Carrera 3.2 shifter rebuild - need guidance

[cwitt]

Hi all,

I ripped apart my Carrera's shifter tonight, to work on the bushing rebuild. Coupler and shift rod bushings went very well (coupler bushings definitely needed replacement.

When I removed the shift housing to get at the ball cup, I found some surprises. Your guidance is appreciated.

The most obvious surprise was the fact that my shift lever appears to have been welded at some point in time by the PO. Whoever welded it must've done it in place in the housing, because they didn't clean up the weld. Big gobs of it are hanging over past the thicker part of the lever that goes through the shifter block, which have worn the plastic buffer plate pretty severely. If you look closely at the 2nd pic, there's even a bit of the wire-feed welding wire still stuck on the shifter.

I'll get after this and clean things up, but I'm still curious as to why the heck somebody would choose/need to get this done? PO's receipts show the installation of a factory short shift kit a few years back -- maybe they cut down a full length lever? I can't imagine that anybody would/could actually break a shift lever, so there must be some other hair-brained explanation.







The second surprise was that the shift pin seems to have warn from rubbing on the shift guide. Look at the circled area on the following pic -- is that cause for concern? The shavings I can understand, but what about the tapered/grooved profile?



The third and final surprise was that there's a bit of fore/aft free play (in the direction of the arrow in the pic below) in the shifter block itself, along the two longitudinal pins that support it. I'd guess it to be 1-1.5mm. Is this normal? I see that there's a spring washer in there, which would typically imply that it was designed to have minimal free play.



Thanks!

[rusnak]

Looks like the worn bushings might have contributed to shifter wear. The last item can be adusted out with the pre-load screw. The pivot pin might need to be replaced. Fortunately replacements are not expensive. Or you can go with aftermarket.

[cwitt]

Originally Posted by rusnak

Looks like the worn bushings might have contributed to shifter wear. The last item can be adusted out with the pre-load screw. The pivot pin might need to be replaced. Fortunately replacements are not expensive. Or you can go with aftermarket.

Thanks, rusnak. Pre-load screw adjustment was a snap, and did indeed address the last item.

The shift pin for the standard shifter is NLA, but the shift pin for the factory short shift kit is still available. Considering how boogered up my lever is, are there any definitive measurements or characteristics that I can use to confirm which shifter I have? There are several parts that vary for the factory short shift kit vs. the standard shifter.

Thanks!

[rusnak]

Yours is an '85. The short shifter kit should be an exact match.

The lever looks like someone recently mig welded it back to the ball sleeve

[911pcars]

Two words to begin: Lazy and sloppy.

It looks like the overzealous welding was to permanently join the two-piece shift lever and prevent it from separating (makes shifting interesting but difficult). The factory used an epoxy to afix the lever parts, and this gives up after a few decades of use.

The pivot pin looks to have been driven in with blunt force as exhibited by the scoring along the pin axis. A trial fitting into the lever before installation might have revealed the offending burrs that caused this. Lube grease is also recommended for metal-to-metal contact.

For the fix, disassemble the shifter and perform these operations:

Grind the sloppy weld flush while keeping the weld intact, but as long as it doesn't interfere with lever movement, it's just a cosmetic issue. Use a flexible belt sander to blend into the existing surface.

Replace the cooked buffer plate.

Clean all parts thoroughly, prefit, then use waterproof lube (synthetic usually) on all friction surfaces. Don't overdo the application of lube.

If the shifter is pre-'77, fore-aft play is adjusted with select-thickness shim washers. I find regular 8mm flat washers are about the right thickness. Make sure the fork remains centered in the housing. The roll pins securing both ends don't make this easy as they need to be driven out (actually inward, toward each other), then reinstalled, but it's doable.

If the shifter is post '77, there should be a threaded pin and jam nut on the forward side of the shifter. Loosen the jam nut (usually very tight - best loosened with shifter mounted on tunnel and 22mm (?) socket and substantial flex handle), then rotate the threaded pin in/outward to adjust the fore-aft play to suit.



More pics and info here:
Seine Systems > Blue Printing the 915 Shift Housing

"The shift pin for the standard shifter is NLA, but the shift pin for the factory short shift kit is still available."
The pivot pins are the same for all 915 shifters. If the lever shows no vertical play and the pin isn't mangled, reuse.

"Yours is an '85. The short shifter kit should be an exact match."
That depends. The factory '85-86 shifter has a slightly shorter throw than prior years but not as short as provided by the optional factory short shifter. The fork shown in the photos (with the curved top edge) indicates your housing has the optional short shifter. That's good.

Hope this helps,
Sherwood

BTW, I find TIG welding does a much cleaner/easier/accurate job of joining the shift lever pieces.

[cwitt]

After copious amounts of filing and sanding, I got all the overhanging weld removed, and threw a coat of paint on it. I also ordered a new plastic buffer plate and shift pin. It should be good as new once the parts arrive.

I have no doubt that this was affecting the engagement of the 1-2 shift fork, because you really had to jam the lever hard to the left to get into either gear. I'll post back with results once I've got it back together (LOTS of stuff apart right now) and have driven it.

[Kidasters]

Good grief that looks ugly. PM me - I have a stock shift lever I will send you if you'll pay shipping.

Ken

[911pcars]

Curtis,
I would take some fine paper and remove the paint from the area around the pivot pin hole, then replace with some grease. A portion of that area is a frictional surface that rubs against the fork (rectangular box). There's no frictional adjustment in the fore-aft lever direction unlike the externally threaded adjustment pin that affects the left-right motion.

Otherwise, it looks fine to me.

Sherwood

[cwitt]

Originally Posted by Kidasters

Good grief that looks ugly. PM me - I have a stock shift lever I will send you if you'll pay shipping.

Ken

PM sent.

[911pcars]

If you want to trade your short shift lever and parts for a standard shift lever and parts, let me know. Lever is welded too (neatly).

Sherwood

[Wil Ferch]

Quote..."Yours is an '85. The short shifter kit should be an exact match."
That depends. The factory '85-86 shifter has a slightly shorter throw than prior years but not as short as provided by the optional factory short shifter...."

85 models had 10% shortened throws......the "official" and replacement true short-shift kit reduced normal throw by 20%.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by Wil Ferch

Quote..."Yours is an '85. The short shifter kit should be an exact match."
That depends. The factory '85-86 shifter has a slightly shorter throw than prior years but not as short as provided by the optional factory short shifter...."

85 models had 10% shortened throws......the "official" and replacement true short-shift kit reduced normal throw by 20%.

Just to clarify: From cwitt's photos, he has the optional factory short shifter pieces installed, not the standard, '85-86-issue semi short shifter.

S