915 Hard To Shift

[Yorkie]

The 915 box in my '79 was rebuilt about 4K miles ago but it is tough to shift from 1st to 2nd and also 3rd to 4th. Going down the gears is not too bad (no grinding or anything) so I was wondering if this was a function of the parts bedding in or something. I've adjusted the clutch as per Wayne's book and the shifter does not feel sloppy like when the coupler bushings are shot. My last 911 ('78) had a similar 1st to 2nd reluctance - a design trait perhaps?

Would one of the short shifters kits help?
Thanks,
Kevin

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Hey Yorkie - nice to see another Long Beach guy on here.

I assume you've checked the shift bushing at the front of the tunnel (base of shifter)? Another common problem is the "knuckle" at the rear of the tunnel (has a panel w/ 4 screws over it, the knuckle is normally in two seals that sit inside each other and against the firewall).

I had a similar problem on mine recently going into 5th & reverse and just general sloppiness. Turns out the knuckle was worn and the shift bushing was totally crumbling away. Bought a Wevo shift kit and knuckle upgrade and the thing feels AWESOME now.

I realize that's an expensive upgrade, but at the very least it might be worth checking the bushing & knuckle (and seals). The linkage on the 911 transmission is pretty robust and I can't think of many failure points other than those two.

[ulrichd]

Kevin,
I just rebuilt the shifter on my 70T with good results. On the enclosed diagram, replace no. 56, 57 and 61. Did wonders for my car.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/PartsLookup/search.cgi?command=show_page&Catalog_Name=911_USA_78_83_KATALOG&Illustration=701-00&Line_Item=57