new to board- 915 tranny question...

bradr · 02-09-2005, 07:12 PM

I am new to vintage Porsche 911. I had a 93 RS America, however, I decided to go basic this time around. I bought a really clean 82 sc and drove it for the first time yesterday. What is with the shift to 1st gear? Particularly after neutral at a stop? Am I missing something? I had the car checked out completely by Autosport Designs here on Long Island, NY (a reputable Porsche shop) and all is well. I have heard the 915 is tricky...is this what they mean? I have heard changing the fluid to Swepco can help? True? Any suggestions welcome...

thanks

Hugh R · 02-09-2005, 07:25 PM

Swepco seems to work for me. Try adjusting the clutch and the shift linkages. Look in Pelican's tech articles on doing this. Replacing the shift bushings helped my car a lot. Welcome to the board, visit often and post some pics of your toy. If you drain the trannie, make sure you can get the fill plug out before you pull the drain plug!!

lally911 · 02-09-2005, 07:25 PM

Slow down to a crawl and always double clutch when going from 2nd to 1st. This usually works for me. Swepco may help.

450knotOffice · 450knotOffice's Garage

Hmmm. Can you expand a little on what you mean by "the shift to 1st gear? Particularly after a stop."

The 915 tranny is a bit sloppy compared to other trannies and has a relatively long throw, but you should not have any problem whatsoever while trying to engage first gear while stopped. It should slide right in. The tranny may balk if you try to select first while moving more than a couple of miles an hour, but that is pretty normal behavior from one of these units.

-Scott

kucharskimb · 02-09-2005, 07:48 PM

i have to shift into 1st during the last 3 feet before coming to a complete stop. forget downshifting into 1st before that. ditto on swepco. if you are sitting at a stop in neutral, sometimes a blip of the throttle will help the synchros slide/compress into position.

and no speed shifting!!!

bradr · 02-09-2005, 07:55 PM

wow! I cannot believe how fast and how many replies so quickly! You are great! I am going to try the "3 feet shift" and "blip of throttle" tommorow...weather permitting..thanks again to all thus far

bradr · 02-09-2005, 07:56 PM

ps...the shift from a stop that I am talkign about was after downshifting to second to slow me...and without lifting the clutch from stop prior to shifting to first (did that make any sense?)

jfw834 · jfw834's Garage

hey....good choice on a cherry SC....with my 915, I had it rebuild about 5 months ago and It took me a while to learn all the tricks of shifting. when i'm rolling to a stop, i double clutch and it will go into first without much trouble....i have a feeling that if i switch to sweepco as well i will get better results.

as for other advice, yes smooth slow shifting is a must. i still think the most irritating part of a 915 is the 1st to 2nd throw. give it time and you will learn the ins and outs of your 915 pretty quickly, especially if you are already farmiliar with p-cars.

Howard M · 02-10-2005, 03:29 AM

If I read the question correctly, the problem is shifting into first from a stop, not a roll. Try a "tug" towards second, without actually engaging second, before pushing the shifter into first. I must do it every time I stop to avoid grinding.

Howard

sfmlaw17 · 02-10-2005, 05:44 AM

I vote for double clutching as well. My trans is great, but once and a while, at a stop, I will have to double clutch. Then no problems. If I downshift into first while slowing down (very slow), I don't. It is glorious, huh? Your trans sounds fine to me.

john walker's workshop · 02-10-2005, 07:18 AM

common complaint, but 1st should engage from a stop reasonably easily, (as easy as the porsche style syncro system will let you do it, of course), so you probably have some wear issues in there. the clutch also has to completely release, to get decent shifting. just waiting a couple of seconds after depressing the clutch, before going into 1st helps.

84toy · 02-10-2005, 07:58 AM

I rebuilt my tranny a few months back and really have no complaints other than you can't bang second fast. Everything else works like any other normal transmission both up and down. If you are going fast, it does takes a little more effort to downshift to first. I rarely do that though since my car will pull in second even from a dead stop. The key is a good working clutch and a fresh tranny.

The easiest way to check a proper working clutch is when hot at a stop, in nuetral idling, push in the clutch, count to 3 and shift in to reverse. If it grinds, your clutch is dragging.

Wil Ferch · 02-10-2005, 08:08 AM

Ahhhh....did I miss something ( unrelated) here ??....

bradr says..."the shift from a stop that I am talkign about was after downshifting to second to slow me..."

I *hope* you're not needlessly using engine braking....where "brakes" instead can be used ! Don't forget.....brake pads are a LOT cheaper than syncros !!

Downshifting for (say) a turn simply gets you into the proper lower gear so you can accelerate out of that turn...it's not meant to slow you down with engine braking....

Wil

Groesbeck Hurricane · 02-10-2005, 09:15 AM

Brad,

Welcome to the board!!!

I think Wil hit on it. Don't use the transmission in place of your brakes. Try double clutching before going into first.

In case someone doesn't know, or I'm using the wrong terminology again: completely depress clutch pedal, remove selector from gear, release clutch completely, completely depress clutch cable, count to two, shift into first.

jfw834 · jfw834's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by 84toy
The easiest way to check a proper working clutch is when hot at a stop, in nuetral idling, push in the clutch, count to 3 and shift in to reverse. If it grinds, your clutch is dragging.

i get an anoying crunch into reverse sometimes but I never wait 3 seconds. For me, if doesn't want to go in, I roll forward or back just slightly and then it slips right in. But as far as the trouble with griding isn't that cause it is a straight cut gear? thanks for the tip...I will try the 3 seconds thing cause i know my clutch is not exactly brand new anymore

mpdevelopment · 02-10-2005, 10:37 AM

Bradr just be gentle with the 915 it does not respond to a heavy hand. Need any help with the Merak? I have quite a bit of experience with them. Tom and Barry have quite a place don"t they.

livi · 02-10-2005, 10:57 AM

I love my 915 transmission BECAUSE it requires a bit of attention. Enhances the envolvment and sporty feeling of driving !

Markus
Carrera 85

SC-targa · 02-10-2005, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mpdevelopment
Need any help with the Merak?

Did Maserati ever figure out how to keep the cam chains tensioned onthat thing? Sure is pretty though.

Jerry Kroeger

Nine9six · Nine9six's Garage

I used to do as Howard M suggested...A brief fake to second without actually going into gear and then into first. This always worked for me. Once you get used to the 915 trans, it all becomes second nature.

Bill Oxley · Bill Oxley's Garage

I've been reading many posts about the 915 gear box, and with interest, I read the earlier comment about the "need to double clutch" to get this gear box to shift correctly.

Well, fortunately my gearbox is not bad, and shifts quite well, although with some hesitation into 2nd occasionally, but when the day comes that I have to double clutch to get it to shift smoothly from one gear to the other, the check book comes out, because, IMHO, that's not a fun driving machine with a crappy gearbox. My experience with Porsche's has always been better than that.

So if the trany is due for rebuild, so be it. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but if it does, I’m ready.