"can't find 3rd" problem solved.

Ancient post. Tranny rebuilt 15k miles ago. Never really could find 3rd when I needed it. Everyone said adjust coupler. Didn't know what the hell they were talking about. Read Bentley. Adjusted coupler (access in the floor of back seat area along center divider) and this turned out to solve the problem.
Just thought I'd update this. Folks who caught me when I was trying to find 3rd (after which I passed them back again) will no longer get that second of fleeting glory.


------------------
Kurt B
'84 Carrera Cab.
carrera_cabriolet@yahoo.com

Kurt - I've done everything too - except adjust the coupler. New Swepco, new ball cup bushing...could this be the answer?

The symptom I have is that I'm "missing" 3rd by a smidge, and it gets "hung up" on something. I can feel metal "rubbing" metal, not harshly, just like a reluctant synchro, maybe. If I press hard, it goes in - but if I *focus* and *aim* correctly, it usually goes right in. I just don't want to have to focus that much, say, approaching a 90mph sweeper....

------------------
Mark Szabo
1986 911 Targa 3.2
1987 Escort 5-speed 1.9 RIP
The Porsche Owners Gallery

Mark:
I had a problem very similar to yours. I finally found out the plastic bushings in the coupler at the transaxle were worn out. It was producing slop in my shifting. Replacing them is a relatively minor job. Make sure you mark the locations of everything before you take it apart. It made a world of difference. I replaced all the couplings, front & rear at the same time.

------------------
Marv Evans
'72 911E

Let's see, Mark? You can *FOCUS* on the 3rd gear shift ... or try to focus on the world as it goes by slowly in a 180-degree sweep as you exit the sweeper, tail-first, er-uh, not-under-power, disconected, so to speak?

------------------
Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

Mark: If you don't have the bentley manual, I'll run down the procedure here. Basically, what you can do to convince yourself that this is the problem is bias the car for 3rd. I did, and took it around the block a few times. What this did was move the 3rd gear trouble spot to 1st and 2nd; But going to from 2nd to 3rd was like slicing butter.
Then I went back and redid them all.

Rear foot space. Center divider. Pull up carpet. Remove screws and cover.
Put the car in neutral.
There's the main bolt/nut. It uses 13mm and you'll need two wrenches.
Loosen it up. Now push the rubber so you can see the rear rod that goes to the tranny--it's silver colored. You'll rotate it counterclockwise looking from the front until it stops. It'll rotate around 20 degrees.
Then move the shift lever to the left bank of neutral and tighten the main 13mm back up.
If you push and hold it far left with your knee and tighten the bolt, you'll get the 3rd gear bias I'm talking about--not drivable, but the point is, the harder left you hold the shift lever in neutral and tighten the bolt, the more room you give for third and the less room for 1st and 2nd.

So basically, right now, what's wrong is your setting for where the lever is when you tighten the coupler back up is not far enough left. A little more left and you'll have more room for third will retaining your room for 1st and 2nd.

It takes around 1/2 an hour to get it done the way you want it. They say test the car shifting all gears, but really, you need to drive it around a bit and try downshifting before you really know how the new settings are working.
I drove my around last night with the carpet up and wrenches in the passenger seat so I could mess around with it then take it straight back out on the road.



------------------
Kurt B
'84 Carrera Cab.
carrera_cabriolet@yahoo.com

I've actually adjusted that coupler before, Kurt. That was with my old tranny though; and I was thinking (wishing) my new tranny's problems with 3rd were a break-in issue. I'll adjust it next weekend and see how it feels.

My coupler bushings are actually quite fresh-looking - I have a spare set but I never installed them because there's no side-to-side play in the coupler.

Warren: Yes. I'll focus. I'm just trying to remove any margin of error.

------------------
Mark Szabo
1986 911 Targa 3.2
1987 Escort 5-speed 1.9 RIP
The Porsche Owners Gallery

Mark,

Those coupler bushings are slotted to minimize noise/vibration transmitted along the shift rod. The aftermarket ones with the round hole do transmit a slight bit more noise, but I think a more positive shifting control is worth it. This whole matter of noise is why the dual-mass flywheel was tried in the C2/C4, so it just never ends! The G-50 was even more noisy than the 915, at low rpms ... go figure!

------------------
Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

Well, the slop I'm experiencing is X-slop (as opposed to Y-slop), which is basically side-to-side movement where there shouldn't be. The bushings in there now allow maybe a half millimeter of play fore and aft (Y play) but unmeasurably small side-to-side (X play).

I may try them anyway, just to see if I can't get it right. I have to be careful now though since I don't have a second car as a backup in case I screw something up.

------------------
Mark Szabo
1986 911 Targa 3.2
1987 Escort 5-speed 1.9 RIP
The Porsche Owners Gallery

Then you'll be where I am. There's nothing like the sweat pouring down at 10pm knowing if this thing doesn't get back together, you're busted.
But the 914 (which I can't use as backup 'cause it's expired) conditioned me for this kinda thing--It sounds to me like we had the same problem though...I still think you ought to get in there, loosen it up, hold the shifter hard left, tighten it and see if 3rd doesn't present itself at the expense of 1st and 2nd...
Either we both had our trannies rebuilt by the same place who f'ed up 3rd gear(I'll bet my wrench sent it away, since it took 3 weeks to get rebuilt), or both of our mechanics forgot to adjust the coupler after installation. (Plus I compounded it with adding short shifter). But today, I have a buttered and breaded 3rd gear!


------------------
Kurt B
'84 Carrera Cab.
carrera_cabriolet@yahoo.com