Can't shift!

avalad2 · 02-09-2006, 11:48 AM

Well, decided to fix the sloppy shifting by replacing the shift housing. Removed the shifter only to find that there was no shift coupler housing to begin with, just a lot of grease. Jammed the ball into the new housing and put it back into the holder. Now my problem is when I put all the screws back in the shifter won't even move

What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance guys. Hope I explained myself correctly.

Oh Haha · 02-09-2006, 03:23 PM

Did you take the shifter out or the shifter coupler between the rear seats?

Did you replace the ball cup bushing under the shifter?

avalad2 · 02-09-2006, 06:50 PM

I took the shifter out.

I replaced the ball cup bushing under the shifter, but the weird part is there was no ball cup bushing to begin with when I took out the shifter.

jeff1hughes · jeff1hughes's Garage

I've done all of that on a 71 trans and I'm trying to think of what might be missing. Did you check all the detent/reverse block plate springs? And seeing that the ball cup bushing was gone, is there a shift rod bushing? That you should be able to see right behind the shift lever where the rod goes into the tunnel.

JWest · 02-10-2006, 05:14 AM

A picture might help us know what is going on.

One thought, maybe a short shift was installed without the spacer that reestablishes the relationship between the shift rod support and the shifter.

Without the cup bushing, it may have allowed shifting (but with terrible slop), but now the bushing is bottoming in the cup.

avalad2 · 02-11-2006, 12:10 PM

Here are some pics guys

The shifter rod goes into the shifter bushing which goes into the cup. When I put everything back together it seems like there isn't enough room for the bushing to go all the way down into the cup.

JWest · 02-11-2006, 02:54 PM

OK, first, you do have a short shift, and that aluminum spacer on the right should make things work out.

If you snap the bushing onto the shifter ball and measure the distance from the base of the shifter to the bottom of the bushing, I'll tell you how thick that spacer needs to be.

jeff1hughes · jeff1hughes's Garage

are you getting the bushing to "SNAP" securly on the ball of the shifter? That could be all it is. It should snap on and be dificult to remove. Be sure to use that aluminum plate too, like James said, you have what looks like a Weltmeister short shift kit

avalad2 · 02-13-2006, 07:10 AM

The bushing did snap on securly and is difficult to remove. Maybe if I don't use the aluminum plate it will all fit correctly because there won't be any extra space.

jeff1hughes · jeff1hughes's Garage

If you don't use the aluminum fram the ball will be driven too deep into the shift rod - if you actually have the short shift lever installed. If your shift lever is black chances are it is a short lever and needs the plate, if your lever is chrome, there is a good chance that the lever is original and you don't need the plate. If you give me a overall measurement of your lever I'll be able to tell you, because I have a short shifter stored in a box we can compare it to.

jstobo · 02-13-2006, 02:35 PM

On mine the old shifter bushing was mush in the cup. Had to clean it out before putting new bushing in. See if pieces of the old bushing is still in the cup and is affecting the clearances when you put it back together. Good luck.

avalad2 · 02-13-2006, 07:12 PM

I cleaned out the cup pretty well because there was a lot of grease in it. I will take a measurement of the lever as soon as I can.

jeff1hughes · jeff1hughes's Garage

I can see part of the old shifter bushing in the bottom of the cup! That would explain everything. It is kind of a green color. You'll need to dig that out and everthing should work fine.

avalad2 · 02-14-2006, 08:37 AM

Good eye Jeff!!

I thought it was part of the cup because it looked like it was welded. Ok now to put everything back together

Thanks.

jeff1hughes · jeff1hughes's Garage

As with the rest of the people on Pelican, I love it when I can help out another!

avalad2 · 02-15-2006, 10:24 AM

Ok I put the shifter back together and it works!! This is my first Porsche and the first car I've started working on and when I ran into this problem I became very disgruntled. I almost came to the conclusion that I do not have enough time to work on my car and that I have to take it to a shop. But thanks to this Pelican community and Jeff I was guided in the right direction and now my shifting is much more precise and not sloppy. This little fix has given me confidence and has re-established the value of patience for me. So thanks Pelican folks. I hope one day I can help you guys too