Slop in Shift Coupler

[mholbrook38]

Checking at the coupler and I'm getting almost 1/16" of movement at the shift coupler. What is normal? Car is 79 911SC with 52k on it. I'm noticing some difficulty in slipping into 1st gear, kind of like overcoming a tight spot. Sometimes going back and forth will help it slip in. Also have had two occassions where I could not seem to get into second gear. Just moved back to neutral and it went in fine after that. I have changed fluid to Swepco about 2000 miles ago. Trying to figure out if I need new bushings at the coupler. I ordered the other two bushings, cup and shift rod.

Thanks in advance.

[Oh Haha]

That seems about normal for slop. There is a small amount of movement built into the shift rod at the transmission so all of it is nearly impossible to remove.

New bushings will help but anything other than an aftermarket Ujoint style is going to have a little slop.

Some have used the oval 914 bushings with success. You may want to try them.

I put a small finishing nail in each bushing in my sc and it made a difference. Cheap? Yep but I'm ok with that.

[Goth]

After rebuilding my shift coupler; it had zero play.

[mholbrook38]

Sounds to me like a couple new bushings would be in order. I want it as close to perfect as I can make it and the cost of the bushings is minimal in the overall picture.

Thanks

[Walt Fricke]

Mike

It is more or less normal that first gear is a bit harder to engage than the rest of the gears. At one point Porsche modified the first gear synchro system to deal with this, and it was an improvement. Can't recall if this happened with the switch to SCs. But it isn't a linkage issue, and I think it is best to live with it. Second is a different story. First and second use the same slider/engagement piece, which slides on splines on the shaft. If the splines wear on the slider or the shaft or both, the slider can cock a little, increasing resistance to movement. This resistance can be hit or miss, not happening all the time. If any of this is happening, the cure is expensive. Again, some things are worth living with.

Shift linkage issues, fortunately, are not to be endured, as fixes are not expensive.

The slop you see in the fore and aft direction is built-in. The stock replacement bushings for the shift coupler are oval on the inner dimensions. There are aftermarket bushings which are round on the ID and tight around the cross pin, and I recommend using them. Makes a distinct difference, and I have yet to find a downside here. Porsche carried over these oval bushing openings from the 356s. Best guess is that this was to deal with vibrations in the shift lever or something, but I have never seen a compelling explanation of why this is actually needed. Tight coupler bushings have caused no problems for me in 10+ years of use on an SC. Of course that is a datum point of one.

Since I made my own bushings for this purpose, I don't know who sells them. But someone on this forum does know. I saw a photo of some white colored ones just the other day.

Of course replacing the two bushings up front (especially the cylindrical cup bushing, which takes a real pounding in every day use, and especially if shifting into first takes a bit of extra force) is a good idea. And you will end up understanding the shift linkage mechanism better in the bargain, which will help you if you decide to adjust it.

Walt Fricke

[Rusty Heap]

I had the same about of slop in mine from my '82 SC with worn bushings, and was about to rebuild it with new side bushings, but then the car got totaled.............

Soooooooo, I've got a brand new set of bushings still in wrapper, along with my shifter coupler that you could rebuild first, then drop it in your car to keep down time to a minimum. These couplers are kinda a bear to pull out and then rebuild.

There are many posts on how to drive out the bushings using a press or the right size socket and a vise to tap them out the side.

I was wanting $45 for the coupler and bushings, but will take $35 and include free shipping CONUS if you want to paypal me the funds.

Figure use mine and have yours as a spare or if you want to do bronze bushings or something different later.

PM if interested and I'll give you paypal addy.

[mholbrook38]

Thanks for the information and for the offer of the bushings and coupler. Right after my last post, I called in an order for the other two bushings to add to my previous order making a complete bushing kit order. So, I'm going to tackle the cup first and adjust and see what happens.

This will be a good project for me in any case. I have nothing but time being retired and like figuring things out like the man said.

Mike

[JMatta]

I had some slop in my shifter and decided to replace all the bushings (from our host). The pin is pretty easy to press out of the coupler and the round bushings make for a nice, snug fit. I found my real problem though when I removed the shift housing from the car...the big round bushing in the tunnel just kind of fell out in pieces when I moved the shift rod. The bottom "cup" bushing, though snug, needed replacement and made a big difference, as well.

Car shifts beautifully...should have done this a while ago, I guess.

[HawgRyder]

For mine...I made a set out of Delrin.
They are nice and snug....no slop...and it really does feel more positive when shifting.
Bob