915 with no 5th and reverse

[cool hand luke]

Last night was not a good night for the race car

Because I’m a idiot I dropped it off the jackstands, now add fixing driver side door to the long list of repairs.

I plop down in the drivers seat and am overwhelmed by the stench of cat pee. Then I feel my pants getting wet. GREAT.

The job for the evening was trying to get my transaxle to work. I have a Porsche 915 bought of craigslist, with a kennedy engineering adapter. I’ve never been able to get it into 5th and reverse. Last night I disconnected the shift linkage and got down there with a big pair of vice grips to see if I could get it in to those missing gears. No dice. It rotates freely into 1-4th, but you can’t turn the shaft any further to get it into 5th and reverse.

What are the possible problems here? Is there anything I can do to diagnose/fix with the trans still in the car? Dropping it is going to be a freaking nightmare that I don’t have time for.

[yelcab1]

Lukey,

Open up the inspection port at the bottom of the 915, and see where you are stuck while trying 5th / reverse. It seems you have at least isolated it to the gear box and not the bushings or the gear shift housing ... and linkages

[E Sully]

If possible , check to see if you can read the transmission ID numbers off the bottom of the transmission and post them.

[john walker's workshop]

the main shift rod has a tang that engages into a notch in the 5/rev shift rod. it's not related to anything under the inspection plate. don't know what type of vehicle the trans is in, but you would need to pull the end cover off to see. if sometime in the past, a 1st gear shed it's dog teeth and the syncro and band came loose, the bore for the 5/rev shift rod, which is directly below, can get a dent in it and keep the rod from moving in the 5th gear direction. or perhaps the tang is bent so it can't engage the notch.

[cool hand luke]

Ill post the numbers tonight, thanks

[cool hand luke]

Yikes that sounds complicated. The trans is stuffed in the back of a fiat 850 and bolted to a subaru ej20

[theFONZ]

It's fairly easy to inspect 5th and reverse. You only have to take the rear/front (depending on your orientation) cover of the trans off. No special tools or adjustments are needed. Then you will be able to see exactly what is going on. You may be able to tilt it down and won't have to remove it.

I don't know much about them, but could you have a 4-speed trans?

[E Sully]

My concern is if it is a 4 speed or a 901 transmission, that's why I would like to know the type number.
If it is a five speed, removing the nose will give you a quick view. You will need to replace the gasket and trans fluid, got to watch the pin for reverse light switch.

[cool hand luke]

It was sold to me as a 5 speed. Ill post the numbers tonight to make sure and then rear into it as soon as I can

[diverdan]

I think that the FONZ got it right. Its been a long time since I had one apart, but I believe that those two gears opereate of the same rod it could be just a lack of connection on the internal linkage. Good luck.

[cool hand luke]

The number is 915/61xx719 2225

Where the x's are illegible
I believe the 1 means 5 speed

[Matt Monson]

That's a 5 spd. The numbers you can't read are 12 and indicate a factory LSD.

As for your issue 5th and reverse are on the same rod and fork. You have an issue with that assembly, possibly what J Walker suggested.