1974 915 5 spd trouble please help!!

[stuttgart]

hey Guy's any idea's!?
I know NOTHING about this part of the car. transmissions are something I know zero about.
It shifted great prior to getting stuck in second the first time. I got it
out but I felt the linkage behind the seat slip when I did it. After that it
was misaligned. Then someone who works on MG's told me this happened to him
and I need to realigned the shift linkage behind the seat. Which I marked,
and tried to align it. After that it got worse. I could not get it into
certain gears, and then as I have tried (Trial and error) to get it in
place, it got in reverse and now I cannot get it out. Not that it won't
shift out, just that it has no where to go it seems. It moves freely, just
no gear change. That is when I got it in first, and second and closer to
being correct the last time, but when I went to try to slightly line it up a
different direction based on what it seemed to be doing. I am back to
reverse only. Ah. what could be wrong?

[john walker's workshop]

to get it out of reverse, remove the backup light switch on the end of the trans, and push in on the small pin that's under the switch. someone probably rebuilt the trans in the past and got one of the detents in the wrong place. detents allow only one shift rod to move, while the others stay in the neutral position. sounds like you still need to adjust the coupler. center the shifter in the tower, (as in in the middle of the front to back swing). then move it all the way to the left and hold it there. loosen the coupler nut/bolt and rotate it all the way toward the passenger side and tighten the bolt/nut. if the bushings are good, the shifter should work there.

[MFB]

I'm pretty new to the board (and 911 ownership), but I feel your pain Stuttgart. The week after I bought my '74, I also got the transmission stuck in reverse a couple of times (the last time it stayed stuck). A couple of folks on this board pointed me to the shift linkage and possible adjustment (which it sounds as if you've already tried). Search on my user name for a couple of tips from others.

Nothing worked for me, so I had to have the tranny removed and inspected. Seems as if the previous owner had also been inside the tranny to replace some bearings, etc... Unfortunately, he had forgotten to re-install two of the detents. Missing detents is not a common problem from what I've heard (you have to physically remove the detents, they don't just get up and walk out by themselves). I thought I'd at least relay my experiences, though.

Good Luck!

[stuttgart]

Thanks guy's.. i'll give this a try!

[Jim Sims]

It's a little hard to understand your situation. I'm not sure if your transmission reverse gear is stuck in engagement (detent problems) or if your shift linkage (the stuff in the tunnel) is so far out that you can't move it to change out of reverse. Have you read the Pelican technical article on adjusting the linkage by adjusting the shift coupler? Do you have a Haynes shop manual for the 911? There's a good section on the shift linkage in the Haynes manual. What is the condition of your shift coupler (that thing that looks somewhat like a universal joint)? Are it's plastic bushings in good condition or are they crumbling or have a lot of slopiness? The bushings have an original oval center hole so there is intended play in one direction. Is your car on a slope with the some of the vehicle's weight bearing against reverse gear? This can make it hard to get out of gear. To test if you really have the transmission stuck in reverse put the parking brake on and undo the front clamp bolt (it runs sort of side to side or horizontal) on the shift coupler and remove the bolt and nut. Then using a tool, slightly spread the ears (the parts the bolt went through) of the clamp so you can pull the horizontal linkage rod (the one that goes forward in the tunnel) out of the shift coupler. Push the horizontal shift linkage rod forward and let it lay out of the way on the floor of the tunnel. Then get in the driver's seat push the clutch pedal in (forward) and reach around back and grab the shift coupler with your right hand and use it as a handle to shift the transmission. Remember the front/back relationships of the gear positions are backwards from the shift knob pattern up front since you are not going through the linkage. To move out of reverse push the shift coupling back. If you keep pushing back it should go past the neutral point and into 5th. Pull it back forward from the 5th position until you find the neutral point which will allow you to roll the shift coupler towards yourself or the left side of the car. If you roll it as far as it will go this will put it in the position to reach 1st and 2nd. If you now push the shift coupling back you will go into 1st; if you pull it forward you will go into 2nd. If you find neutral again and roll the coupler slightly away from you to the right you can find the position which will allow you to reach 3rd and 4th (back is 3rd, forward is 4th). If you keep rolling the coupling away from yourself to the right while in the neutral position you will return to the 5th/reverse position. Experiment moving the tranmisssion through the gears to learn where the gear positions are so you can properly adjust the shift coupling per the Pelican instructions or the Haynes manual. There will be a some resistance as gears 1 through 5 engage due to the synchro's but reverse should feel different as it doesn't have a synchro. If are indeed stuck in reverse with possible detent problems then you will have to do what John Walker says and push back on the backup light switch pin to get out of reverse. Good luck! Once when my shift coupler bushing failed I drove home from work using only the shift coupler to shift the transmission. Cheers, Jim Sims