Loose shift rod end?

[o2cool6]

Hey all - was replacing shift rod bushings today and noticed a bit of looseness on the head end of the shift rod - is this normal or should the rod be replaced? I posted a 10sec youtube video because it shows the looseness really well. Basically, the last inch of the shift rod (911-424-020-00) where it necks down for the ball cup bushing adapter to attach can be rocked slightly from the rest of the rod.

https://youtu.be/-cSTj_WFVec

[john walker's workshop]

Drill a couple of holes in the tube and plug weld it with a mig. Can be done in situ.

[dicklague]

Originally Posted by john walker's workshop

Drill a couple of holes in the tube and plug weld it with a mig. Can be done in situ.

good solution and I am sure it will last forever.

[hughc]

Originally Posted by john walker's workshop

Drill a couple of holes in the tube and plug weld it with a mig. Can be done in situ.

Can't for the life of me understand what is being said there, no matter how I try to interpret it.

If I understand the question correctly, you can try replacing the support bushing at the top of your diagram. (the one held in place with the right angle bracket), although in your video I don't recall seeing that bracket/bushing, but I will watch the video once more.

[steely]

wow - i wonder if the other end can get like that as well?
i just assumed the rod was like common stock and not a tube.
great fix.

[john walker's workshop]

"Can't for the life of me understand what is being said there, no matter how I try to interpret it".

Look up "plug weld' in bing/google images for a pictorial explanation. You drill through the side of the tube into the solid insert and fill the hole with weld.

[o2cool6]

Thanks John for the reply. Looks like it's not supposed to wiggle! Good fix - I like that much better than the $200 for a replacement. I'll have to look closer, but I'll have to be mindful of the surface being smooth after the weld or weld farther back so that it doesn't interfere with the bushing that it slides through.

steely - Ya - I too was very surprised that the smaller "neck" was actually a separate piece of metal that was inserted into the larger stock. At least on mine, that back end (that attaches to the shift coupler) was not loose. Didn't look close enough to notice if they manufactured it the same way with two pieces of metal...

dicklague - john is referring to a welding technique - basically weld the small end (that is inserted into the larger piece) to the larger surrounding rod. Replacing the bushing in the L-shaped bracket won't help this situation as it is the rod end that is loose; the L-shaped bracket and the end cap bushing adapter have been removed for the video. Hope that helps.

[dicklague]

Originally Posted by o2cool6

Thanks John for the reply. Looks like it's not supposed to wiggle! Good fix - I like that much better than the $200 for a replacement. I'll have to look closer, but I'll have to be mindful of the surface being smooth after the weld or weld farther back so that it doesn't interfere with the bushing that it slides through.

steely - Ya - I too was very surprised that the smaller "neck" was actually a separate piece of metal that was inserted into the larger stock. At least on mine, that back end (that attaches to the shift coupler) was not loose. Didn't look close enough to notice if they manufactured it the same way with two pieces of metal...

dicklague - john is referring to a welding technique - basically weld the small end (that is inserted into the larger piece) to the larger surrounding rod. Replacing the bushing in the L-shaped bracket won't help this situation as it is the rod end that is loose; the L-shaped bracket and the end cap bushing adapter have been removed for the video. Hope that helps.

UMM I know the welding technique. Did I say something about the bracket??

[Porboynz]

Plug weld works, did that years ago. Just make sure you grind/file the weld down so it does not chew up the bush.

[Walt Fricke]

If John Walker says this can be welded in situ, that must also mean that the tube doesn't move far enough back toward the plastic bushing in the bracket to hit the bushing, doesn't it? Kind of hard to use files and such down in that tunnel.

If you can't weld, and my supposition is correct, you could probably drill a hole and rivet it with a steel rivet.

If it was shifting pretty much OK (despite being a bit vague) before, my guess is that the end fitting has a sort of preferred position in the tube even though it can be rotated some. If so, and you fix it in the position it liked best, maybe you won't even have to readjust things?

I think the other (rear) end is just the tube, with a saw cut so it can be clamped, and some grooves - not really splines - broached into the tube. Were the whole thing a solid rod it would weigh a lot more than needed to do the job, and this is a Porsche, not a Freightliner.

I've never contemplated how Porsche fastened the machined front piece into the tube, though. The ball bottom piece of the shift lever itself is just held onto the shift lever rod with epoxy or some similar glue! Over time the bond can break on that, allowing you to rotate the **** lever.

[hughc]

I think I owe someone an apology. I've just finished replacing all the bushes associated with the shift linkage and must admit that I didn't realize the forward end of the shift rod was in fact two pieces somehow held together by press fit, epoxy or whatever. Had I known I'm sure I would have looked at it more closely.
The mig welding idea seems to be a very good way to repair the looseness.
I also wonder if a set screw similar to the type used at the shift coupling and at the cup at the end of the shift rod would also work.

[Liam O]

Originally Posted by john walker's workshop

Drill a couple of holes in the tube and plug weld it with a mig. Can be done in situ.

I also had this problem a few years ago and used this method, it worked fine.
I tried to remove the rod from the tunnel to do this, but found it was not possible without an engine drop.
I done it in situ, but be careful if you go down this route, the fuel lines are in there,stuff some fire blanket in as a precaution just to be on the safe side.

[911pcars]

The front bushing receptacle is attached to the shift tube via a threaded bolt (sometimes square headed) and safety-wired so it doesn't vibrate and back off. The internal thread can become bunged up/cross-threaded over the years.

One could perform a plug weld via that thread hole as well. I would opt to create another hole on the opposite side.

Sherwood