re missing the lockout function and it’s usually a shift rod not doing the job due to excess slop or travel limitation. Maybe shift assembly needs some cleaning and grease?

Of course going from 5 to 4… R won’t (or most likely not) be avoided on a power slam if a hair out of adjustment.

I’m with P930Dude & Winter - I replaced ALL bushings - including the shifter cup…and added the spring, which once you get used to the feel of it, there’s a sure snap over to the 3-4 plane.
It’s not a cure-all but a maintenance necessity to check replace these plastic nylon bushes…after 40 yrs even the coupler of still original.
You don’t want to adjust coupler to the tolerances worn bushing or an old worn coupler. Though minuscule, the adjustment could affect the shifting later on or might still not better than before.

2¢[/QUOTE]

jgurnari, Unfortunately with the console it’s a bit more work. I don’t have one.
The forward motion into 5th, the shift rod may not be forward enough to engage lockout cam …now it’s why is that occurring -
Not sure if coupler adjust would be effective if bushings are toast. Short term maybe, but every hair of adjustment to get it right (or not) may take as long as a console removal.

here is how it is adjusted -hope it helps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3nPONBAaZM

familiar with the adjustment video, did that only a few months ago.. that’s the reason I think it might be the issue, could have slipped a little.

I will try making g the adjustment again.. if it doesn’t help, i will get into the console. brutal!

That video is good, but a 600 pound gorilla could not pull off my factory original shift knob. I had to remove the entire console, and the shifter, put it in my vice and use my air hammer to remove it, and that only broke the knob into pieces and the crush ring was pried off with vice grips. I had tried every trick to remove the knob. It was stuck fast. And my car has a leather boot over the rubber gator so the only way to get it out of the way was to remove the knob.

For the shifter adjustment, I use a bungee cord to hold the shifter over to the driver's side and then push the shift coupler over to the passenger side with one finger as I tighten the bolt. The forward and backwards part is indeed best to have the lever in the middle of the throw.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1759353385.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1759353385.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1759353385.JPG

i’m confused!
 

i read something about removing the shift knob .. you also mentioned pulling it off, why? what is the purpose of removing the shift knob? Are you able to get the boot off by simply removing the shift knob? The console has to come out regardless, no?. UNLESS you are able to remove the boot without removing the console.. My boot is pinned under the console …there is no way to remove it with the console attached to the floor. Am i missing something that would make things easier?… like removing the knob and getting the boot off?

I don’t have a console, and I don’t know if you also have a gaiter that covers the rubber boot like the one pictured, and if you can pull it up enough and out of the way, tape it to hold in place or invert the rubber boot and it will stay put. Then working the shifter into 5th-4th to look down into the shifter housing to check the R lockout cam action.

But as you said, you had made an earlier adjustment and the lines/reference marks may be off a hair or clamp wasn’t tight enough.

See below as to why I’m an advocate for bushing inspection - my PO had coupler replaced (for same issue of missing a gear I believe) and tech adjusted but never checked the bushings that’s attributable to my excess slop and occasional 5/4 gear crunch. (45 yrs & 200k miles)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1759363265.jpg

Note the new Pelican JPNovak bushing length vs OEM less the broken half + more meat less chance of wobble …

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1759363381.jpg

ok thanks. do you happen to have a photo or video of the lockout cam and how it operates?
i’ve got an ‘85 w/313k

Came here basically to say this. I’m betting this will be the issue.

The cam:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads26/85278CEC_AEAA_4537_AAF8_DEC4BF4E8ABE16115214321611 617332.jpg

Possibly helpful info within:

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/1084217-reverse-lockout.html

Another issue could be the cast shift cup holder is becoming loose on the shift rod. Check to see it is tight. A couple of spot welds (everything in place) to hold the cup to the rod is doable.

What happening now!

I adjusted the coupler, it does not grind into 4th when downshifting BUT NOW, with the slightest touch it will pop out of 5th gear and go into the neutral channel but still be in gear (5th) but moves side to side as if its in neutral. It is not sloppy in any other gear.
What adjustment would fix that?...is it the shaft not being in or out too far within the coupler?

It almost looks like the receiving piece for your teflon socket is loose on the shift rod-the red circle There is a screw on the other side to hold it in place =could be loose
Ivan
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1759431233.jpg

One of my many "while I am in there" projects, was to repair some wear damage on the top of my leather boot.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1759431456.jpg

You can see the top of the leather gator was worn and the color was gone. I wanted to get it off to repair the leather, and dye it back to the proper Burgundy color. Of course I replaced all the bushings, and put it all back. And the photo above shows my 3D printed water bottle holder. It is insulated with spray foam, and holds the bottle perfectly and I can get a sip of water while driving without taking my eyes off the road. One of my great inventions for my car. I sure did not need that space for cassette storage!

not my shifter
 

that picture is not my car