Hello and HELP!?

[Poohsan]

Hello everyone,

I’m new to this board and to the whole 911 experience.
Two weeks ago I stepped into my first 911 it’s a 1981 SC Targa.
I’m just ecstatic! The 911 drives completely different than my 914.

The 911 was in storage for some time. It has been running fine the few times I drove it around town, but it defiantly needs some work.

I encountered a major problem last night. I hope someone here can help with some advice.

The transmission is stuck in reverse!

It will not shift into neutral or into another gear. The shift lever only moves forwards as if it were going into 5th but is will not rotate or go into neutral.

The car rolls if I push the clutch in.

Everything seemed fine just before this happened?!?

I can really use some advice or help.

Thanks,
Arron

[ruf-porsche]

Buy a new cup for the shifter, it probably old and when you went to use it, the plastic broke apart. Also check the coupler behind the seat in the center tunnel.

The cup looks like this



Welcome to the board, Another Targa owner.



As Nostatic would say

This thread is worthless without pictures.

[IMG]

[Poohsan]

Here are some images of the Targa.

Originally posted by ruf-porsche
Buy a new cup for the shifter, it probably old and when you went to use it, the plastic broke apart. Also check the coupler behind the seat in the center tunnel.

The cup looks like this



Welcome to the board, Another Targa owner.



As Nostatic would say

This thread is worthless without pictures.

[IMG]

[Poohsan]

I checked the coupler behind the seat in the center tunnel. I loosened the retaining bolt which pinches the shift rod on to the spline on the shift coupler. At this point the shift lever works as it should moving freely. I used a pair of pliers and tried to move the shift rod connected to the transmission. I was unable to get it to move in to neutral?

[Poohsan]

Originally posted by Poohsan
I checked the coupler behind the seat in the center tunnel. I loosened the retaining bolt which pinches the shift rod on to the spline on the shift coupler. At this point the shift lever works as it should moving freely. I used a pair of pliers and tried to move the shift rod connected to the transmission. I was unable to get it to move in to neutral?

[Zeke]

It is possible for a trans to get locked. What happens is the one fork doesn't move the slider all the way into neutral before the other fork engages a gear. When this happens, there is no way to get the other fork out of gear with the rod/lever. So, don't force anything beyond reason.

That having been said, before you come to that conclusion, understand that it takes a fair amount of force to move the shift rod at the end of the trans. Double check all the components of the shift linkage before you go any further and get back to us.

Oh, BTW, welcome! You're in the right place for competent help.

[Grady Clay]

Aaron,

Welcome to the 911 Forum.
You will find a lot of help here.

This is unfortunately a not uncommon problem. What happens is the transmission is in reverse and the 5-R selector on the shift rod gets out of the slot in the 5-R shift rail. The transmission is in reverse when the shift lever feels like neutral. The transmission is locked up and in two gears when shifted into 1st or 2nd. The lockout should prevent you from selecting either 3rd or 4th.

A way to get it out of reverse is to remove the back-up light switch and pin from the nose of the transmission. You can use a piece of drill rod to push the 5-R shift rail toward the engine. The spring loaded detent will cause it to pop into neutral. Now everything should be in neutral.

This is not uncommon for someone new to the 915 to have happen. When coming out of reverse, push the shift lever forward and keep it to the right until the lockout at the shift lever forces you to the left. Soon your hand will do it automatically.

If the problem reoccurs, the shift pivot (accessible on the pivot plate under the transmission) may be bent. You can replace this without removing anything else. Other possibilities are nice old but worn parts.

Part of this exercise should be to renew the shift linkage cup and bushings at the shifter and in the tunnel. At the same time inspection and lubrication of the shift handle and lockout is appropriate. Pay attention to the locating pin for the handle. All are inexpensive and easy. Much has been written about this. This is just part of normal periodic (20 year/x100K mi) attention to various systems.

Best,
Grady

[ruf-porsche]

Read this previous thread on stuck tranny in reverse.

1974 915 5 spd trouble please help!!

Do you know if the PO had work done on the trans?

Could be a missing detent.

[Poohsan]

Grady,

Thanks for the information. I’m going to try the procedure you described.
I have three questions:
1. When I remove the reverse light switch will the Transmission dump its oil?
2. How long will the drill rod need to be?
3. From the reverse light is it a straight shot to the 5-R shift rail?

Thanks again,
Arron

[Grady Clay]

Aaron,

“1. When I remove the reverse light switch will
the Transmission dump its oil?”
Yes, only a little when cold. Loosen the Back-Up
Light Switch (BULS) and remove the actuating pin.
Immediately screw the BULS back in.

”2. How long will the drill rod need to be?”
About 2 cm longer than the actuating pin. I don’t
have a pin handy so I can’t give you an exact number.

”3. From the reverse light is it a straight shot to
the 5-R shift rail?”
Yes.

A few more tips:
Loosen the transmission fill plug first. Not infrequently
some PO has tightened it too much and it is difficult to
remove. You don’t want to have drained the
transmission through the BULS and not be able to
refill. Here you have an opportunity to check the oil
level and color.

The actuating pin has two diameters. The larger
diameter is appropriate for your drill rod. When you
reinstall the pin the small diameter is toward the BULS.

The BULS has an aluminum sealing washer. The BLUS
is sometimes reluctant to start unscrewing. Use a
22 mm box wrench and a sharp blow to break it loose.

You are going to use the bore where the actuating pin
is located to push on the roll pin with a piece of drill rod.
The pin is 4x26 mm hardened steel and is strong
enough to shift the gear out of reverse. If you bend
it (unlikely) the back up lights won’t work without a
homemade longer actuating pin until there is another
excuse to be inside the transmission.

Here is a diagram of the area in question:
"
"
© Dr. –Ing h.c. F. Porsche A.G.

Here are all the shift parts. I put color where parts
contact tech other. #20 is the roll pin you will push on.
"
"
© Dr. –Ing h.c. F. Porsche A.G.

You can see how it is easy to have the 5-R connection (red)
become disengaged. When you move the shift lever to the
left, the red parts engage more.


Best,
Grady


Trivia of the day; the back-up light switch is one of the
few parts common to almost every Porsche ever built.

[Poohsan]

Thank you Grady and everyone else that helped!

I was able to follow your advice and pop the transmission out of fifth. Everything worked out fine except I broke a contact off of the reverse light wire. I’ll need to jack the Targa up again to re-solder the plug. But most important, I was able to move the car again, (before the wife returned home to find it blocking both garages).

I really appreciate the help especially as this was my first post. I will be reading and asking many more questions in the future.

Thanks Again!
Arron
Westchester, CA

[defcon65]

Wow, Grady. I'm amazed by the detailed knowledge you have of stuff like that. The solutions you provide us Pelicans for free is beyond priceless. Three cheers!

Regards,

[Grady Clay]

Joe,

All in the interest of matrimonial harmony.

Aaron, what length and diameter drill rod did you end up using? Can you relate any other difficulties other than the wire terminal? A nice sequential procedure will help the next guy.

I’m glad it all worked out – and in time.

Best,
Grady

[Poohsan]

I will gather all of the tools I used and do a short write-up.

Arron

[450knotOffice]

Arron, welcome to the forum. You wasted no time finding out how valuable this forum is to those of us who own these beautiful classics.

Nice car, btw.

[Emission]

Poohsan, welcome to the Board!

Grady, a round of applause. I am impressed.

- Mike