Introduction and centre console removal question

[B0XER]

Greeetings and salutations folks

I have had a quick lurk and read of the BBS for courtesy sake, but not sure where you'd all prefer a newbie intro to be posted.

Here is my new addition of 2months ago, 3 months ago I bought a 2010 Diesel Cayenne (for another sub-board soon) and decided Porsche ownership is really about having a classic 911 to tinker with so I added the 3.2 to the stable. Its a great contrast to drive the Cayenne daily to work and then have the 86 model 3.2 for the weekends and project work.

I hunted for quite a few months before finding both the Cayenne and 911 and the 911 I travelled the Eastern Seaboard of Australia to find. Its a 3 owner car with original logbooks showing a genuine 115k kms (70k miles) since new. It is completely original right down to the cassette deck. I plan to keep it mostly that way and just restore/enhance key elements




I have already received my first Pelican Parts order thanks - 3 weeks to Australia unfortunately. Of course the 101 projects book by Wayne was included and so starts my questions:

Now whilst this 3.2 has probably the best shift of any examples I drove, after reading all about the bushings and setup of the shift mechanism, I thought my first project would ideally be to replace the bushings and re-set the linkages to ensure it is as good as it can be.

Wayne's book shows the basics, but I'll be buggered if I can remove the centre console completely. I have found all 3 screws and the console is loose enough to slide up the shifter. However it cant slide right off as the cables and wires leading into the front of the console are too tight. There is a plug for one set of wires I can disconnect, but then there is still a large black loom which is solid and short along with what I assume is the climate control tube in white which is also short and tight. I have removed the knobs and retainers from the switches but I still dont seem to get enough slack to remove the console.

Help! (cant believe I need assistance this early in the game)


Where the console sites right now:





And here is a pic from the front - the thick black loom in the middle and thin white tube are too tight to manouver the console

[Dueller]

IIRC you can unplug the wiring looms from the back of three of the switches rather than forward in the loom. As far as the temp control (witgh the white gas line) I think I had to remove the entire switch from the console. Sorry...not much help here.

I will look up in manual when I get home if you still re having problems.

[Flat6pac]

Having been there, after the fact of screwing up the power locks, most controls are unpluggable about a foot up the harness.
As noted the white temp wire goes all the way through to th e AC condenser.
Bruce

[ivangene]

the AC switch most likely wont go thru the plastic part????

I had to make a notch in the part with a dremel to slip it thru, there is a tube on it and I didnt want to cut it....

welcome!

been a while since I did this so I think you are just replacing the cup in the shifter you wont have to remove the whole thing...

[CharlesJones]

Ditto. The wires should unplug somewhere.

Stunning car by the way! Good idea to change the shift bushings - I did mine and it did make an improvement. I not sure which gearbox the '86 model 911 has though - do you know if your car is 915 car or a G50?

[ivangene]

BTW - your shift knob just pulls straight off...its a real pain and when it lets loose it will fly... I recommend being very careful or i have heard the shift knob removal can include a new windshield

[Barrpete]

Just a note of caution. That white 'wire' is actually not a wire at all, it's a capillary tube filled with gas. If you kink it or break it your AC temp switch is toast, and your AC won't run.

[B0XER]

Originally Posted by CharlesJones

Ditto. The wires should unplug somewhere.

Stunning car by the way! Good idea to change the shift bushings - I did mine and it did make an improvement. I not sure which gearbox the '86 model 911 has though - do you know if your car is 915 car or a G50?

Hmmm thanks all, the thick black loom disappears under the glued carpet and below the AC gas lines heading to the condensor, I don't see how I will easily get to a point a foot further up the loom without removing the passenger foot board and condensor (remember my car is RHD!)

Yes tis a 915 'box - the G50's arrived in Australia in the 1987 models onwards.

Originally Posted by Barrpete

Just a note of caution. That white 'wire' is actually not a wire at all, it's a capillary tube filled with gas. If you kink it or break it your AC temp switch is toast, and your AC won't run.

Thanks for the white tube hint everyone, I suspected it was a tube of some sort. I guess my only option is to push both the A/C switches through their fascia and hopefully I get enough slack in the wires without having to try and pass them all the way through the front of the console.

A frustrating design for such a simple piece of hardware

Originally Posted by ivangene

BTW - your shift knob just pulls straight off...its a real pain and when it lets loose it will fly... I recommend being very careful or i have heard the shift knob removal can include a new windshield

Thanks - read that, but also there is a resource somewhere (Bentley??) describing a 'hitting' method, but I did not want to break the rare shift knob. Hoped to get at the shift cup without removing the boot.

[B0XER]

Thought I'd come back and update this thread for anyone else attempting this and have similar setup to me:

The only way to slacken the cables is to bite the bullet and remove the A/C evaporator to get to the loom behind and free up the cables holding the console in place.

\

Out it comes and un-bolt the evaporator to get to the rear side, luckily the hoses are flexible and I can swing the evaporator out of the way without losing gas. HERE I find the white cable tie holding the cables tight
Unfortunately the air hose to the vents is old and brittle and disintegrates as I move it. The evaporators fins all need some attention and many are flattened



Zip tie holding the capilary tube and wiring harness back from the console




Bugger - air hose from the A/C Evaporator old and disintegrating





With the evaporator swung out of the way it frees up all the cabling behind the dash and I can finally get the console over the shifter to reveal the mechanism below. Lifting the carpet up over the mech now also reveals the attached base plate that needs to be removed to get to the bushes in the shifting rods and shafts below.






In the above pic you can see the white bush that sits over the ball end of the shifter and then sits into the metal cup in the end of the shift rod - this is replaced and lubed in lithium grease.

Then its onto the guide bush on the bracket holding the shift rod in the trans tunnel - both bushes have vast amounts of play compared to the new replacements I fit






Finally once this is all done you can move to the shift coupler between the two front seats Removing is simple - place the gearbox in 1st and then unbolt the clamp onto the shaft and the cone screw holding the coupler in place (mark it all with a texta first as it has a big effect on the gearshifter relationship and positioning to the box - and can even stop some gears being selected if installed incorrectly)

[B0XER]

Compare the old to the new - the pin needs to be pressed out with I used a workshop to do seeing as I dont have a press and didn't want to break the aluminium coupler then pay $120 and wait 3 weeks







-installed with plenty of grease and now heres the fun put - playing with the position of the coupler on the shaft changes the position of the gear shifter. I wondered why some Carrera's I drove the gearshift was so far forward your hand almost hit the dsh selecting 1st gear. Now I moved mine forward on the shaft which means the shifter moves back somewhat and makes it an easier reach.

Then adjust the rotation to ensure you can get 1st and 5th (along with reverse) and bolt it all back together.

Finally I bodge up the airhose with duct tape until I order a replacement - it actually repaired quite well, then fix the evaporator fins, tidy all the loose wiring and re-fit the centre console and leave enough slack for next time so I dont have to do this much disassembly again

[B0XER]

How does it shift - bloody brilliant! SO much tighter and precise. Now to change the transmission oil to reduce the occasional baulking get from 1st to 2nd and 3rd to 2nd


Oh and luckily the A/C still works so the white capiliary tube must be ok. I think I will still order a spare from the next US order as they are only $40 and it will get broken one day

I hope this thread is useful to others